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The
Burning Bush
The
Burning Bush: A Message for Today
Rabbi
Yitzchak Hirshfeld
The Navi (Micah 7:15) tells us, "As in the days
when you left Egypt I will show you wonders," the
process of the final redemption will parallel the
departure from Egypt. Let us look at one point in
the narrative of the exodus.
The story of our departure from Egypt has its beginnings
in the vision of the burning bush. The bush was
burning yet it was not consumed. What did this vision
teach them? And what can we learn and apply to our
contemporary situation?
It has been suggested that the bush is the nation
of Israel, and the fire is the enmity of their oppressors.
The fire is ranging all around. Natural law would
dictate that in a short time there would be nothing
left of the bush. Yet it si not consumed; the laws
of history do not determine the fate of the Jewish
people. There is a unique hashgacha (Divine Providence)
which directly protects the Jewish people, even
as the fires of hate and destruction surround them.
When Moshe saw this, took notice, (and evidently
he could have failed to notice) then G-d revealed
Himself and spoke. Evidently, noticing G-d I His
hiddenness must precede hearing Him in His revelation.
And the awareness that even as the fires rage without,
G-d protects within, is a prerequisite for the ultimate
extinction of those fires.
Today we have to reinforce the lesson of the burning
bush. There is a destructive fire all about us,
and we are not consumed. This delivers a twofold
message. First, we must exult in the knowledge that
truly G-d protects us, loves us; that the security
of our existence far transcends the natural order.
And secondly, by seeing things as they are, we must
be shaken from our complacency. How fragile and
vulnerable we are!
We are called upon to follow Moshe Rabbeinu - we
must first of all notice this basic fact of our
existence, that as a people and as individuals we
are a burning bush. That is the first step towards
meriting to see G-d's hashgacha revealed and to
experience G-d's salvation from the enemies who
surround us.
"As in the days when you left Egypt I will show
you wonders." |
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