Parshas Va'eira Messages 5778

Parshas Va’eira:

The Sages Say:

‘“Therefore say to the Children of Israel; ‘I am Hashem, and I will take you out (והוֹצאתי) from under the burdens of Egypt, and I will save you (והצּלתּי) from their work, and I will redeem (וגאלתּי) you with an outstretched arm and with great judgements.  And I will take (ולקחתּי) you to Me for a People…”’ (Shemos 2:6-7)

Rav Huna (zt”l) said in the name of Rav Binayah (zt”l) that the four cups that we have at the Seder correspond to the four expressions of Redemption used in the above verses:  והוֹצאתי (‘and I will take you out’), והצּלתּי (‘and I will save you’), וגאלתּי (‘and I will redeem you’), and ולקחתּי (‘and I will take you’).

(From Midrash Bereishis Rabbah 88:6)

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A Helpful Hint:

‘And also I established My Covenant with them [the Avos] to give to them (לתת להם) the land of Canaan [Israel]...’

The Gematria of ‘לתת’ -- ‘to give’, notes the Baal HaTurim, is 830.  This alludes to the span that the two Batei HaMikdash stood for -- 410 years and 420 years [which, if put together equal 830].

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A “Lamdanishe” Insight:

‘And I will harden the heart of Paroah, and I will increase My Signs and My Wonders in the land of Egypt.’ (Shemos 7:3)

There is a well-known debate amongst the commentators; how could Hashem have hardened Paroah's heart -- apparently taking away his free will?  True Paroah was wicked, but shouldn’t he still be left with the free choice to repent?  This is indeed a good question, and B’Ezras Hashem, what I want to do this time is to bring a few different explanations and answers to it:

1) --- Sforno zt”l:  Without a doubt, if not for the hardening of Paroah’s heart, he would have let the Jews out of Egypt.  However, that would not have been out of repentance or submission to Hashem -- only out of that fact that he couldn’t take any more pain of the Plagues.  And this would not have been proper Teshuva at all.  

Therefore, Hashem strengthened Paroah’s heart [which didn’t mean that He took away his free will -- just the opposite], so that he would be able to endure the pain of the Plagues and not just send the Jews out of Egypt because of fear of the Plagues.  Indeed, as it says, ‘in order to put these signs of Mine in his midst’ -- meaning; that from them [and not the pain], [Paroah and] the Egyptians would come to recognize Hashem’s Greatness and return in true Teshuva, [and of course, in effect, send the Jews out of Egypt].

2) --- Chofetz Chaim zt”l (in Chofetz Chaim al HaTorah):  There are many people who ask how the Doors of Repentance could be closed in the face of Paroah.  Isn’t it a general rule that the Gates of Teshuva are never closed to even a very big sinner?

Rather, the matter is that there are some wrongdoers that from Heaven, they get helped to repent, as we pray, ‘return us in complete Teshuva before You’.  However, there are also other ones who heap up their measure of transgressions so much so, that help from Heaven to return is withheld, and it is up to the person to arouse themselves to Teshuva.  

Paroah was one of these cases:  HaKadosh Baruch Hu told Moshe Rabbeinu to let him know that he had gone very far in his wickedness.  And as a punishment for that, from Heaven he wouldn’t get help to return in Teshuva.  As it says, ‘for I will harden his [Paroah’s] heart’ -- meaning that his heart was now hardened, because from Heaven he would not be aided in the process of Teshuva.  However, the free choice was not taken away from him to return on his own [as later, he, Baruch Hashem, did].

3) --- Tal U’Matar (and see Sifsei Chachamim ק to Rashi HaKadosh here):  As we are told, after all the Plagues and Kriyas Yam Suf (The Splitting of the Sea), Paroah did Teshuva.  After all the Wonders, he repented.  

So perhaps the answer to the above question is staring us right in the face in the very verse quoted: 'And I will harden the heart of Paraoh, and I will increase My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.'

As we know, Paroah was very stubborn.  But even with a person like that, his stubbornness and wickedness can still be broken.  It just might take a bit more.

