I am very interested in spiritual experiences, both for their power and for their poetry. One of the most well-known spiritual experiences is that of Moses. As he was tending to his father-in-law's flock of sheep, he noticed a burning bush. Initially his curiosity drove him closer. What followed changed his life.
His spiritual experience, that is, his communication with God was filled with certain critical elements. First, he was in a place of dislocation. He was a city boy living a country life. He was at loose ends without a sense of significance. Then, he came to a sense of location through a struggle. After his dialogue, or quasi-debate, with God, he moves to surrender to his mission: "I will send you to Pharaoh, and take My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."
What I find really fascinating about this encounter was when Moses asks God's name. God answers, "I shall be As I shall be." What a name! Some scholars debate the term, but to me it implies the No Free Will Universe. Much is made of free will, a concept I find increasingly vain and arrogant. Here, God reveals the essence: God is not only what God is, but God will be as God will be. If God is everything, then the future is laid out with our "free will" being either to enjoy it or be miserable about it.
A confirmation of this interpretation is what God tells Moses. He describes to Moses precisely what will take place. Interestingly, exact knowledge of what is going to happen does nothing to ease Moses's surrender. Instead Moses surrenders like all of us - imperfectly and unwillingly.
1 comment:
A complimentary view: Moses was allowed to glimpse the archangel who shields God's presence, so to speak, known as Metatron. Some people say that one shouldn't speak this archangel's name (unlike Gabriel, Michael, Samael, etc.) since he is like the god Janusz (again, only as a way of speaking) on one side he is an angel, and yet his back is God's face... I prefer the Maimonidean approach: Moses partook of the highest intensity of divine encounter and knowledge that human could have. Period. What he "saw" or "didn't see" is both allegorical, and immaterial and irrelevant. It evidently hasn't been repeated, though, in principle Judaism holds open the possibility that anyone CAN aspire to achieve that level and have it...Now the fact that Moses did not enter the Promised Land is very tragic yet great thing. It is the basis for what ought to be the basic humbleness of this people and her leaders, that even the Father of all prophets and the Master Teacher DID NOT HIMSELF
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