In the portion of Shemot, Moses witnesses two Israelites treating each other with less than human dignity, and understands now the problem that is at the core of all of humanity.
"Without human dignity of one to another, the removal of chaos, pain and suffering will be of no avail."
Shemot is emphasizing to us the importance of developing and keep a consciousness of treating each other with human dignity. Treating others with less than human dignity is evil, no matter how overwhelming the validation might appear. Evil is evil. Intolerance is intolerance. Insensitivity is insensitivity. You cannot change that no matter how brilliant you are, or can convince everyone around you.
This is the first portion in the second book of Moses, and it makes it clear for us right from the start: Without human dignity of one to another, the entire technology that is going to unravel itself here – the removal of chaos, pain and suffering – will be of no avail.
The first requirement of making this technology work is the treatment of human dignity from one individual to another.
* Excerpted from Rav Berg's 2003 lecture on the portion of Shemot.
