Darkness and Light

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

In this week’s parsha, we study the final three makkos with which Hashem punished Mitzrayim. The ninth makkah was that of choshech, darkness. We learned in school that for a week, Mitzrayim was frozen in a thick, blinding darkness. The  Mitzrim couldn’t see and couldn’t move; they were incapacitated. But the Jews were unaffected by the makkah and had light wherever they went.

The posuk in Beshalach, (13:18) states regarding the exit from Mitzrayim, “vachamushim olu bnei Yisroel m’eretz Mitzrayim.” Rashi, quoting the Medrash, deduces from the word chamushim that only 1/5 of the Jews were redeemed from Mitzrayim, the rest died during makkas choshech.

The wicked among them who didn’t merit redemption died while the shroud of black engulfed Mitzrayim. Those who lacked the strength of faith to maintain their belief in Hashem and remain loyal to their customs and traditions perished during the darkness.

As we grow older and delve into seforim, we merit to develop a deeper understanding of the pesukim and of what transpired. There is discussion in seforim that to bring about the makkah of choshech, Hakadosh Boruch Hu removed the covering from the ohr haganuz, the great light that shined when the world was created and will shine again when the world will realize its potential following Moshiach’s redemption.

Sometimes we encounter a very bright light, so bright that we are warned not to look directly at it, for it damages the eyes of those who gaze at it. The same is true of the sun. Its light is so strong that it is literally blinding; therefore, we don’t stare directly at the sun. Yet the light of the sun is vital to life and without it everything would darken and shrivel.

That light at that time was so bright that those who were not leading meaningful lives were blinded by it. To them, everything was dark. To the Mitzrim, everything was dark.

Some of Klal Yisroel at the time of geulas Mitzrayim were on a high level, as they were preparing themselves to be worthy of redemption. Thus, they were able to withstand the severity of light and were able to benefit from it. But not all of them were righteous. A very high percentage of them were not. For them, the light of the ohr haganuz was deadly. In the face of so much holiness, they could not exist, and thus four-fifths of the Jewish people perished during the plague.

The Mitzrim lived a life of darkness, occupying their time satisfying physical desires, subsumed with immorality and filth. The Jews who survived were subjected physically, but lived on a higher plane. The others, who died during makkas choshech, sought to be like the Egyptians. Their desire for a life of darkness led them to disappear when the great light came. They were drawn to the darkness, to a life of a million slow deaths, and when the force of light was ascendant, they were overcome and died.

For the good Yidden, who sought to live a life of meaning and value, the light of the ohr haganuz was illuminating and invigorating, as it enabled them to see past their physical constraints and towards the day they would be freed and set on the path to nationhood and Har Sinai.

What transpired to our forefathers is a precursor of what will happen to us. As Chazal teach: “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 during 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.

Wherever we turn, we see darkness. The world is enveloped by lies and evil, falsehoods and debauchery. People are vacuous and empty, devoid of meaning, as they live hedonistic lives of little value, chasing passions, trends, thrills, adventures and delights. They contribute little to the enhancement and betterment of the world in general and themselves in particular. Every day is a new opportunity for a new whim, to pursue a new temptation, a new taste, a more sumptuous steak, a more exotic vacation, and to accumulate more money.

At a certain point, the dreams crash, and those people find themselves beset by feelings of emptiness and desolation. They have everything and yet they have nothing. They become anxious and seek therapy and help to find some meaning and value. Pursuing darkness and emptiness leads to a dark, empty life.

The chamushim are thankful that our pursuit of Torah, our observance of mitzvos, and our devotion to chesed and maasim tovim give meaning to our lives. Our concentration on the chinuch of our children grounds us and them. Being guided by the forces of light and goodness brings us happiness and satisfaction in a listless world gone mad.

We know that to merit redemption, we have to protect ourselves from the steady onslaught of tumah, of insidious influences, lures and temptations. We have to raise our levels of kedusha, becoming better in all we do.

New problems arise daily. In order to merit the coming of Moshiach, we have to exert ourselves to remain steadfast to that which makes us great. We have to remember why we were created and what our mission is. When we do something, we should consider whether it brings us closer to Moshiach or draws us away from him. If our action will bring the geulah closer, then we should continue what we are doing. But if it will not hasten the geulah and will not bring light to the world, we should refrain from that action.

