PARSHAT VA’ERA – INTELLECT AND EMOTIONS · Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach

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Parashat Va’era – Intellect and emotions

This week’s Torah reading starts with the answer G-d gave to Moshe. What was the argument really about and what can we learn from there? Based on Likutei Sichot, vol. 3, p.854

Vaeira – “I Revealed Myself”

This week’s Torah reading is called Vaeira, which means “I revealed myself.”
The parashah opens with an answer to a question that Moshe Rabbeinu asked in the previous Torah reading.

Moshe Rabbeinu was sent as G-d’s emissary to take the Children of Israel out of Egypt. After much hesitation and many arguments with G-d, he finally went. But instead of things getting better, they became more complicated.

Pharaoh, king of Egypt, responded:
“No way. I’m not letting these people go. I don’t know who G-d is and I don’t care about your G-d.”

Moshe returned to G-d and said, in essence:
“Why did You do bad to this people? From the moment I went, things became worse, not better. You spoke about salvation and redemption, but nothing like that has happened. What is going on?”

At the beginning of this week’s reading, G-d answers Moshe:

“I revealed Myself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with a certain name, but I did not reveal My true Self to them. I did not yet fulfill My promise to give them the land of Canaan. Now go tell the Jewish people: I am G-d, and you will see how I will take you out of Egypt.”

G-d’s Displeasure with Moshe’s Question

Our sages explain that G-d was not entirely pleased with Moshe Rabbeinu’s questioning.

The forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not ask questions. Their lives were not easy, especially Jacob’s, yet they did what they had to do without complaint. Moshe, on the other hand, encountered difficulty and immediately asked why.

So what is really going on here?

Two Ways of Serving G-d

To understand this, we need to recognize that there are two fundamentally different ways of serving G-d:

The way of Moshe Rabbeinu
The way of the forefathers

And they are very different.

G-d is essentially telling Moshe that right now, as we move toward the giving of the Torah, his service must resemble that of the forefathers and not his own natural mode of service.

Let us explore this more deeply.

The Service of the Forefathers: Emotion

Our sages explain that each of the forefathers represents a specific emotional quality.

Abraham – Kindness

Abraham personified kindness in the world. He did physical and spiritual good for every person he encountered. So much so that G-d’s own attribute of kindness complained that it had nothing left to do because Abraham was doing everything.

Isaac – Severity

Isaac represents strength and severity. This is not the opposite of kindness, but rather inner discipline and firmness. Things must be a certain way with no compromises.

Jacob – Beauty

Jacob represents a combination of kindness and severity. This balance is called beauty. Beauty exists when different colors blend together harmoniously.

Kindness, Fear, and Mercy in the Soul

In the human soul, these three qualities correspond to different emotional approaches to serving G-d.

Kindness represents love of G-d
Severity represents fear of G-d
Beauty, also called tiferet, represents mercy

Mercy means having compassion on oneself. Not in a self indulgent way, but by recognizing that even though we are flawed, there is a spark of G-dliness within us. We must have mercy on that Divine spark.

This emotional service of G-d is rooted in the heart.

Moshe Rabbeinu: The Service of Intellect

Moshe Rabbeinu represents intellect.

Moshe himself said, “What are we?”
The word “mah,” meaning what, reflects intellect, which always asks questions and seeks understanding.

That is why, when a problem arose, Moshe immediately asked, “Why did You do bad to this people? I do not understand what is happening.”

This was Moshe’s way of serving G-d through understanding.

“We Will Do and Then We Will Understand”

An important moment appears later at Mount Sinai. Before receiving the Torah, the Jewish people declared:

“We will do and then we will understand.”

This teaches that there is great value in serving G-d through action even before full understanding.

Emotions are closer to action than intellect. When the heart is involved, a person naturally goes out of themselves and does what must be done. Intellect, on the other hand, is inward focused. It wants to understand, analyze, and process and is often disconnected from the surrounding world.

That is why noise or interruption bothers someone who is deep in thought. Intellect wants isolation. Emotion wants engagement.

G-d’s Message to Moshe

G-d tells Moshe:

“I revealed Myself to the forefathers through a name that represents concealment and limitation and they did not ask questions. To you, I revealed My essential Name, the four letter Name that represents past, present, and future as one. I understand that your nature is to ask questions. But now is the time to combine intellect with emotion.”

The Torah is about doing.

Knowing what G-d expects of you is important. But once you know, the question is no longer why, but what must I do now.

As the sages say, action is the main thing.

Bringing Heaven Down to Earth

G-d tells Moshe to come down from his place of intellect and enter the world of emotion and action. To engage with the world, refine it, and make it a dwelling place for Him.

This is the service of the forefathers.
And now, Moshe, this must also be yours.

Talk from Rabbi Tuvia Serber

The above is a representation of the spoken text converted to written text.

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