We Have the Light

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

This week, we follow the Bnei Yisroel as they finally leave Mitzrayim and cross through the Yam Suf to freedom. Four-fifths of the Jewish people were unworthy of redemption and perished during the makkah of choshech. As the Bnei Yisroel followed Hashem’s instructions and gathered at the river’s shore, Paroh and his forces chased after them. The people raised their voices in prayer to Hashem that He save them from the grip of their evil pursuers.

Hashem appeared to Moshe (Shemos 14:15) and told him that this was not a time for prayer. “Tell the Bnei Yisroel that they should move ahead” into the water, Moshe was instructed.

Rav Chaim Volozhiner, in Nefesh Hachaim (1:9), explains that Hashem said that they should move forward, because escaping Mitzrayim’s clutches was up to them. If they would display emunah and bitachon in Hashem by listening to Moshe and venturing into the water, then in the merit of their belief that the water would split for them, the water will miraculously part and allow the Bnei Yisroel safe passage out of Mitzrayim.

Sometimes, the koach of tefillah is not sufficient to merit salvation, but maintaining faith in Hashem’s ability to change the forces of nature and help his people brings about salvation.

I was discussing this concept with my cousin, Rav Yisroel Menachem Levin, and he referred me to the posuk in Mishlei (18:14) which states, “Ruach ish yechalkel machaleihu - A man’s spirit will heal him his sickness.” The Vilna Gaon (ibid.) explains that a person can overpower his sickness with happiness. Rav Dovid Goldberg explains that the reason for this is because a happy person is someone who has emunah and bitachon. A person who has faith is happy because he has no fears, knowing that Hashem will help him. His illness will therefore be cured.

People who have emunah and bitachon are blessed with special Divine intervention on their behalf.

At the end of the parsha (17:8), we read how Amaleik attacked the Jewish people. Moshe, Aharon, Yehoshua and Chur led the battle against them. The posuk relates that when Moshe raised his hands, the Jews advanced in their battle. The Mishnah teaches that when the Jews put their faith in the Aibishter, they won. That emunah and bitachon remained with them until Seder Bamidbar.

The parsha ends as Hashem instructs Moshe to write down the story of Amaleik’s attack and know that He will erase the memory of Amaleik. Until that happens with Moshiach’s arrival, we face attacks from Amaleik in every generation.

Amaleik, the nation of asher korcha baderech, works assiduously, with various guises, to temper Jewish belief.

When the members of Klal Yisroel asserted themselves, they emerged strong. The encounter with Amaleik tightened their connection to Hashem and brought them closer to the moment of Har Sinai. Similarly, in every generation, when Amaleik attacks us, he causes us to reaffirm our beliefs and turn to Hashem. This is why Hashem promises that our archenemy will be ever-present until the redemption. He keeps us in line, and as we battle him, we reaffirm our belief.

As we adapt to our host country in the exile, people grow comfortable with their surroundings and begin assimilating and adopting the outside culture. When that happens, the host nation begins despising us, overt anti-Semitism reappears, and Jews are reminded of who we are and what we are about.

Throughout our history, this pattern has been followed. Jews get comfortable and then are forced from their homes to a new exile. There is much pain and anguish. Jews are mercilessly killed and robbed of their possessions. Beaten and barely holding on, they establish roots in a new country. Slowly, they become accepted and comfortable in the new host country. Good times are had by all, but then, just as times are so good that it seems as if Moshiach has come and brought us home, the cycle begins again. The goyim get fed up with us, the noose tightens, and, before we know it, Amaleik has us on the run again.

This time it is different, for we have been told that America will be the final stop in this exile. When we leave here, it will be to go to Eretz Yisroel.

As the new administration takes over and begins undoing as much as it can of what President Trump accomplished, many will not be pleased. They may notice that many of those in leadership positions in the administration, congress and the senate are Jews. Those on the right will be blaming “The Jews” for what is happening and those on the left, well they don’t like us much anyway. It can be expected that we will need extra zechuyos and siyata d’shmaya over next couple years to keep us out of sights of those who would do us harm.

Amaleik is ever-present, bombarding us with new challenges, moral, legal and ethical. In the spirit of “asher korcha,” he seeks to cool us from our devotion to Torah and mitzvos. Sometimes, they sound intelligent and sophisticated, while at other times, they are directed at man’s baser temptations.

When people begin doubting halacha or mesorah; when people throw up roadblocks to shemiras hamitzvos; when they mock our values and talmidei chachomim, seeking to adapt Torah to other cultures and religions; when they say that we must be more open-minded or accepting, we should recognize the voice of Amaleik.

