Yisro

After he heard all that happened to the Jewish people on the way out of Egypt, Yisro takes Moshe's wife and two children and joins Moshe in the desert. The Torah makes a point of telling us the names of Moshe's children and why they were so named. שם האחד גרשם כי אמר גר הייתי בארץ נכריה, the name of one was Gershom, for he had said, I was a sojourner in a strange land. ושם האחד אליעזר כי אלקי אבי בעזרי ויצליני מחרב פרעה, and the name of the other was Eliezer for the G-d of my father came to my aid and saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.

The sequence chronologically, however, is the reverse. He was saved from the sword of Pharaoh before he went to Midian to live as a sojourner. Why, then, did he name his first child Gershom to commemorate his living as a sojourner and his second child Eliezer to commemorate getting saved from the sword of Pharaoh? It should have been just the opposite?

Reb Moshe Feinstein explains that someone as talented as Moshe could easily have integrated himself into the culture of Midian and risen to the higher echelons of society. In essence, he would thereby be trading Pharaoh's palace for one in Midian. What, then, would have been the point of Hashem saving him from the sword of Pharaoh? Moshe's task was to remain true to the Jewish people and eventually to lead them. Moshe, who had this clarity of thought, named his first son Gershom, to give thanks to Hashem for giving him the strength to realize that he's just a sojourner in Midian.

The Chafetz Chaim gives a similar answer and says that Moshe was living in the house of Yisro, who at that time wasn't Jewish yet and was surrounded by all kinds of things that weren't conducive for the Jewish home, so Moshe named his first son Gershom to remind himself and his family that our time here on this world is transient. When we arrive on this world until we go to the next world, it is like we are traveling through a foreign land. Therefore, don't get too comfortable where you are and don't learn from the people around you because we're just traveling and leaving soon.

The Chafetz Chaim uses a parable to explain. A man traveled to the fair with the hopes of being able to do big business. The fact that he had to leave his family and travel far for many months didn't trouble him for he knew that he would be able to make enough money to support his family for years to come. Imagine this man is at the fair, doing big business, when one of his friends comes up to him and says, “hey, let's get out of here and go party”. His reaction would be, “are you crazy? I spent months traveling; I left my family; do you think I’m going to go waste my time when I’m here? I'm going to use every second to attain my goal and not waste a second!”

This says the Chafetz Chaim is how our soul feels on this world. It came down from a special place in heaven for a short time, just to acquire Torah and good deeds. However, the Yetzer Hara tries to get us to waste time on nothingness. We have to be like the merchant and tell him “are you nuts?! I'm not going to waste my time!”

The של”ה הקדוש  explains that the name עם הארץ that normally associate with someone who is unlearned, is really referring to one who makes this world as his primary residence as opposed to one who sees this world as just a means to get to the next one. In a similar vein, רב חיים שמואלביץ  explains that a בן עוה”ב is someone who, even when he's here, realizes that it’s just temporary and his real home is in Olam Habah. This is what Moshe was trying to teach us. By naming his first son Gershom, he demonstrates that we always must view ourselves as outsiders; we don't really belong here and our goal is to be like the merchant and not waste any time that will take us away from our true purpose!

Bashalach

The Torah relates the events of the miraculous exodus of the Jewish people from the land of Egypt. The Jews leave Egypt; a few days later, Pharaoh regrets letting them go, takes his army and chases the Jews through the desert until they are locked between his army and the river. Hashem performs a great miracle; the sea splits; the Jews go through and when the Egyptians follow, they are all drowned in the river.

The Jews then sing praises to Hashem for freeing and saving them. They start to travel in the desert, but, after three days with no water, they arrive in מרה. They try to drink the water there, but the water is bitter, so they complain to Moshe. He cries to Hashem who shows him a stick which he throws into the water. Again miraculously, the water turns sweet and the people have what to drink.

The next posuk says, ויאמר אם שמוע תשמע לקול ה אלקיך, He said, if you will listen diligently to the voice of Hashem, והישר בעיניו תעשה והאזנת למצותיו ושמרת כל חקיו, and you will do what is just in His eyes and you will give ear to His commandments and observe all His statutes, כל המחלה אשר שמתי במצרים לא אשים עליך, then any of the diseases that I placed on Egypt I will not place on you, כי אני ה רפאך, for I am Hashem your healer. The posuk after this returns to the details of their next stop and what they had to eat and drink.

Now, it seems like this posuk is out of place. Why does Moshe tell the Jews now that if they do the commandments, then they won't have the sicknesses that Hashem brought in Mitzrayim. All they asked for was water; no one was sick, and they hadn’t even received the Torah yet to tell them to listen to all the commandments?