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. Mitzrayim, with its dark and corrupt values and attitudes, appealed to them. They viewed Yiddishkeit as regressive and constricting. And then the plague of darkness descended on the country and those poor souls slipped away into oblivion.

At a time that cries out for light, 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 better prepare 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 to further their agenda.

The mitzvah of Kiddush Hachodesh, also in this week’s parsha, reminds us on a monthly basis that we should never despair. Although the moon shrinks and disappears, it always returns to its former glory, size and strength. The Jewish people, as a nation and as individuals, should never perceive loss and hardship as eternal setbacks. Hashem watches over us and provides us the ability of resurgence and growth.

As we see forces of darkness and fiction vying for leadership, we should not be placing our faith in any person, as if our salvation lies in his hands. These weeks especially, we should be strengthening our emunah and bitachon in Hashem and living our lives in the way that we will find favor in His eyes.

Many of our brethren fall prey to false prophets and foreign ideas. 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 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.

There are many mitzvos that the Torah refers to as zeicher l’Yetzias Mitzrayim. We do them to remember our deliverance from Mitzrayim. Hashem could have led the Jews out of slavery in many natural ways. By twisting the laws of nature to free the Bnei Yisroel, Hashem demonstrated that the world was created for the Jews and therefore when it comes to them rules of nature don’t always apply.

Tefillin is one of those mitzvos. The posuk commands us at the very end of the parsha (13:16) to affix tefillin to our arm and head: “Vehoyah l’os al yodcha uletotafos bein einecha, ki b’chozek yod hotzianu Hashem miMitzroyim.”

Since the Torah refers to tefillin as an “os,” a “sign,” Chazal derive that we do not wear tefillin on Shabbos and Yom Tov. We wear tefillin because they are an os, but since Shabbos and Yom Tov are each an os, another os is not required.

What does it mean that tefillin is an os, Shabbos is an os, and Yom Tov is an os?

The Sefas Emes says that when man was created, he was on a higher level than angels. After Adam sinned, his loftier neshomah was removed and kept in Gan Eden. At the time of Yetzias Mitzrayim and Kabbolas HaTorah, that exalted neshomah was returned.

While that neshomah was again forfeited at the time of the chet ha’Eigel, there are times and mitzvos that allow it to return. There are certain mitzvos that cause the neshomah and its strengths to be apparent.

This is what is meant when the Torah says that tefillin is an os. When we are wearing tefillin, the hashpa’os that were apparent at Yetzias Mitzrayim are in force if we properly prepare ourselves and make ourselves worthy.

On Shabbos and Yom Tov, the neshomah yeseirah returns and we are on a higher level than during the rest of the week. They are an os, a sign to the greatness that we are capable of and the levels we were on at the time of Yetzias Mitzrayim. Thus, when we recite Kiddush and proclaim that the day is zeicher l’Yetzias Mitzrayim, we are asking for Hashem to return us to that exalted state.

It is possible for us to attain those levels if we properly prepare ourselves and work towards the goal of being an am kadosh.

Shabbos is a day that transports us to a different world and allows us to perceive things we didn’t understand all week, raising our levels not only of havonah, but also of kedusha, every week.

It is fascinating to consider that every morning, when we put on tefillin, we can raise ourselves to the level of the Jews after Yetzias Mitzrayim. Imagine the heights we could reach daily if instead of putting on tefillin lackadaisically, we would give thought to what we are doing and recognize that we are about to be given an opportunity to see great light and to be on a lofty level of kedusha.

We would daven better, our tefillos would reach higher, and our day would be that much more successful and gratifying. Our pursuits would be more enduring. We wouldn’t have any dark days.

Torah and mitzvos are light - the light that drives out the darkness of today’s makkas choshech. Shabbos, Yom Tov and tefillin remind us of our greatness and allow the light to shine through.

The novi Yeshayahu (60:1-3) tells of the time when Moshiach will arrive. The world will be covered with darkness, and the nations will be enveloped in fog, but Hashem will shine his light upon us.

Just as in Mitzrayim, there will be darkness everywhere and the nations will be enveloped in it, but Klal Yisroel will be blessed with Hashem’s light, as the ohr haganuz will shine again and forever. The darkness is omnipresent, pervading everywhere. It’s time for Hashem to bring His light upon His rising nation, reaching heights of Torah and gedulah as it awaits the great day. May it come soon.

