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Weekly Chasidic Story #962 (s5776-34 / 24 Nissan 5776) Getting Away From There "My parents forced me to come back from years in India for Rosh Hashana
and Yom Kippur." Connection: Seasonal -- Passover Leftovers
Getting Away From There
This happened here at ASCENT, in TSFAT OLD CITY, in 2004, on Passover. AMRAM MOEIL, the most popular teacher in our Hebrew seminars (and now a lecturer in demand word-wide), was leading a Shabbat meal. During it, he shared an insight based on a quote from the beginning of the Haggadah of Pesach Seder Night (immediately after the Four Questions: "We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, but G-D our G-d took us out from there." He pointed out that the numerical value of the five letters of the Hebrew name for Egypt, Mitzrayim, mem-tzadi-raish-yud-mem / 40+90+200+10+40, equals 380, as does the three letters of the Hebrew word for 'from there,' mi'shahm, mem-shin-mem / 40+300+40!* Not only that, but in both words the central letters are boxed in by a mem at each end. Since the name Mitzrayim itself derives from a root that means 'narrow' and 'restricted,' this is graphically portrayed by the spelling of both words! At a personal level, therefore, 'leaving Egypt' symbolizes rising above those internal factors of personality which limit one's growth. Later that day, R. Amram was approached by one of the woman guests. She told him excitedly that she had firmly decided to 'do tshuvah,' to return to Torah Judaism, "and it is because of what you taught us," she exclaimed, wide-eyed. "Really?" responded Amram, surprised. He didn't recall having said anything so remarkable. "What did I say?" "When you spoke about how G-d took us out 'from there'-mishahm, and how 'there' is an undesirable, unhealthy place to be." He was still puzzled. "That's it?" he couldn't help wondering aloud. "No," she said. "It is not just what you said. Also Rabbi Steinsaltz." "Rabbi Adin Ibn-Yisrael? How does he come into the picture?" She began to explain. "To tell you the truth, I have been studying for many years with a guru in India, and have progressed to a high level of meditation. My parents are very upset, and they begged and insisted that I come back to Israel to be with them for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, in Jerusalem. "While I was there, they took me with them to hear Rabbi Steinsaltz speak. He based part of his talk on the verse from the weekly reading [Netzavim] of the Shabbat between the two holidays, '[Even] if your exiles are [in countries located] at the end of the heavens, G-D, your G-d, will gather you mi'shahm/from there and He will take you back mi'shahm/from there' {Deut. 30:4 Kehot Chumash, Wisnefsky translation). "He explained that mi'shahm is connected to the forces of evil that separates us from the one G-d. It is the opposite of 'zeh'-'this', a demonstrative pronoun indicating something definite and true, as in the verse, "This is my G-d and I will glorify Him" (Ex. 15:2). "You see? In Jerusalem before Yom Kippur I heard about how we need to escape and return from the impurity of mi'shahm, and now, here in Tsfat on Passover, I hear that we have to be taken out from the slavery and restrictions of mi'shahm. Amram shrugged. "I still don't get it. Those two ideas that you heard are so powerful that you decided to change your life?" "Oh," she smiled. "That's right. I didn't tell you yet. The master I learn with in India, he is known as Guru Shahm." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Source: Composed in cyberspace by Yerachmiel Tilles on Nissan 17, based on an oral presentation by Rabbi Alter-Eliyahu ("Elik") Friedman nine days earlier on Shabbat HaGadol 5776, and after confirming the details with Amram Moeil. (24 hours later, a surprise guest, an old friend, confirmed that Guru Shahm is indeed a known Hindu master in India.) * Rabbi Friedman pointed out other oppressive nations whose names in Hebrew have (or had!) numerical value of 380, such as Iraq (ayin-yud-raish-kuf / 70+10+200+100) and U.S.S.R. (official translation of Russian CCCP is SSSR: samech- samech- samech-reish . 60+60+60+200). Editor's note: "Guru Shahm" is most likely the controversial 92-year-old Guru or Swami named Shyam Srivastava, who has a ashram in Kullu that is popular among Israelis, North Americans and Europeans. Editor's P.S.: Stay tuned for an update. More details are coming in as staffers' memories are getting jogged by reading the story.
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Yerachmiel
Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor
of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories
to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells
them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.