Although Freud\u2019s work has now fallen out of fashion, he unquestionably had some profound things to say about humanity. There is one remark of his that has remained with me over the years. He said, \u201cLove and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.\u201d He considered the ability to love and the ability to work the two criteria of mental health.<\/p>\n
There was a lesser-known psychoanalyst, a disciple of Freud, whose writings also fascinated me. His name was Otto Rank, and he disagreed with his mentor in many ways. He left \u201clove\u201d out of the formula for the healthy personality. Instead, he inserted his concept of \u201cthe will.\u201d For him, our ability to work productively and to express our will creatively were the cornerstones of our humanness.<\/p>\n
Rank wrote entire volumes about the nature of man\u2019s will, and of its importance. In simplified terms, the will is the directive intention by which we get things done in life. In his words, \u201cIt is a positive guiding organization of the self which utilizes creativity\u201d to accomplish one\u2019s objectives.<\/p>\n
In a much more recent time in my life, I have come to ponder the nature of spirituality. I have become convinced that ability to engage in meaningful work and the capacity to exercise one\u2019s will creatively are two essential components of spirituality.<\/p>\n
In this week\u2019s Torah portion, Parshat Va\u2019era<\/em>Exodus<\/em> 6:2-9:35), we read about the first stages of the redemption of the Children of Israel from bondage in Egypt. We learn that freedom from slavery does not come easily. \u00a0A measure of spiritual preparedness must first be achieved.<\/p>\nWere the Jewish people spiritually ready for redemption? When we read last week\u2019s parsha<\/em>, we were inclined to believe that they may very well have been ready. \u201cAaron repeated all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses\u2026and the people were convinced\u2026they bowed low in homage\u201d (Exodus<\/em> 4:30-31).<\/p>\nThis week, however, we learn that that level of spiritual readiness was short lived. \u201cBut when Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moses, because their spirits were crushed [literally, \u2018out of shortness of breath\u2019] and their bondage cruel [literally, \u2018out of difficult labor\u2019]\u201d (Exodus<\/em>6:9).<\/p>\nTwo factors stood in their way. \u201cTheir spirits were crushed.\u201d In Otto Rank\u2019s terms, their \u201cwill\u201d was crippled. They could not dream, they could not plan, and they could not utilize their creativity. In no way could they \u201cget things done\u201d in their lives. A person without will is a person paralyzed. Such a person cannot transition from slavery to freedom.<\/p>\n
Their \u201cbondage was cruel.\u201d Freud was correct that productive work was one of the \u201ccornerstones of humanness\u201d. Meaningful work nourishes the soul. But the work that the Jews were forced to do in Egypt was far from meaningful. Besides being physically tortuous, it was purposeless. Our Sages teach us that the labor that Egypt forced the Jews to do was not only unbearably strenuous; it was belittling and demeaning. Such work is poison for the soul, and a poisoned soul is not ready for redemption.<\/p>\n
Pharaoh knew all too well how to thwart the initiative of his slaves, how to assure that they would take no effective steps to attain their freedom. \u201cLet heavier work be laid upon the men; let them keep at it and not pay attention to deceitful promises\u201d (Exodus<\/em> 5:9).<\/p>\nDenied the access to their creative will and deprived of the rewards of meaningful work, the Jews were spiritually handicapped. They could not hear the words spoken to them by Moses\u2014not because their hearing was impaired, but because they were spiritually deaf. Moses had his work cut out for him, and only with Divine assistance could he hope to advance his people to the point where they would be ready to hear the clarion call of incipient redemption.<\/p>\n
There is a lesson here for all of us. We too are deaf to God\u2019s redemptive messages. Our spiritual condition is woefully inadequate to prepare us to hear higher callings.Mesillat Yesharim<\/em>, \u201cThis is, in fact, one of the cunning artifices of the evil inclination, who always imposes upon men such strenuous tasks that they have no time left to note whither they are drifting. He knows that, if they were to pay the least attention to their conduct, they would at once reconsider what they were doing\u2026 This ingenuity is somewhat like that of Pharaoh\u2026for Pharaoh\u2019s purpose was not only to prevent the Israelites from having any leisure to make plans or take counsel against him, but to deprive them also of the very opportunity to reflect.\u201d<\/p>\nNowadays, it is as if each of us has an \u201cinner Pharaoh\u201d whose malicious intent it is to entrap us into a lifestyle where we not only overwork, but where our work is unfulfilling and, therefore, spiritually unrewarding. This \u201cinner Pharaoh\u201d is also shrewd enough to know how to stunt that creative human will that is such an essential component of spirituality.<\/p>\n
Mankind\u2019s struggle against \u201ccrushed spirits\u201d and \u201ccruel burdens\u201d is a historical struggle, one that is certainly relevant in our times. There are obstacles to finding and defining a work-life that is meaningful. There are impediments to our ability to exercise our creative wills. But we must use whatever tools are at our disposal to lift those cruel burdens and free our crushed spirits. Those tools include introspective reflection, contemplation of pertinent religious texts, conversation with like-minded friends, and dialogue with experienced spiritual mentors.<\/p>\n
There are many practical lessons to be garnered from the story of the Exodus. Passover is, of course, the occasion on the calendar for reflecting upon that story. But at this wintry time of year, with the springtime Passover festival still long months away, a careful reading of the weekly Torah portion will serve to motivate us to strive to learn those lessons.<\/p>\n
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