Of Sticks and Snakes

In any artist’s illustration of Moses, he will invariably be depicted holding or lifting a great staff. And for good reason: When G-d charges Moses with his mission to confront Pharaoh and free the Jews from slavery G-d tells him explicitly, “Take your staff in your hand, for with it you shall perform wonders.” Indeed, in both Moses’ first interaction with both the Jews and with Pharaoh, to prove his authenticity, he transforms his staff into a snake.

As this specific miracle—the transformation of the staff into a snake—is the initiation of Moses role as leader and redeemer, it surely carries within it great significance.

This class will explore the parallel lines between the interpretations of two great Jewish thinkers: Rabbi Moshe Alshich (Safed, 1508 - 1593) and Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (Russia, 1745-1812), the founder of Chabad.

Both of their explanations teach us a powerful and relevant lesson about our own inner ‘snakes’ and ‘staffs.’

Breathtaking lecture.

I hope to share this with others. Thank you

This message couldn't have come at a better time. As always, I'll be sharing this with friends and family.
May you be blessed.

Great shiurim, ישר כח
If posible chack why the sistem stops in the middle of shiur, sometimes for short breaks and sometime sjust staing stagnant. If can be fixed will be deeply appricieted.
Thank you

As always yasher koach Rabbi Jacobson on a brilliant presentation! Every week I cannot wait to download your shiur and drink of your immense knowledge.
I have a question on this weeks presentation - if the stick & the snake is representative of everything you shared with us, why then do we have the necromancers of Egypt being able to also do the same conversion of stick into snake..... where does their ability to do the same thing fall in line with all that you taught?
Lokking forward to your response
Aidel kazilksy, Johannesburg South Africa

I loved the idea of what you are saying, but my adult daughter committed suicide as here mind deteriorated from mental illness. Where is up? She was beautiful, intelligent and innocent???

The Holocaust? Where was up?
A woman servivor said she heard religious men say as they were gassed. Where are you God? I believed in you. I'm a religious man. Where was up?

The video keeps breaking up. Any suggestions?

As always yasher koach Rabbi Jacobson on a brilliant presentation! Every week I cannot wait to download your shiur and drink of your immense knowledge.
I have a question on this weeks presentation - if the stick & the snake is representative of everything you shared with us, why then do we have the necromancers of Egypt being able to also do the same conversion of stick into snake..... where does their ability to do the same thing fall in line with all that you taught?
Lokking forward to your response.

Aidel

To Michal,

Our video stream on our end is working uninterrupted. Please check your internet connection.

Thank you Rabbi Jacobson for the weekly "refreshing" lesson.
In the parasha of Veira it's Aaron that cast his staff.
Why is it Aaron and not Moshe?
Why the Torah called it Aaron staff?
Shabbat Shalom
Moshe

Thought Provoking. Feel Good.Thanks

I really enjoyed this discourse with the reinterpretation of the Ten Plagues. Very interesting and as always well done. I listened to your video on The stick and the Snake which was great and I very much like the idea of the accompanying curriculum EXCEPT for one point. I find it disconcerting to have the curriculum appear and you disappear. Is there a way that the curriculum could be placed on the side so one could view both simultaneously. I would find that far more to my liking. I absorb the material best when the conditions are optimal, no talking or cell phones etc.

We suggest printing out a physical copy of the curriculum to have by your side while viewing the video. Another option is to resize the windows to that they could fit side by side, best done with the new Windows 7 (otherwise, simply go to the edge until you see arrow, and then press and drag to desireble size).

