A wild forest and a beautiful garden have all the same elements. The difference is purely in the way the trees, shrubs and flowers are laid out. In the wilderness, they are wild; in the garden, on the other hand, they are meticulously orchestrated in such a way that it brings out the unique beauty of each and every plant. This is not just the function of rearranging, this is the aptitude of recreating. Something new comes out of our effort that was never seen before.
This is a power of the human being.
However, it is the potential of invention and discovery which truly brings out the unique quality of the human. In our times, we can see how innovation has led us to fascinating technology with which we conduct our daily lives. It is our faculty of creativity and invention which has formed the modern world.
You may ask: How does this relate to the Torah portion of the week?
In this week’s portion, Shemot, we are told how the Jews were given straw and clay, which they mixed and then formed into blocks of the right shape and then used them to build the cities of “Pitom and Ramses” for Pharaoh.
Bad turns to worse when Pharaoh tells the Jews he will no longer supply them with straw for the bricks. From now on they will have to gather it themselves.
However, the Jews turned this around and said: “Let’s figure this one out. How can we continue to create the same amount of bricks in the same amount of time while still fetching the supplies?” They used their ability to innovate, their minds to think, and to come up with a plan that will advance their “technology” to further the mission of the Egyptians.
This is not just a story of the past; it’s the story of our lives today.
We too may find ourselves in a kind of spiritual slavery, in which we use our personal creative minds to innovate within our "Egypt" and with our own “Egyptian taskmasters.” To put it other words, at times we find ourselves using these same powers and abilities for purely material purposes, perhaps even, for selfish functions. We use these same powers to build "Pitom and Ramses."
Redemption from Egypt, on a personal level, means, that this human power of invention is our own redemption from our self-imposed slavery. It allows us to devoted to unselfish goals, and even better, to spiritual goals. Our drive to invente is used to serve G-d. In the imagery of the Torah, when redeemed, we make bricks not for Pharaoh's store cities but to build "a house for G-d."
This is the real power of the human being!