"And these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt" (Exodus 1:1). Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk opens his commentary on Parashat Shemot with a strange claim: a person's name belongs to their soul, not their body.
The proof is experiential. When someone is sleeping and you want to wake them, touching their body works, slowly. But calling their name works immediately. Why? Because during sleep, the soul ascends to the upper realms, leaving the body behind. The name, which is the soul's identity, calls it back. The body alone cannot respond as quickly.
This reframes the opening verse entirely. The Torah is not listing immigration records. It is expressing astonishment: these holy tzaddikim (a righteous person) (the righteous), known by the exalted name "Israel", how is it possible that they "came to Egypt"? How could beings at such spiritual heights descend to such a low place?
The answer is "with Jacob", meaning, for the sake of the simplest people, those called by the humbler name "Jacob." The tzaddik must sometimes fall from their level in order to reach the most ordinary people and raise them to holiness. If the tzaddik remained permanently in the upper worlds, there would be no connection, no bridge to the struggling masses below.
How does the tzaddik accomplish this elevation? "A person and their household came", by awakening their own inner depths, the tzaddik can awaken the inner depths of others. King David expressed this in (Psalms 109:30): "I will thank God much with my mouth, and among the many I will praise Him." Even when the tzaddik descends to the "small level," their purpose is to lift the many.
Or explain (regarding Exodus 1:1) according to what is said, that the spirituality and the soul of a person are called "names", that the essence of a name for which a person is called, such as Reuven or Shime'on, the name is given to the soul and not to the body. And the proof of this is that when we see that a person is asleep and we want to wake them up, if we touch the body without calling them by their name it is harder to wake them up than when we call their name. And this is because when a person is asleep then their soul goes to the Upper realms, and leaves the body, and therefore it is harder to wake that person up just by touching the body, which is not true when you call their name. And this is why the Text surprises and says "and these are the names of the children of Israel", meaning, the holy tzadikim that are known by the name Israel, which is a high level, "came to Egypt", meaning, after being on such high level, how is it possible that they fall sometimes from their high level, and come to Egypt? It is hinted that they enter in a lower level, and this is what the Text says "with Yaakov", meaning, because of Yaakov, that are the most simple of the people, who are called by the name Yaakov. It is for their sake that there is a need for the tzadik to fall from their level, so that the tzadik will belong and befriend the most simple people so as to raise them to holiness - and if it weren't for this the tzadik would have no belonging with them. And the Text says the reason why the tzadik can raise them up to holiness, which is "a person and their household". Meaning: the tzadik is called "a person and their household", that is, their innerness, meaning, through the tzadik awakening the tzadik's own innerness, the tzadik is able to awaken the simple people's innerness, and they come together to holiness, and this is "a person and their household came". And this is "I will thank Ad-nai much with my mouth [and among the many I will praise Him]" (Psalms 109:30) - behold, everything goes according to how one thinks, and a person is able to seize through their thoughts many things that the mouth cannot express. And King David PBUH said "I will thank Ad-nai with my mouth", meaning, even though it is not possible to bring out with the lips all that is in my thought, even in this case I will thank God with my mouth - which is the small level. This can be because my intention is that "among the many I will praise Him", meaning, so that God's Name can be praised among the many, as explained: when the tzadik is at the small level, the tzadik can raise those who are among the simple ones of the people to holiness. And this is straightforward. “And God appeared to him as a flame of fire from within the bush.” To explain this, it appears that the root practice for a person is to break the hold of the ugly qualities such as hatred, jealousy, pride, desire, and the like; all those qualities which need fixing and whose repair then allows a person to arrive at a high level, great visions, and great enthusiasm and attachment in the service of the Creator, whose name be blessed. This is “And God appeared…as a flame of fire from within the bush,” meaning that God appeared from within these ugly qualities which are the thorns, through which Moshe arrived at the level where he experienced a fiery enthusiasm. And he saw that the bush was burning but not being consumed, meaning that he experienced this fiery enthusiasm but these ugly qualities didn’t leave him by being entirely consumed; and so he said that he would turn aside and look at this, meaning that he would turn totally away from these ugly qualities in order “to see this great vision,” and then I will arrive at the highest levels and experience the greatest visions. “Why isn’t the bush consumed?” The Hebrew word for burning/consuming is the same as the one in the phrase “and it grazes in another field” (Sh’mot 22:4). What this is trying to say is that Moshe asked, “Why can’t all these ugly qualities which are like a thorny bush be consumed and be gone forever?” This is the explanation of the [talmudic] phrase “the appearance of afflictions;” afflictions are these ugly qualities and when a person corrects them s/he can ascend to the higher levels.“A shiny-spot [whose colour is] strong like snow” (Bavli Sh’vu’ot 5b) means that if a person has an ugly quality which is like a shiny-spot affliction on the body, then “strong” means to be strong like a lion to overcome it until that quality becomes white like snow, as in the verse “If your sins are like crimson then they will whiten like snow” (Isaiah 1:18). Its derivative is to be like white wool (Bavli ibid.), meaning that the next step is to arrive at an even higher level, a white wool (or sanctuary) hinting at a supernal holiness.... “And God saw that he had turned to look,” meaning that God saw that Moshe Rabbenu wanted to completely remove all these ugly qualities so that he could see great visions. But this is impossible until the arrival of the righteous redeemer. Only then will God cause the spirit of tum’ah to pass completely from the earth (Zechariah 13:2). “And so God said, don’t come any closer,” meaning that God told him that it is impossible to arrive at this level. “Remove (shal) your shoes from your feet.” Remove, shal, is like a question or a loan, and so this level can only be on loan to you and cannot be permanent until the mashi’ach comes, may it be soon. “Because the place [on which you stand] is holy ground,” meaning that you will need to be strong and persevere in all the places where there is materiality, to sanctify that thing.”