Askmoses-A Jews Resource
I live in a cottage owned by a non-Jew. Do I affix a Mezuzah?
Browse our archives

The Scholar is ready to answer your question. Click the button below to chat now.

Scholar Online:

Type in your question here:

Is there spiritual significance to the Jews making bricks in Egypt?

by Rabbi Yossi Marcus

  

Library » Holidays » Passover » The Story | Subscribe | What is RSS?

PRINT EMAIL COMMENT

There are two basic materials used in building: stone and brick. The difference between them is that stones come ready-made, while bricks have to be manufactured; stones are made by G-d, bricks by people.

Spiritually, stones represent those materials in our lives and world that are ready to go; they’re holy and G-dly. We don’t have to put any effort into shaping them. These materials are easily enlisted into our efforts toward living a virtuous and constructive life.

Just as mortar can turn into brick if you get it hot enough so too can those unG-dly materials be heated up with our fiery enthusiasm and soul to make them into bricks with which to build a world of good...
But then there are aspects of life and the world that don’t naturally lend themselves toward holiness and goodness. What we do with those? We take them and heat them up. Just as mortar can turn into brick if you get it hot enough so too can those unG-dly materials be heated up with our fiery enthusiasm and soul to make them into bricks with which to build a world of good.

So making bricks in Egypt was a foretaste of what would we be doing for the rest of our history.


ADD A COMMENT

Please email me when new comments are posted (you must be  logged in).

RELATED CATEGORIES

History » Egypt
G-d
It is forbidden to erase or deface the name of G-d. It is therefore customary to insert a dash in middle of G-d's name, allowing us to erase or discard the paper it is written on if necessary.