Smart

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

This week’s parsha begin with the words, “Ve’eileh hamishpotim asher tosim lifneihem - These are the rules and laws to place before the Jewish people.”

Rabi Akiva (Mechilta, Mesechta D’Nezikin, 1) sees hints from the way the Torah expresses the words of Hashem to Moshe as a lesson for the proper methodology of teaching. He explains that the term “tosim lifneihem” is used to instruct those who transmit our heritage and mishpotim to place timeless ideals, values and lessons before their students as a shulchan aruch, a prepared table.

Great teachers expend much energy to be able to fulfill that dictum and present the Torah before their students as a shulchan aruch, filled with a variety of delectable mouthwatering foods laid out in a way that everyone can take part in the feast.

One such rebbi was Rav Mendel Kaplan, who made each day such an experience. As was the habit of his great rabbeim, Rav Mendel created an atmosphere in the shiur room in which we, talmidim, fed off a variety of Torah “foods” set before us, growing in Torah as we also felt ourselves being handed tools to face the future.

Among other things, he would analyze the headlines and lead stories of the newspaper through the prism of the Torah, revealing the significance and relevance of each story to us.

A tale is told that one Shabbos day, a villager in the mythical village of Chelm returned home and repeated the rabbi’s sermon to his wife.

“You know?” he told his wife. “The rov said that Moshiach might come very soon and take us all to Eretz Yisroel.”

The wife wrung her hands. “But if that happens, what will be with our chickens? Who will feed them? And how will we live?”

The husband stroked his beard and pondered her question. “Good point,” he said. “But you know, life here is rough. The goyim have all the money and are always after us. We are poor, our home leaks, and our feet are cold the whole winter. We might indeed be better off in the Holy Land.”

The wife contemplated his wise response and then her face lit up. “I know what to do!” she exclaimed. “We will ask Hashem to send the goyim to Eretz Yisroel and we can stay here, with our chickens!”

Too often, we are like that silly couple, totally missing the point of what is going on around us, failing to get the messages and misinterpreting blessings for the opposite.

We think that we have a keen understanding of life in general and particularly that which happens in our little corner, but, in fact, we need people like Rav Mendel to explain to us what is going on and the wisdom that lies between the lines of newspaper print.

Chazal teach, “Lomoh nikra shmoh Sinai? Why was the mountain upon which the Torah was given called Sinai? Because of the sinah, the hatred, that emanated from there.”

When the Jews received the Torah and became the Chosen People, a virulent, relentless hatred for the Jewish people was born. That hatred will persist until the arrival of Moshiach. It is not only ever-present in our history. It is as real today as it ever was.

Sunday was the anniversary of the day Auschwitz was liberated in 1945. We have come a long way since the awful days of the Holocaust, when anti-Semitism led to the murder of at least 6,000,000 of our brothers and sisters. The Holocaust has been commemorated ever since, and schools, museums and cultural centers have been engaging in various educational activities in a bid to ensure that such a dastardly act never takes place again.

But old habits die hard and the world’s irrational hatred of Jews has continued unabated, though at times it is hidden better and at others it has become more sophisticated, with an intellectual bent. The result remains the same: Jews are despised, mocked and vilified. Jews are judged by a double standard, and the state founded to eradicate anti-Semitism has instead become a focus and magnet for that very hatred we are all familiar with.

Meanwhile, anti-Semitic incidents rise, not only in Europe, but also here in the United States, where swastikas regularly appear, and Facebook posts call for Jews to be gassed and Hitler to finish the job.

The Democrat Party promotes Jew-haters, especially those who couch their hatred in words that have gained currency of late, such as concern for the poor Palestinians and abhorrence of the rich. Jews who don’t hue to the progressive orthodoxy are chased from campuses and publicly censured. Liberal Jewish groups join the anti-Israel movement in a bid to be accepted and get ahead in today’s leftist-socialist reality.

Holocaust education has become passé and is viewed as trite, or worse. Museums, lectures, trips and the rest are useful for organizational fundraising and feel-good publicity. They no doubt have some influence in addressing institutional biases and reinforcing the moral grounding of the more intelligent and decent people out there, but the scourge of anti-Semitism is felt on Main Street and Jewish communities all across this country.

When intolerance rears its ugly head, we must take on the haters and expose them for what they are. When bigots say that we smell up airplanes, poison the atmosphere, ruin neighborhoods and bring down home values, we must fight them with the truth.

When a minority of our people behaves in a way unbecoming the Am Hanivchar, we need to call them out as well, lest others point to those individuals as an excuse to harm our entire community.

Rashi, in last week’s parsha, tells us that Yisro went to Klal Yisroel after hearing about Krias Yam Suf and Milchemes Amaleik. Meforshim teach that these two occurrences spoke to him because they told a story. They demonstrated not just how much Hakadosh Boruch Hu loves the Jewish people, but how much the nations of the world hate us.

Yisro contemplated the duality of our role, to be loved by Hashem and hated by everyone else and knew that this belief was truth. Truth is always resisted.

When Albert Einstein came up with his theory of relativity, it was initially mocked by the wider scientific community. Apparently, they feared that the Jew and his earth-shattering brilliance would render them irrelevant and outdated.

Someone showed Einstein a book that was written against him titled “One Hundred Scientists Against Einstein.” The professor shrugged and said, “If I was really wrong, why wouldn’t one be enough? Why do they need one hundred?”

