Reality Check

“You need to be realistic.”

It’s a phrase I’m used to hearing, usually about an idea that sounds like an exciting possibility to me, but hopelessly outlandish to someone else. And, I must admit, reality often seems to side with the other person. I’m blessed with a vivid imagination, yet even the best ideas have a way of coming up short when put into practice in the real world. Getting things done takes time, effort and hard work, and the results seem puny compared to the original inspiration.

If there’s ever a time for figuring out this reality thing—whether you’re trying to live with it or break free of it—this week is it. In this week’s parshah of Bo, we read of the Jewish people leaving Egypt. Our sages say: “In every generation we must see ourselves as if we personally have gone out of Egypt.”1 Chassidic teachings explain that the Hebrew word for Egypt, Mitzrayim, has the same letters as the word “meitzarim,” restrictions. Going out of Egypt, in a spiritual sense, means leaving behind the beliefs or attitudes that limit us, that hinder us from accomplishing our goals.

But what does this mean in a practical sense? How do we break free of our limitations, when those limitations have their way of imposing themselves upon us, like it or not? Can we just wish reality away?

When the Jews left Egypt, G‑d revealed himself through plagues and miracles and carried His people triumphantly away. But that isn’t the reality for most of us on a day-to-day basis. We have to contend with our little battles and struggles alone, with no outright sign of divine intervention.

The Hayom Yom2 of 25 Tevet sheds some light on this question:

From my father’s sichot (talks): Exodus from Egypt means leaving limitations and bounds, and Chassidut is to enable man to leave the restrictions of the material world.

There is a difference: The Egyptian exodus means shattering and then departure, which is why they went away from Egypt. The Chassidic exodus means purification and correction, stepping out of worldly limitations and bounds while remaining in the world. This means, while functioning within the world we must transcend its limitations. We are to remove the limitations and bounds, and perceive the truth—that the world per se is truly good, since, after all, the natural world is what G‑d intended. This is attained through the work of Chassidut.

Let’s examine this.

When the Jews were in Egypt, their only option was to get away. Sometimes, an environment is so toxic that there is no choice but toSometimes, an environment is so toxic that there is no choice but to leave leave. There is no fixing the situation or working around the situation. You need to get out. This was the state of the Jewish people in Egypt. In fact, our sages say, the redemption came not a moment too soon. The Jews had already sunk to the 49th level of impurity, and if they had stayed in Egypt any longer, they might never have gotten out.3

Our situation now is different. “Going out of Egypt” in the Chassidic sense—leaving our boundaries and limitations—is not an exercise in denial. The challenges and struggles are out there, and they’re real. But we also know that G‑d created the world with all its limitations and boundaries, and nothing in this world can stop us from fulfilling His will. If a goal seems unrealistic or overreaching, then perhaps it’s appropriate to check first whether indeed that’s what G‑d wants from us at this time. But once we have determined what our goals are, then we are not to be deterred by any obstacles or setbacks. It is best to set modest and yes, realistic goals, but not to swerve from them once they’ve been set.

Why is there a difference between the original exodus from Egypt and our spiritual “going out of Egypt” today? Why was the emphasis then on breaking free, while today it is on learning how to work within the boundaries of the world, without getting bogged down by them?

The exodus from Egypt was the first stage in a remarkable change that the world was to undergo—the giving of the Torah. Until the Torah was given, the spiritual world stayed spiritual and the physical world stayed physical. There was no joining of the two. But once the Torah was given, for the first time in history, G‑d broke down the boundaries between the “upper world” and the “lower world.”

Leaving Egypt was a prelude to this dramatic shift in the world. The Jews had to break through the evil force of Egypt in order to receive the Torah. They couldn’t refine that powerful evil. They just had to get away from it.

Once the barrier was broken and the Torah was given, the emphasis shifted. Instead of breaking through or breaking away, our efforts are now directed at refining the world and bringing G‑dliness into it. We have the power now to transform the world with the light of Torah and mitzvahs. By doing mitzvahs, we bring G‑d’s limitless energy into the finite boundaries of the world. We can do this as souls within bodies, without requiring miracles or supernatural powers.

With the final Redemption, the prophet Isaiah says, “You will not leave in haste and you will not go in a flurry.”4

We will leave exile in a peaceful, orderly way, because we will have learned how to transcend the limitations of this world while still working within it. We will have learned how to make the most of reality as it is—with all the power and goodness that G‑d already invested in it.

(Based on Sefer Hasichot 5752, pp. 288-290.)