To survive, we must remain faithful to our mesorah, unyielding in our devotion to Torah, untempted by anything that introduces conduct foreign to our upbringing.

Rishonim and Acharonim remind us that what transpired to our forefathers is a precursor of what will happen to us. “Maaseh avos siman labonim.” The trajectory of the Jews in Mitzrayim foretells what will happen to us as we approach our period of redemption. The Jewish people, dispersed around the world, will be faced with many nisyonos. We will suffer until the appointed time arrives.

Today, we live in the period of ikvesa deMeshicha, leading up to Moshiach’s arrival. Just as during the period leading up to the redemption from Mitzrayim there was a plague of darkness, so too, in our day, there is darkness all around us.

We are confronted by a constantly changing society, one that is plagued by ebbing morals and a host of temptations that invade our lives. We cannot allow ourselves to fall prey to the vagaries of the moment. In order to merit the coming of Moshiach, we have to exert ourselves to remain loyal to that which makes us great.

We are confounded by many tests, as the level of tumah rises around us and so many are blinded to the obvious truth.

The challenges are tough. The tests to our emunah and bitachon are great. Tzaros abound. The good suffer, the weak squabble, and Jews around the world fear the future.

We can only imagine what transpired during the awful period of Egyptian slavery, as tens of thousands of grandchildren of Yaakov Avinu gave up hope. Mitzrayim, with its dark and corrupt values and attitudes, began to appeal to them. And then the plague of darkness descended on the country and those poor souls who had succumbed to the pressures slipped away into oblivion. Only one-fifth of the Jews made it through the plague of darkness.

The challenge is to realize that what appears to be light, what seems to be glitzy and attractive, might be darkness in a disguise.

The Brisker Rov spent Shabbos in a hotel for the sheva brachos of one of his sons. The Rov was careful not to benefit from electricity on Shabbos in Eretz Yisroel, because the electric production facilities are operated by Jews. A talmid volunteered to arrange for the hotel to provide a large room in which the lights would be off for them to daven and eat in.

For whatever reason, the job wasn’t done, and when the Rov walked into the room, the lights were shining brightly. He immediately left the room and found a small, dark place where there was no light. He announced that they would be using that room over Shabbos.

In obvious distress, the talmid approached the Rov to apologize. “I am so sorry,” he said, “that the large room is lichtig (illuminated).”

The Rov responded with a surprised look on his face. “Dort iz lichtig?” he asked, indicating the first, well-lit room. “Doh iz lichtig!” he said, pointing to the small, darkened room around him where Yidden sat davening.

Our way of life is lichtig. The Torah is lichtig. Proper observance of Shabbos creates a lichtige environment. Where shomrei Torah umitzvos gather, it is lichtig. Just as during the makkah of choshech, when the Jews had light even as the whole country was thrust into darkness, so too, in our day, when there is a confluence of obscurity and deception, and distortion and disinformation hold sway, we need to remain allegiant to authenticity, truth and justice.

At a time that cries out for light in so many ways, let us each do our share to shine some light on a dark world and help reveal the truths about the occurrences of our time, so that we may be better prepared for the coming redemption.

We see many things that are plainly obvious to us, yet we see how the media, culture and outside world misinterpret and lie in order to further their agenda. In the outside world, darkness rules, truth is of little importance, and lies are accepted as fact.

As we see forces of darkness gaining, we must not capitulate and surrender. We need to remember that lev melochim vesorim beYad Hashem and intensify our emunah and bitachon so that Hashem will be kind to us.

We mustn’t be misled and fall prey to media narratives pushing a new moral code and driving anti-religious agendas. They appeal to the heart, emotions and minds of a new generation.

People are enticed by charismatic speakers, charming thoughts and moving tales. Purveyors of darkness wrap their goods in color and glitter to entice unsuspecting people.

We must take care not to confuse the important with the inconsequential. We live in the lap of luxury, with the pleasure bar constantly rising. We spend time engaged in trivial pursuits instead of engaging in activities that accrue real benefits. When priorities are misplaced and we become entwined with the inconsequential and frivolous, our lives become perilous.

We must remember that there is strength in humility and nobleness in character. In a world where greatness is elusive, mediocrity is mistaken for superiority. Fairness has been replaced with intolerance, as those who called for unity work towards establishing division.

The looming darkness doesn’t have to envelop us. We are different. Torah and mitzvos bring us light and meaning that drive out the darkness of makkas choshech and the depravity of Amaleik.