He knew what we know - that the truth is resisted with disproportionate passion and energy. Ma’amad Har Sinai and its result, the formation of our nation, engendered unprecedented hatred, and we are still feeling its effects in 2019.

Following the First World War, the nations of the world, led by United States President Woodrow Wilson, formed the League of Nations with the stated guarantee that a world war would never again take place. From the ashes of the Second World War, the United Nations was formed so that a monstrous demagogue like Hitler would never again rise to power.

Unity, it was thought, would be a barrier no dictator could overcome. The organizers didn’t factor in apathy and indifference. They didn’t factor in corruption and bigotry. Though it was founded in the shadow of the Holocaust, anti-Semitism was the least of their concerns.

More recently, the post-9/11 surge of responsibility saw world leaders announcing that it was a new world and new age, and that they would never allow terror to wreak mayhem of such magnitude again. President George W. Bush declared his doctrine for fighting the Axis of Evil, and Americans and every democratic nation supported him. He declared war on al-Qaeda, Iraq and the Taliban.

Everything takes place these days at such a fast pace that you can barely keep up with what is going on. Before you know what happened, it’s old news. America is the land of fast-food and high-speed everything, a country of instant results and instant gratification. Wars are messy and protracted, and Americans have no patience for battles that aren’t won overnight, no matter the consequences. President Bush’s successor ended the war in Iraq, allowing Iran to establish a foothold in the country so many Americans died for. The Taliban in Afghanistan are biding their time and are poised to fill the vacuum created by the eventual American departure.

Syria bombed its own citizens and a lengthy civil war was fought for years. President Barack Obama drew a red line in the sand, and when the Syrian Butcher-in-Chief marched right over the line, nothing happened to him. President Donald Trump has announced his intention to get out of that mess and leave the Jew-hating leaders of Turkey and Iran in charge together with Assad. Nobody cares. The UN certainly doesn’t.

We live in frightening times. Yet, we go about our daily lives as if there is no sword hanging over us. We don’t think about Iran closing in on Eretz Yisroel, we don’t think about the prospect of Binyomin Netanyahu losing power, and we don’t think about the growing push for socialism in the United States. We miss the signals of a world headed in dangerous directions as we fret over the silly matters of life.

As Jews are beat up, hate screeds propagate and reminders of the age-old sinah become more prevalent, we bicker over nonsense, pursue trivialities, and worry about matters of little consequence.

We need to educate ourselves to concentrate on what is important, ensuring that our lives have value and meaning.

A good place to start would be to better monitor the reading material we bring into our homes and digest. We are influenced by the written word, and ever since the invention of the printed medium, people have used newspapers and magazines to smuggle corrupt ideas and thoughts into homes considered protected.

This science was perfected by the Maskilim, who, writing in poetic Hebrew, quoting pesukim and teachings of Chazal, poisoned generations of ehrliche Yidden.

Insidious subliminal messages penetrate slowly, causing superficiality and warped thinking as well as changing views and beliefs. We become dumbed down and lose our focus from where it should be.

People who write for - address and influence - our world are also obligated by the command of “Eileh hamishpotim asher tosim lifneihem,” to put in front of the public material that is just, truthful and ehrlich.

The Alter of Kelm explained “asher tosim lifneihem k’shulchan aruch” to mean that the expansion of knowledge and intelligence emanates from having a good taste and experiencing the pleasant flavor inherent in what you are studying. A melamed who can teach his charges with intelligence and a flavor to savor will plant in them a craving to study more and grow in the subject matter.

The difference between a superficial understanding and one of depth and intelligence is vast. The person with a simple understanding has virtually nothing, but when he adds flavor and spice, a new world opens up before him.

The Alter concludes that the task of man is to be intelligent and smart.

We can all realize that goal if we study with depth and aren’t satisfied with a simple, flavorless, superficial understanding.

We need to study the laws laid forth in this week’s parsha, teaching us how to conduct ourselves, properly understanding and observing them.

We need to understand what is going on around us and properly interpret what it means for us.

We need to be more honest and forthright, treating people better and with respect. We need to follow the words of the Torah, so that our lives are ones of kiddush Hashem and not the opposite.

In Parshas Mishpotim, the Bnei Yisroel reached the apex of mankind when they proclaimed, “Na’aseh venishma,” encompassing the unity and commitment we are placed in this world to accomplish.

Let us only bring in to our homes material which enhances us as people and as Torah Jews. Let us read that which broadens our horizons and makes us smart. Let us merit to toil in understanding and appreciating Torah, following its every word, allowing us to once again climb the summit and reach the peak.

Moved

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

In Parshas Yisro, we learn of Kabbolas HaTorah. Following the makkos in Mitzrayim, the splitting of the sea at the Yam Suf, and the many miracles the Jewish people experienced there, Klal Yisroel appears ready to complete the transformation from a group of slaves to becoming the chosen Am Hashem.

It is most interesting that the parsha that deals with Matan Torah is titled with the name of Yisro and not something more descriptive of the world-changing event that takes place in the parsha. It is also intriguing that the Torah interrupts its account of the Jews’ journey in the desert and their reaching the apex of their journey at Midbar Sinai to tell the seemingly tangential story of Yisro’s arrival.