...And Moshe said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and free the Israelites from Egypt?”At first it appears that the wording is redundant, as Rashi also felt. Also the verse, “And [God] said, ‘I will be with you; that shall be your sign that it was I who sent you. And when you have freed the people from Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain,’” is not clear at first for the Blessed Name gave as a sign something that will only happen later. Rashi explained this nicely. In my humble opinion it appears to relate to the verse “Shaken, he said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven.’” At first, the word ayn / this is none other, is superfluous and he should have said “How awesome is this place, this is God’s house.”It appears that the holy Torah is showing us how to conduct one’s service, may God’s name be blessed and exalted. When a person experiences love and enthusiasm in prayer or study and in all that one does for the Blessed Name, it is appropriate to think, who knows if this enthusiasm isn’t a strange fire, God forbidBut if the person’s heart burns again and again, the person can think that perhaps it is God causing this sanctity and enthusiasm because the person is now standing with other righteous ones. The person then will not say that this is the their doing at all and will be very humble and wonder how an ordinary person like me can merit this. And if this continues without stop, one can think truthfully that this is certainly God’s word, that the Blessed Name gave me a gift and hopefully my heart will remain like this all the time. This person will pray constantly to the Blessed Name that God help and guard so as not to fail, God forbid, in any nagging (desire to) sin, that no sin can douse the enthusiastic intensity in the service of the Blessed Creator. This is, “And Jacob was quite shaken…” which is that when he saw the ladder with its feet on the ground and angels going up and down and this great vision that the Blessed Name was standing over it with all of God’s supernal chariots standing over it, “And Jacob was awed and said, ‘How awesome…’”. He meant, who knows from where this awesomeness comes, for who am I that I merit this great vision. Afterwards he thought and said, “this place.” Maybe it is the place that causes this great holiness. And after that he said, “This is none other [than the abode of God].” And when he saw that this holiness persisted without interruption he said that certainly is none other than the abode of God and he began to pray to the Blessed Name and then swore that if God would be with him…and protect him, meaning that no sin should interrupt this holiness, God forbid. Turning to what Moses our Teacher of blessed memory said: “Who am I that I should go…” Moses was the most humble person and lowly in his own eyes. He asked, how is it possible that I can attain this level and that I will bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Even if I were to attain the level of going to Pharaoh, how would I be worthy of taking them out. God replied, “Because I will be with you. And the sign is that when you take them out…you will worship Me…” It is a good sign for a person who hears through books about the virtues of the righteous and their holy service for the Blessed Name in truth if, at the same time, the heart yearns and burns intensely in wanting to also merit to serve God in truth. This is a good indication that the Name is with the person and that this is God’s word. This is, “And this will be a sign for you,” that when I say to you “When you take them out…you will worship me at this mountain,” this will be a sign. If your heart still burns and is excited to serve Me when you hear this, then through this you will know that I am with you. And this is what King David prayed, “ Let me again rejoice in Your help” (Psalm 51:14), he was saying give me the merit to return to You and that it should be a good omen for me which is “Let a vigorous spirit sustain me,” that when I hear stories of your redemptions from those who are immersed in your Torah and mitzvot which is redemption and sustaining for the Blessed Name. When this will be mine for joy and happiness, from it I will know that You are with me and God will give me the merit to be among who are true servers of God along with the righteous. Amen. And Moses returned to Hashem etc and since I came to speak in Your name, evil [it is] for this people, and saving, You haven't saved (Exodus 5:23). And on a first glace "saving, You haven't saved"(Exodus 5:23) is a double expression, since he said "evil [it is] for this people"(Exodus 5:23) - in any case He did not save them. And here is its explanation, that we in this bitter exile, in which in our pain He is pained (see Isaiah 63:9), and the Shechinah is exiled with us (see Eicha Rabbah 1:32 and Megillah 29a) - the only thing we should worry and complain about is the exile of the Shechinah, and not think at all about our sufferings, but only regarding the suffering and exile of the Shechinah. And if our direction and our suffering were only regarding the suffering of the Shechinah and not on our suffering, obviously we would be redeemed immediately, but we are flesh without the ability to tolerate our pain an grief, and so our days lengthen in this bitter exile due to our many sins, because we partner our suffering with the suffering of the Shechinah, and we worry about our suffering. And if there was one tzaddik like this he would be able to save the entire world from this exile. And this is what Moses our master peace be upon him said "and since I came to speak in Your name"(Exodus 5:23) - the explanation is that all my speaking was not only for Your great and holy Name, which is in exile, and not only due to our own exile; and the sign and the proof that the truth is with me, that my intent was not only due to Your holy Name is that I see that Pharaoh has done "evil to this people"(Exodus 5:23); that this is the sign to the person who wants to rebuke one's fellow or to say holy words: how does one know that one's intention was only for the sake of Heaven without any other thought or position? If one sees that when one speak in front of people who are not sincere and they get angry over those words, it is obvious that the intention of the words was completely only toward Heaven, and with the Help Of The Highest Name one's words will make a mark - and this is what Moses our Master may peace be upon him said: all my words were not for any other intention but Your Name, truly, and this is the proof - evil came to this people. And since my words were only for the holiness of Your Name, it would have been deserving that Israel be redeemed immediately "and why saved, You haven't saved (Exodus 5:23)"? And this is what King David peace be upon him said: "Return to me the happiness of Your salvation"(Psalms 51:14) - meaning, redeem us and return us speedily to our land, because all my intention is solely for "the happiness of Your salvation", that we should be redeemed quickly for Your salvation, to return Your captivity (Lamentations 2:14) which is the Holy Shechina, and not because of us, but only because of You. And the Name will redeem us speedily, and we will be joyful and be happy in His salvation. Amen.
