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Hineini: Here I Am, And It Is All Holy Ground!
D'var Torah by Keith A. Liker - January 13, 2007
Parsha Shemot (Exodus 1:1 - 6.1)

What I would like to focus on this morning is Moses’ initial encounter with God in Exodus Chapter 3, and perhaps offer some new insights into what this might mean for each one of us today, January 13, 2007. I am always interested in the deeper connections that exist in the Torah, and in how we can take those connections home with us, enrich our daily lives, and use them to draw closer to God. As most of you may know, I am also interested personally in the practice of utilizing all of our human consciousness and emotions to love and draw closer to Adonai in my daily practice. So, sit back, fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride (It might get a little bumpy)!

I would like to first take a look at the sequence of events in the first part of Parasha Shemot (“Names”), Exodus Chapter 3, because I think the sequence itself is important to each of us in our own personal interactions with God, and with each other.

The facts as reported in the Torah are that Moses is tending his father-in-law Yitro (“Jethro”)’s sheep on “the far side of the desert” (or wilderness) where there is probably no one else around. He appears in all respects to be alone, except for the sheep. Moses sees the famous “not-quite-burning bush”, which is probably a common desert thorn bush which actually doesn’t burn. Although it is full of flames, the bush produces heat and light, but is not consumed in or by its own flames, so it defies the laws of thermodynamics. Moses sees the bush, acknowledges it as a “strange sight”, and steps off of his intended path to get a closer look. Adonai calls Moses’ name, not once, but twice. Moses responds in Hebrew, “Hineini” – “Here I am”. God instructs Moses to keep his distance and remove his sandals because now he is standing on holy ground. Adonai identifies Himself to Moses as a known item: “The God of your Father, and the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” Moses hides his face when God identifies Himself because he is afraid. (Under the circumstances, who wouldn’t be?!) Then Moses is instructed in his mission to go to Pharaoh and free the Israelites. Moses is reluctant, and asks for clarification of God’s name. Adonai answers, “Ehyeh–Asher–Ehyeh” – “I was/I am/I will be.”

Many beautiful and creative interpretations have been offered to explain the unusual symbolism of this Divine–Human encounter. One explanation suggests that everything, even the most ordinary of desert bushes, contains the Spirit of the Divine. In our daily lives, it is difficult for us to see things this way, because we are usually content and secure in believing we are separate from God and from each other. However, at those times when we are able to step out of our habitual patterns of the way we usually view things, we then allow the Divine that emanates in all things to reveal itself to us. Instead of backing away, Moses decides to go out of his way to see what he is being shown. God sees this willingness, and reveals Himself to Moses.

The Midrash tells us that Moses happened upon the site of the “not-quite-burning” bush while searching for a lost lamb. The Midrash teaches that it was when Moses showed his own concern and compassion for a lost animal, is the moment when he heard the Divine Call. By being a faithful shepherd to his father-in-law’s flock, God is able to confirm that Moses is the right shepherd in the Divine Plan to lead Israel out of slavery into freedom. All this occurred because Moses, in spite of his later reluctance at learning what his Divine Mission will be, chose to become available; he chose to step off his intended path, chose to draw closer, and opened himself to Adonai by answering, “Hineini.”

We are each probably familiar with this Torah narrative, but I feel that what it is really about is an instruction manual for drawing closer to God and what can happen as a result. So, first of all, why is the ground holy?

Holiness is not an intrinsic characteristic of any one particular location or GPS coordinate. Rather, holiness is a result of how we focus our attention in a particular moment by acknowledging the Divine Presence in that moment. The holiness at the site of the not-quite-burning bush derives from what God and Moses do there, not from the actual location itself. It is God’s call, and Moses' affirmative acknowledgment, response, and openness to the Divine Presence, that makes the place truly holy. Because the Divine and Human meet and interact in this place, the location itself becomes holy.

For us, this Sanctuary is sacred space, where we can focus on the same, unchanging Divine Presence. Our worship and acknowledgment of God’s Presence this morning is what infuses this very room, these chairs, the carpet, and even the heating and air conditioning (which may or may not be working!) with holiness. God does not need sacred space. Because God is everywhere at once, then everyplace is equally holy. Sacred space exists for us as humans to experience. Sadly, however, it is usually our awareness of God's presence and holiness that is fluctuating, or maybe lacking altogether.

Today, instead of calling each of us by our names in the desert, we have the Sh’ma to call us to mindfulness of Adonai's Presence, with the attention–getting directive of, “Listen up, people!” In the same sentence, without even drawing a different breath, the Sh’ma tells us to focus on the One-ness of Adonai who is present and very near.