In Parshas Beshalach, we learned how the people miraculously crossed the Yam Suf and were sustained by monn. After defeating Amaleik, they continued on their journey, which led them to Midbar Sinai to receive the Torah. Instead of directly portraying their arrival at Har Sinai and Kabbolas HaTorah, the narrative is interrupted by the story of Yisro’s arrival.

What lessons are implicit in the narrative of Yisro that justifies its insertion here in middle of the most significant journey our people ever undertook?

The parsha this week begins with the words “Vayishma Yisro - And Yisro Heard.” Rashi quotes the Gemara (Zevochim 115a), which asks what it was that Yisro heard that prompted him to come. The Gemara answers that he heard about Krias Yam Suf and milchemes Amaleik. Upon hearing of those events, he left his home in Midyan to join Moshe Rabbeinu and the Jewish people in the desert.

Obviously, Yisro was not the only one who heard about Krias Yam Suf and milchemes Amaleik. The posuk (Shemos 15:14) states “Shomu amim yirguzun,” so we would imagine that there were very few people who did not hear about these earth-shattering events.

Additionally, at the time of Krias Yam Suf, all the water in the world split. This miraculous suspension of nature was surely witnessed by millions of stunned people. Surely it did not take long for word to get around that Hashem had split the Yam Suf to enable the Jews to escape from the Egyptians.

Yet, there was only one person who was prompted to go and see what was going on. The Torah does not tell us that anyone other than Yisro went to join the Jewish people.

Everyone knew about it. Everyone must have been impressed. Some people might have even been inspired. Everyone had to have been talking about it. It was the hock of the century.

But it was like most other hock. People hear about it, are impressed by it, discuss it, and then move on. For too many people, life is superficial. They don’t view much of anything with depth or seriousness. Apparently, it has always been this way, even before digital devices and social media burst on the scene.

The world might have been nispo’el, but their inspiration did not last long enough for the miracle to have any lasting impact. The world’s population quickly reverted back to being the way they were before they were awed by Hashem’s power. They once again became apathetic, callous, indifferent and unmoved.

Only one person heard about Krias Yam Suf and milchemes Amaleik and was affected by the events enough to do something about it. That was Yisro. He was the only person who was so overcome that he was going to transform his life.

The pesukim recount: “Vayichad Yisro… And Yisro rejoiced over all the goodness that Hakadosh Boruch Hu did for the Jews and rescued them from Mitzrayim… And he said, ‘Now I know that Hashem is greater than all the gods… And he brought korbanos to Hashem…”

No one else went to the Bnei Yisroel in the midbar saying, “Atah yodati ki gadol Hashem.” Everyone else remained tied to their pagan beliefs.

This is why the Torah interrupts the chapter of the Bnei Yisroel’s trip to Sinai to tell the tale of Yisro’s arrival. A prerequisite for Kabbolas HaTorah is to let the experience of Hashem’s majesty so envelop the mind and the senses that it forces a person to draw closer to Torah and G-dliness.

Torah demands that hisorerus have a lasting impact. Torah demands that we always seek to learn and grow. Torah demands that when we see unnatural occurrences, we become spiritually aroused in a lasting way. Divine acts are intended to teach us the power of Hashem.

That was the lesson of Yisro, and that is why his parsha was placed before Kabbolas HaTorah. It is not enough to stand up and take notice. We have to care enough to become involved in doing things to improve our world.

The Torah relates that Yisro noticed that Moshe Rabbeinu was teaching halachos and judging the Jewish people from morning until night. Yisro told Moshe that he thought that the system in which he was the only judge was improper, and he advised Moshe to set up an arrangement where other people would adjudicate simpler cases. Only the difficult questions would be posed to Moshe.

Yisro told Moshe that paskening all the shailos all day was too difficult for one person and would end up destroying him. He advised him to choose competent judges to whom he would teach the halachos so that they would be knowledgeable enough to teach them to others. Yisro told Moshe that it would also be helpful for the people if they wouldn’t have to wait all day on line for a chance to speak to him.

Yisro taught Moshe and Klal Yisroel the concept of sarei mei’os and sarei asaros. Yisro taught that everyone can learn from the local posek. He taught that it is not necessary to run to the gadol hador and overwhelm him with small questions. He taught to respect the authority of local rabbonim and poskim and not always bringing every small issue to the supreme authorities.

Klal Yisroel is a nation of servitude. The leaders serve the people and the people serve their leaders. The people respect the leaders and the leaders respect the people. The mutual recognition of each other’s greatness coupled with an appreciation that the glory and greatness of Klal Yisroel lies in their acceptance of legitimate, qualified authority is what makes us great.

The Torah commands, “Som tosim alecha melech - You shall appoint for yourselves a king.” Concurrent with that is the admonition directed at the king: “Levilti rum levavo.” The king is warned that he must not become imperious and conceited. He must remain a man of his people.

It was obvious that Moshe could not physically keep up with the demands of the people, but he respected them too much to turn them away. Yisro’s advice was more for Klal Yisroel than for Moshe. His advice was directed at them. Their all-encompassing subservience to Moshe prevented them from contemplating turning elsewhere for guidance and direction. Yisro taught that asking smaller questions of people not as great as Moshe was not an affront to Moshe, but a credit to him.

