Rabbi Mendy Herson's Blog

I'd bet it's a common human experience.
You’re facing a decision. Something like: Should you stay a little
longer in the office or make it home for dinner with the family? You
consider the options: Are you rationalizing selfishness, or doing the responsible thing? You choose a course of action, believing that you've been honest with yourself.
Now, what happens when you come across new 'evidence' which shows that you're actually on the wrong path? What now?
That's where character comes in. People with moral strength have the guts to stop short and admit a mistake. They have the courage to change direction.
People with weak values keep boring ahead, irrespective of the facts.
It's what we call a Pharaoh personality.
Pharaoh obviously didn’t like the Jewish people’s presence in his
land, and that was a - or perhaps the - reason behind his evil
behavior. On the other hand, did you know that G-d told Abraham his descendants would be enslaved for four hundred years (Genesis 15:13-14)? Since it’s conceivable that Pharaoh was aware of this Abrahamic vision (would Abraham have kept it a secret?), perhaps Pharaoh thought he was doing G-d’s work! Implausible as it may sound, the question begs to be asked: Is it possible that Pharaoh – aside from personally disliking the Jewish people - thought he was doing G-d’s work, and helping the Hebrews live out their Divinely-ordained history?
No.
Here’s why.
Irrespective of why Pharaoh launched his slavery program, he was eventually confronted by Moses, a man who showed his G-dly credentials and gave him clear instructions: "Let them go. You’re doing something wrong. You and your people will suffer if you continue".
Yet Pharaoh continued. And Pharaoh suffered. But he refused to change course; it took ten devastating plagues to loosen his grip. What kind of a person looks facts (Moses’ message from G-d) and self-destruction in the face, and continues on his wrong-headed path?
A person who can’t admit he made a mistake. A person who can’t find the courage to change direction.
In this sense, Pharaoh lives inside many of us.
When you hand your inner Moses the reins of your life, you'll find the strength to rise above your personal Pharaoh, escape your individual Egypt and find the way to your own Promised Land.

When you look deeper, you’ll find that Torah's the story of your life.

A special person in your life leaves you a note: The letter V.  A little later you find an E, then an O and then an L.

Hmmm..….

You now have four random letters in which you can find very little significance. What could they mean? Is it possible there’s no significance?

Suddenly it hits you. The letters spell the word LOVE.

Once you get the right perspective, and put the letters into proper context, they coalesce into a beautiful word, an affectionate communication, a stream of warmth into your life.

You actually live this every day.

Kabbalistically speaking, letters are a metaphor for the events and objects of our lives. In a world where meaning is hidden, we often see life as a de-contextualized jumble that doesn’t make much sense. So, do we just shrug our shoulders and assume that there’s no meaning to be found? Or do we keep searching for the message?

Let’s look at your day:
Say you'll be spending an hour with a client, or doing housework.
In and of themselves, such hours come and go; they’re unremarkable in the scope of your life.

Metaphorically, these mundane hours are meaningless, random letters.
But now put them into context: You were created by G-d for an objective that is important; it’s unique to you, which is why G-d found it necessary to create you.  This doesn’t mean that your respective raison d' être necessarily entails headline-grabbing accomplishments. It means that G-d wants you and me to lead purpose-driven lives, focused on our responsibilities to our Creator and to the world around us. And to G-d, that’s really important.

When we’re mindful of this objective, and see our tasks – like a client meeting or laundry – as part of the trajectory toward a meaningful life, we’re achieving our goal.

Your day is full of letters; you just need to put them in context.

This is a fundamental function of prayer. In the contemplation of prayer, we take life’s details and frame them, forming beautiful sentences out of important letters. In that sense, prayer is redemptive; it releases events from the trap of meaninglessness, elevating them so that they’re re-experienced as part of a cosmically meaningful journey through life.

It’s up to you. Free yourself.