B'shalach

‎‎‎After Pharaoh sends the Jews out of Egypt, Hashem takes them on a roundabout way through the desert rather than taking them straight to the land of Israel. The posuk states the reason as: ולא נחם אלקים דרך ארץ פלשתים כי קרוב הוא, Hashem did not lead them by the way of the land of the Plishtim, because it was near, כי אמר אלקים פן ינחם העם בראתם מלחמה ושבו מצרימה , for Hashem said, "Perhaps the people will reconsider when they see a war, and they will return to Egypt.  ‎

Why, asks רב משה פינשטיין, did Hashem have to circumnavigate the Plishtim and change the route of the Jews? He could have just protected them like He did with the Egyptians using clouds to block any harm that might come to them? Rav Moshe answers that, of course Hashem could have made a miracle for them and protected them. Had they trusted Him totally, believed in Him without fearing the physical combat, and knowing that He didn't take them out of Egypt to die in the desert, they could have taken the straight route.  However, since He knew that upon seeing a war they would panic because they didn't have the proper trust, they weren't worthy of these miracles & therefore had to go roundabout through the desert. 

‎The Torah tells us that a short time later Pharaoh came back with his army to chase them & then Hashem did protect them from all harm. How was it that such a short time later they had become worthy & obviously had the proper trust in Hashem? 

The Chafetz Chaim explains that when Hashem took the Jews out of Egypt, He had two ways to lead them: either through the desert or through the land of the Pilishtim. On the one hand, the land of the Plishtim was inhabited so there would be food & provisions for all the people. On the other hand, though, they were an idolatrous nation who could have influenced the Jews who were just coming up out of their impure state. The other choice was the way of the desert where there were no provisions, no food and no water for millions of people. On the positive side, though, there were no impure people either that could negatively influence the Jews. 

Hashem chose the route He felt would be more beneficial for the Jews spiritually & therefore took them the route of the desert even though there would be no food.    

The Chafetz Chaim says that this demonstrates that one who is thinking about starting a career which is contrary to halacha should not say, “What could I do; I have to make a living. ‎Rather he should realize that Hashem took millions of people through the desert with no provisions & was able to provide for them; so, too, He could provide whatever is necessary without without you putting yourself in a situation that would negatively influence you.  
‎
We could add to the Chafetz Chaim’s interpretation & recognize that Hashem took the Jews via the indirect way through the desert, deliberately bringing them to a place with no provisions when He could have brought them through civilized land.  This showed them that He would take care of them no matter what, which in itself instilled in them the absolute trust in Hashem that they displayed by the Egyptians. This trust warranted Hashem’s performing all the miracles to  save them from the hands of the Egyptians, first by blocking the Egyptians’ arrows with the clouds & later drowning them at sea. This shows us that all we have to do is have absolute trust in Hashem & then He will do the rest! 

‎

Bo

‎

‎Our parsha begins with a quite ambiguous statement from Hashem to Moshe.  Hashem tells Moshe בא אל פרעה כי אני הכבדתי את לבו ואת לב עבדיו, come to Pharaoh for I have hardened his heart & the hearts of his servants. ולמען תספר באזני בנך ובן בנך את אשר התעללתי במצרים, and so that you may relate in the ears of your son & your son's son that I have amused myself with Egypt. 

The כלי יקר immediately presents several questions. First, why doesn't the posuk state what Moshe and Aharon were supposed to say to Pharaoh?  The command doesn't even mention anything about the makka, just that Moshe should go.

Additionally, why does it say by this makka in particular that you will tell about it to your children & grandchildren; why is this makka ‎singled out to be remembered more than any other makka?

‎He asks further why is it that this makka & the makka of hail are the only ones which include the words that Hashem will harden the hearts of Pharaoh’s servants too? 

He answers that by the other makkos there was really no difference between Pharaoh and the rest of the people, for those makkos didn't distinguish between Pharaoh or anyone else. However, the makkos that caused the food to be destroyed, like the hail & the locust were quite different for Pharaoh and his people. Pharaoh himself had storehouses of grain so he wasn't as affected by these makkos. That's why the makka of hail caused Hashem to harden the hearts of Pharaoh’s slaves, too, for they would be most affected. Despite this, the hail didn’t cause them to relent; perhaps because the hail didn't destroy everything. However, when the locust were consuming everything that the hail left over, we see that the servants implored Pharaoh to let the Jews go. 

Yet, Pharaoh still refused. At what point does he call Moshe & Aaron back to stop the locust? The Posuk says ותחשך הארץ ויאכל את כל עשב הארץ, the land became dark & they ate all the grass of the land.  The כלי יקר notes that the posuk puts the darkening of the land before the destruction of the produce, inferring that the darkening of the land was more than just a by-product of the swarming locust, but rather part of the plague itself. Why was it so important to tell us that they couldn't see the ground?‎
‎
He answers that we know a blind person eats but doesn't get satisfied because he doesn't see the food. The situation here was similar. There were so many locust that they darkened the whole land.  The locust themselves couldn't see what they were eating; they were eating blindly without getting satisfied. Therefore, what was in the field still wouldn't satisfy them.  They would then head to the houses, Pharaoh’s house included. That's when he called to Moshe & Aaron because he was about to be affected too.  That's why this is the only makka where the posuk says וימהר פרעה לקרא למשה ולאהרן that Pharaoh rushed to call Moshe & Aaron. When he feared that his food would be devoured, he made sure to try & stop it. 

