Chapter 47: The daily Exodus

13th Iyar/(LY) 10^th Iyar

1. The daily Exodus:

• The sages teach us that in every generation, and every day, a person is obligated to imagine as if he personally came out of Egypt. This is fulfilled by one experiencing a daily spiritual Exodus, as we will now explain.

2. The daily spiritual Exodus:

• Leaving the constraints of the body: The daily Exodus is experienced through one removing his G-dly soul from its bodily constraints, which is referred to as a serpents skin.
• Torah and Mitzvah’s: This spiritual Exodus is realized through engaging in Torah study and Mitzvah fulfillment, which causes one’s G-dly soul to become absorbed within the unity of the infinite light of G-d.
• The daily Shema: It is especially experienced upon reciting the daily Shema in which one accepts the yoke of heaven and draws upon himself the unity of G-d when reciting the words “Our G-d, G-d is one.” The words “our G-d” emphasize the idea that the G-dly soul is nullified and incorporated in the unity of G-d, as it states regarding Avraham, as we explained in previous chapters that Hashem becomes our G-d similar to the G-d of Avraham.
• The spiritual Exodus of Avraham versus that of us: The spiritual Exodus experienced by our forefather Avraham was not as a result of Torah and Mitzvah’s but rather was merited as a result of his hard work and advancements in holiness going from one level to the next, as the verse states that he would travel to the south [which refers to the love of G-d]. However, by us his descendants, the ability to experience a spiritual Exodus is an inheritance and gift from G-d, as G-d gifted us the Torah into which He invested His will and wisdom which are united with His essence in the ultimate unity.

3. The Torah contains G-d himself:

• By G-d gifting us the Torah, it is as if He has gifted us Him himself.
• Taking Me: This is emphasized in the Zohar which interprets the verse “and take for me a donation,” to instead mean “take Me.”
• I give Myself as a present: On this the verse states “that G-d has given to us with love”, “as with the countenance of his face you have given us our G-d.” [This means to say that G-d has given Himself as a present to his people and allowed them to become united with Him through the study of Torah.]

4. Uniting with G-d is within everyone’s reach:

• According to the above it is understood, that there is nothing that stands in the way of the soul uniting with G-d with exception to ones own will, if he G-d forbid does not wish to do so.
• Saying Shema Yisrael accomplishes the unity: However, the moment that he decides to draw upon himself G-dliness and he states the verse of Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad, then his soul automatically becomes incorporated within the unity of G-d. This is because the breath of his voice draws down the breath of G-d to accomplish a full unity.
• The spiritual Exodus: This in itself accomplishes the spiritual Exodus.

5. Why the recital of Shema contains a paragraph of the Exodus:

• It is due to the above experiencing of the spiritual Exodus upon reciting the Shema that the sages instituted the recital of the paragraph of the Exodus at the conclusion of the Shema, even though it is in truth an independent Mitzvah that has nothing to do with the Mitzvah of Shema. [The reason for this is because it is the recital of Shema which brings one to experience the daily Exodus.]
• All one and the same: Based on the above, it is understood that both the recital Shema and the paragraph of the Exodus are one and the same.
• I am Hashem your G-d: It is also for this reason that the conclusion of the paragraph of the Exodus concludes with the verse “I am Hashem your G-d,” as the daily spiritual Exodus of the soul brings unity between Hashem and man.