Monday, January 29, 2018
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Parshas Beshalach Messages 5778
Parshas Beshalach:
The Sages Say:
‘And Amalek came and waged war with Yisroel in Rephidim.’ (Shemos 17:8)
[Rashi HaKadosh brings from Mechilta and Gemara Sanhedrin 56b that we were given in Marah three Rules to learn and keep.] But when the Jews were in Rephidim, they loosened their grip from the Torah which they received in Marah, and as a punishment for this, Amalek (YM”S) came and waged war on them. Because for the sin of wasting time instead of learning Torah (bitul Torah), troubles come to the world.
(Mechilta; Gemara Bechoros; quoted by Rabbeinu Bachya zt”l)
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A Helpful Hint:
‘Then Moshe sang (lit. ‘then Moshe will sing’ -- אז ישיר משה)…’ (Shemos 15:1)
Our Rabbis said: From here [we see] a hint to the Techiyas HaMeisim (Revival of the Dead) from the Torah [i.e. because of the fact that אז ישיר משה is in the future tense, ‘then Moshe will sing’ ~~ Sifsei Chachamim HaShaleim].
(Mechilta; Gemara Sanhedrin 91b; brought by Rashi HaKadosh)
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A “Lamdanishe” Insight:
‘And it was when Paroah sent out the People [of Yisroel], and G-d did not lead them the way of the land of the Plishtim for it was close (see Rashi HaKadosh), for G-d said; “Lest the People will reconsider [leaving Egypt] when they see a war, and they will return to Egypt.”’ (Shemos 13:17)
Says Rabbeinu Bachya {ben Asher} zt”l: Rabbeinu Chananel zt”l writes that Hashem led them the way of the Wilderness to multiply His Signs and Wonders, because if He had led them the way of the land of the Plishtim -- the close one -- and He had put in their heart that He would give them permission to cross over the way of their land, and He did not delay them at all, it would have “only” been a “light” Sign. [It would have been a “less dangerous” way, in some manner]. And therefore, Hashem’s Wisdom dictated that they go in a circuitous manner by way of the Wilderness to make the great and many Signs -- the Mon, the Quail, and the bringing of Water out from the Rock [all of which would help them to achieve faith in Him]…
And know, Rabbeinu Bachya explains, that all the topics of Yisroel [the Jews] and their happenings in the Wilderness -- they were a complete test in order to make their Souls greater; the intellect of the levels of Bitachon (trust in Hashem), which is the root of Emunah (faith in Hashem), in order that they would be fit to receive the Torah: The Splitting of the Sea, the waters of Marah, the Mon -- which fell daily as much as was needed for each day, etc. All these things were a complete test, in order to root in their Souls the trait of Bitachon… for the trait of Bitachon is a great main thing (ikkar) and Foundation of the Torah.
(Originally, the Jews would have turned back if they had seen a war -- that, in a way, was a lack of faith in Hashem. With the proper trust in Him, however, they wouldn’t have been afraid.Hashem saw this in us, and He understood that He needed to lead us through the Wilderness in order to root Bitachon in our hearts.)
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Chassidishe Vort:
‘And they [the Jews] came to Marah, and they were not able to drink the water from Marah, because it was bitter (lit. ‘they were bitter’ -- כי מרים הם)…’ (Shemos 15:23)
There is a very famous Chassidishe Vort on this (usually quoted in the name of the Baal Shem Tov zt”l, but I have seen it in the name of the Kotkzer Rebbe -- Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Kotzk zt”l):
What does it mean that ‘they were bitter’? That the Jews were bitter -- that is why the waters tasted bitter. Because when a person is bitter, everything seems bitter to them…
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Mussar Message:
‘And the Bnei Yisroel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.’ (Shemos 15:19)
Says the Noam Elimelech {Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk zt”l}: People are inspired only when they see revealed [i.e. clear] Miracles. They don’t understand, though, that “nature” is itself one big Miracle in which we can regularly see the greatness of the Creator and be inspired from it.
However, when we see a clear Miracle, we begin to believe that also just in “natural and simple life” there is a Supervision and intervention from Above and wondrous Miracles occur, but we are just used to them and so we don’t notice them…
Explains the Rebbe Reb Meilech zt”l; this is what the Torah is saying (in the verse quoted above): ‘And the Bnei Yisroel’ -- since the Jews saw a clear and revealed Miracle, that they were walking on dry land in the middle of the sea, they came to an overall recognition that ‘[they] went on dry land in the midst of the sea’ -- that even when they are going on solid dry land, this is a wondrous Miracle, as if they are going in the middle of the sea…
(Quoted in Maayanah Shel Torah)
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Chazak V’ematz:
‘And the Bnei Yisroel were going out with a high hand.’ (Shemos 14:8)
In any and every trouble and difficult situation, we are not alone. Hashem is there with us. And not only that, but He stretches down His Hand, so to speak, waiting for us to just reach a bit upwards and “grab onto it,” and let Him help to pull us out.