Moses stood on sacred ground because he was in the Presence of God–and he knew it with each and every aspect of his Being. Unlike Jacob’s dream of the ladder and angels reaching to heaven, Moses quickly recognizes God’s Presence in that place. Each of us also stand on holy ground every time we are mindful of God’s Presence in our lives, and each time we perform Mitzvot which are also designed to call us to mindfulness of God’s Presence. But, it remains our individual responsibility for each of us to transform each moment of our lives into something holy by being mindful of God’s Presence and acting accordingly. (When I mention “responsibility,” it really means “the ability-to-respond.”) This is what the Torah means when she challenges us to be holy. We are, each of us, asked to manifest holiness in the ordinary, moment-by-moment events of our lives: Make eating holy. Make conversation holy (even on the phone). Make sleeping holy. Make walking holy. Make sex holy. Make washing the dishes holy. Making life holy requires us each to see all things, all persons, as manifestations of God, the Source and Substance of all that was, is, and will be – “Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh”.

Moses' initial verbal response to God is vitally important, because it is this affirmative response that transforms him. Before he is even told that he is standing on holy ground, or what his mission will be, Moses responds affirmatively to his name being called. Moses responds with “Hineini”, or “Here I am.” Significantly, Moses responds with “Hineini” before he even learns of God’s identity. At the outset, we see Moses demonstrate his willingness, availability, and receptivity to encounter the Divine Presence with this one Hebrew Word.

Next, Moses responds with a gesture of respect and humility. The Torah doesn’t exactly say, but apparently the sandals do come off. Yet, Moses has to first be instructed by God on how to appropriately engage the Divine by taking off the sandals. This shows us just how truly human Moses is. But there is a greater significance here. I feel that the reason Moses was required to remove his sandals in order to be able to stand in Adonai’s Presence, teaches us that we must each drop our own personal ego-shields, or our own negative emotions, such as anger, fear, resentment, anxiety and the like, that can often keep us alienated from God. The point here is that we have to “open” ourselves by becoming available, and sometimes we even have to leave an undesirable aspect of ourselves behind before we can truly approach God’s Presence and stand on holy ground, just has Moses had to leave his sandals behind.

Opening ourselves to God can be dangerous. It requires each of us to abandon everything we think we know about the world and our place in it. It requires that we abandon our attempts to control our lives. Moses shows us that a true experience of God’s Presence lifts us out of the known and comfortable, divests us of the illusion that we control our own lives, and places us into the realm of the unknown and perhaps uncomfortable.

Before the V’Ahavta was given, Moses teaches us in this profound encounter with God how to personally implement the directive to love Adonai with each and every one of our human components. These human components include: (1) our intellect, logic and rational minds (“mind”); (2) our emotional components including all the doubt, uncertainty, fear, reluctancy, hesitation and ambiguous, unfocused or unresolved feelings (“heart”); (3) our physical being; and (4) our higher spiritual processes including intuition (“Neshamah”). In this initial encounter with God, Moses brings each and every one of these human components to a point of focus of God’s Presence, and he leaves nothing behind, except his shoes.

Moses first physically recognizes with his eyesight that there is something not entirely right about the not-quite-burning bush. Next, Moses exercises his will (mind and heart) by choosing to step off the path to investigate. Thus, Moses brings his physical eyesight and sense of curiosity (heart and mind) to God, when he steps off the path and moves into proximity with God’s Presence.

Next, when God has Moses’ attention, he calls Moses’ name twice (probably so Moses is not mistaken about The Call). Moses uses his physical sense of hearing and his intuition (Neshamah) to quickly recognize that The Call is truly from God. Moses responds to God physically by way of speech, and by making a conscious choice of will to be present. His response, “Hineini”, includes his mind, his will, his emotions, his Neshamah and physical presence in one unified, affirmative response to the Divine Call. The point here is that in order to encounter the Divine One-ness of God, Moses had to unify all aspects of himself, (even his fear and reluctance) and bring them before God, holding nothing of himself back.

In the Torah narrative, the next thing that occurs is that Moses responds with another physical and emotional gesture by hiding his face out of fear of looking at God. When Moses brings this truly human emotion of fear to God, Adonai responds to Moses by revealing His true nature of Eternal Being and Eternal Being-ness. Until this time, God had not revealed this aspect of the Divine to humans. The point not to be missed here is that it is only when we individually bring each of our human components to a single focal point of acknowledgment and openness to God’s Presence, are we truly able to begin to know God’s true nature of “Eternal Becoming-ness”. This is what makes our ground holy. The V’Ahavta gives us a spiritual path to implement, by loving God with all aspects of ourselves, and Moses shows us how to do it on an individual level.

