Reinvent Yourself: First Do, Then Understand – Mishpatim 5783

Being alive, comes with change. Life brings growth, phases to develop into, situations and circumstances to learn and to own. As life changes, its different phases call for a reinvention of ourselves. This reinvention of us, the newness of it, is exciting. But the old (the current situation) masks it’s as painful, as an undesirable event. We fail to see is the current circumstance the one who is painful because it is no longer receiving energy, it is stuck. It needs change. It needs a newness. It’s calls to reinvent yourself.

Reinventing yourself takes time, and effort. Be clear and aware of that fact. To make significant changes and transform your life to achieve personal growth will take time. Be compassionate to yourself. It’s a process that will require the will to do the work, let go of old habits, and take action.

One of the key messages in Parsha Mishpatim is this life changing concept: to achieve personal growth, to reinvent yourself act and then immerse yourself in learning and understanding. In this portion, the Israelites accept G-d’s commandments and submit fully to observe the laws even if they don’t understand them.

            “And he(Moses) took the Book of the Covenant and read it within the hearing of the people,                                and they said, “All that the Lord spoke we will do and we will hear.””

This is one of the most famous phrases in the Torah, “Naaseh V’nishma” “we will do, and we will hear”. It illustrates the concept of bitul, surrendering. When the Israelites were taken out of Egypt where they were slaves, they had one option, listen to G-d’s will and do.

We Are Slaves

This is such a powerful lesson not only in the times of the Israelite redemption but for all of time. We live in slavery. Slavery is having a limited reality, and at times much worse – addiction, self-affliction, and suffering. When you are in this state of slavery, do the thing you want to go towards and then think about it. Take action. By acting first, you will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for what you are doing. This is the only way you will transform into what you envisioned.

After the liberation of Egypt, God gave the Israelites the Torah. This allowed them to establish a new nation, one with moral and ethical values. The Torah gave them laws and commandments where they could be guided to behave with fairness and justice in their new society. The Israelites became a holy nation because they follow the commandments.

In my personal journey, I came into Judaism. I was not born a Jew, a wanted to become one. Transforming myself and adapting new habits into my life, took time, effort, and a lot of learning. Still, I am learning as the Torah is an immense well of knowledge and data. During my process, my mentor told me this phrase, “Na’aseh V’nishma” do and then hear. I couldn’t understand at the time why it was important I cover my elbows? Does G-d care I show my elbows? Are there people walking around with elbow fetishes and if so, why do I have to live my life so restricted because of them? I came to realize it was not the elbow, the elbow worked as a boundary to protect the rest. If I start showing the elbow, what’s next?

I was able to reinvent myself because I followed God’s laws and commandments of how I should live. The reward has been great, I live a full and meaningful life because of them. In my own process I learned a few things about personal growth and reinventing myself.

3-Step Process To Reinvent Yourself

An important aspect of reinventing yourself is knowing what you want to get to. Introspecting and becoming aware of what you want. Knowing the destination, gives you a clear path ahead. The Israelites, as we learn in Parsha Mishpatim, were told of G-d’s will. They were given a clear message of what to do.

The second step is to take action. Set goals and do. This step involves a jumping into the sea per se. You need the courage to get out of your comfort zone and look for opportunities. It’s part of the process is essential in your growth. The mission gets done by having a foot soldier, you, doing the work. If you want to be a writer, write. If you want to have family, get married. You get to be by doing.

The third step in reinventing yourself is immersion. By absorbing, learning, and understanding what you are doing, you will connect and be one with it. You will gain a deeper appreciation because of the knowing. This understanding foster desire. Surround yourself in the community you want to be part of. Their united energy will keep you in track and propel you forward. Networking is a powerful source as you will learn from others, and others guidance gets you closer to your goals.

To reinvent yourself is an on-going process. It requires effort, and time. It’s a process worth investing; the reward is great, self-growth and energy will be gained. To reinvent yourself you need to know what you want, take action and then learn more about what you’re doing. A 3-step process that is life changing and guarantees success. Parsha Mishpatim reminds us for all of time, “we will do and we will hear”, to be a holy nation, a model to others, we have to do. We listen to G-d’s voice and do his will. We become his chosen nation because we are doers.