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Midot Hayom 5770 Day 26: Hod in Netzach



His father called him Heber, because of his sake [Amram] reunited with his divorced wife. His mother called him Jekuthiel, because she gathered him to her bosom after God restored him to her. His sister called him Jered, because for his sake she had gone down to the Nile to find out what  would become of him. His brother called him Avi Zanoah,lt;/p>

 

because “my father left my mother and then took her back for this one [child].” And Kehath and his wet nurse called him Avi Socho, to convey the fact that he was hidden from the Egyptians for three months, as if in a sukkah. And all of Israel called him Shemaiah son of Nethanel, because in his days, God heard them sighing due to their oppressors (Yalkut Shimoni, Shemos 166; the names are from I Chronicles 4:18, 24:6; for other interpretations of these names of Moses, see Vayikra Rabbah 1:3).

Moshe, the man of Netzach, projected his unlimited being in different ways to different people. Everyone experienced something different because of, or through, Moshe. He projected his inner being, his Hod, with a sense of Netzach, so that different people would derive from their interaction with him, what they needed at a specific time.

Moshe refused to be defined by any single aspect of his life. He was therefore able to be so many different things to so many different people.

Most of us naturally project different parts of ourselves to different people, or in varying situations. Moshe did not project what he wanted, but tapped into his sense of Netzach to be able to give each person what they needed, and each situation, what was necessary.

Hod in Netzach tells us that all our different “parts” can be an expression, not of numerous qualities and strengths, but of our soul, which is unlimited. We do not have to become different people when we are in different situations. We can always be an expression, the Hod, of our own Netzach.

Parents can one day be playful, more of a friend than an authority figure, and the next day act with authority, or as a teacher. A parent who changes because of his or her mood is not expressing Hod in Netzach, but the opposite. The parent who can sense what the child needs and can respond from a desire to not limit his interaction with his child, is expressing his Hod in Netzach

ToolsTools:
Do I assume different personalities when dealing with different people?

Do I act differently in different situations?

If yes, do I see myself as being one person here and another, there? Or, am I able to see how all the different parts are an expression of my unlimited soul?

Do I project different personalities based on me, or, on what is best for the other person?

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