Living Straight Living Real

By Pinchos Lipschutz

If you were asked to define the period in which we are now living, you could be excused for defining it as hypocritic, where lies supplant truth, as truth is mocked, vilified and tossed away. In every field of human endeavor, people who refer to themselves as progressives are succeeding in replacing truth with fiction.

New words and definitions have been invented to explain facts of life, morality, biology and human existence. Concepts that are ridiculous and have no basis in fact or science are promulgated, written into law and adopted by secular society. Any self-respecting thinking individual can see that what is now accepted and the law makes a mockery of fact.

New concepts are invented, and in their name, ridiculous behaviors are forced upon a population that fears that it will be cancelled if it dares to challenge any of it.

Good people are portrayed as bad and deviants are hailed as avant garde. Fools are brilliant, and the intelligent are marked as backward and out of touch.

When the left protests, they are fighting for democracy, but when the right wins elections, they are anti-democratic. When the right attempts to strengthen the judiciary, they are pilloried for corruption, but when the left usurps and corrupts justice, they are honest and upstanding.

When a former Republican president has classified documents, the FBI raids and ransacks his home, but when the current Democrat president is found with the same, it is covered up. The Republican should be tried for treason, they say, while the Democrat is protected.

The Republican had the economy roaring, the world at peace, and the borders shut. Taxes were lowered. There were ready supplies, low energy costs, safe cities, and low crime, but he was not good, they said. He was a failure. The Democrat has open borders, war raging in Europe, empty store shelves, shortages, high energy costs, runaway inflation, inept leadership, immorality and crime, and we are told that he is a great and effective leader who should run again and be reelected.

We watch it and shrug our shoulders. We’ve gotten used to it. We accept it as life. We shouldn’t. Living with lies, accepting fiction as fact, and praising cheats as commendable and people who take advantage of their brethren as philanthropic eventually takes a toll on us, as our senses become dulled to what is true and proper. We become influenced and less honest, less good, and less G-d-fearing.

When we study the teaching of Chazal that the Jews were redeemed from Mitzrayim because they didn’t change their names, dress and language, we wonder about the significance of those behaviors. They appear pedantic and minimal, and we wonder what the big deal was. Why would their names, or their style of dress, or their language make enough of a difference to earn them the right to be redeemed?

The answer is that by maintaining those three outward identifying factors, they were showing that they had not assimilated into the fictitious philosophies of their hosts. They showed that they had not adopted their lifestyles, which were predicated on a host of lies and were fostered to allow aberrant immoral behavioral to take hold. Despite their sorry situation, the Jews remained loyal to the truths and morals handed down to them throughout the generations.

In our time, as well, we need to endeavor to advocate for morality in the country, for the behavior of the culture definitely affects us and our behavior. We have to demonstrate fidelity to the integrity and nobility of our forefathers and prevent ourselves from succumbing to lower forms of conduct, manners and practices.

The Alter of Kelm writes that there are different types of people who search for the truth. There are those who have conquered their middos to the degree that it has become their second nature not to do anything bad. Then there are those who would like to be led by their bad middos, but their intelligence prevents them from acting that way, for they know that it is wrong and will cause bad things to happen to them. Therefore, they control their desires and follow the directives of their intellect.

A third type are people who are not smart. They have strong lusts and desires that blind their limited intellects, and they think that their pursuits will be good for them. However, if someone were to approach them and explain their error to them, since they value the truth, they will listen to the person’s admonishment. There is hope for such people, because their inner desire is to follow the truth and they are willing to listen to - and learn - from others.

The worst of all are people who are far removed from the truth, yet they want the truth. Such people are like someone who at night wants it to be day, but when told that it is night will acquiesce and accept that it is night, even though he would rather it be day.

A wise man accepts reality and deals with it, but the senseless person seeks to twist reality to conform to his wants.

Paroh and his people twisted their sense of reality to conform to the way they wanted to view the world. The Jews, starting with Yosef and Yaakov, and those who followed after them, had enhanced the economy of Mitzrayim and the wellbeing of its citizens. When Paroh decided that his political career would be better off without the Jews around, he conveniently forgot about Yosef and his father and brothers. He changed the reality to conform to his egocentric desires.

When Hashem sent Moshe to Paroh on a mission to free the Jews from bondage, Moshe performed miracles to prove his veracity to Paroh. But the Mitzri leader couldn’t accept a reality that was different from his illusions about himself and his powers. He had his magicians repeat Moshe’s acts to absolve himself of the need of conforming to the will of the Creator.

