So Moses spoke accordingly to the Children of Israel, but they did not heed Moses because of shortness of breath and hard work….Moses spoke before G-d, saying, "Behold the Children of Israel have not listened to me, so how will Pharaoh listen to me?" (Ex. 6:9 and 6:12)
…and even though I [G-d] did not fulfill My promises to them [Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob], they did not complain. You, however, do complain. (Rashi on 6:9)
Moses'…relationship with G-d was chiefly intellectual, while the Patriarchs' relationship with G-d was chiefly emotional….
Moses complained because his relationship with G-d was chiefly intellectual, while the Patriarchs' relationship with G-d was chiefly emotional. Here, G-d responded to Moses' complaint by saying that the redemption from Egypt will reveal G-d's transcendence. This implies that the natural mutual exclusivity of intellect and emotions will be overridden, that it will be possible for someone who is predominantly intellectual - such as Moses - to internalize the advantages of emotionalism, as well. This will have two implications for Moses:
1) G-d's behavior will no longer challenge his faith in Him, and therefore he will not question it. This super-rational relationship with G-d is a fundamental aspect of the bond forged between G-d and the Jewish people through the Torah.
2) He will develop a greater appreciation for applying the insights and understanding gleaned from intellectual inquiry to the real world. The nature of intellectual inquiry is that it absorbs us in what we are thinking about, divorcing us somewhat from reality. We become less sensitive to other people's needs and less concerned with concretizing our ideals. By integrating the advantages of emotionalism, Moses will overcome this drawback of intellectualism. Inasmuch as the purpose of the Torah is to bring divine consciousness down to earth, this concern with the real world is also a fundamental aspect of the bond forged between G-d and the Jewish people through the Torah.
Those of us who are of a more intellectual bent must integrate the Patriarchs' emotional surrender to G-d….
These lessons apply to us, as well. Those of us who are of a more intellectual bent must integrate the Patriarchs' emotional surrender to G-d and take care not to be distracted by their intellectualism from the needs of others or the exigencies of reality. On the other hand, those of us who are of a more emotional bent must try to emulate the intellectualism of Moses, setting aside daily time to study even the most abstract and seemingly irrelevant aspects of the Torah. Just as this inter-inclusion of intellect and emotion led to the exodus from Egypt, so will it hasten the coming redemption.
[Translated and adapted by Moshe-Yaakov Wisnefsky
from Likutei Sichot, vol. 3, pp. 854-860 & vol. 6, pp. 52-56
Copyright 2001 chabad of california / www.lachumash.org]
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