So if we put all this together, we can suggest that out of mercy for Paroah did Hashem do all this:  He knew that if He only performed a "minimal" amount of Wonders in Mitzraim, Paroah's stubbornness might have been broken for a little while -- but this change perhaps would not have lasted.  

However, if He would bring all the Makkos (Plagues) and Paroah would also see the Kriyas Yam Suf  -- then it would be just "too much", and Paroah would change for good -- as he did.

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Chassidishe Vort:

‘And Hashem said to Moshe and to Aharon, saying: “When Paroah will speak to you, saying; ‘Give for yourselves a wonder…’”’ (Shemos 7:8-9)

The question is asked; why would Paroah say ‘give for yourselves a wonder’?  Wouldn’t it have been more proper that he would say that they should ‘give to me a wonder’?

Explains the Noam Elimelech {Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk zt”l}; even a person who sees a lot of Miracles and wonders, it’s still a great and amazing thing with each and every one that they see.  Afterall, whenever Hashem performs a Miracle, it is amazing and novel.  However, with people who perform “magic” (sleight of hand), their tricks don’t really impress themselves and are nothing new because they know exactly how they did it, etc.

This, explains the Rebbe Reb Meilech zt”l, is what Paroah meant: ‘Provide a wonder that is even miraculous and new to yourselves -- not just some “magic” trick.’

(Heard from one of my Rebbeim)

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Mussar Message:

‘And Hashem said to Moshe: “Say to Aharon; ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff upon the rivers, upon the canals, and upon the lakes, and bring up the frogs upon the land of Egypt.”’ And Aharon stretched out his hand upon the waters of Egypt, and the frog (הצפרדע -- in the singular) came up, and covered the land of Egypt.’ (Shemos 8:1-2)

Brings Rashi HaKadosh from Midrash Tanchuma, that there was only one frog, and the Egyptians just kept hitting it and hitting it, and so it would break into swarms and swarms.  

Asks the Steipler Gaon {HaRav Yaakov Yisroel Kanievsky zt”l}; when the Egyptians who were hitting it saw that that only added to the frogs and made them multiply more, wouldn’t knowledge dictate that they should just stop hitting the frog so that the creatures didn’t continue to increase?!

However, answers the Steipler beautifully; what does the trait of anger say?  It says that since the frogs are multiplying, all the more so that they should hit it and get revenge.  And as the frogs continue to increase, so does the anger of the Egyptians’, and then they continue to hit it and hit it until eventually, it ‘covered the land of Egypt’. [This is what anger can do if, Chas V’Shalom, we let it.]

(From Bircas Peretz)

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Chazak V’ematz:

As we read about the Geulah (Redemption) from Mitzraim unfolding, I want to share an insight with you, B’Ezras Hashem, on the Geulah from this long and bitter Exile:

My Rebbe, HaRav Daniel Yaakov Travis shlit”a related that he was told (I think by HaRav Moshe Shternbuch shlit”a) that each and every person has the power to bring the Redemption.  Hashem is waiting, so to speak, for any one of us to do something very special -- and that will trigger the Geulah.  Whether it be overcoming a difficult challenge, the performance of a “little” good deed that doesn’t seem so special in our eyes, or even lots of things together -- each and every one of us can cause the Ultimate Geulah.  May it be very soon, Amein.

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Maaseh B’Rabbi…

In the Jewish year 5597, a powerful earthquake destroyed a lot of the city of Tzefas.  HaRav Shmuel Heller zt”l, the Rav of Tzefas at the time, sustained losses as well; his wife and three children perished in it.  Rav Shmuel himself was trapped under a layer of debris and he wasn’t able to climb out.  He then shouted, “If I will be saved, I promise that I will study Torah more vigorously.” Miraculously, the stones began to fall to the side, and he was able to crawl out.  

When one accepts upon themselves to study more Torah, it can bring big Salvations.

(Brought in Meoros HaParsha)

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A Gut Shabbos to all!