From an article by Rabash, “What Is the Blessing, ‘…who has made for me a miracle in this place’ in the work?”: As it is written, “We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 6:21), being that they endured suffering in Egypt and it also says, “…and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage….” (Exodus 2:23), so the idea of the Mitzvah (commandment) “Remembrance of Egypt” was given to us, as it is written, “…that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life” (Deuteronomy 16:3).

This is not saying that the slavery in Egypt was difficult; rather, the difficulty was in the inability to bestow. I am ready to work and do everything necessary, but I don’t see that in some way I will at least bestow to the Creator through this. This is called, “exile” and “slavery.”

Pharaoh siphons all the results of my labor from me; everything goes to him. This doesn’t speak about the difficulty of the work, but about its result. After all, I cannot give the Creator any satisfaction. “The children of Israel sighed” because of that, and not because their work was difficult.

Without any connection to the difficulty of the work, it is difficult for me to see that I am not ready to bestow to the Creator in at least some way. This is a very important discernment. The cry was not from fatigue and exhaustion from the work; rather, this is only speaking about the relationship with the Creator. After all, I see that my sworn hater takes all of my effort.

This is a very strong feeling. Imagine that everything that you earned in this world went to your most hated enemy. Let’s say that you saved up some money for a period of time; you dreamed of buying a limousine and suddenly you see that there is no money and your neighbor is driving a new limousine.

Comment: The greatest frustration in the seven years of famine is that you continue to do the same work; you invest in the group and in dissemination as in the seven years of plenty, and you know that Pharaoh will get all the results and you will be even more discouraged.

Answer: No, you think that you are working “for the sake of bestowal.” And in the end, when you vigorously did all of this work with love and devotion, it suddenly turns out that all of this was for your sake and the Creator didn’t get anything. Nothing is considered to be bestowal and you are an even worse egoist than before. This is the slavery in exile.

And the problem is not that this cost you a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but rather that the result didn’t reach the right destination, that the Creator didn’t get any satisfaction. And I am not sorry because He didn’t get any pleasure from me; rather, it is because through my action I didn’t succeed in giving Him satisfaction (even though I am in concealment from Him). A person climbs the ladder of detachment from himself and sees how much Pharaoh doesn’t let him bestow.

Question: I can’t imagine how it is possible to be detached from Pharaoh so that all the fruits of my labor will go to the Creator.

Answer: If part of your heart is found with the Creator, then you will feel this, like with your children and people who are close to you. Therefore it is said, “As one person with one heart.”
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/2/14, Writings of Rabash

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