Pharaoh was showing his true colors & how selfish he really was.  Until it affected him personally, he didn't care that his subjects would have no food because he still had storehouses of food.  However, once he determined that they were coming for him too, then he took action. 

This might explain why this is the Makka that was singled out for us to tell our children & grandchildren. This is the one that shows us how not to act; that if things are going on around us whether or not directly affecting us, we have to do something to try to help. We must do whatever we can to help those around us. We can’t wait until it affects us too, but rather, even when it's only affecting the other person.  We must go out & see how we could be of help to try to alleviate our friends’ suffering & not to be like Pharaoh who only acted when it would directly affect him!  


Parshathought.blogspot.com‎
Thanks! Yitzy

Va'era

‎‎Hashem sends Moshe to Pharaoh to begin the redemption of the Jewish people. ומשה בן שמנים שנה ואהרן בן שלש ושמנים שנה בדברם אל פרעה , and Moshe was eighty years old & Aaron was eighty three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Why did the Torah specify the ages of Moshe & Aaron? The משך חכמה explains, the Torah wanted to stress to us that they were older men who were established, upstanding & honored. Hashem wasn't sending the Jews out into the desert like sheep without a shepherd, but rather with strong, experienced leaders so there would be no wavering in their commitment.

Even so, the people still checked everything that Moshe did. For forty years, the people that Moshe led & taught were free of all worldly concerns. This presented them with the time to evaluate & examine every action that Moshe did; they would talk about him, and scrutinize every move and decision he made. However, no matter how much they tried, they could never find anything that he did wrong. Since he was so carefully observed and came up one hundred percent clean, his teachings were etched in the hearts of the Jews forever.

The Chasam Sofer had to travel for medical reasons to far-away places during which he usually stayed in the home of a non-Jew. One time, when he had to stay for an extended time, a respected Jew invited him to stay at his home. The Chasam Sofer accepted & was given a nice apartment to stay in. After a week went by, the Chasam Sofer heard that his host was talking bad about him around town.

The Chasam Sofer asked his Shamash if this was true. Tthe Shamash didn't want to say anything but finally admitted that it was true that their host was talking bad about him. The Chasam Sofer called the town rabbi & the host together & asked the host in front of the rabbi to tell him if it was true that he was spreading rumors about him? The host unabashedly said, “yes it's true”. The Chasam Sofer asked the man to detail what he had seen that would cause him to spread these rumors. The man told him that on Shabbos day he had seen the Chasam Sofer eat the seudah without making kiddush! What kind of Jew doesn't make kiddush before he eats on Shabbos?! (the custom of the Chasam Sofer was to make kiddush on challah on Shabbos morning).

After hearing this, the Chasam Sofer ‎was quite troubled, wondering what he had done wrong that in his old age, he had people spreading rumors about him?
‎Nothing could consoled him until he finally realized why this happened to him & he was elated.

A source of constant concern to him was what if the leaders of klal yisroel would become corrupt, untrustworthy people who tried to entice the people to sin? What would become of the people? Would the nation be lost?

Now, however, the Chasam Sofer realized he was worried for nothing. Hashem had given the Torah to the toughest of the nations. As a respected Rav and leader of the community for many, many years, one would think he was above speculation. Yet, he was still badmouthed. Why was this so? This man had seen in his parents’ house that one makes kiddush Shabbos morning. Since the Chasam Sofer didn't, he was vulnerable to criticism and rumors. Therefore, if there were to be truly bad leaders, the people wouldn’t listen for the main thing that they know & trust is what they saw growing up in their parents’ house. With this realization, the Chasam Sofer was relieved.

We must be so careful in what we do & how we act, for that's where the next generation will draw their strength from. That's where they will learn from, from us. We have to make sure that what we’re doing is what we want future generations to look to as the truth!

Shemos

Sefer Shemos transitions us to a new era for the Jewish nation. Having lost the power and prestige of Yosef as minister to the Pharaoh and their status as first class citizens, the Jewish people are now enslaved and forced to do hard labor. Hashem hears the cry of the people and sets the wheel of salvation in motion by appearing to Moshe from a burning bush that is not consumed by the flames. Upon seeing this phenomenon, Moshe moves closer to the bush to investigate why the bush doesn't burn. Hashem then warns him, אל תקרב הלם של נעליך מעל
רגליך כי המקום אשר אתה עומד עליו אדמת קדש הוא . Do not come close to here; remove your shoes from your feet, for the place upon which you stand is holy ground.

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik asks why Hashem tells Moshe not to come closer? The whole purpose of the phenomenon was to stimulate Moshe’s curiosity to see what's going on. Although Moshe wants to get closer to the bush, Hashem says don't come close; why shouldn't Moshe come too close? He answers that there are two reasons for Moshe’s interest in the bush up close; the first is to gain inspiration from the awesome sight, to admire the beauty and feel a sense of commitment to the people and their destiny. The second reason involves understanding the rationale; why did the Jews have to come down to Mitzraim to be so oppressed and suffer so much?

