Exodus 3:5 “Do not draw near here. Take your shoes off your feet, because the place upon which you stand is holy soil.” There is a relation of the body to the soul akin to that of the shoe to the body. Moshe is told to be ready to step out of his physical reality and experience in order to truly understands the spiritual subtext of life. Moshe is told to feel the ground upon which he is standing for that is where he came from and needed to be reconnecting with all that was GOOD. In other words, in order to be effective in ministry one must connect with the spiritual realm and cease operating in the natural realm.
The words “your shoes” can be understood as that what separates you from the physical to the spiritual. When Man fell the ground on which he walked which was once Holy became cursed and remains until it is restored to being once again Holy. Where the separation between the natural and spiritual will merge into ONE. THY Kingdom come THY Will be done on EARTH as it IS in Heaven. The word “your feet” or the realm of your walk is related to your habits and conduct in life. It is an absolute necessity to be “bare footed” before any “effective” ministry is to be performed. Wherever you STAND (position and attitude)) determines the manner and effectiveness of your walk.
Moshe is being told that in order to understand what Abba intended to truly do in the world through him, and what Moshe’s role would be in that world, required him and presently us that we MUST remove the constraints (shoes) in our lives allowed there through conformity with the natural realm, that is precisely the things that keep us separated from the spiritual realm. Only then can we truly understand the message of the Burning Bush.
(The Place) If you think about the meaning of a “place” you’ll agree that it is more than just a geographical location. It’s a space which is capable of containing something else.
The challenge of (The Place) is to recognize G-d in the ordinary and every day. Our inclination to be awed only by the extraordinary dulls our senses to the miracles that surround us. Our focus should not so much be bringing heaven to earth but living such a life as to elevate the earth to heaven He is everywhere and in all things and all things exist for His pleasure and purposes.
The WAY has already been provided where man can return to the very origin of his making and STAND on Holy Ground as it was in the Garden before the fall and once again walk with his Abba in the cool of the Day…….REMOVE your shoes and STAND on Holy Ground is what your G-d is saying to the church. For where you STAND is where I will BE and where I will BE I will DO…EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY AND ABOVE all that you think or ask.
Rabbi Matt