Amazing Mazes

T he word “maze” dates back to the 13th century. In Middle English (the English spoken in England after the Normans conquered the island) maze meant “delirium” or “delusion.”

The Whole World is a Maze
In Mesillas Yesharim Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (the Ramchal) describes This World as a maze of paths. We’re all trapped within the maze and don’t know how to get to the center. What can we do? The Ramchal tells us that there are a select few who know the way out of the maze and are capable of leading others. These are the rabbanim and talmidei chachamim.

Wander in Egypt
We all know about the wonders that Hashem did for us in Mitzrayim. But we’re probably less familiar with the first maze that Egyptians wandered through. According to fifth-century Greek tourist Herodotus the Egyptian labyrinth was more impressive than the pyramids. The entire building was a temple made to memorialize the kings of Egypt. It was surrounded by a wall and contained 12 courts with 3000 chambers. Most of the chambers were pitch black. It was split into two levels with half of the rooms above ground and the rest below. 

Herodotus was guided through the upper part of the labyrinth where some of the doors opened with a terrifying clap of thunder but he wasn’t permitted to go underground. Today not much remains of this once impressive structure.