So it was in Egypt -- a very challenging and harsh time, where the Jews had also sunken to a low level: Hashem never abandoned us. Just the opposite: He “stretched down His Hand” for us to grab onto. And indeed, as the verse tells us, we went out with a ‘high hand,’ i.e. we did reach upwards and grab Hashem’s outstretched Hand. And He pulled us out of Egypt.
(Tal U’Matar)
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Maaseh B’Rabbi…
‘For I am Hashem, your Healer.’ (Shemos 15:26)
A very ill chossid once came to Rebbe Mordechai of Neschiz zt”l: He had already consulted many doctors, but they hadn’t been able to help him -- and now he came to the the Rebbe for a blessing and advice. The Rebbe told him to go to a special doctor in the town of Anipoli. He would be able to cure him.
It was a long and harsh trip, but the chossid undertook it, and, Baruch Hashem, made it there safely. And now he began to ask the villagers about the special doctor who lived there. But they told him that they didn’t even have a doctor there! The ill chossid, very sad, journeyed back to the Rebbe, and told him what had transpired.
Then what do these people do, Rebbe Mordechai asked, if, Chas V’Shalom, someone would fall sick? The chossid replied that what could they do? They just would have to have faith in Hashem and ask Him to heal them.
This was exactly the thing which the Rebbe had wanted him to understand, and he told him that He (Hashem) is the doctor Whom he had been referring to. And He Who helps the people of Anipoli would heal him as well. And so it was.
(Related in Sippurei Chassidim)
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A Gut Voch to all!
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Amazing Shidduch Story!
The following story is related on the blog momof14:
Rav Kanievsky told him "The next time you meet a girl, talk to her about your scar on the date and tell her the story about what caused you to have this scar". He didn't understand what difference it would make by him telling his story since he knew that if the girl does not like his scar then it doesn't matter what caused it.
A 25 year old yeshiva bachur was still not married. Usually, yeshiva bachurim get married at ages 22, 23, not older than that. So a 25 year old boy is considered old if he is not married by then. This boy went out with girls and after the first date, none of the girls wanted to continue going out with him. He had a scar on his cheek that looked like a cut which didn't look so good to the eye. He was an amazing boy, good middos, Yiras Shamayim, he was a really great boy. But every girl would go out with him on a date, she would see his scar, and there would be no second date after that. Therefore, he got to the age of 25 and he was still not married. So he went to HaRav Chaim Kanievsky shlit"a and he tells him "Kvod HaRav I don't know what to do. I want to get married. My friends are all married and I am still in yeshiva." And he told him that he thinks that it's because of his scar.
One or two months passed by and a girl was suggested to him. He looked into her, and he hears that she is a very special girl with Yiras Shamayim, and exceptional middos. He asks what she looks like and he is told that she looks good. This made him feel worried because he prefers that she is not going to be so good-looking because he knew that if she was really beautiful then she definitely won't be interested in him. So he thought to himself "Maybe she doesn't look as good as people say; nobody ever says about another person that she doesn't look good even if she is not so attractive." So he decided to go out with her.
On the way to the date he was very nervous. He was hoping that she wasn't so good-looking. He was hoping that maybe something would come out of it. When he got there, he saw that not only did she look good, she looked stunning. She was gorgeous! He was very disappointed because he knew that a girl that looks like this would never want him. He went over to her and they started talking. He noticed her looking at his scar. As they were getting into a deeper conversation he saw how everything that he heard about her was really true. She had good middos, Yiras Shamayim, she was truly a special girl. As hard as it was for him, he decided that since Rav Kanievsky told him that he should tell his story about his scar then he is going to do it. So he told her "I am sure you realized the scar that I have on my cheek. Rav Kanievsky told me to tell my story about this scar on the first date so I am going to tell it to you."
He told her that 5 years ago, when he was 20 years old, he came back from Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He was learning in Mir Yeshiva and when he left it was late at night and it was very dark and deserted. All of a sudden, he heard a young Jewish lady screaming. He saw an Arab man running after her and trying to catch her.