Parshas Shemos:
Baruch Hashem, we have
the privilege to begin a new Book of the Torah.
It is indeed like a new beginning.
Now, with the Help of Hashem, let us begin:
The Sages Say:
‘And G-d
called to him [Moshe Rabbeinu] from the midst of the bush…’ (Shemos
3:4)
A non-Jew once asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha zt”l; “What
did HaKadosh Baruch Hu see to speak with Moshe (i.e. why did He) from the midst
of the [burning] bush?”
And Rav Yehoshua ben Korcha answered him, “If it had been from the
midst of a carob [tree], or from the midst of a sycamore [tree], so you would
have asked me (i.e. you would have asked me the same question). However,
to make you go out divided (meaning ‘without an answer’) is impossible.
Why from the midst of the bush? To teach you that there is not a
place empty without the Shechinah (Divine Presence) -- even a bush.”
(Related in Midrash Shemos Rabbah,
2:5)
*******
A “Lamdanishe” Insight:
‘And Moshe
went and he returned to Yeser [Yisro] his father-in-law, and he said to him; “I will go, please, and I
will return to my brothers who are in Egypt…” And Yisro said to Moshe, “Go in
peace.”’ (Shemos 4:18)
Asks the Alter of Slabodka {HaRav Nosson Tzvi Finkel zt”l};
how is it that Moshe Rabbeinu is going and asking Yisro about something that
Hashem had commanded him to do?
The answer, explains the Alter, is that Moshe had to ask
Yisro’s permission to leave in order to show gratitude for his help. (He wasn’t
getting a second opinion or relying on Yisro’s authority more than Hashem’s, Chas
V’Shalom.) Without gratitude, Moshe Rabbeinu could not have been a proper
leader.
(Brought in Sparks of Mussar)
*******
A Helpful Hint:
|
‘And these
are the names of the Children of Israel who were coming…
ואלּה שׁמוֹת בּני ישׂראל הבּאים...’
The Sofei Teivos (last letters) of the above words, says
the Rebbe of Bendin, spell תהלים (if you
rearrange them a bit). This is to hint to us, he expounds, that in every time of distress
and hardship -- such as Mitzraim (Egypt) -- Tehillim can be read
and through this can come the Salvation.
(Quoted in Maayanah Shel Torah)
*******
Chassidishe Vort:
‘And these
are the names of the Children of Israel who were coming to Egypt; with Yaakov,
[each] man and his household
came.’ (Shemos 1:1)
Tells us Rashi HaKadosh from Midrash Tanchuma and
Midrash Shemos Rabbah, although Hashem had already counted the
Tribes in their lifetime by their names, He counted them again after their
death, to let us know how precious they are to Him, for they are likened to
stars which He takes out and brings in according to their number and their
names.
Says the Sfas Emes {third Gerrer Rebbe -- Rebbe
Yehuda Aryeh Leib Alter zt”l}; Jews are obligated to know that Hashem loves us.
And just like He created the stars in
order that they should illuminate when it is the dark of the night -- so too,
He created us so that we would spread the G-dly Light and bring Him in even to
very dark and lowly places -- (such as Egypt was).
(Ibid.)
*******
Mussar Message:
‘You shall
make the work heavier for the men, and they will do in it…’ (Shemos 5:9)
Writes the Ramchal {Rabbeinu Moshe Chaim Luzzatto zt”l}, on
the trait of vigilance: “Behold the matter of vigilance is that a person
should be careful in his actions and his affairs, meaning to say, he should
contemplate and survey upon his deeds and his ways, if they are good or not…
And the one who goes in his world without reflection if his way is good or bad,
behold he is like a blind person who is going upon the bank of a river -- that
his danger is certainly strong and his bad is closer than his salvation [i.e. it is more likely that
he comes to harm than not]. For the lack of
protection [the risk] because of natural
blindness or because of willful blindness -- [willful blindness] meaning the closing of the eyes [to our actions] with choice and desire [i.e. deliberately] -- are one [and the same].
“And behold, Yirmiyahu bemoaned upon the evil of the people of his
generation, because they were afflicted with the affliction of this trait [of willful blindness]. That they were hiding their eyes from their actions
without putting their heart to see what they [the actions] are: If they should [continue to] do them
or to abandon them. And he said regarding them (Yirmiyahu 8:6), ‘No man
regrets upon his evil saying, ‘what have I done?’ -- they all return to their
course, like a swift horse in battle.’ And that is, that they were pursuing and
going in the course of their habits and ways, without leaving time for
themselves to scrutinize upon their deeds and ways, and it comes out [the result is] that they fell into bad without seeing [being aware of] it.
And he continues that “This is in truth one of the tricks of
the Yetzer Hara and his cunning: His work is constant to burden upon the
hearts of people until there is not left to them respite to meditate and to
look in which way they are going [i.e. what they are doing].
Because it knows that if they would only minimally put their heart upon [i.e. devote attention to] their ways, for certain they would immediately begin to repent
from their [bad] deeds, and the regret
would go and strengthen in them until they would abandon the sin completely.
“And behold, this is similar to the advice of Paroah the wicked,
who said (Shemos 5:9), ‘You shall make the work heavier for the men, and they
will do in it, and let them not talk about false matters.’ That he was [not only] intending to not let them have respite at all, so that they
would not put their heart [to their troubles] or set
advice against him, rather [he was also] trying to disturb their
hearts from any contemplation, with [i.e. from] the strength of the
constant work without break.”
(Mesilas Yesharim; Chapter 2 -- ‘Explanation
of the Trait of Vigilance’)
~~*~~
And
it is our duty to fight against the Yetzer
Hara’s attempts to distract our minds from thinking about what we do, and
indeed contemplate our actions and correct them, with the Help of Hashem.
*******
Chazak V’ematz:
‘And the
daughter of Paroah went down to wash in the river (the Nile)... and she saw the basket
[which
Moshe Rabbeinu had been put in] in the
midst of the reeds, and she sent her maidservant (אמתהּ) and she took it.’
Rashi HaKadosh brings
here that the Sages in Gemara Sotah 12b interpret אמתהּ to mean
her hand (instead of her maidservant). And they explain [that she
stretched out her hand to grab the basket] and it grew many cubits [so she was
able to reach it].
We learn from this, says Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
zt”l, that sometimes we are put into a situation that seems almost impossible.
But we must never think that it is indeed impossible. We need to
try and do what we can. And if we put in our effort, Hashem will help us
to achieve things way beyond our usual capabilities.
*******
Maaseh B’Rabbi…
Shortly
after World War II, the Shulsinger Bros. Publishing Co. published a fine
edition of the Talmud. HaRav Moshe Feinstein zt”l was among
the first to purchase a set of the expensive volumes.
Once,
while using one of the new volumes he momentarily left the room. He had been using a dip pen and a bottle of
ink. While he was away, a student
unintentionally knocked over the bottle, spilling black ink all over the page.
As the student stood in shame in shame,
the Rosh Yeshiva returned to the
room. Upon perceiving what happened,
however, Rav Moshe smiled pleasantly. He
assured the student that the Gemara still looked beautiful and, with a
comforting glance, returned to study.
(Related
in A
Letter for the Ages)
*******
A Gut Shabbos to all!
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