Down to Earth

Parashat Mishpatim is a turning point. Sefer Shemot can be seen as a chronicle of your teshuva. First you were "afflicted"-you got yourself in a tough spot in life. Then you "cried out"-you felt the pain. When "Moses spoke," you realized life could have purpose. You saw the way "out from under the burdens of Egypt"-you got the message that you need to change. With Hashem's help, you got yourself out of Egypt, the life situation that prevented you from living with meaning and self-actualization.
On the way, you witnessed "signs and wonders"-the way things happened in your exodus/teshuva helped strengthen your faith. Finally, you "received the Torah"- words of sefarim and shiurim so deep and powerful that you can only hear them and absorb their deep message, bit by bit. It is your revelation in which you began to see a way of being that is an embodiment of real love, justice, and truth in the world.
Now, with parashat Mishpatim, you are being given a way to bring it down into everyday life-through specific acts to live justly with a larger purpose in sight, and building a place in your heart to relate to this purpose, that a day could not pass without revisiting it and breathing new life into your heart.
This is a high place to be, but in truth, a Jew never really takes a vacation from spiritual attainment. At the same time, we don't want to push too hard or try to force our will over Hashem's plans for us.
"I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the animals of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be fruitful, and inherit the land. And I will set my boundaries from the Sea of Reeds even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out from before thee. Thou shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not abide in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee." (23:26-33)
Sometimes we are frustrated with the pace of our teshuva, believing ourselves little changed since we entered yeshiva two months ago, or two years ago. In moments of self-criticism we see a spectrum of personality flaws that cry out for correction.
Parashat Mishpatim brings us down to earth with advice to help us live in this world. Among the gems is a description of why teshuva must not take off too quickly.
Commentators have described the seven nations of Cana'an as representing the seven middot, or emotional attributes, that comprise one's personality. We can see a Cana'an occupied by idolatrous nations as tantamount to a person engrossed in materiality, his thoughts rooted in anger, jealousy, and lust. Such a person has to change. He needs to work on his middot to change himself into a vessel for joy, contentment, and purity. The resolve to change may happen overnight, but the process takes much, much longer.
The Torah uses the occupying populations of Cana'an to represent our pre-teshuva, material involvements. It reveals to the aspiring baal teshuva that, "I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the animals of the field multiply against thee." This is to say, 'I, in My love for you, care about your future. I will not cause you to walk away from your past in only one year, lest your lifestyle become empty, inviting new, more insidious character traits to replace the ones you left behind.'
The Torah reassures us that, "By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be fruitful, and inherit the land." It is like Hashem is saying that, as we undertake change, 'I will make it easy for you by removing attachments and habits gradually, until your observance be rewarding in itself, to comprise a complete and genuine lifestyle.'
Such an approach yields rewards beyond expectations. "And I will set my boundaries from the Sea of Reeds even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river." In other words, 'though My Law many seem restrictive, it will allow you to access all fields of human endeavor, your qualities spanning from compassion and flexibility (the reed avoids injury by flexing in the wind) to assertive involvement in worldly affairs (the Philistines navigated far-reaching trade routes). You will be at home in environments ranging from deserts of quiet contemplation to rivers of activity and coordination.'
"For I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out from before thee." As we advance to later stages of teshuva, we are faced with new challenges-the yetzer hara doesn't quit easily. As a Jew, we must keep growing, so when the old vices no longer tempt us, Hashem raises the stakes. Whereas before, Hashem had compassion on our weakness and promised that "I will drive them out from before thee," now the initiative is ours.
As we settle into a Torah lifestyle, the yetzer hara adapts to its diminished role, tempting us to be complacent. "Thou shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods." Resist sentimentality with old habits, as well as the hidden motivations that fuel them. "They shall not abide in thy land,"-they will not mold themselves to accommodate the purity of your lifestyle, "lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee." Rather, surrendering energy to unnecessary non-Torah elements, rather than making it easier, often only reveals traps that threaten to compromise our integrity.
May the chapters of your teshuva unfold like a blossom, each revealing a unique and vibrant color to your story. May the sweet and unpredictable steps of your petals awaken new growth all around you.