Without specifically looking for God, Moses created his own personal “openness” and receptivity for God to reveal Himself. Moses did it with his response of “Hineini”. What happened as a result of Moses’ Hineini response is astounding: Moses started his day on the far side of the desert alone as a shepherd working for his father-in-law; he ended his day standing upon holy ground, knowing God’s true nature of Eternal Becoming-ness, and being invested with a sacred mission to free the Nation of Israel from slavery.

It is true that God is manifest everywhere, yet Moses would never have encountered Adonai’s Presence in the midst of the not-quite-burning bush, had he not first turned aside to look at it. The point here is that Moses had to make the first move of drawing closer to God. God reveals the Divine Self to Moses, only after Moses goes to the trouble of seeking God by taking leave of his intended path. When God “sees” that Moses has turned aside to investigate, Adonai knows that Moses is ready to listen and to respond. With one word, “Hineini”, Moses opens his heart, his mind, his Neshamah and becomes physically present. It is only because of this affirmative response that he is able to encounter and internalize the awesome Presence of Adonai, which is beyond all human explanation.

Moses, out Teacher, teaches us that it is possible to experience holiness in our relationships, whether it is with God, or whether it is with the others in our daily lives, if we only open our eyes to see what is truly important, and then step aside from our intended, perhaps routine path in order to fully encounter it. Our daily Minyan here at Temple Adat Shalom can serve this same purpose, allowing us an opportunity to temporarily step aside from our busy, daily routines in order to be present before God and with each other, and by giving each of us an opportunity to personally respond with “Hineini”.

When Moses hears his name being called from the not-quite-burning bush, he initially cannot fathom that the Divine is calling to him directly. His reticence, insecurity, and apparent lack of confidence are all clearly there and they are all directly brought before God. Adonai has to call out his name a second time before Moses responds, showing us again how truly human Moses is. Are we any different when we are called to undertake a difficult task which we feel unprepared and ill-equipped to do? Yet, unlike Jonah who flees in the opposite direction when he hears the Divine Call, Moses responds with “Here I am”. Moses recognizes God’s Presence and responds exactly as Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph did.

Out of an abundance of Divine kindness, God recognizes Moses’ reluctance. Adonai does not overpower Moses with a thunderous call from the heavens, or with flashes of lightning, or both, but instead entices Moses to draw closer to His Presence using an ordinary desert plant which does not obey the laws of physics. After Moses responds with “Hineini”, God then reveals the Divine Self. Adonai goes out of His way to reveal Himself to Moses in as gentle and familiar a manner as possible, in order to put Moses and his obvious fears at ease.

It is significant to note that God’s gentle response to Moses’ “Hineini” deserves a closer look. God’s intent to put Moses at ease invites each one of us to consider how we might speak or respond to those we love when we know they are feeling vulnerable or fearful. Is ours a soothing voice that is calming and reassuring? Or, are we forceful, insensitive, and demanding, by ordering that our loved one not be fearful, or insinuating that their feelings are not valid? Do we bring comfort and peace, or do we bring criticism, and defensiveness with an irritable response? Do we entice them to draw closer with compassion, or do we push them away by telling them how they should feel?

Moses’ responsive “Hineini” took him into a viable relationship with the Divine which directed the rest of his life. Of course, Moses could have also chosen to turn away, to keep his sandals on, and to pretend not to see the not-quite-burning bush, or to hear The Call.

Each of us has the same innate ability as Moses to respond to God and to the others in our lives with the affirmative response of “Hineini.” When we respond with “Hineini”, we open ourselves to greater possibilities in our relationships on all levels than ever before.

When we hear the call of those we love, the others in our own lives, and when we answer “Hineini” just like Moses, it is tantamount to responding to the Call of God. Yet we usually don’t recognize that in responding to others, we are actually responding to God’s Presence in our midst.

Spiritual teachers Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Mother Theresa, and Rabbi Alan Lew, independently of one another, have each reminded us that events that happen in our lives are never between us and another person. It is always between us and God. Always. In my life, that means that it is never a disagreement between me and my wife; rather it is always a disagreement between me and God. Seeing it is this light, allows me to disengage from my own ego-filled pettiness of having to win each and every argument. Instead, it allows me to focus on The Divine Presence which exists in my marriage, reminds me that my marriage relationship is holy, and reminds me that I have to act accordingly. (Yet, most of the time I need to be reminded I have to take off my sandals!)

Even when we respond to those whom we barely know, we are still responding to the highest call in the Universe. This allows us to see each person we meet as being “sent” to us by what I like to call a “Divine Appointment”. When we treat each person as a Divine Messenger, then the ground upon which we walk truly becomes holy. Our interactions and relationships with others, even strangers, become holy because we recognize that it is, without exception, always between us and God, even when it seems on the surface to be between us and another person.

