The time the Hebrew nation spent in the Sinai wilderness can be seen as a pedagogical journey. It was not a labyrinth, because that vast, wondrous expanse—traversed through sand, sparse trees and mountains, stones—also mirrors the inner journey of a mind. It led toward two possible goals. In contrast, the Cretan labyrinth combined secrecy and hardship, a structure built either to escape from or to memorize cyclical or linear destinies. It served as a mythological tool to contain the Minotaur, thus symbolically limiting thought to constrained options.

But the journey through Sinai is of another nature. It is not built upon myths designed to entangle the human spirit. In many ways, we are still in Sinai—especially when it comes to our desires, expectations, beliefs, or faith. We may convince ourselves that we have come out of slavery and will continue to do so.

It is written: “Moses was a very humble man, more than any other man on earth (עָנָו מְאֹד מִכֹּל הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר עַל-פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה)” (Numbers 12:3). This recalls the first human being, as the Lord says of Moses: “With him I speak mouth to mouth (פֶּה אֶל-פֶּה), clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord” (v.8). Moses could not speak clearly. He was ani (עני)—”poor,” just as God appears “poor” when He relies on His people’s prayers (Psalm 104:2). Moses could not boast before God, nor before the people of Israel, Pharaoh, or anyone—because he had experienced a........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)