What you are watching is a great disconnect. Part of Shmeil gets it. He understands that playing in traffic is dangerous, but in his current state the danger doesn’t register; he can’t see the consequences. His normally sharp intellect is dulled, and he is capable of making choices that are quite unwise.
The Neshamah and the Ape
In a similar sense, Hashem blurred our understanding – not by making us drunk but by putting us into a body. This body isn’t simply a physical entity; it has its own desires, hungers, and appetites – all the drives and instincts needed to keep it alive. By taking the brilliant part of man and inserting into this physical entity, Hashem has effectively blurred our vision. The “I” who thinks and feels now has another dimension. Part brilliant and wise, part just instincts and appetites, the darkness of physicality blinds my mind from seeing consequences and truth.
Now man has free will. Now man can just as easily choose good as bad because his inner sight, his wisdom, is blurred. Much like the drunk yeshiva bachur, he can’t see the consequences and doesn’t relate to the danger.
This seems to be the answer to Yisro. He saw two miracles. One was very lofty, a clear miracle; the other was very mundane, something that spoke directly to his nefesh ha’bahami, his animal soul. The splitting of the sea – like hurricanes, typhoons, droughts – is something Hashem controls. But this was war, and war is here and now. War is very concrete. There was a part of him that very powerfully moved by the danger, the realness of the moment. Even though the war with Amalek paled in comparison to the splitting of the sea, it spoke directly to the animal soul of Yisro, and he was moved.
By being aware of our inner makeup and understanding the different forces that play out in our personality, we are able to become wise to ourselves and better accomplish our mission in life. The key is to allow that wise part of me, the brilliant neshamah, to control my physical side so I can reach the greatness that all humans are destined for.
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To view Rabbi Shafier’s parsha video click here.