BESHALACH

Shalom, Shalom. This week’s TORAH PORTION is termed BESHALACH. The IVRI transliteration BESHALACH carries with it the idea of SENDING OUT.  The opening of the TORAH PORTION is descriptive of PHARAOH SENDING OUT BENEI YISRAEL after the plague of the death of the firstborn. The LIBERATION of a people from OPPRESSION is destined to be followed by submission to a HIGHER AUTHORITY. In this case the HIGHER AUTHORITY is HASHEM. With new found freedom comes responsibility. Responsibility is developed through the experience of CHALLENGE.

The CHALLENGES are developed by the higher authority to aid those who are LIBERATED to RESPOND to challenge rather than to REACT. A RESPONSE is that which flows from UNLIMITED POTENTIAL that is LATENT WITHIN. In our portion, the HIGHER AUTHORITY had predetermined that rather than BENEI YISRAEL being led by way of the land of the Philistines, where warfare would be the Challenge, He turned them inward, the way of the WILDERNESS, where they would encounter a GREATER RESISTANCE. ENCOUNTERING A GREATER RESISTANCE would give rise to the TENDENCY to RESPOND rather than REACT.

Likewise as we experience LIBERATION from living in the NARROW PLACE of LIMITED THINKING, we are not led down the path of LEAST RESISTANCE, but the challenges become greater. These greater challenges cultivate the TENDENCY to go deeper into the ESSENCE of one’s BEING and through RESPONSIBILITY, we manifest the unlimited POTENTIAL that is LATENT WITHIN engaging A LIFE WITHOUT END.