When Aharon’s stick swallowed the sticks of the magicians, proving that Moshe and Aharon were empowered by a higher force, Paroh simply ignored the act, for it didn’t conform to his craving.

When Moshe Rabbeinu warned Paroh that if he doesn’t free the Jews he will be punished, he was unfazed yet again. He instructed his magicians to turn water to blood and they did so. He disregarded Moshe’s warning at great peril to himself and his country, and they continued to suffer without water.

Although the people were suffering, when Paroh saw that his employees could mimic what Moshe had done, that was enough for him to pacify himself that what Moshe accomplished was not especially meaningful. Since Paroh’s primary interest was not the truth, but rather to continue living and ruling with the fantasy about his supernatural powers and subjugating a lower class of people, he was able to continue the justification of that.

And so it proceeds throughout the parsha. Paroh’s lust for power led him to continuously twist the obvious, apparent reality to conform to his wishes.

We study the parsha year after year and revel in the stories about the makkos, which lead to the eventual freedom of the Jewish people from slavery. We wonder each year anew how it could be that the Mitzriyim and their leader experienced these terrible punishments time after time, and as soon as the affliction was removed, they returned to their grievous behavior towards the Jews.

We laugh at Paroh’s folly and appreciate anew our good fortune. For him it was dark, while for us it was light. He suffered from boils, while we were spared. By him, wild animals marauded about, while we were safe. How could he not have noticed? How could he and his people not have seen that they were being punished for mistreating our forefathers? How could they continue to neglect Moshe’s warnings?

But instead of mocking them, we should turn the focus on ourselves and see if we are afflicted by that same disease. Do we dedicate ourselves to living lives of only truth? Are we always scrupulous in all we do, or do we sometimes shade the truth in the pursuit of landing a customer or making a couple of extra dollars off an existing customer? Do we follow the truth of Torah completely, or do we cheat sometimes when we think nobody is looking? Do we take advantage of people?

Do we always view things with the proper perspective, or do we twist reality to conform to our desire for pleasure and enjoyment? Do we justify honoring the dishonorable because we think it will bring us some benefit? If we feel that we are justified in pursuing a course of action, do we ignore advice from people who know better and have less of a negiah than we do? Do we promote the corrupt, convincing ourselves that they will repay us in some way?

Do we preach to our children, family, and students one way and then, when it comes to ourselves, do the exact opposite, because we have different truths for us and them?

When we learn the parsha week after week, do we learn the lessons that are plainly evident to all who seek the truth and all who seek to improve their lives, or do we twist the message so that it should not affect us and our behavior?

We are basically good people, seeking to live good lives, or else we wouldn’t be reading this. We wouldn’t be studying the parsha and we wouldn’t be living where we do and how we do. But man is always driven to do better, and that drive must be in spiritual matters as well, not only physical matters.

Our ambition must be not just to get a better job or to make more money, but to be a better person and a better Yid. We must seek to improve our middos, our bein adam lachaveiro, and our bein adam laMakom. When we deal with people, we should seek to help them, making life better and easier for them, not more expensive and more complicated and difficult.

Hashem put us here for a reason, and that is the truth, and the reason is not to take advantage of people, to chisel people out of another couple of dollars, putting people down and taking advantage of them. The truth of a Yiddishe life is that no matter what it is that we do for a living, we should use our position to help, not to hinder; to improve, not to impair; to impress, not to depress.

That is the way a good Yid is meant to live. That’s what Chazal mean when they say that they didn’t change shemom, malbushom, and leshonam. It means that they didn’t trade in the things that set us apart, that differentiate a nation with neshamos from nations without.

We stick to the truth. We flock to the truth. We run from deceit, duplicity, insincerity and hypocrisy.

We act in ways that merit the geulah sheleimah bemeheirah.

 

Sparks of Holiness

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

All that transpires is for us to learn from. When things happen in the world, or in the country, and people wonder why such occurrences are taking place and why people are behaving this way, know that the answer is that Hashem wants us to study the incidents and learn mussar lessons from them.

Take what occupied the news pages for the majority of last week. The Congress is led by a Speaker, who is elected by a majority of congressmen. Naturally, the party that elected the most members in the past election puts forward one of its own to lead the Congress. The vote is almost a formality.

Not so this year for the new session of Congress. The man who led the majority party through the years in which it has been the minority was widely assumed to be elected Speaker to lead the Congress and work to ensure that the party’s agenda passes. As party leader, that person played a large role in helping select candidates and get them elected, traveling the country to make appearances and raise money on their behalf.

