Blood Money & Self-Worship - Today's Nile River & the Matrix of Egypt - Kabbalah in the Bible

how should we look at the way we study the Torah the Bible how do we look at these stories that we're reading that take us way way way back okay that's the question we want to address what's the problem problem is this take anything we want to try to connect with from the past you know talk about a generation gap what it's like it's hard to to connect with the generation how many just one generation forget about forget about many generations so how do we really connect with a story that's not generation gap but a millennia Gap we're talking about 3,000 plus years ago are the stories we're reading right now especially the whole the whole saer the whole the beginning of Genesis and now the story of The Exodus the Jews in Egypt this is all plus 3,000 years so so what does that to do with me how do I relate to such an old story seemingly maybe nothing you know and and and that's why many people take a look at Bible study you know imagine the kid in class I can just imagine that that that that the the example of a kid in class like with and in these days you got a lot of distractions everything else you can imagine is what he's focusing on other than the book that that the teacher is talking about hey put that phone away just kidding the first plague was turning the river the Nile River into blood okay so we have the subject of this miracle the object that was used was was the the river what is so important and special about this river that it is the first plague the first thing that God decides to do in this now sequence of events of of a series of plagues in the idea of waking up his people the Jewish people and and really waking up the world to a new reality the river was really what the the Egyptians worshiped as a God and it was a source of their economic Prosperity we today live in a very modern world the idea of Agriculture is a bit distant from the from the certainly the Forefront of our minds and even probably the back of our minds Once Upon a Time sustenance survival depended on agriculture which depended on rain yes and no because water it depended on water now how does most of the world get its water unless you live near a natural body of water from rain so so rain and and and sustenance are synonymous that is why in fact the first thing that Adam did when he was created on that very first day of creation let's kind of like reframe and get a more a more precise look at World Adam was born into or created into in this context so when he was created he looked around and saw all of creation and something was missing what was missing in the creation he saw according to tradition from the sages and and they pick it up from the different nuances in the verses when he was actually created there was there was no plant life yet no fruit trees no herbage nothing there were animals and then two human beings Adam and Eve that's all there was in the beginning of creation and that presented a problem for Adam what was the problem that Adam was presented with a lot of things a lot of people well not a lot of people but a lot of Creations that needed food and there was no food so Adam of course having deep perception of the essence of of creation understood what was missing what was missing obviously s from food what was missing was a catalyst to bring the food now why didn't God create the world already full of its food all of the sustenance that would be necessary why not when I want to make a party right um I had my 50th year pass and I wasn't so big on that big party but let's say I'll make it for the 50 year 52 I'll do a big 52 year birthday in cabala the number 52 actually is very deep number so I have a very big 52-year birthday party and I'm gonna invite all of you B you can all come and many others and of course what what's the first thing I'm going to do before I invite all of you to this party which will say starts at 8 which really means at 9: I'm Safari actually 10:00 if you're Safari uh it starts a quarter to 8 if you're askanazi anyway so what what am I going to do what's the first thing I'm going to make sure I have ready if you're all going to come let's say I'm very popular and I have uh you know four 500 people coming to this party what am I going to do first what's the first thing I want ready for these five people that are coming at 8:00 9:00 10:00 Rock yes the food the food you're going to come into a party and you're going to want a nice Buffet you know nice Buffet dessert uh area you're going to want it all if you come to this party and there's nothing there but me smiling you're going to be very disappointed because you did not come to see me smile I mean maybe at the end yeah after a few and my smile is more bearable but you really came to for for a good time and a party which requires food so the big question right now is why did God create create a world and put so many creatures all of the animals and Adam and Eve in this world and there's no food for them it's a bit backwards first put the food and then bring the people so that's a big question and the answer to that question is this he wanted Adam and Eve to be in a situation where they realized that they were in need that they weren't self-sufficient okay that they needed something that was beyond their reach absolutely Beyond their reach and that was in this context rain they needed rain to water the world the Earth and then and then all of the produce would Sprout now it's interesting because if you look at the verses God God in the Torah says that he created all of the fruits fruit trees and herbage before Adam and Eve but miraculously was held beneath the earth's