May we be blessed with the luminous lives promised for those who maintain emunah and bitachon even through difficult circumstances.

With Renewed Strength

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

We don’t know what the Biden presidency portends for us, but we do know that as long as we are guided by the eternal truth, we shall be safe and strong.

We live in a time when truth is relative. The news cycle captivates the country and molds people’s opinions. It informs, educates, saddens and gladdens those who follow the ever-changing surprising happenings of the country and the world.

People hear and read the news and then debate it for the rest of the day. Lately, they have had lots of things to talk about. President Trump has been the gift that keeps on giving. Ever since he announced that he was running for president, he’s been driving the news cycle and keeping tongues wagging. Every day was something new, something to argue about. No one ever knew what the day would bring, but whatever it was, his voters loved it and his detractors hated it.

Impeachment, once rarely attempted, has now been used twice against President Trump, effectively turning the ultimate punishment into yet another political weapon. Within a day the charge was brought and voted on and with that, for all practical purposes eviscerated. With a week to go in his term, after a contentious election in a country dealing with a pandemic, people who promise unity engaged in the highest form of political retribution, capping off their four year vendetta against a foe who would not bend to them and their attempts to destroy him.

Democrats and the media viewed everything he did as a reason to unseat him. It’s all about talk. It’s not about explanations or answers, firm positions or the truth. Covid, the economy, and everything else going on are spun to fit a party narrative.

We must ensure that we don’t become bitter, vindictive and dishonest. We need to remain loyal to our moral code and maintain our sense of decency. We have to examine issues honestly and together to be able to realize our destiny.

Those committed to a life of Torah, who probe the depth of pesukim and dissect the words of the Torah, Tanaim, Amoraim, Rishonim and Acharonim become better people, with depth and greatness. We are not about empty words and cute sound bites. We are about being real. And good.

At the outset of his commentary to the Torah, Rashi (Bereishis 1:1) famously quotes from his  father, Rav Yitzchok, that the Torah should have begun with the mitzvah of hachodesh hazeh lochem. 

This week, in Parshas Bo, we arrive at the parsha with which the Torah ostensibly should have begun. By studying the previous parshiyos, we have become familiar with 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 have been taught how to conduct ourselves from the stories the Torah tells about our forefathers. We should now be ready to progress to the mitzvos of the Torah.

As we progress to studying the mitzvos, we stop and try to understand the mitzvah of Kiddush Hachodesh and why it was the first commandment presented to the Jewish people as a group of avdei Hashem. 

Perhaps, we can understand that this is because Kiddush Hachodesh is a procedure 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,” have to either 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 5:1).

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 birth of the new moon?

The reason is because when it comes to this special mitzvah, it is evident that the words and actions of humans can be invested with Divine properties.

The Nefesh Hachaim and other seforim discuss the ability of Klal Yisroel 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 be me’aber the shanah 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 with it special hashpa’os, an awakening of the Divine flow that occurred back when the miracle 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 occur, determines when Hashem will cause that specific measure of Divine hashpa’ah to occur. The Ribbono Shel Olam abides by the bais din’s 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, 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 demonstrates to Klal Yisroel the incredible heights they can reach, that they can literally influence even the Heavenly realms, 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.

In Lita, people would retell a story to underscore the potency of the rulings of talmidei chachomim. There was a man who lived in Volozhin who suffered from a lung disease. He sought out the best doctors and attempted to heal himself with the available remedies, but he remained worried about his condition.

Legend has it that the sick man’s father appeared to him in a dream and informed him that his specific lung ailment was the subject of a machlokes between the Rama and the Shaagas Aryeh. The Rama held that when the form of lung disease from which he suffered occurs in a cow, the animal is treif, as it is incapable of living for another year. The Shaagas Aryeh, however, ruled that an animal with this disease is kosher, since it could live well past a year with that disease. In the dream, the father warned his son to remain in Volozhin, the Shaagas Aryeh’s town, where the p’sak - and therefore the reality - would be in line with the Shaagas Aryeh’s view, and he would therefore live.

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 injected with this awareness and taught the particulars of a mitzvah with the capacity to determine the calendar and holiness. 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 ge’ulim, redeemed, 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 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 Mechiltah, 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 within it something integral to the observance of every mitzvah that would follow it, namely, an instructive lesson into 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 asah, which is 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 asah 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 command, 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 the message of Kiddush Hachodesh and cherishes every mitzvah, know that we have a higher calling and a path to traverse.

