I remember that as a graduate student in social work school, we were given a case study to read and offer a prognosis. It was of a teenager who was having social issues and was already in trouble with the law and we were expected to give our opinion of how this teenager would turn out as an adult. The entire group agreed that the chances for this child to build a productive life were very low.

It turned out, as you can probably guess, that this person was quite famous and known as well for his philanthropic activities. We saw through this case study the need to learn some humility in making prognoses and, more importantly, his ability to overcome whatever he had been through and make something of himself and his life. His adolescent life experience had a significant and profound positive impact on his later activities.

If we look at the early childhood of Moshe, at least what we see of it in Parshat Shemot, we may not have made a very good prognosis for him either and never would have guessed that he would be so connected to the Jewish people or that he had the kind of upbringing that would give him the unusual attributes to be the one chosen to bring the Jews out of Egypt and further bring them the Torah.1 He was, after all, raised in Pharaoh's house, surrounded by Egyptian culture and idolatry and though his mother nursed him, that was only as a baby and there was no ongoing contact afterwards.

Yet, writes the Ibn Ezra, it was specifically that experience of being raised in Pharaoh's palace, a house of royalty where Moshe could learn about royalty and what that means, as opposed to his living with his people, among slaves. That experience allowed Moshe to develop the attributes necessary to fulfill his destiny as leader of the Jewish people and transmitter of the Torah.

How many times have we, in our lives, experienced situations that we didn’t and possibly still don't understand? How do we relate to those instances? Have we ever at some later point said "Aha! Now I got it," as we realized what we've received from that experience?

Making meaning out of what we've been through helps us come to terms with that sometimes traumatic experience and can even help point the way to where we are going. It is a central theme in our lives as humans, and when we succeed it is empowering.2

We are not to obsess over its meaning rather we need to be open to understanding and discovering the hidden meaning.

The Ibn Ezra offers an original and creative way to view Moshe's childhood by giving it a positive spin. How do we do that for ourselves and stuff we've been through? Each individual finds their own way. Sometimes it may happen through an epiphany and sometimes through therapy or a friend. I have even had clients who have learned to view their past as a source of inspiration. But it needs to be something that resonates with you - something about which you can say, "that fits."

Once you can do that with a past experience and make sense out of it, you can start using it to build for yourself a better, less-laden and happier future.

*Click here to read another logoParsha post on Shemot.

 

Footnotes

  1. Shemot chapter 2
  2. Finding meaning in our past helps us understand the path we've taken since then and give clues to the path we are meant to take. This is a major theme in Viktor Frankl's logotherapy.

For more information on logotherapy and how it helps to create a fuller, more meaningful life, or to book an online session,

  1. call me at +972-54-589-3399,
  2. email me at [email protected] or
  3. contact me thru my site.

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Have A Great Shabbat!laughing

For More Information On Logotherapy And How You Can Create A Fuller, More Meaningful Life, Or To Book An Online Session,

  1. Call Me At +972-54-589-3399, or in Israel 054-5893399
  2. Contact Me Thru my email at [email protected]