surface so it was all there waiting to just pop out like surprise you know surprise open up a box boom so it was all waiting there it was all really done wasn't that God forgot to to open up the box it was all done ready and waiting for human participation for for Adam and Eve to come in and do something and have a part in that creative process and sustenance but the major lesson was I need you Hashem we need Hashem we cannot accomplish the goal on our own the ultimate goal and the ultimate success in this endeavor of sustenance is beyond me and therefore I need God so what did Adam do he prayed the first prayer the first thing he did was pray and to God and that first prayer was for survival was for sustenance and he prayed to God on behalf of himself and all of creation and then it rained and then miraculously everything just sprouted and then they had their party that's how it started that's everything started so now let's get to the N River and it's really the challenge that it provided and presented for the Egyptians if I don't need Reign then I lose a level of that dependency on God so they were smart very smart and they were very powerful they they were a nation of sorcerers and they were able to manipulate nature and spiritual Realms and they really knew how to how to be on top they were the strongest most powerful Nation perhaps that ever lived ever and power was like this according to their old tradition he was really a and he was the most powerful person in the world yeah now so let's get to the actual problem so the problem is this if I can take a river and use irrigation to make build canals and and and and filter that you know draw that water to to to where I need it then I don't need rain anymore and if I don't need rain then what do I what what don't I need I don't need God I don't rely on God for my sustenance now foolish foolish parro and the Egyptians and anyone that thinks this way is that I can do it all by myself is who put the river there but that's an easier mistake to make because once I see the river day after day after day after day and add a few then I will forget that it was by God's grace that it's there and I will consider it my own especially that we know that the rules of of law in this world is once I established possession of something becomes mine and so once that River was Egypt's River so after time it was theirs and they forgot that it was given to them by God so you have a nation of people that believe in themselves that worship themselves worshiping the Nile was essentially also saying that I can do it all on my own worship my of the self I don't need anyone or anything not even God that was the mistake of the Egyptians and that's what it means that they worshiped the Nile River and that it was the source of their sustenance and their success economic success it because exactly because they were economically independent that they lost their connection with a higher force that they needed and needed and and to connect with so that was the basic mistake AK of the Egyptians therefore God said I'm going to strike the Nile River first because that is their God and that is their source of sustenance so let's move on to phase two of the story the Nile River has a history has a history we all know it if we read if we read the if we read the Bible what's the history of that Nile River we've heard about it before a very very tragic a very disturbing story of parro taking all of the Jewish boys babies and throwing them in the Nile River essentially killing many many many Jewish babies now the basic reason was because the ultimate Redeemer of the Jewish people was going to be born he they saw that from being able to look at the future through sorcery and so he wanted to kind of you know preempt and eliminate him before he could become this great power to deal with right it's very strategic very smart get rid of your enemy before he's your enemy before he can do anything to you and that's what he tried to do and so he decided he's going to try to get rid of all of the firstborn not even the firstborn all of the Jewish children males now he threw them in the Nile River what does this mean we don't have powers running around throwing our babies in the Nile River so what does the story mean right now in context that the Nile River was the idol worship the the the of of of Egypt which really was the idea of the worship of the self well I'll tell you I believe it's the idea of a rat race that we all throw our children into unfortunately with or without realizing it I know things can get very very carried away and again I maybe draw off of maybe a bit of humor exaggeration but I believe this exists in places not personally so I'm just assuming in that I know that there are parents that are probably figuring out what pre pre pre preschool they're going to send their baby to as soon as he's born because it's all about who you who you know and what your connections are and what school you come from and so before babies even even born it's already planned out what preschool he's going to what baby school whatever what what pre what what elementary school what high school and of course ultimately what university he's going to be in and so unfortunately what people do without even realizing is they take their baby pure innocent wholesome baby full of Worlds of potential and throw him in a rat race throw him in a factory line a production a production you know I can bet you most of you guys are from America let's America Hands Up America yeah okay you're not from America where are you from yeah me yeah America oh okay you not into the America thing you're not no I was looking around I realize most people are not from