Conscious determination allows us to envision the future and act to realize that vision in reality. The process of conscious determination includes four stages: faith, will, intellect, and opening of the eyes. We received the power to determine and lead reality from Abraham our father, who, by virtue of the covenant of circumcision, was instructed by God, "Walk before Me and be earnest." All this in the generation of the Patriarchs. However, as preparation for the Exodus from Egypt, we merited additional strength in our ability to influence reality, both as a nation and as individuals, which is the subject of this article.
The Power to Sanctify Months
Ancient Egypt symbolized absolute subjugation to the determinism of nature. The Exodus from Egypt symbolizes liberation from the yoke of subjugation to the absolute laws of nature. Therefore, as preparation for breaking this subjugation, God gave us the commandment of sanctifying the new month, which reflects Israel's control over nature. It is commonly thought that sanctifying the new month is a commandment that merely reveals what is already happening in reality, namely the moment that the new moon can be seen. However, in truth, both the fulfillment of the commandment and its results educate us to recognize the power of the Jew to determine reality according to what he deems appropriate.
It is commonly thought that the main aspect of sanctifying the new month is the testimony that the court receives from witnesses who saw the new moon, but this is not so. Rather, as Rabbeinu Bachya states:
"The intention of the scripture is not to direct us to intercalate years and establish months based on seeing the moon, because in establishing the months, the main principle in the Torah is not to be concerned with seeing the moon. If it is seen, good, and if it is not seen on the day of establishment, but rather before or after by a day or two, we are not concerned, for we were not commanded in the Torah to establish months based on seeing the moon, but rather based on calculation."
Indeed, the Rambam ruled that we should not sanctify the month based on calculation alone, but it is correct that the court that sanctifies should know the calculation to test the witnesses in case their testimony is false. Thus, the intellectual calculation of the moon's course establishes its own blessing. (One could say that this is the foundation for our calendar today, which is based solely on calculation.)
"Behold this and Sanctify"
Based on these words, we can understand why Moses struggled with the commandment of sanctifying the new month, as he did not struggle with other commandments (except for the half-shekel and the making of the Menorah) – to the extent that the Holy One, Blessed be He, needed to show him the form of the moon at the time of its birth and instruct him, "Behold this and sanctify." It is difficult to understand – hadn't Moses ever seen a new moon before? Rather, the Holy One, Blessed be He, taught him the secrets of the intellectual calculation that must precede the actual new moon. In fact, there is a general instruction here from which we learn about the process of conscious determination: first, we must prepare a vision of the desired future in the mind's eye of the heart, and only then, when the right moment comes, open our eyes and see how reality comes to match what we envisioned.
Taking Responsibility
The commandment of sanctifying the new month, the first commandment we received in preparation for the Exodus from Egypt and liberation from Egyptian subjugation to nature, also gives us an example of our power not only to direct reality before the fact but also to change it after the fact. In this context, the Lubavitcher Rebbe used to bring the example of the return of virginity to a young girl. As is known in Halacha, virginity lost before the age of 3 returns. So if a girl lost her virginity when she was older than 3 and then, as a result of the intercalation of the year (adding the month of Adar II), returned to being younger than 3, her virginity returns. We find that the court's decision to intercalate the year changes a reality in nature.
We learn that the giving of the Torah and its commandments acted to strengthen our ability to reign over reality and even over nature, and to direct them with faith and confidence towards revealing God's will. Reality and nature, by their very creation, yearn to serve us and even to assist us in this, for our Sages said, "Why is it called 'eretz' (earth)? Because it desired (ratzta) to do the will of its Owner." Reality, however, waits patiently for us to be worthy of the title "Rabbis" (As is written, ‘Who rules over reality? The Rabbis!’). One who has earned this title is a person who is utterly devoted to doing God's will and thereby merits and takes responsibility for reality.
Since the light of the Baal Shem Tov shone in the world, each and every one of us is required to believe and trust that indeed "As in the days of your exodus from Egypt, I will show you wonders," and we can, and indeed must, strive to realize our power in fulfilling our good dreams and visions.