Mesorah is the root of Yiddishkeit. As the Mishnah states, “Moshe kibeil Torah miSinai umesarah…” The equal degree of respect for Moshe and for those who transmitted his teachings was at the root of what Yisro taught.

In order for the Torah to be given at Sinai, the authority of talmidei chachomim had to be established. The Jews had to be admonished to revere every link in the chain transmitting the Torah from Moshe and Har Sinai.

There is another lesson to be learned here as well. Yisro was a newcomer to the Bnei Yisroel’s camp. He wasn’t the first person to see what was happening to Moshe Rabbeinu. Everyone saw that Moshe was consumed with dinei Torah. Anyone could have figured out that it wasn’t a normal situation. Anyone could have figured out a more affective system that would allow Moshe Rabbeinu to spend his time more productively. Anyone could have realized, as Yisro did, that Moshe would become exhausted from the grueling regimen and unceasing pressure, and that eventually the people would become fed up waiting for him.

And that is our point. Everyone saw it. Anyone could have realized where it would lead, but no one did. It took Yisro to internalize what he saw and to do something constructive about it.

Yisro was charged by the gadlus haBorei to become a better person. His keen senses were raised when he realized that Hashem cared enough about His people to change the laws of nature for them. He reasoned that he could become a better person and also merit a connection with Hashem. The inspiration that motivated him to change his life also affected the way that he viewed things going on around him. He didn’t just view them as hock material, but as an opportunity to help people.

Too often, the urge is not to get involved. Too often, the yeitzer hora switches our focus and challenges us with superficiality. Yisro showed that the Torah demands depth and seriousness. It is for that reason that the parsha of Kabbolas HaTorah is named for him and that he achieved immortality.

Yisro saw, Yisro cared, and Yisro spoke up. Hakadosh Boruch Hu and Moshe Rabbeinu accepted his proposal.

That is another reason that the parsha of Yisro’s arrival and advice was introduced to us before the parsha of Kabbolas HaTorah. It is because the Torah demands that when we see something wrong, we shouldn’t turn away as if we didn’t see it. We shouldn’t only be consumed with ourselves and minding our own business. The Torah demands that when we see something that has the potential to embarrass, impose hardship or weaken our rabbeim, we speak up. When we see a Jew in trouble, we need to rise to his defense. We can’t let people be destroyed and stand by and say that what happens is not our business.

It is not enough to learn Torah and to be proficient in it. We have to care for others and look out for their benefit.

Yisro came, noticed and spoke up, thus saving Moshe from becoming physically exhausted. Yisro was honored by having a parsha named for him. Yisro taught that everyone has the potential for greatness to the point of being worthy of having a parsha in the Torah named for him. One must care enough to notice what is going on around him, draw the right conclusions, and attempt to remedy the situation.

There is another lesson gleaned from Yisro. Most people are unimpressed by facts, because they rationalize and don’t let anything get in the way of their preconceived notions. When something contradicts their opinions, rather than being convinced by the truth, they use their reasoning ability to twist their understanding of the facts to conform with their previous notions about the world.

Instead of analyzing what happened and risking the chance of being forced to conclude that they erred, people, subconsciously or not, gloss over the contradiction, lest they become forced to transform their lifestyle or admit to an error.

Others simply can’t be bothered. They make up their mind that something is that way and refuse to let anything change their thinking.

In modern day politics, for example, Democrats and liberals bought into the notion that President Donald Trump worked with the Russians to get elected, and no matter what happens, they remain unshaken in that belief.

People are brought up on charges and accused of terrible crimes. Upon further examination, the allegations are unable to be proven, and are exposed as results of prosecutorial misconduct, fictitious testimony or a host of other errors. Yet, the public sticks with the original story and refuses to allow themselves to be educated by the facts. They refuse to allow reality and reason to form their beliefs.

It is very much in vogue in current Democrat circles to bash Israel and support the “poor” Palestinians, whom they claim are crushed by Israel’s “practices reminiscent of apartheid in South Africa and Jim Crow segregation in the United States.” I quote from an article by Michelle Alexander titled “Time to Break the Silence on Palestine,” prominently displayed on page one of this week’s New York Times’ Sunday Review.

The author writes that “until very recently, the entire Congress has remained mostly silent on the human rights nightmare that has unfolded in the occupied territories.” This is blamed on “Israel’s political lobby [which] holds well-documented power.”

Of course, everything is always the fault of the powerful Jews.

But “change is on the horizon.” The Democrat House leadership has seen fit to place outspoken freshmen supporters of the Israel boycott on influential committees and provide them with bullhorns for hate towards the Jewish state.

The article, like all others from the similar spreading genre, bemoans Israeli searches of Palestinians and the other terrible restrictions of occupation. Clouding the truth and obfuscating the facts, nowhere and at no time do the propagandists admit the reason for the “repression,” namely, the need to protect innocent citizens of a sovereign nation from a terror war.

The propagandists are gaining adherents to the Palestinian side, because they shamelessly prattle lies and half-truths, and their audience is too interested in following the tempting lines of attack against a poor subjugated people that they fail to give the matter much thought or independent research.

Yisro taught not to be lazy and gullible, and not to close yourself off to understanding the truth and acting upon facts, but to analyze what is happening with intelligence, honesty and forthrightness.