America well they were just lazy they didn't pick up their hands I mean not all of them he this is South South Africa South Africa yay for the South Africans but I mean the country is not so so cool right now but that's a different story anyway back to America so I know I look young I know you're going to be surprised when you hear this but I have a stamp on my on my back not a tattoo not a tattoo made in America 1972 which makes me 51 years old okay we all have that we've been produced on some level we've been produced America made me 1972 in Brooklyn which means I needed a to get a new passport when I moved to Florida because Brooklyn is like its own country okay has its own talk own country own attitude I mean I still can't get rid Brooklyn attitude everyone you're from Brooklyn right or New York at least they know that and I haven't lived since I was six years old but anyway 1972 America produced Factory line Rat Race I was thrown into it we all were thrown into it on some level and that's what it means to be thrown into the Nile River as a baby it means what are you living for what are you a slave to what do you worship what's your cult because whatever you live for is your cult what whatever you're dying for is what you're living for whatever you're living for is what you're dying for because every moment you live is is a moment you give to something and whatever you gave it to is the definition of your life and so if you're running from one point to the next because you're in this race and you can't get to the end you have to get to the end that's not living that's not life and so throwing the the Jewish boy into the Nile River is throwing them into this fallacy of success I am my own maker and I am my own provider and I must become a success and that means in America today uh money money or university right money I make a I have a joke I think it's a cool joke you know people ask me so what were you doing you know until you became religious and started to you know to Lear in Yeshiva I said I was working on my faith I was working on my amuna my big thing was amuna faith in God I was just my whole life I didn't realize but I was just working on growing and expanding my faith in God what do I mean I mean in God we trust I was collecting Benjamins and dollars I was just trying to make as much money as I could because they each one says in God we trust and so I was essentially building my faith in money and in me but not God because it says in God we trust but I mean that's the last thing you think about when you're making your money especially when you're robbing cheating and stealing to get it so I'm not I'm not confessing it I'm my priest but uh you know story for another time how I actually got all that money but it's all gone anyway because it all went in and in one in the pocket out the pocket it's all gone so I don't have anything to show for all that wealth except uh maybe some something to teach you about it but anyway we'll continue so one of the interpretations of throwing the Jews into the Nile River is the idea of Jewish boys is taking them and throwing them into this fallacy of the rat race of America and other Western civilizations is that it's all about success power money uh University doctorates it's all this idea of what's going to make me into something that's worthy that's important that's that's a that's that's a that's I'm missing the exact word but with this story now you'll understand what word I'm trying to get to and that is this cute story there are two versions of the story there's the Jerusalem version and then there's the American version the Jerusalem version it takes place on a bus because many normal people just take the buses because there's not you know there's a very lot of traffic and and and cars are expensive and so I will admit that you know I take the bus all the time but in America I drove everywhere and so in America people don't always take the bus in America the story takes place on a nice plane we'll take we'll make it first class cuz you know just to get as fancy as we can so here you have two grandmothers Sitting In First Class taking off where to Israel of course they they in their winter vacation in Jerusalem they want to see the old city and Milla mall and uh buy some red strings for you know get some red strings from some Arabs that are selling cabala strings over there by the cotel like what are you doing selling a cabala string it's like the biggest joke I ever saw in my life what does he know about anyway story of another time kid sir so these two grandmothers are sitting on the plane first class they're going to Jerusalem can't wait to go shopping at Milla Mall as if they haven't had enough shopping in Aventura Mall and Galleria mall or whatever Mall they're coming from and so they're on their way making a conversation Hi how are you I'm great I'm great what what do you what do you do what do you do what's your kids so all a sudden they get to the kids grandparents love to talk about their grandkids or parents talk about their kids so what's the story well you know my um my son he's a doctor actually know the story goes way first the mother whose son is a rabbi starts my son's a rabbi so then the the other ladies like talking about her son and my son's a doctor and the the the woman that started off by telling that her son's a a rabbi in the end after the conversation ends she like adds like you know my son could have been a doctor my son could have been a doctor it's a very subtle joke I don't think anybody laughed because it's really not a joke you laugh at it's actually sad had and that is that there's nothing that a Jewish mother could be more proud of than a than a