With this, we can explain the significance of the custom to say “Shalom aleichem” to each other when we recite Kiddush Levanah. We leave the shul and go outside to greet the new moon, perceiving in its reflected light our ability to rise, and the levels we can attain if we would join together as one people, as we exert and dedicate ourselves to Torah.

Beholding the new moon and the message of Kiddush Hachodesh should generate thoughts of teshuvah, growth, and a new beginning. Thus, as we begin that journey renewed and rejuvenated, we wish each other “Shalom aleichem,” welcoming the “new” neighbor.

As we study Parshas Bo and its mitzvos, we should proceed with renewed strength towards realizing our potential to positively affect the world.

But as we recognize the strength we have, we need to ensure that we maintain a proper perspective about ourselves. Paroh’s emotions blinded him from acknowledging what was obvious to any objective observer. “Haterem teida ki ovdah Mitzrayim?” his servants challenged him. “How can you not see that Mitzrayim is on a collision course with disaster?”

Paroh was robbed of understanding his own abilities, strengths and weaknesses, because he was crippled by petty calculations and rotten middos. Deluded of clear vision and lacking humility and clear perception, Paroh led his people to the brink of disaster. Then, when he could have saved them, he led them over the brink to drown in the Yam Suf.

Great people see past themselves. They are able to see several steps ahead and provide counsel that will benefit the listener in the long run. To succeed, we have to be honest with ourselves and those around us.

The Torah, in speaking of makkas bechoros, commands us (Shemos 12:24-25) to observe this as a chok for us and our children and to bring the Korban Pesach when we merit entering Eretz Yisroel. The posuk continues (ibid., 26-27) that when your children ask you to explain the avodah, tell them that the Korban Pesach commemorates the miracles Hashem performed for us when we left Mitzrayim.

When our children want to understand our way of life, we explain to them that we come from a long chain of bnei Avrohom Yitzchok v’Yaakov. We are proud of our heritage.

With pride and love, we provide the same answers to our children that our parents gave to us and their parents gave to them. That ensures a “leil…shimurim lechol Bnei Yisroel ledorosam.” If you follow the precepts, laws and explanations of the Torah, you will be protected throughout all the generations.

May we be protected and blessed with much nachas and growth.

Yossel’s Rule

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

My dear friend, Yossel Czapnik z”l, was a keen observer of the human condition. Invariably, whenever someone was found to have engaged in wrongful or detrimental behavior and people would wonder how it was possible for the person to act so foolishly, Yossel would always give the same answer. He would say that it happened because the person didn’t learn mussar. The study of mussar keeps a person straight, honest, and humble, and prevents him from engaging in self-destructive behavior.

Yossel fell victim to Covid before Pesach, but his lessons are as true as ever.

This week’s parsha offers ample evidence of Yossel’s message as we ponder the actions and reactions of the recalcitrant Paroh and his inability to think logically. But we don’t have to go back to the days of the makkos for an application of the lesson. Apparently, the president’s electoral loss has affected his ability to think and act rationally. His ego led him to act in ways detrimental to himself, the country, the causes he championed, and all Americans. It is a disaster on too many levels. While it is true that he called for a peaceful and patriotic protest at the Capitol, when the horrific happened, his message calling for the craziness to end was tepid at best, and certainly unbefitting for the person charged with running the country.

A strong condemnation of the violent and irresponsible actions was in order, delivered with conviction from a leader who cares about law and order. His failure to do so destroyed not only his legacy, but the legitimacy of the Right and the Republican Party, along with the important positions they represent. His lack of communication with the people of this nation is an abrogation of his duty and responsibility.

What happened last week in Washington is a national tragedy. In a civilized country, disagreements aren’t settled by acts of violence. There is no justification for what occurred in the Capitol. No matter what people are upset about, they should never be permitted to take over the Capitol building and engage in wanton acts of insolence and destruction.

It has been said that the coddling of the rioters who, during the past summer of rage, caused billions of dollars of damage to government buildings and businesses was seen by those on the fringes as legitimizing violence as a method to achieve political gain. But by a minority doing what they did, with the apparent blessing of the president, the Right, as a whole, has been robbed of moral high ground and the cause of traditional values and freedoms has been seriously impaired.

The country will recover but will be paying a heavy price for many years to come. People who are ego-driven and self-centered end up acting in ways that are detrimental.

The Democrats have been driving the media narrative and owning it for the longest time now. Trump stood up to them and plowed ahead with the agenda he was elected on, following through on virtually every promise he made. For whatever reason, Hashem caused his opponent to be declared the victor and there was nothing Trump could do to retain his position.