This time around, that man’s name is Kevin McCarthy. He worked hard while in the opposition and was very active during the past election cycle, which generated a win for his party, albeit a close one. His party has a five-vote plurality in Congress, meaning that every vote is important, and if just a few of his party members step out of line, his party won’t be able to achieve its goals.

That is what happened before the party could even get to work. Though McCarthy was supported by the vast majority of Republican members, a stubborn few would not vote for him as Speaker, no matter what, so nothing happened the entire week besides for voting to elect a Speaker. Each time, he was missing a few votes. The majority had clearly spoken, and 90% of party members voted for him, but the holdouts would not. They would not change their votes, no matter how many times they were spoken to.

But worse than that, they had no end game. They had no candidate for the position, and certainly nobody who could win the election. They were clearly vastly outnumbered, but they didn’t care. They didn’t like certain things about their party’s lone candidate, so they created chaos and mayhem, showing the country that the party is inept at getting things done.

Finally, deals were struck, powerful people intervened, and somehow, enough of the separatists were forced into going along. A Speaker was elected, and now the party and the Congress can get to work and do what they were elected to do…hopefully.

So, why am I writing this? What lesson is there for us here? It was a display of what happens when there is no achdus, when people can’t get together for a common cause.

Achdus is one of our most important mandates. It is vital for us to be able to function as a group, and also the way that we need to conduct ourselves as individuals, always with concern about the common good and about caring for the individuals among us. Achdus is also a prerequisite for the coming of Moshiach, whose arrival we all desperately await.

In this week’s parsha, we also learn about achdus and our mandate to care for each other.

Moshe Rabbeinu was brought up in the king’s palace, leading what would be termed today a sheltered life. One day, he left the royal residence to go see for himself what was transpiring with his Jewish brethren. Growing up in the royal bubble, he had no relationship with any Jews. As he grew older, he wanted to get out and meet them and assess their situation.

Upon witnessing a Mitzri beating a Jew, he was overcome with grief. His first reaction was to kill the evil man who was hurting his brother. Until that day, he had been restricted from meeting any Jews, yet as soon as he saw their affliction, he felt the pain and sought to remedy it.

He thought that no one had seen what he did, yet two wicked Jews had watched as he committed the selfless act. They mocked him and he responded to no one in particular, “Ochein, noda hadovor.”

Rashi (Shemos 2:14) explains that Moshe was saying that he had wondered why Klal Yisroel was singled out from all the nations of the world for suffering, but when he heard the comments of those two men, he understood that Am Yisroel was deserving of the subjugation.

Hearing their negativity and apathy regarding a fellow Jew, he perceived the discord and realized why they were in servitude. When he saw the lack of achdus, he understood why they were stuck in a bad predicament.

For Klal Yisroel to be able to withstand those who set upon it to destroy it, the nation needs its people to be united and connected, feeling responsible for each other. In order to merit redemption, then and now, they needed to be united, caring for each other. The actions of Doson and Avirom showed clearly that the people were lacking in their feelings and behavior.

As we study this week’s parsha, we learn lessons relevant to our day. We wonder why our people are still in exile. Why haven’t we gained our freedom after all these years? Haven’t we suffered enough? We look around and see many people in pain from economic problems. Others are experiencing problems with their children. We see families destroyed, families broke, lonely people, and people in pain experiencing different forms of hurt, grief and anguish.

We wonder why and then we hear Moshe Rabbeinu saying, “Ochein, noda hadovor.” The poor Jew who was beaten by the Mitzri didn’t know Doson and Avirom, but when Jews act that way, everyone suffers.

It takes but a cursory view of our situation to see that we don’t have complete achdus. There is so much chesed and increasing amounts of good being done in our community. There are organizations for everything, and there are generous people who support them, as well as a rapidly increasing number of yeshivos and schools for the growing population, kein yirbu.

But despite all of that, there are many who are falling between the cracks and not being reached and served. Despite increasing classroom space, there are still children who feel rejected and unwanted because they weren’t accepted to any school. Despite all the talk about shiduchim, there are many fine, young people who aren’t redt shiduchim.

Feelings of achdus, should motivate us to care enough to do what we can to help others.

Moshe Rabbeinu was the first leader of our people. His first venture outside of the palace cocoon brought him face to face with the faults of his people. As a result, he was forced to flee to Midyan. And just like that, he went from living as a prince to becoming a shepherd.