son that understands who he is what he's here for who put him here and what is ultimately his essential Divine mission in life and to have had that conversation with god enough times that he's a rabbi that when people need spiritual advice Soul advice they know where to go and he's the person they go to there's nothing greater in this world today than an honest hardworking Rabbi nothing better there's nothing beats that Rabbi and the bigger that Rabbi gets the more famous he gets and then you get to the G is the the leaders of a generation the Moses of our time there's nothing greater than giving your life to serving Hashem and learning about Hashem and his ways and this world and being a walking walking Bible a walking safer Torah because it doesn't just mean you have knowledge in your head it means you've transformed your physical body into a walking Angel and so there's nothing greater yet many people in America many people around the world Jews that are American first and Jewish maybe fourth or fifth I'm not sure when Jewish Cod comes in forget forget what it really means to be alive and what that element in you that is the the source of your life who you are what you are why you're here who put you here and so this mother at the end is like a little bit of a you know disappointed because her son's not that famous doctor successful doctor or lawyer or millionaire that owns a lot of businesses and St on how many people to get those businesses so that's the fallacy that's that's throwing your child into the Nile River not having even any gratitude for God for giving you that River certainly if you were relying on rain and praying to God all day every day then you would be appreciative of the fact that the source of your success is not you you are not the end all it's Hashem God it's God's world and we are visitors in God's world and that's what Egypt forgot and that's what Hashem came to remind them you forgot somebody very special and important you forgot about me and I'm going to remind you now the hard way okay and that's the first plague one of the interpretations of the first plague another dimension of this first plague uh is this the word for blood why did God turn it into blood so there are obviously more than one reason many reasons we're going to touch on one right now and that is this the word in Hebrew for money is damim damim is plural for money and the word damim is really plural for the word blood we don't say the word blood in plural maybe in certain context yes but the word dam is blood and the plague of D is really the plague of money and it's connected like we said the economic success of Egypt was money so what does it mean to be a slave to your money slave to money that's the other message here it's related but it's the other side of the coin so so to speak no pun intended but that's the other side of the coin and that is this we say in sha in the prayer that we're supposed to say twice a day every day for for men that are have this time bound Mitzvah we say that you should love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your might love him with all your heart with all your soul and all your your is an interesting word it means your might uh your resources and so the rabbis pick up on a Nuance over here it says it's says you should love your God with all your heart beautiful love him with all your soul which means what even even if it means giving up your life because we said what you live for is what you die for it's they're just two sides of a coin so living and dying is really one thing and what you live for is what you die for and ultimately if you live for God then you're ready to die for God and so giving up your life for God for Truth for for who you and what you really are that's Noble killing for God is Not So Noble there's Jihad interesting there's G there's Jewish Jihad and then there's we'll call it animal Jihad but they'll get upset when I call them animals but there's the the the Jihad of Islam and the Arabs is I kill in God's name I kill God's children in God's name or I'm ready to give up my life for for God two different entirely different things one is holy and sacred and one is barbaric and evil okay that was a side point just to clarify we'll get back to the point is this so the order is a bit obscured it says that you should love God with all your soul even giving up your life and then it's as if that's that the climactic unbelievable we gave it all then it oh and also at the end and also love him with all your money and the sages pick up and like wait a minute shouldn't money have been before that is money yeah is according to the Dr is money so all your might all your resources is all your money so what are you putting love your God with all your money after after all your sold seemingly you've reached the top you've given it all how money should be before or leave it out so the Sage's answer uh contrary to what we would think is in fact there are people that love their money more than they love their life and that's the very very very difficult statement which we're going to address right now first I want to clarify what it doesn't mean it doesn't mean that famous Jewish joke where there's an old man that could barely hear that's being held up at the corner by some you know Armed robber he's you know he's he's really raising money for the poor that's really what he's doing he's just using a gun instead of uh you know instead of words he's so here I'm raising money for the poor I'm that poor guy and uh I'm offering you the Mitzvah of Saka so so give me your money and the the the the old man is just not answering like hey old man you don't hear me I'm talking to you your money or