We must learn from Yisro to recognize that we each can improve the world around us. We are all capable of helping others and providing assistance in times of need. We can all help others get through the day. We can all bring meaning to the lives of the needy. If only we cared, if only we tried. If only we took Yisro’s example to heart.

So this Shabbos, when we hear the kriah of Parshas Yisro, when we read the story of Yisro’s arrival, when we read how the Bnei Yisroel stood at Har Sinai “k’ish echod b’lev echod” and said, “Na’aseh venishma,” let us resolve to do what we can in the spirit of the Torah to spread goodness and kindness in the world, and to battle evil and the apathy that permits evil to fester and grow.

Yisro taught that we can all make a difference. Let’s show that we can.

Let Us Sing

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Yetzias Mitzrayim and Krias Yam Suf are bedrocks of our faith. Locked in with no way out, the Jews were miraculously freed from slavery. Subsequently, as they stood at the Yam Suf, they were once again locked in with no way to proceed. Their tormentors were behind them and a large impassable body of water lay in front of them. In each situation, they required deep levels of faith in order to be redeemed.

Hashem sent Moshe to speak to Paroh on behalf of the Jewish people, seeking their freedom. However, instead of the meeting leading to anything fruitful, Jewish suffering worsened. There was reason to believe that by following the word of Hashem, Moshe had made things worse. It required a great degree of faith for the Jewish people to continue to believe that Hashem would free them. They maintained their faith and therefore were freed.

However, once again, it seemed that by following Hashem, they faced ruin. Hashem told Moshe to lead the people to Pi Hachiros, between Migdol and the Red Sea. Paroh chased after them and found them encamped at the sea. The people feared and cried out to Moshe and Hashem. Moshe responded that they should remain silent and Hashem would fight for them.

The water was not yet split and Hashem told Moshe to tell the people to travel on. Even though the command made no sense, with the sea in front of them they placed their faith in Hashem and proceeded to march into the water. Due to their emunah and zechus avos, the water split for them and they walked on dry land (Rashi 14:15).

Because they acted solely based on emunah and bitachon, without thinking about whether it made sense or not, they were freed. In fact, Hashem told them to act in such a manner to teach the Jewish people that, as Rav Chaim Soloveitchik taught, emunah and bitachon begin where intelligence ends. Many times, things don’t necessarily make sense, but that should not cause us to lose faith and lose hope. We believe that if we follow the word of Hashem, we will not fail.

Chazal teach that at the splitting of the sea, simple maids merited perceiving Divine splendor and glory in a way that surpassed the visions of even the greatest prophets. We wonder what it was that they saw. Were the Jews at Krias Yam Suf the only people to appreciate the magnitude of miracles? Surely not. Was the sight of a mighty sea splitting the greatest supernatural experience?

The Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 23:3) sheds light on the vision apparent at the splitting of the sea. The Medrash concentrates on the word “oz,” which opens the eternal song of the shirah. Chazal say that Moshe Rabbeinu had previously sinned by uttering the word “oz” in a complaint against Hashem. “Be’oz chotoh,” with “oz” he sinned, “ube’oz tikkein,” and with “oz” it was rectified.

Moshe Rabbeinu erred by asking Hashem why it was necessary to increase the suffering of the Bnei Yisroel. Hashem appeared to Moshe and told him that He heard the cries of the enslaved Jewish people. He would free them from oppression and take them to the Promised Land. Hashem instructed the reluctant Moshe to appear before Paroh and ask him to permit the Jews a brief respite to worship Hashem in the desert. Unreceptive to the request, Paroh tightened the pressure on the poor slaves. Moshe registered his complaint to Hashem, saying, “Umei’oz bosi el Paroh ledaber biShmecha heira la’am hazeh vehatzeil lo hitzalta es amecha - Since I spoke in Your Name to Paroh, he has worsened the way he treats the people and You have not rescued them” (Shemos 5:23).

Moshe’s ode of repentance is apparent in this week’s song, “Oz yoshir Moshe uvnei Yisroel.” The opening word “oz” is the very term with which he sinned.

There is something that bears explanation. Moshe erred when he used the word oz to complain about the situation facing the Jews. He did not use that word in the actual shirah. What, then, does the Medrash mean when it says that Moshe sinned with “oz” and repented with “oz,” when that word is not part of the song?

We may be able to understand the depth of the connection by observing that when the Jewish suffering seemed too much to bear, Hashem appeared to Moshe and told him that the oppression would soon end. Yet, when Moshe followed Hashem’s instructions and spoke to Paroh, the workload was increased. It seemed to Moshe that appealing to Paroh for better treatment was a bad idea that backfired.

In time, however, it became clear that the increase in work was a means of advancing the redemption, for it allowed the Bnei Yisroel to be redeemed 190 years earlier than originally prophesized. The harshness of servitude caused their freedom to come sooner.

Even great nevi’im, who feel Hashem’s mastery over the cosmos, don’t merit seeing both parts of the story, the beginning and the end, come together the way the humble maids did as the Jewish nation was born as a free people at the yam.

It was the specific factor about which Moshe had complained that was the catalyst of the redemption. At the sea, as he witnessed his oppressors washing up dead on the shore and saw the mighty Egyptian army reduced to corpses, Moshe understood it.

On the shore of the Yam Suf, as geulim, Moshe and the Bnei Yisroel perceived the perfect symmetry of the Divine plan as they saw everything they had been promised come to fruition. It was then that they sang the shirah.