His introduction to leadership came in a dramatic encounter. As he was leading the sheep to pasture on Har Chorev, he noticed a bush on fire. But there was something strange going on. The branches were not being consumed and the fire was not going out.

He approached the bush to get a closer look. He realized that if this happened when he was there with his sheep, there was a reason this was happening and he wanted to understand what it was. Perhaps there was a lesson for him there.

There was a relevance and power to the bush. He perceived a latent sanctity to the sparks.

Moshe saw the bush aflame and recognized holiness. Although he was in a desert, with nothing around, he was searching for kedusha wherever he went. When he came upon this seemingly supernatural event, he approached. Perhaps he had come across the kedusha he was searching for, or at least there was a lesson for him. Though he found himself in the darkness of a strange land, in midst of the vacuity of a desert, he believed that Hashem had led him to where he was for a reason, and wherever he went, he searched for that reason.

This is what identified him as the person who can lead the children of Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov from Mitzrayim.

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

In golus, we need to be on the lookout for kedusha. We need to learn from daily encounters and from what is going on in the world around us in order to place ourselves – and remain – 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, potential for dramatic growth in a desert, and they found glory in a lowly bush with little chance for life.

In golus, there are times when people want to give up. They think it’s over. They believe that we will never be able to bounce back from the destruction. They see people who have stumbled and blundered and give up on them. Thinking that their souls have been snuffed out, they give up and assume that nothing good will ever come from them.

Yet, the good and the great among us see sparks of holiness waiting to be lit. They see a soul on fire, suppressed but looking for a way to break out.

Achdus is what keeps our people alive through the vagaries of golus, because it causes us to care about every person and seek to nurture and support them, no matter their situation.

Achdus doesn’t just mean that we all need to get along. Achdus doesn’t just mean not to put people down because they are different than you, because they look different, or they dress differently, or they learn differently than you do. Achdus means that despite all the superficial differences that exist between all the different shevotim and people who hail from different countries across the Diaspora, with different accents and dialects, deep down we are all the same.

Rashi, at the beginning of this week’s parsha, writes that we are compared to the kochavim, the many stars in heaven. Even though each star is different and gives off but a small drop of light, each one is special and has a task that only it can perform. When you look through a telescope, you can see that the stars together form shapes, providing direction and guidance to people below looking up to the sky to figure out where they are and how to get to where they are going.

We are but a small star giving off a small amount of light, but when we are together, joined by achdus, we overwhelm the darkness and provide direction and support for all. It’s like when you pass a construction zone on a highway, and in the darkness you see tall lights, illuminating the road as if it were the middle of the day, so that people can work and drive and function.

We are those lights. When we are together, we bring light to all. Despite how dark the golus may be and despite individual pain, loss and grief, everyone can bask in our glow and warmth.

May we merit to learn the lessons of the parsha and the day, so that we come together, each with our sparks, and help cause the great light of Hakadosh Boruch Hu to once again shine and envelop the world with kedusha and geulah, speedily in our day.

 

On Antisemitism

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Rashi in Parshas Vayechi (50:5) tells of a strange financial discussion. Yaakov Avinu yearned to be buried next to his parents and grandparents in the Meoras Hamachpeilah. To ensure that his children wouldn’t experience any difficulties realizing his desire, he met with his brother, Eisov, to negotiate a clear purchase of the plot.

Rashi relates that Yaakov took the gold and silver he had amassed in the house of Lovon and piled it on the table. He offered it to Eisov in exchange for the plot in the Meorah.

Meforshim are bothered by this encounter. Many ask why, if Yaakov was coming to negotiate, he would immediately offer all of his money. Why did he not begin the discussion with a low offer and proceed to raise it as necessary to make the deal?

One answer given is that Eisov had one zechus over his brother; there was one area in which he had excelled: kibbud av. During the years Yaakov spent in chutz la’aretz, Eisov remained at his father’s side, earning untold merit.

Yaakov was addressing this point. “Eisov,” he told him, “I know that you feel that your eternal place is with our father, since you served him so faithfully while I was away, but know this: The measure of what a person feels or believes is shown in what he treasures. The fact that I was in chutz la’aretz becoming wealthy cannot be held against me if all that money is meaningless to me. So here it is. Take it.”

By accepting the money in exchange for the burial spot, Eisov conceded that money was his primary value. Gold and silver were more valuable to him than his relationship with his father.