The Chasam Sofer explains this posuk by comparing it to two types of doctors. One doctor takes care of the patient once he gets sick; he only gets paid when he helps the person. Then there is the family doctor, one who gets a monthly payment from the family; if someone gets sick, he takes care of them with no additional payment. Understandably, the family doctor will be much more concerned with making sure that no one gets sick, for it’s in his own best interest that the family stay healthy.  He will do all kinds of preventative measures to ensure that no one gets sick.  Hashem is like the family doctor because He loves us so much. He doesn't want us to be in pain or sick; as the Gemara says, “when a person is in pain, Hashem also feels the pain.”

The Rashba tells us that the posuk also refers to another kind of sickness - the spiritual kind.  When the doctor tells one who is sick, not to eat certain foods or to drink certain drinks, he listens even though he doesn't understand why or how this will help. So, too, the Torah tells us all kinds of laws that we need to keep, some of which we don't even understand. However, it's the Doctor telling us what we need for our spiritual well-being, so we ought to listen.

A few commandments were given in מרה, one of which was the laws of the red cow, which is called a חק, a law that we can't understand. Perhaps, Moshe was telling them that just like you were in pain and needed water, Hashem showed that he could change the bitter water to sweet in a way you can't understand, so, too, with the mitzvos. The few mitzvos that we’ve received already and the ones we will get, even though we don't understand how they can help us, Hashem is the Doctor  saying, “listen to me and you will be healthy, spiritually and physically.”

There was a story about a chosid who was very sick and went to all the doctors and tried every medicine but to no avail. He came to his Rebbi, רבי מרדכי מנישכיז to ask what to do. The Rebbi told him to go to the town of Anipoli, seek out the professor and he will help you. After searching high and wide, he can't find a professor in Anipoli, so he comes back to his Rebbi. He says that there is no professor, no doctor, nothing in Anipoli! The Rebbi asks him, “so what do the people in Anipoli do when they get sick?” The chosid answered, “what can they do? They have no choice but to daven to Hashem and hope in His infinite mercy that he cures them.” The Rebbi tells him, “that's the professor I wanted you to see; the same professor that helps them, will help you too!”

Bo

This week's parsha, which culminates in our Exodus from Egypt and becoming a nation, also contains the mitzvah of sanctifying the new moon, the first mitzvah that we were commanded. החדש הזה לכם ראש חדשים,this month shall be for you the beginning of the months. Rashi tells us that Moshe had a hard time understanding at what point to sanctify the moon, so Hashem had to point to it and say when it's like this, sanctify it.

I heard a question that Rabbi YY Jacobson posed on this Rashi. The Jewish people are about to be redeemed from Egypt where they have been enslaved for so many years and now Hashem decides that they needed a lesson in astronomy? Couldn't this wait until they were freed? Additionally, Moshe Rabbeinu, who learned the whole Torah from Hashem with all the most intricate laws on a multitude of subjects, was able to understand it and teach it to the Jewish people. How is it possible that he wasn't able to understand when Hashem told him what the moon should look like, that He had to show it to him?

The Mishnah tells us a story about two witnesses who came to sanctify the moon, that Rabban Gamliel accepted and whom Rebbi Yehoshua felt couldn't be trusted. Therefore, Rebbi Yehoshua held that Rosh Chodesh was really the next day and, accordingly, all the holidays would fall out a day later. Rabban Gamliel then told Rebbi Yehoshua to come to him with his stick and money belt on the day that he said was Yom Kippur. When Rebbi Akiva saw that Rebbi Yehoshua was upset, he said to him that he had to listen because Rosh Chodesh is when Beis Din declares it. Whether it's right or wrong, it's Beis Din's power to declare the month. The midrash relates that the malachim came to Hashem and asked, “when is Rosh Hashana?” Hashem answered, “you’re asking Me? Let's go see when Beis Din declares Rosh Chodesh.”
This demonstrates the great significance of when we sanctify the moon and that it could only be done by man; not even Hashem decides when Rosh Chodesh is.

What is the underlying message of the new moon that it had to be done before the Jews left Egypt and that even Moshe didn't understand that which can only be done by man?

The Lubavitcher Rebbi explains that the difference between the sun and the moon is that the sun is stable and unchanging while the moon is unpredictable, as every day it's different. Some days it’s bigger, some days smaller, until it disappears for a couple of days but then it returns.

