Shemoth 13:17 – 17:16
“The memory of the righteous will be remembered for good, but the memory of the wicked will be consigned to oblivion.”
(In memory of my first teacher of Toráh, the Ḥakham Yosef ben Shelomó Benarroch of blessed memory, born in Tangiers, Morocco)
At present, Hindus venerate approximately 33 million gods. Despite the fact that the Vedas (sacred texts of Hinduism dating back more than 5,000 years) affirm that there is only one Creator Dio (Brahma), throughout the ages they have venerated the different manifestations of the Dio, bendicho sea. There is something to learn from the Hindus—even though we are strict monotheists—and that is how to perceive the Lord of the World in everything.
The children of Israel left Egypt and arrived at the shores of the Yam Suf (Sea of Reeds). Then, realizing that the Egyptian army was pursuing them, they began to feel terror. The children of Israel cried out to the Eterno, alabado sea, and asked Moshé, “Were there no graves in Egypt that you brought us out from there to die in the wilderness?” The Eterno, bendito sea, responded to the cry of His children, saying, “Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the children of Israel to move forward.”
Shemoth 13:21 states that the Eternal One walked before them during the day as a cloud to cool them on the way, and as a pillar of fire at night to illuminate their path. Here the Toráh gives us a contextual clue to show us that the Adonay was very close to the people. On the other hand, it is evident that the people did not realize that the Dio, alabado sea, was there. This helps us understand why humanity feels the need to create an image of Divinity; it is difficult to see an invisible Dio. In truth, the Creator, bendito sea, is very close to us. By contemplating the heavens, the animal kingdom, the botanical and mineral realms, and by considering natural cycles and evolutionary processes, we will see the invisible Dio. Every day, Heaven invites us to move forward with emunáh (faith and obedience).
There is a story told of a man who, while drowning in the sea, cried out, “Oh Dio, help me!” Shortly afterward, a fisherman passed by in a boat offering to help him. The man replied, “I am waiting for the Dio to help me.” Some time later, a helicopter approached to rescue him, but he said, “I am waiting for the Dio to help me.” Finally, the man drowned. When he arrived before the heavenly court, he asked, “Why did You not save me?” The Judge replied, “I sent you a fisherman in a boat and later a helicopter, but you rejected My help.”
If you want to see the Dio bendicho, close your eyes and walk!
Hakham Yehonatan Elazar-De Mota