The root of the word shirah is shir. The Mishnah in Maseches Shabbos that lists the accessories that an animal may carry outside on Shabbos includes a shir, a round ring worn around the neck of the animal.

Rav Moshe Shapiro explained that shir is a circle. He said that at the moment they sang shirah, Moshe and the Bnei Yisroel perceived the perfect harmony of creation, how there is a beginning, middle and end to everything. They witnessed the realization of what was foretold to the avos, to Moshe and to them. When they saw that, they sang.

The Bais Halevi explains: “There is another level: he who perceives the kindness shown to him through the suffering as well, as it says, ‘I thank You, Hashem, for You have answered me and become my salvation’ (Tehillim 118:21), an expression of gratitude on the ‘inui,’ the affliction, as well as the salvation - I thank You for both, for both are beneficial and good for me. This was the attitude of Moshe Rabbeinu and the Bnei Yisroel when they sang at the Yam Suf.”

At that instant, they perceived the benefit of their long bondage.

There is another time that the word “oz” appears in Tanach that can contribute to our understanding of this equation.

The posuk in Tehillim states, “Nachon kisacha mei’oz,” meaning that Hashem’s throne has been fixed in place since creation. The Sefas Emes explains that mei’oz refers to the “oz” of Oz Yoshir. There is a certain depth of comprehension of Hashem’s Hashgocha and clarity in the revelation of His dominion that was not revealed to the world until Krias Yam Suf.

The Torah recounts that when Moshe originally told the Jewish people that Hashem had spoken to him, foretelling their release, they were unable to hear his message “mikotzer ruach umei’avodah kasha” (Shemos 6:9). The Ohr Hachaim explains that their inability to accept words of consolation was due to the fact that they had not yet received the Torah. Without Torah, their spirit was compromised. Torah expands the hearts of those who study and observe it. The Jews in Mitzrayim were not yet blessed with that ability.

Perhaps the Sefas Emes can help us explain why in Mitzrayim the Jews were unable to have faith in Moshe’s announcement that he had come to free them. The light of emunah that shined in the world at the beginning of creation had been dimmed until Krias Yam Suf. Thus, the abused slaves in Mitzrayim didn’t have the benefit of the emunah sheleimah that resides within every Jewish heart since that moment.

At Krias Yam Suf, there was a new revelation. Everything in the world that had previously been thought to be disparate and imperceptible came together clearly. They were no longer slaves. They were a new nation of geulim, having been crafted goy mikerev goy, one nation plucked from among another. The Maharal says that as they formed into a nation, they developed as people. Their minds became clearer and their hearts purer. They became capable of accepting the words of Hashem and His servant, Moshe.

It was at Krias Yam Suf that they understood that the bitterness, suffering and oppressive toil were means of hastening their freedom. Thus, the Torah records their song as “Oz yoshir.” They sang a song of oz, appreciating the profound mistake in the original complaining “oz.” They rectified their error by singing “oz,” comprehending the way of Hashem.

The Medrash (Shemos Rabbah 23:2) states, “Oz yoshir is compared to the posuk (Tehillim 106), ‘Vayaaminu bidvorov yoshiru tehilaso.’” The Shela explains that this means that in merit of their faith, the Bnei Yisroel received ruach hakodesh and were able to sing shirah. In other words, oz is interchangeable with amanah, faith. Oz, because they were infused with emunah in Hashem, yoshir, they sang shirah.

When the Jews were taken from Mitzrayim, they were physically freed and were no longer slaves, but it was at Krias Yam Suf that their neshamos were freed (Sefas Emes 645). Thus, it was after they went through the Yam Suf that they were able to soar, reaching higher levels of emunah and kedusha. It was then that they merited ruach hakodesh and the ability to sing shirah.

Shirah is written in the Sefer Torah as “oriach al gabei leveinah, as bricks are assembled to form a wall.” The amount of white space on the scroll equals to that of the written words. There are as many spaces as there are words, because in shirah, everything comes together. The words and the silence, the black and the white, the darkness and the light, all combine to form shirah.

We all have challenges, aspects of our lives that we don’t understand. There are happenings that impact Am Yisroel and Eretz Yisroel that we can’t comprehend. We experience times that we think are good and others that seem to be not so good. We wonder why we suffer and why others suffer. We wonder why there are so many tragedies in the world, including senseless murder, disease, abuse, and sadness. But we have to remember never to lose our faith and that one day it will all become clear to us. There will be a day, soon, when we will understand all that has transpired. On that day, everyone will sing shirah, but we, men and women of faith, can sing shirah every day.

Just as the Torah records the Jews at Krias Yam Suf as, “Vayaaminu baHashem,” we, bnei uvenos Torah, possess the harchovas hadaas granted to us with Yetzias Mitzrayim and Matan Torah to realize that we should maintain our faith and hold on tight through the cycles that lead to one goal.

The sefer Orchos Chasidecha recounts a story of emunah and bitachon. On May 7, 1945, Nazi Germany signed its unconditional surrender to the Allies. Following fierce American bombing, Japan surrendered at the end of the summer. Thousands of Jews had found refuge in the Japanese-controlled Chinese city of Shanghai. However, as American bombers shelled Shanghai in a final effort to defeat Japan, the refugees feared for their lives.