Questions and Exercises
1. Why does the Exodus story revolve around sticks bring transformed into snakes?
Let’s see: a stick is a reveal form of Divine Presence and a snake is a result of very restricted and concealed form of Divine Presence. One can be transformed into another by possessing it. Besides, there are different levels of good and various forms of concealment. Eventually this episode encompasses two existing modes of Divine energy. Good and evil, no matter how opposite they are, both have strong connection to the Source that, by definition, is “neither good nor evil”. Right? (Next time I will try be more specific.)
2. What are your three greatest fears in life?
Thorough search for constant phobia or something really threatening made me to delve in material, physiological and spiritual layers of my psyche, where I found following: a snake, scare of taking a bite that would not be able to masticate and panic in front of total names debasing.
3. What is your single greatest fear?
Though snake is my single uncontrollable fear, my constant dread is in the process of words devaluation. (Do we have some references about it in Ecclesiast?)
When I just “smell” this phenomenon in the air, either in a talk, or in relationship or Media, it scares me to death. I dread when words stop carrying their meaning like holey cups. Isn’t it a real threat for our communications, our unity, our existence or it’s only in my inflamed imagination, where a proverb “to carry water in sieve” turns into a nightmare? Do we have a taste of it since Babylon tower…
How do you deal with it?
No medication but meditation: reading from our Main Guide, constantly focusing on positive (like chabbad.org, aish.com and few scholars’ teachings), and consulting with Dictionary from time to time.
4. Do you think you should deal with these fears differently?
Sure!
As an old Russian slogan states: “Take more actions – use fewer words!” that in Judaism means 248 +365 and 7.
5. What is the significance of the fact that when Moses drops the stick it becomes a snake, and when he fetches it, it reverts to a stick?
Fascinating insight of all our challenges! Having different kind of fears, troubles, long -term sores, unresolved problems, we used to keep an eye on them. No matters how hard to work them through, as long as we can fight, control or just talk about them they are like our staff, they are scores in our favor but when we draw our attention away from them, drop them from our mind, let them escape from light into darkness of subconsciousness we become losers. Then only extensive courage and strength can change the score of the game…
6. What does the snake represent? What does the staff represent?
May I start with the staff? Staff, is like a straight light from above; it is a symbol of holiness, truth, trust, and rallying. It is an important tool of climb up, warder, rule and control. It has so many names that reflect it characteristics: a rod, a hock, a stick, verge and so on.
Snake, on the opposite, never can be straight (unless it is dead and frozen). It changes its direction every moment and the part of it that has been protruded before, turns inward in few seconds later. Add to that its creeping, slip and dark nature and you will get irrevocable egregious wickedness. It doesn’t have so many general names as a staff has only serpents, ophidians, reptile, asp and few more but each type of the snakes associated with dark part of existence differently. Where do they meet? May be through the word a crook, or in a proverb “as wise as a snake”..
Why are they, at their core, really one?
Do you know why I am afraid of words losing their meaning? Because if everything roots in the same source, then there is a place where ethics may be nonsense… It’s so easy to lose verge and it is so tempting take a step there and then… be accustom of chaos.
7. How should we deal with the various “Pharaohs” and “snakes” in our life?
By facing towards them and never showing them our back.


(Now, can I take a brake and do what I supposed to do?)

The part of the Pentateuch discussed here is very relevant to today's global situation. Moses is assisted in his divine mission by G-d.

The Twelfth Article of Faith is a fascinating part of the Jewish faith. The question that is the most interesting regarding the prophecy relates to the potency of the connection of Moshiach to G-d. If G-d wants a certain form of sovereignty to reign from the Holy City then he may force certain things to unfold. Whether the leaders of the Jewish people acquiesce to his wishes is the test. Is the idea of good reign for good rain far fetched or correct ?

What is the value of good rainfall for the people of the Holy Land ?

This question is of the highest metaphysical order. I think G-d is going to help answer this question in the very near future.

I never underestimate his power.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/135500

I heard "az men darf danken un beten" Thank you very much for your lectures. where did the previous lectures and essays disapppear to?

Baruch HaShem

Your brave act and speech, and Ahavat Israel and Ahavat HaShem shown at the rally in Yerushalyim to salute the settlement enterprise in Judea, Samaria and Yerushalyim tell me what you teach is what you are.

Baruch HaShem

Thank you for the fundamental, yet often forgotten truth with which we should face our life's Paraoh. My greatest fear is work. Now I am not working but once I start looking for job, and working, I predict there must be obstacles to serve HaShem. But I try to see them as opportunities to shed the light to reveal all are derived from Diviniy. I will try to remember when I meet snakes, I will look up our Father.

Thank you for this wonderful Shiur. I attended much of your "Tales of Two Souls" live. It's nice to see that I can once again be a weekly participant in your classes again (almost) live.