The moon, though not as big or grand as the sun, has one thing that the sun doesn't have. The moon, no matter what happens, though it gets smaller and smaller and even disappears for a while, will always come back and regrow. This is the message that was so important. This is what Hashem had to make sure that they knew before they were liberated. They had to know that whatever happens in life, no matter how bad it gets, there is always rebirth. This is what Moshe couldn't understand: how could a people go through so much hardship, yet they wouldn't give up and even be able to come back better than before.

Sir Edmond Hillary, who had attempted to climb Mt Everest many times but failed, had a dinner given to honor him for all his valiant attempts. When he got up to speak, he turned to the picture of the mountain behind him and said, “mountain, you have defeated me. You made me a failure. However, I will beat you yet, for I have something that you don't.  You have stopped growing. You are where you are, but I, however, haven't stopped. I am still growing and I will beat you yet. The next year he made it to the top.

Perhaps the reason why Hashem gave over the power to make the new month to the people, the new month that signifies rebirth, is  to show that it's all in our hands, it's up to each person to disregard the past and start anew.
This is why the moon is so significant to the Jewish people, for it gives us hope. It shows us that no matter what our challenge is, no matter how bleak it seems, we can and will bounce back!

Va'aira

As we read in last week’s parsha, Moshe went to Pharaoh per Hashem's request to ask him to let the Jews leave Egypt. Then ,instead of letting them go, Pharaoh increased their workload, not what Moshe was hoping for. Moshe then turns to Hashem and says למה הרעותה לעם הזה, why did You do harm to this people? Our parsha continues with Hashem's answer, וידבר אלקים אל משה ויאמר אליו אני ה, G-d spoke to Moshe and said to him, I am Hashem. Rashi explains that the word אלקים connotes strict justice; the use of that word shows that Hashem was angry with Moshe. The midrash, which is also brought by Rash, tells us that Hashem said to Moshe, “Woe! For those that are lost and not found, I have good cause to bemoan the death of the forefathers who did not question My actions. You however said, ‘why did You harm this people?’”

The sefer דרכי מוסר ask what was Hashem's comparison? All the times that the Avos didn't question Hashem, regarded personal matters that affected only them. While it is commendable that they didn't question Hashem, how can that be compared to Moshe, who wasn't complaining about personal matters, rather he was complaining for the nation as a faithful shepherd who, because of his intervention, the subjugation got even worse?

He answers that the reason Hashem spoke to Moshe harshly wasn't because Moshe was upset at what happened to the nation. As we see later, after the עגל Moshe cried out to Hashem “why are You angry at Your nation” and Hashem didn't have any problem with that, for a leader must stand up for his people. Hashem was upset that Moshe was questioning the way Hashem governs the world; he was saying that Hashem was doing bad to the people when we know that there is no bad in what Hashem does, for כל מה דעביד רחמנא לטב עביד all that Hashem does He does for good. That is the aspect that was being compared to the Avos, that they understood that there was no bad in what Hashem does, whereas Moshe was questioning it.

 Rav Sholom Schwadron relates a story that happened at the outset of WW2 where many Jews managed to leave Germany and Austria to go to England. However, once the war started, England would only take English citizens back; if they thought they were Germans, they would drop them off in Australia. On one such boat going to Australia, the captain heard that the Germans were being very successful while the English that were fighting them were on the defensive. In his anger at all the Germans that were on his boat, he took all their luggage and dumped it in the sea. All the passengers, Jew and gentile alike, were very upset that all their possessions were gone.

Thirty years later, a professor in the university in England was telling the students that, when the Germans saw English ships, they would sink them in the middle of the sea. However, one time, they saw a captain throw all the luggage off the boat. When they fished some of it out of the water, they saw that there were German books inside. They figured that the boat was traveling with regular German citizens, so they didn't sink it right away but waited until it let off all the passengers in Australia. Then, when it was on the way back to England, they sank it.

It turns out that the anger all the people had for the captain when he threw their stuff away, was misguided for, in reality, that's what saved their lives. What they thought was a great injustice was what brought about their salvation. Here, too, even though Moshe saw the workload increase, that more oppressive work is what helped them get out one hundred and ninety years earlier than they were supposed to. What looks bad now, might actually be one’s salvation later. As the Steipler Gaon notes, both the name of Hashem that symbolizes justice and the name that symbolizes mercy are in this verse telling us that, what appears as strict justice is, in fact, divine mercy. Let's try to internalize this fact to make it part of us so that we will understand that, no matter what life throws at us and as hard as it is to understand, כל מה דעביד רחמנא לטב עביד all that Hashem does is good!