As the bombing campaign intensified, some students of the Mir Yeshiva, who fled Poland and Lithuania to the safety of Shanghai, suggested moving further inland to the city of Nanjing. The mashgiach of the yeshiva, Rav Yechezkel Levenstein, wouldn’t hear of it. He argued that they should remain in Shanghai, saying that moving would disrupt the sidrei hayeshiva. When pressed, he explained that all the journeys of the Jews as they traversed the desert, going from Mitzrayim to Eretz Yisroel, were “al pi Hashem.” They followed the Anan Hashem wherever it took them. They stayed there as long as the Anan did and moved only when it dictated they should.

“Hashem helped us until now,” said Rav Levenstein, “and we must have bitachon that He will guide us at this stage of the war as well. Until He sends a sign that we must move, we are staying here.”

Because of Rav Levenstein’s well-earned reputation and fierce bitachon, the yeshiva followed his direction and stayed in Shanghai, despite the apparent dangers.

Rav Levenstein later testified that the reason he didn’t move was because his rabbeim had appeared to him in a dream and told him that a move would be very dangerous. In fact, hundreds of Nanjing citizens were subsequently killed.

In his hesped on Rav Levenstein, Rav Elozor Menachem Man Shach quoted a posuk from this week’s parsha. The Torah relates that Moshe Rabbeinu’s hands remained raised in prayer as the Jewish people battled Amaleik: “Vayehi yodov emunah ad bo hashomesh.” The literal translation of the verse is that Moshe’s hands had faith until the sun set.

“Many people have emunah in their hearts,” Rav Shach cried out. “Der mashgiach hut gehat emunah in zeine hent. The mashgiach had faith in his hands.”

Rav Levenstein, the world-renowned tzaddik, possessed a tangible emunah and was able to feel the Divine kindness in every episode and event.

His students relate that he derived much of his emunah from his daily recitation of the shirah, the words of Oz Yoshir, which were seared into his soul and armed him with the emunah he carried in his holy hands.

In this week’s parsha, we sing the song that proclaims that we know we will continue singing until we merit to chant the song that will celebrate the revelation of reasons behind the many centuries of hardship and suffering.

Oz yoshir.

Generational Greatness

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

As we survey the world around us and the depths to which many have fallen, it becomes difficult to remember that we were created to attain great heights as a nation and as individuals. Our task is to constantly self-improve, always working on the goal of becoming better people.

Rashi (Bereishis 1:1) famously quotes his father, Rav Yitzchok, who said that the Torah should have begun with the mitzvah of hachodesh hazeh lochem. He explains that the reason it begins with Bereishis is so that if nations of the world will allege that the Jews stole Eretz Yisroel, we will be able to respond that Hashem created the world and chose to give us the Promised Land, and thus it is ours.

Others answer that the Torah doesn’t begin with Parshas Hachodesh, because the stories of Sefer Bereishis are a necessary backdrop, a hakdomah of sorts, to the mitzvos.

This week, in Parshas Bo, we arrive at the parsha of hachodesh hazeh lochem with which the Torah ostensibly should have begun. By now, we have studied and internalized the messages of our avos and grown to appreciate the connection we have, through the promises made to them, with Hashem and with Eretz Yisroel. We know that Eretz Yisroel is ours and no one can take it from us. We have learned how to conduct ourselves from the stories of our forefathers and, by now, should be ready to progress to the mitzvos of the Torah.

However, we need to understand the significance of the mitzvah of Kiddush Hachodesh and why it is that we are welcomed with this mitzvah into life as avdei Hashem. What is it about this mitzvah that through it we are introduced to all the subsequent commandments of the Torah? Of all the mitzvos of the Torah, why was this the first one given to the Jewish people as a whole and the one with which Rashi believed the Torah should have begun?

An answer, perhaps, can be offered based on the fact that Kiddush Hachodesh is a process that is entrusted to the Jewish people as a whole. The proclamation of the new moon requires a verbal statement of a bais din.

The dayonim on the bais din who certify that a new moon has been seen and proclaim, “Mekudash,” either have to be members of the Sanhedrein or “semuchin,” certified and invested with the power of p’sak, links in a chain stretching back to Har Sinai (Rambam, Hilchos Kiddush Hachodesh 5:2).

Why does the Torah require those who proclaim the new moon to be semuchin? Why is it not sufficient for them to be proficient in the shapes of the moon so that they can ascertain when to accept testimony regarding the sighting of the new moon?

The reason is because in regards to this mitzvah, it is evident that the words and actions of humans can be invested with Divine properties and the levels we can attain.

The Nefesh Hachaim and other seforim discuss our ability to affect happenings in this world and in Shomyaim through the observance - and transgression - of mitzvos. That capability is first evident in the mitzvah of Kiddush Hachodesh.

It is through having the power to proclaim Rosh Chodesh, or a leap year, that the Torah first reveals to us the capacity and potential of man to rise to the highest sphere, becoming a partner with the Creator Himself.

Rav Chaim Vital and others discuss that each Yom Tov brings special hashpa’os, an awakening of the Divine flow that occurred back when the miracle that the Yom Tov commemorates originally took place. Bais din, through its proclamation of which day will be Rosh Chodesh, and subsequently on which day Yom Tov will begin, actually determines when Hashem will cause that specific measure of Divine hashpa’ah to occur. The Ribbono Shel Olam abides by the bais din’s reasoning and determination to celebrate the Yom Tov on that day.

