Besha She Ala Moshe 5725

The Alef Kabbala Group (19 May 09) explored a discourse by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, taught on Shavuot 1965. The discourse discusses a passage in the Talmud (Shabbat 88b) describing the ascent of Moses to spiritual realms. The angels protested at the idea that the sacred Torah will be given to human beings. Moses defends the giving of the Torah to man by asking, in effect, 'what is written in the Torah...? did you angels go down to Egypt? do you angels need to be warned against adultery?' He thus demonstrates that the Torah should rightfully be given to human beings who were in Egypt and who have an evil desire. This anecdote leads to a profound exploration of the nature of existence and of the role of the individual in relation to the Divine.