Can We Handle Big Change? | Rabbi Ari Enkin

this week's torah portion is va'era and then we read how moses went to pharaoh to demand freedom for the jewish people but if you look at the verses carefully originally moses did not ask for permanent freedom moses merely asked for a three-day break that's it three days and the jews will be back to work thankfully pharaoh shelled that idea and then moses demanded permanent freedom for the jewish people but what's going on over here why did god first demand through moses that pharaoh released the people merely for three days what was this supposed three-day break and it's explained that if pharaoh would have heard that the jews are going to go free forever he wouldn't have been able to handle it god had to break in the idea that he would be losing his jewish slaves so god first gave a three-day idea that the jews would be gone for a short period but returned to work even jewish people we are told wouldn't be able to handle the news that they're going free after all these years of slavery the news had to be broken in bit by bit baby steps and so it is with us in life you want to try and lose weight you got to take baby steps don't go to starvation diet with full days of exercise build yourself up bit by bit you want to become more observant more religious don't become ultra orthodox overnight start with baby steps the talmud teaches us to fast lo tafasta you try and take too much on at once you'll get nowhere and as it was with pharaoh and the jewish people would not be able to handle instant freedom after so many years of a different lifestyle so too it is with us we all have our own promised land all kinds of goals we want to achieve places we want to get to but just remember don't try and do it all at once always take baby steps [Music] you