The many ramifications of bais din’s decision attest to its power. An example of the extent of bais din’s power is discussed in the Yerushalmi (Kesubos 1:2) regarding a physical phenomenon that can be manifest in a girl when she reaches the age of three. (See Shach, Yoreh Deah 189:13, for a further dissertation.) If she was born during the month of Nissan, for example, then, if the bais din decides to add a second month of Adar, postponing her birthday for a month, the physical realities that set in as she becomes three years of age are actually dependent on the bais din’s decision and are postponed for a month because she will not be celebrating her third birthday until Nissan.

Thus, since the mitzvah of Kiddush Hachodesh is unique in that it shows Klal Yisroel the incredible heights they can reach, it is the first mitzvah given to us as a group and serves as an introduction to all the other mitzvos. It goes to the root of the greatness of Am Yisroel and demonstrates how much we can accomplish if we devote ourselves to observing the mitzvos and living lives dedicated to Hashem and His Torah.

This is the idea of the mitzvah of Kiddush Hachodesh, which would have been a fitting opening to the entire Torah.

Imagine the message that Klal Yisroel received when, still in the throes of servitude, they were taught the particulars of a mitzvah with capacity beyond time and space. What a resounding announcement of their own freedom from the constrictions of Mitzrayim! It is as if they were gathered together by Moshe Rabbeinu and told, “You are redeemed from slavery and ready to soar!”

That awareness, with its accompanying demand for growth, was given to Klal Yisroel on the verge of freedom, as if to say, “This is what you can reach and accomplish through these mitzvos and by learning Torah.”

We can now understand the depth of a posuk later on in the perek. After the pesukim discuss the halachos of Pesach, the posuk (12:28) states, “Vayeilchu vaya’asu Bnei Yisroel ka’asher tzivah Hashem es Moshe v’Aharon - The Bnei Yisroel did as Hashem had commanded Moshe and Aharon.”

The Mechilta, quoted by Rashi, notes that the lesson was given to the Bnei Yisroel on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, while the actual fulfillment of the laws of Korban Pesach didn’t take place until the middle of the month. Still, the posuk refers to the Jews as having done as Hashem commanded Moshe, in the past tense.

We can suggest that the posuk refers to them as having completed what was asked of them because this parsha of hachodesh hazeh lochem carries something integral to the observance of every mitzvah that would follow it, namely, an instructive lesson regarding what a mitzvah can do to man and the levels he can reach by following the Torah. “Vaya’asu” indicates that they understood the message that was being imparted to them, appreciating its relevance at every juncture of life. In this case, hearing, comprehending and internalizing the messages of hachodesh hazeh lochem and the chag hegeulah were themselves fulfillments of Hashem’s will.

The halachos of Kiddush Hachodesh and Pesach aren’t merely introductory and practical. They are a call from Heaven. “My children,” the Ribono Shel Olam is saying, “you are ge’ulim. There is no end to your freedom and to how great you can become!”

According to the Nefesh Hachaim (1:13), the word asiyah, which lies at the root of the word vaya’asu, means that what was being discussed achieved its tachlis, or purpose. Thus, when the Torah employs the verb asiyah to complete the discussion, stating, “Vaya’asu Bnei Yisroel ka’asher tzivah Hashem,” that indicates that they realized the potential inherent in Hashem’s commandment. They understood the message behind the tzivuy, and thus, even though they had not yet performed the mitzvah, they had actualized the potential of how high they could reach.

We, the she’airis Yisroel, the remainder that clings to Kiddush Hachodesh and all the mitzvos that follow, know that we have a higher calling and a path to traverse.

Each generation has its own unique challenges that make it difficult to rise. Every generation gives birth to styles, language, technology and cultural immoralities with the potential to demoralize us and disconnect us from Torah.

That is why in this week’s parsha, the Torah mentions repeatedly from the very beginning (10:2) until the end (13:14) the concept of discussing the events and mitzvos surrounding Yetzias Mitzrayim with the younger generations. This is because the Torah speaks to all generations for all times. No matter what questions are confounding a given era, the answers are in the Torah. Its Divine wisdom shines like rays of welcome light into all epochs of history and corners of the globe, its lessons a living reality for each one.

We thank Hashem that the Torah can be transmitted from one generation to the next, that its messages can reach all children, and that it is relevant and meaningful to each Jewish child. It’s a celebration of the timeless and enduring relevance of the Torah.

This represents an obligation upon every parent to work to find the point where their child can be reached. No one is ever too far gone, too disinterested or too worn out to be written off and to be separated from Torah. There is something in the Torah for everyone. The Torah speaks to every child. Although it sometimes takes superhuman effort, no parent should ever give up on connecting with any of their children, as wayward as they appear to be.

Despite the distractions, temptations and turbulence around us, we must follow the guidance of the Torah and remain focused on our missions to bring about positive change in ourselves, our families and the cosmos. Let us not allow temporary setbacks to influence our moods and the way we interact with others. It is only with the emunah and bitachon that emanate from the parshiyos of Yetzias Mitzrayim that we can maintain the simcha necessary to be good and productive.

As we study Parshas Bo, let us endeavor to realize the potential that lies within us to reach the apex, positively impacting the world and preparing it for the coming of Moshiach.