Hashem therefore instructs Moshe that if you want to see the beauty and grandeur, then come as close as you want for the closer you get the more inspired you will be. However, if you’re trying to understand the rationale of Jewish history, then אל תקרב הלם , don't come too close, for that will always remain a mystery which no human will ever understand. So של נעליך take off your shoes, your normal everyday stance, your routine process of understanding and analyzing. For המקום אשר אתה עומד עליו אדמת קדש הוא
the ground is holy, the destiny of the Jewish people is a mystery. Even though life may seem like a paradox, put your trust in me and don't try to understand that which you can't.

How do we gain the inspiration to become more dedicated even though we don't fully understand? The Chafetz Chaim says that a person needs to continuously raise his level of ruchnius. One can't stay the same, for if one is not going up, he is going down. Conversely, one can't jump ahead of oneself either. He should go up one rung at a time like going up a ladder. One has to be prepared to start at the lowest rung and work one’s self up one rung at a time. This is something that every person can do. One shouldn’t say, “I would have been able to do much more if only I was in that other person’s shoes or if I were in a different place.”

The Torah is saying here של נעליו , take off your shoes! Even if you go barefoot, if you’re on your own, you can start from where you are and move one small step at a time. כי המקום אשר אתה עומד עליו , for the place where you are standing, the level that you are on right now, אדמת קדש הוא , you have the power to make that ground holy. Don't wait for another time. You don't need to be in anyone else's shoes. However you are right now, you have the power to make the ground you’re standing on holy! By realizing and understanding that no matter where we stand, we can take this opportunity to make the very ground we stand on holy just by resolving to start were we are and go up slowly one step at a time. By doing so, we will be strengthening our dedication and complete trust in Hashem!

Vayechi

When Yaakov falls ill, Yosef takes his two sons to his father for him to bless. After Yaakov gives them a beracha, he turns to Yosef and tells him that even though he, Yaakov, is about to die, Hashem will still be with Yosef and will eventually bring him back home to Eretz Yisroel . When that happens, Yaakov continues ואני נתתי לך שכם אחד על אחיך and I have given you Shechem - one portion more than your brothers אשר לקחתי מיד האמרי ברחבי ובקשתי which I took from the hand of the Emori with my sword and my bow.

‎The Targum Onkelos does not translate ברחבי ובקשתי literally, but rather בצלותי ובבעותי, with my ‎prayer and with my ‏petition.
R' Avraham Aharon of Constantin asks why did the Targum feel the need to deviate from the literal translation? Why wouldn't it mean the weapons that ‎the Jews used to destroy Shechem? He explains that had Yaakov meant it literally then he would have mentioned bow before sword. In battle, first you battle from afar with the archers or in modern day with fighter jets and then only afterwards you put in the ground troops with hand to hand combat using the sword. Since the order was switched, it meant the reference to weaponry was symbolic alluding to the weapon of prayer.

‎Rav Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik explains our two words of weapons as referring to two different types of prayer. The sword symbolizes the standard prayers that were established by the אנשי כנסת הגדולה, like the Shmona Esray ‎.The personal petitions that each person makes individually are symbolized by the bow.

The difference between the two weapons can be explained as follows: a sword itself is sharp which could harm with very minimal effort; whereas the arrow depends upon the power of the archer.
Since the tefila of Shemona Esray has inherent holiness in it, it doesn't matter who says it. Everyone's tefilos are heard, like the sharp sword. However, personal petitions are like the arrow which depends on who shoots it. The prayer is only as powerful as the one behind it, for one’s concentration and intent drives the prayer.

Rav Zilberstein tells a story of a rabbi in B’nei B’rak whose daughter didn't have children for many years. One Lag Baomer, this man's wife decided to go to the kever of רשב"י to pray for her daughter to have a child.
‎She went with her daughter to the bus station to go to Meron. After a long wait, they got on a bus which was very crowded. As the doors were closing, a man squeezed on to the bus. This man stood next to a woman who was already seated. For no apparent reason, he started harassing her, saying she took his seat. He wouldn't let up, but the woman just sat there, not saying anything. The people around her tried to rationalize with the man but to no avail. He continued to shout at the woman but she just sat there silently while he berated her. He yelled at her and embarrassed her, but she didn't say a word. When she had to get off the bus, she just stood up, left and the man took her seat.

When the bus stopped at the station, they all got off and the rabbi’s wife saw this woman who had been humiliated on the bus. She told her what הגר "ח קניבסקי said, that someone who, when they get humiliated, remain silent without retaliating have the power to pray for someone and bless them. This woman responded that she forgave the man who humiliated her. At the request of the rabbi’s wife, she blessed the daughter that she should have a child. She prayed for her and nine months later to the day, the daughter had a child.

We should realize that when it comes to personal prayers petitioning Hashem for our needs, we must have the power behind us, the right concentration and intent. Just like the woman in the story who had the power of her silence behind her, we, too, with the right force behind us, can have our prayers answered as well!