What happened since the election results came in, fit very neatly into the narrative his enemies had created about Trump, and validated everything they had been saying and predicting about him for the past four years.

Democrats will now be in control of the Congress, Senate and White House, and their mission will be to undo everything that Trump accomplished as they press ahead with their progressive plans for the country. It is no longer important how they won the White House. The fact is that they own it for the next four years. They outsmarted the Republicans at every turn and can be counted on to do that for the foreseeable future. They set the national agenda and presented their case in a way that appealed to the masses of voters. They are winners and the Republicans are losers.

We live in a world where nothing is as it appears. We don’t know whom to trust and where to turn for direction and support.

Every week, we bid farewell to Shabbos with Havdalah. We light a multi-wicked, wine-stained candle and start thinking of the coming week. We proclaim, “Hinei Keil yeshuosi evtach velo efchod.” We proclaim that although we don’t know what the new week will bring, we aren’t afraid, because we know that Hashem will be with us. As we leave the holiness and peace of Shabbos and embark on our weekly venture into our everyday routines, we say to Hashem, to ourselves and to our families that we do not fear as we go back into the turmoil that is life, since we are armed with emunah and bitachon.

Later, at melava malka, we seek to further prepare for that transition. We sing “al tira avdi Yaakov.” We say, “Fear not, Yidden. You are equipped with the strength and ability to rise above what is out there and still remain true to yourselves, to each other, and to the Torah if you remain loyal to the teachings and lessons handed down from Yaakov Avinu.”

We proclaim that in order to navigate the highways of life and plow ahead despite the storms that inevitably seek to block us, we have to follow the path of Yaakov and the other avdei Hashem. Only by following the Torah and its mitzvos can we think of setting out on the road that is olam hazeh. Only by reinforcing ourselves with Torah and mussar will we be able to move ahead and accomplish the missions we were sent here to carry out.

The children of Yaakov stood out in Mitzrayim because “lo shinu,” they refused to change and adapt. Lo shinu - they remained loyal to the Torah that Yaakov transmitted to them and that Yehudah taught in the yeshiva he established. Lo shinu - they knew that everything else is transitory. Lo shinu - they knew what was true and what was lasting. Lo shinu - they knew what was false, fleeting, and temporary, and they knew that to survive as a people in a different country, they had to remain steadfast in their dedication to Yaakov’s ideals.

The posuk in the first perek of Tehillim admonishes us to be as trees planted on the banks of rivers, with deep roots - entrenched shoroshim - linking us to Har Sinai and the greatest mortals the world has known. We are guided by their legacy and teachings. We have a rich mesorah. We drink from the palgei mayim of our timeless Torah, as did “avdi Yaakov.”

Despite their challenges and obstacles, the Bnei Yisroel in Mitzrayim lived with the ideal of “lo shinu,” remembering where they came from and where they were headed.

In the land of Paroh, this was important. His leadership was based on fiction and false perceptions, as Rashi states on the words “Hinei hu yotzei hamoymah” (7:15). Paroh created a fictitious narrative about himself. He was unable to redirect his life even in the face of the makkos. The ego-driven lie he had fashioned about himself allowed him to lead a blissful existence. However, his conceit prevented him from recognizing that he was up against a higher power and the enslavement of the Jewish people was coming to end, thus bringing calamity upon himself and his nation.

It was in this climate of Mitzrayim, where fiction masqueraded as fact, that the grandchildren of Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov distinguished themselves, a goy mikerev goy standing tall, a nation of truth and destiny.

When we live through times such as ours, incidents such as those that occurred last week should remind us that instead of seeking to blend into the cultural fabric of the country, we should remember who we are and from where we come. We have a destiny. The truth must be our guide and protecting it our concern.

We have to be honest with ourselves, confront our imperfections, and overcome them. We must set goals for ourselves and our personal development, never resting from laboring in the pursuit of excellence and G-dliness. As we study these parshiyos of geulah, we should rededicate ourselves to living lives of truth, Torah and mussar, and being true to ourselves and our destiny.

We dare not be impressed by the allure and glamour of fleeting beauty and popularity based upon superficiality and fallacy. We have to remain a people of depth and intelligence, of loyalty and determination. When the world shakes, we should rededicate ourselves to Torah to ensure that we are living proper lives. We should make time every day to learn some mussar to keep us faithful to ourselves and help us defeat the yeitzer hora, which seeks to destroy our decency and goodness.