As a reminder that it is always between you and God, you might try this simple exercise: Imagine that each person you see has written on their forehead, the same words which were inscribed on the headpiece worn by the High Priest (or “Kohen Gadol”), which is: “Kadosh L’Adonai”, or “Holy to God”. Another way of viewing the others in our lives as being “sent” to us is to view each person that you meet as the Prophet Elijah who is coming to you specifically to announce that the Messiah is here, and that you are the very first person to receive this incredibly wonderful news. How would we then treat them? These simple visualization exercises can help us all bring holiness into each of our interactions with others, even those whom we don’t know very well, because they remind us that it is always between us and God.

And if this isn’t weird enough this morning, there is more! Once we recognize that it is always between us and God, we soon realize that we are connected to God at all times! Logically, this realization leads us to the profound and perhaps inescapable conclusion that each of us is a physical manifestation of God’s eternal and infinite love, kindness and creative power! Think about this the next time you feel lonely, sad, depressed, stressed, or worthless! (When I reflect at various times each day that I am, at each and every moment, connected to God, it almost always fills me with incredible joy and puts a sincere smile on my face). This “connectedness” to Adonai’s infinite love, kindness and creative power is something no one can ever take away from you.

Since each of us is connected to Adonai, we are also connected to each other at what I tend to call the “God-Source” or the “God-Field.” If I am connected to God, and Sid is connected to God, and Richard is connected to God, then Sid, Richard, and I are all connected to one another at God! Unfortunately, it is usually our ego which tricks us into thinking that we are separate from God and from each other. Let me clarify this important point because I think it is very important: I am not God. But, I am connected to God, because I am a conscious, physical manifestation or product of Adonai’s infinite and eternal love, kindness and creative power–the same infinite love, kindness and creative power that turns distance galaxies thousands of light years away in our ever-expanding Universe! (Think about this the next time you feel sad, lonely, anxious or depressed!) In this respect, each of us is a unique facet of the Divine Unity and Eternal Beingness of Adonai, which we proclaim each time we say the Sh’ma! When we proclaim in the Sh’ma that Adonai is one, we should include ourselves in that Divine One-ness!

Something else you might try is your own personal “Hineini”. Try this experiment tonight after Shabbat is over. Before you go to sleep tonight, but after you’re already in bed, your teeth are brushed, and your eyes are closed, offer up a final conscious thought to Adonai of simple gratitude as the last conscious thing you do before you fall asleep. It could be as simple as, “Thank you, God”, or more specific, “Thank you God for good health”. It could also be “Hineini”, or the Sh’ma. Your final conscious thought before you drift off offered to Adonai can be as short as possible, or as lengthy and involved as you wish. When you awaken tomorrow morning, try to make your initial, conscious thought upon awakening, but before you open your eyes and before you get out of bed, the same exact thought of thanks and gratitude that you offered heaven-ward as the last thing before you fell asleep. Practice this simple exercise each night and again each morning – when you lie down and when you rise up, as it says in the Sh’ma. By making yourself available to God’s Presence through a conscious effort and the choice of gratitude, you will be responding affirmatively and with receptivity while at the same time directing your entire Being toward God’s goodness and kindness. You will respond to God on a personal level exactly as Moses did. Try this every evening and every morning for 30 days, and see if you aren’t perhaps happier and less anxious when you go to bed and when you wake up.

At the very least, you will be stepping off your usual path, “taking off your sandals”, and making an effort of drawing closer to Adonai out of gratitude and with a new, expanded sense of well-being based on your own personal response of “Hineini”. By keeping the Divine Presence in our relationships with others, we are able to do what God and Moses did at the non-quite-burning bush – we make our interactions with others into something holy; we make our lives holy; we make our ground holy.

Take home with you today the response of “Hineini” to the others in your life, especially those who annoy, aggravate, and try your patience, or those who take deliberate advantage of your kindness and generosity. Then, all next week, take your “Hineini” to work, to Albertson’s, Costco, or Henry’s across the street. Take your “Hineini” response to the doctor’s appointment; to your spouse, your children, your grandchildren. Take “Hineini” as a response to each telephone call that seems to come at the worst time and interrupts your concentration. Bring your “Hineini” to Minyan on Monday, to Shabbat next week, and remember to bring it back with you each time you come to Temple!

Bring “Hineini” with you everywhere at all times, and you will find that your sandals will drop off easier. Then, everywhere you may be becomes holy ground.

"Hineini". Shabbat Shalom!