Dvar Torah – Shmot

In this week’s Torah portion, we see G-d speaking to Moshe from the burning bush. At first glance, it seems a bit anti-climactic. Of all the ways for an infinite ineffable G-d to communicate, a bush seems rather humble.

Yet, on closer examination, we see that the bush did not burn. This lack of burning, is in fact, quite miraculous.

I recently lost my father, and it has been painful. Yet, Maimonides explains in the Guide for the Perplexed that death is an integral part of life. “Genesis can only take place through destruction”. A seed can only become a tree by rotting, an egg can only release a chicken through breaking, and a candle can only give off light when the wick and wax burn.

Only through destruction can light and life enter the world.

That is why the bush is so miraculous. The bush that is on fire and does not burn upends the entire nature of reality.

So how does this relate to our lives? We, as humans, live in the order of creation. For us to create life and light, we need to accommodate destruction. The normal course of life is that things burn out and come to an end. Accepting the natural order is part of the Divine plan.