We are a nation of survivors. If we stand tall, remind ourselves who we are and what we stand for, and work together to build a brighter future, we will soon merit the geulah. If we recognize our strength and power, we can remedy that which needs rectifying and reinforce that which requires strengthening.

Let us not be like the people of Mitzrayim and their leaders who were blindsided and unable to act sensibly and responsibly.

The first prime minister of Israel was thrown out of his party after having led the country for many years. When he opened a new party and ran for his old job, he went down in defeat and retreated to his home in Sde Boker. Reporters had many questions as the man who had dominated the country retreated to the sidelines. When asked if he would have done things differently, he answered that he was satisfied with every decision he made except for one. Ben Gurion said that he regretted freeing yeshiva bochurim from army duty.

Rav Zvi Shvartz of Rechovot recounts that he was learning in the Chevron Yeshiva at the time. Together with other bochurim, he shared the comment with Rav Chatzkel Sarna, the rosh yeshiva. Rav Sarna explained to them how that fateful decision came about. “Lev melochim vesorim b’Yad Hashem,” he said. The prime minister’s decisions were not his; Hashem managed everything so that it would be for the benefit of Klal Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel. Therefore, although he would have done things differently, at the time he wasn’t able to decide differently.

In hindsight, he saw that with every issue, he had taken the correct course of action. So, too, when it came to the question of drafting yeshiva bochurim, Hashem put the idea in his head to allow them to study Torah and help rebuild what was lost during the Holocaust. When he looked back at it, he couldn’t believe that he decided to exempt them.

Similarly, in our day, politicians make promises and lay out plans for what they will do should they get elected, but when they get into power, very often they take a totally different course. This is because it is not up to them anymore. Once they are in a position of authority, Hashem takes over the decision-making process and they act the way Hashem has guided them. They are no longer in control.

We see things going on and don’t understand how they can happen. The political world is in upheaval and nothing makes any sense. How can it be? How can it be that in this advanced age, people act so uncivilly, lacking intelligence and decency?

Lev melochim vesorim b’Yad Hashem. The only rational explanation is that Hashem is directing the thoughts and actions of people in power for reasons only He knows.

Since the onset of the Covid pandemic, nothing has proceeded rationally. Everything that has happened defies explanation. From the way the virus works, to the many missteps taken in battling it and healing people afflicted with it, to the near miraculously fast discovery of vaccines, to the way this country and many others have botched their delivery to the citizens, nothing makes sense.

And nothing that happened on the political scene can be explained easily either, from the George Floyd riots, to the presidential campaign and election, to the rush at the US Capitol last week. It all defies logic.

American Jewry had believed that the freedoms promised us by the constitution will protect us from those who would seek to harm us. But recent events have caused everyone to recognize that our safety, along with the rights to worship and practice religion as we please, can no longer be taken for granted.

Now there are politicians and corporations who are seeking to destroy the protections the constitution affords citizens of these United States, protections that enabled this country to grow and prosper and be a beacon of democracy, proclaiming freedom throughout the world. They couch their designs in lofty terminology, yet they jeopardize free speech and expression.

We try to make sense of the bizarre. We don’t understand what is happening. But as people of faith, we know that there is something going on behind the scenes, way deeper and more impactful than we can imagine.

Far be it from me to try to understand Hashem’s plan, but it is obvious that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is laying the groundwork to bring us Moshiach.

We all know that it was foretold that in the times of Moshiach, we will recognize that ein lonu lehisha’ein ela al Avinu shebashomayim. We will have no one to depend on but Hashem, as everything else that we believed in will crumble.

Let us recognize that all that transpires is part of a Divine plan. We may not always understand the workings of Hashem, but we must recognize that they are what causes everything to happen and nothing happens just because. We may be in for hard times, but let’s keep it all in perspective and remember that it is up to us and our maasim tovim to determine the outcome of this trying historic period.

Lev melochim vesorim b’Yad Hashem. We don’t know what the Ribono Shel Olam has in store for the country, for the world, and for us, but we ask that He protect us as the plan unfolds and that it should lead to the swift coming of Moshiach.

We don’t need to be lectured by politicians and others who are motivated by polls and egos. Let us seek the refuge and direction of sifrei mussar for direction in self-improvement and behavior so that we don’t engage in the types of actions that destroy people and nations.

Remember Yossel’s rule. It can save you much personal aggravation and help bring the geulah.

 

Seeing The Spark

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

After recounting the life stories of the avos and the arrival of Yaakov and his family to Mitzrayim, Seder Shemos introduces us to the first leader of the Jewish people, the man who would represent them to their oppressor, Paroh, and subsequently lead them from slavery.