your life and he's like I'm thinking I'm thinking you know trying to decide which one am I going to give you my money on my life obviously that's not what the rabbis mean by a person you know loves his money more than his life and and he's willing to give his life he will give his money because that would be stupidity no one is that stupid I mean there are people out there that will challenge my assumption but I no one's no one normal is that stupid so so it doesn't mean that I'm willing to die instead of giving up my money when someone's trying to rob me so what does it mean that I that I that I that I love my money more than I love my life that I live for my money more than I live for my life and that is this we started off thing what are you living for are you a slave to your money or is your is your money there to serve you is your money helping to facilitate and enhance the quality of your life or are you just addicted to the power and stature and that feeling of self-worth that you have the more you build up your faith in what God In God We Trust every dollar bill you have the more you believe in in who you are because you are defined by your money you are defined by your external assets and that is a fallacy and the most foolish thing a person can Define himself by because nothing outside of you can ever make what's inside of you any greater the it's the opposite because people have no value of who and what they are inside they're looking outside for it all and it'll never do the trick you cannot put a metal car inside of you that you can have a Porsche you can have a Lamborghini which I would take if someone offered it to me for free I'm not saying I'm don't take one but would I give my life for one a piece of metal that piece of metal is there to take you from point A to point B if you're accomplishing nothing and don't know why you're going from point A to point B then so does that Porsche and L have no purpose and means and it's worthless if the house you have is just going to you're going to fill it up with people that are going to hate you and just want whatever you have to offer them and not even respect you and care about you as a father then what have you done you haven't built a home you haven't raised children you've given them sneakers you've given them computers you've given them phones you know that's the the new thing today father is a is is is a mole ABA I need a pair of khans ABA I need a new phone ABA I need a new this I need a I need a vacation to Hol what are you there what what is a home for a home is has a real purpose a home and a car has a purpose you want it to be comfortable fine nice comfortable leather seats you want it to go to from zero to 60 in point2 in two seconds you're not ever going to do that anyway so what do you need it for so the idea is again what Am I Living For What am I worshiping what am I giving my life for if it's for more money in a bank account in a box then I'm a slave to that money it's not working for me I'm working for it that's the idea of the river being turned into blood when you take the idea of a river which is meant to be the source for your sustenance and you worship it and you turn it into your what you live for and what you give your life to then you've turned the river into blood because blood is your life the blood is pumping through your veins that is your life and you've given your life to money stature success and that is not the point of those things those things are there to help you accomplish your ultimate goal to help you become the man the person the woman man woman choose not either or choose the man or woman that that God created you to become and use all of the assets and all of the elements in this world to help you accomplish your goal not to pervert them and yourself in the process and that is the message of the first plague because it starts with the idea of worshiping the self it starts with losing your focus on where all this began it all began with God himself and he allows us to partake and participate as a partner in creation as a partner in this great world that he created but when we disconnect from him and try to make it our own show that's called stealing the show we're trying to steal the show from God and in the end what have we accomplished when we steal the show from God we've stolen our life from ourselves genius you've stolen your own life your own life and gave it to nothing and then it's as if you never lived so it's we either gain all or we lose all and that's that first message because blood is death the the the river turning into blood means you're dead you're dying you can't survive with a river of blood and that other dimension to this message is that that means you've never really lived because you've been living a life based on a river that's really blood and Hashem is really showing the Egyptians all you're doing is living a life with worshiping this river which is your blood and that's that's that's missing the point the point was well conclude with this we'll go back to Adam the point is recognizing who put us here the point is recognizing who we need to survive and to succeed in the end and it's not because we are incapable it's that God said I want to make you partners with me I want to be a part of your life and I want you to be a part of my world this is what he offers us when we understand the relationship between all of the things that God gave us to utilize to raise ourselves up and the world up and reconnect it with first of all ourselves and the people around us and with God himself self that's the world that Hashem wanted to make that's the people he wants to be a part of and that's what we're working towards