Moshe Rabbeinu was born to Yocheved, and Amrom, who is identified as “ish m’bais Levi,” a man from the house of Levi. The Torah tells us that his mother was commanded by Paroh to kill all male Jewish infants. She didn’t obey, and ensured that the children would live, but the Torah tells us nothing about his father other than that he was from shevet Levi.

The infant Moshe was found by Paroh’s daughter, who adopted him and raised him in the royal palace. He grew up estranged from his family and people, but when he became older, he was told that he was of Jewish lineage (Ramban, Shemos 2:11). He ventured out of the palace compound to meet his brethren and saw how they were oppressed in servitude. It was too much for him to bear, and when he saw a Mitzri beat a Jew, he neutralized him.

His inbred middos, as a son of Yocheved, and his obligation of responsibility as an heir to shevet Levi led him to undertake an act that caused him to flee into exile. With that, his royal life came to a quick halt and he ended up as a fugitive tending to sheep in a foreign land.

His concern, compassion, responsibility and bravery alone did not qualify him as the leader of the Jewish people. It was something else. His introduction to leadership came in a dramatic encounter.

As he was leading the sheep to pasture on Har Chorev, he noticed a burning bush. No big deal, but there was something different about this fire. It was like the flames in a fake fireplace. The branches didn’t get consumed and the fire did not go out - yet, it was a real fire and a real bush.

There was something supernatural going on. There was a relevance and power to the bush. Moshe felt that there was a lesson there for him and he got closer to investigate what was going on. He perceived a latent sanctity to the sparks.

Hashem called out to him from the bush and told him that he was standing on holy ground. Hashem directed Moshe to return to Mitzrayim and lead His people to freedom in the Promised Land.

What was it that caused Hashem to appoint Moshe leader of the Jewish people?

Moshe saw the bush aflame and recognized holiness. Although he was in a desert, in a foreign land, far from where he was brought up and with nothing on the horizon, he was searching for kedusha wherever he went. When he came upon this spot, he froze in place. Perhaps he had come across the kedusha he was searching for. In the darkness of a strange land, in midst of the vacuity of a desert, he found it.

This is what identified him as the person who can lead the children of Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov from the quagmire of Mitzrayim. As we exist in golus, the ability to differentiate fact from fiction and holy from vile is paramount. The need to constantly be on the lookout for kedusha and learn from daily encounters is what keeps us on the path to redemption.

Throughout our history, our leaders have been able to perceive holiness where others saw emptiness. They saw holy sparks where others saw darkness and evil, and they found glory in a lowly bush with no chance for growth. They saw holiness in simple people and potential in desolate areas. When all saw churban, they saw a flourishing future.

The Jewish leader is not only the one who shows concern for others and displays compassion and a sense of responsibility. He is the one who searches for greatness and holiness wherever he is.

We have seen it in our day. The roshei yeshiva of Telz found themselves in America during the war and ignored their personal suffering. Despite the state of Yiddishkeit in this country, they resolved to plant the flag of Torah in Cleveland. Rav Aharon Kotler dedicated his life to inculcating the drive for Torah lishmah that he had led in Lithuania before six million Jews were murdered. The Satmar Rebbe came here with very little and, together with the other survivors, set about rebuilding.

The story is told that shortly after the Satmar Rebbe’s arrival in New York City, an Americanized Jew saw him in his regalia and said loudly, “I’m afraid that this man is going to destroy what we have here.” The rebbe responded to him, “I haven’t done it yet, but I plan to.”

And he did. American Jewry was never the same.

Where others saw rapid assimilation and desolation, the Moshe Rabbeinus of that generation saw potential and a land rife with opportunity for Torah and avodas Hashem, the way it was back home.

When Moshe returned to Mitzrayim and told the Jewish people that he had been sent by Hashem to lead them out of slavery to the Promised Land, they refused to accept his message of hope. The Torah tells us, “Velo shomu el Moshe mikotzer ruach umei’avodah kashah,” the people were too suppressed by their servitude and oppression to be able to accept the message that change was in the offing.

Try to picture the scene. Moshe was invigorated after experiencing the revelation of the Creator. He couldn’t wait to share the news with the enslaved people that their freedom was imminent. Yet, when he returned to Miztrayim and told the people, “Higia zeman geulaschem - The time of your redemption has arrived,” nobody was interested. They didn’t listen: “Velo shamu el Moshe mikotzer ruach umei’avodah kashah.”

They were not able to listen to his message of redemption. They were incapable of hearing the words that would have transformed everything for them. They failed to digest the message promising hope for a better tomorrow.

They were too overwhelmed with the present to think about the future. They looked around them and everything was bleak. All they saw was misery. All they felt was tyranny. They couldn’t fathom that it could change.

Like every posuk in the Torah, this posuk is recorded for posterity to instruct and guide us. The words and their lessons remain relevant for eternity. Their inability to think about a better tomorrow is relevant to us in our day.

An elderly man arrived at a yeshiva for baalei teshuvah. He said that he regretted the life he led and wanted to join the yeshiva and study Torah. He said he had a story. This was his story.

His father was killed in the Holocaust, while he and his mother survived. They made their way to Tel Aviv after the war and settled there. After the horrors she suffered, his mother gave up religion, but she could not afford to care for her young son, so she sent him to an orphanage near Tel Aviv, where he would be fed, educated, and cared for.

One day, she decided to visit her son in the orphanage. To her utter horror and shock, she discovered that it was a religious institution. Without asking any questions, she packed his few things and brought him to the one-room hovel she called home. She was done with religion, and from that day onward, so was her son.

The orphanage was founded by the Ponovezher Rov, who would regularly visit. When he saw that the boy was missing, he hurried to Tel Aviv and knocked on the door of the woman’s home. The woman allowed him to enter, but nothing he said was able to overcome her stubborn refusal to be reacquainted with religion. She had seen too much, she had suffered too much, and she could not hear one good word about it. He pleaded, but to no avail.

Finally, unable to go on, he asked for a chair. He sat down and began weeping. He cried and cried for ten minutes. Finally, he got up, said goodbye, and left.

The man said that the story took place in 1950, and as the boy aged, grew up, married, and lived his life, he could not forget those tears. He never did anything about it, but they were there in the recesses of his conscience. Then, one day, he had enough and decided to take the plunge to Torah.

“And that is why I am here,” he said to the school’s administrator. “Please take me in.”

The Ponovezher Rov was one of those in every generation who possess the neshomah of Moshe. Where others lost all hope, he saw potential for growth. Where others saw darkness, he saw light.

That boy had a spark. Every boy has a spark. Even a poor boy orphaned by the Holocaust and brought up by a woman who lost almost everything cannot be written off eternally.

That was how Moshe looked at the world and his brothers and sisters, and that was why he was chosen. That is how our leaders throughout the centuries, from Moshe to Rabi Akiva, to all the builders of Torah, down to those in our generation who forsake their physical needs and comforts and construct edifices of Torah and chesed, have viewed things.

We need to follow their example and be open to their positive messages. In fact, Torah Jews live in a state of anticipation, always awaiting the news of Moshiach’s arrival. We should have a sense of expectancy, appreciating that current events are preparing the world for geulah. When we see implausible things happening, we should be hearing the whispers of Moshiach.

Life presents its share of problems and difficulties. Not everything appears to go right, and at times we are let down by people we trusted. Financial difficulties are at the root of much depression and sadness. Relationships don’t always pan out the way we expected and it’s hard to see the silver lining. Our children don’t get accepted to the school we wanted for them, and when that happens, we become dispirited.

Some days it rains, some days it snows, and the sun doesn’t always shine. Some days it’s hot and some days it’s cold. And some days it’s even cold in places we escape to in search of warmth. But that is the way Hashem made the world, for without rain, nothing would grow, and with too much rain, nothing could grow. We enjoy warm weather, but the world needs a cooling period as well, and as we grow, we learn that day follows night and heat follows cold.

Behind the clouds, the sun shines, though its rays are concealed. We need to see beyond the clouds and appreciate that at all times, the sun is providing light and heat, even when we don’t see it.

Torah affects us and allows us to appreciate the prevalent good. Studying Torah makes us optimistic, energetic, and positive.

When learning this week’s parsha, let us resolve to ensure that the posuk of “Velo shomu el Moshe mikotzer ruach umei’avodah kashah” does not describe us. When productive people of faith and vision appeal to us to assist them in their missions to help improve our nation’s plight, to grow Torah, to assist others and engage in activities to bring Moshiach, let us be among those who are broad enough to support them.

Let us resolve that no matter the news of the day, we appreciate the good we have and the potential for better things and better times. No matter what besets us, let us not lose our faith that the pain is temporary and in the near future we will be blessed and content.

Let us always be on the lookout for Eliyohu Hanovi, who will soon be mevaser lonu besoros tovos yeshuos venechamos.