Yaakov Avinu turned the tables on his sly brother, showing his reverence for his father and disdain for the money, thus earning his eternal place in the hallowed cave of our forefathers.

The most common in a long list of hateful anti-Semitic epithets hurled our way throughout the ages has been that Jews love money, control the banks, and hoard millions in secret accounts.

This Rashi, which is based on a Medrash, through discussion of a brotherly financial deal, sheds light on reality. The word kessef, say the seforim, has the same root as the word kissufim, yearnings. The longing that man has to amass worldly goods is a parable for the most meaningful kissufim, the pining of a neshomah for the divine. Yaakov told Eisov to take the whole pile of gold and silver he slaved for in Lovon’s house, earning his fortune by working through freezing nights and scorching days. He knew that money is of temporary value. It has no permanence, unless it is invested in eternity. To Yaakov, money was a vehicle to enable him to become more attached to the divine. To Eisov, amassing a fortune was the ultimate goal.

Being conscious of the purpose of financial blessings is an extremely difficult nisayon. Not all merit passing that test, for often, in the process of accumulating wealth, people lose sight of its purpose. Many have said that the dangers of wealth supersede those of poverty. People become enamored with their wealth, seeing it as an end unto itself, and waste it on pursuing pleasures which are quickly forgotten, instead of seeking to accrue for themselves eternal possessions.

A wealthy man expressed his frustration to the Chofetz Chaim regarding his inability to donate large amounts of money to tzedakah. He said that when he was a poor yeshiva bochur, he pleaded with Hashem to bless him with wealth so that he could generously help people. However, when his prayers were answered and he attained financial success, he found himself unable to dip his hand into his pocket for others.

The Chofetz Chaim responded with a moshol about a man who was walking down a street and saw a drunk rolling in the gutter, covered in filth. The passerby shook his head in disgust and said, “Were I to drink, I would never behave that way.”

The Chofetz Chaim smiled and explained the fallacy of the man’s reasoning.

“While he is sober, he has control over his thought process, but when he is drunk, he no longer has control,” said the Chofetz Chaim. “A person who is sober does not know how he would behave under the influence of alcohol.

“So too, the poor man has no concept of the pull that money has over its owner and the difficulty people with wealth have in parting with any of it. When you were a destitute bochur, you were able to see things clearly, but now, you are controlled by your money, not by the clear thoughts of your youth.”

We have seen individuals in our community rise to this nisayon. Thanks to the generosity of those who follow the lesson of Yaakov Avinu, new mosdos have been built, yeshivos have been opened and expanded, and vital initiatives and programs have been launched to help others.

Ma’asei avos simon labonim. Yaakov Avinu’s offer to Eisov is a simon, a sign, illuminating our path ever since.

Yosef, who battled temptations in the exile, provides inspiration until this very day. Far removed from his father and family, he maintained his integrity and belief despite the many obstacles thrown his way. The Ramban (47:14) writes that the Torah describes how Yosef Hatzaddik saved the Egyptian economy not only to portray his wisdom, but to teach that despite all the money that passed through his hands and the opportunity to siphon cash for himself, he remained loyal and faithful to his boss.

Through this, Yosef earned the love of the people, because the Ribbono Shel Olam, Who bestows grace upon man, provides chein to those who fear Him. Yosef’s faithfulness allowed him to be both effective and beloved.

We hear an echo of this Ramban about the chein bestowed upon those who work with yiras Shomayim, seeing money not as an end, but as a goal with which to accomplish great things. Those who are selfless in their dedication to others ultimately earn their respect and love.

But that only lasted as long as Yaakov was alive. Once he passed away, the difficulties of the exile began. The Mitzriyim quickly forgot – or acted as if they no longer remembered – all the good that accrued to them in the merit of Yaakov Avinu. The hunger stopped and they were blessed with seventeen years of prosperity. Yosef’s bureaucratic brilliance and the ingenuity with which he developed a system that fed and kept alive the Mitzriyim and many others during the rough years were erased from their minds and books.

After the passing of Yosef, with the increasing Jewish population and their dispersion around the country and assimilation with the Mitzriyim, the Jews became a despised group. Wealthy and blessed as they were, their contributions, morality and kindness were quickly negated. They were viewed with suspicion and accused of malice and worse.

The pattern of the exile, which would follow until this very day, began. The Jews settled as refugees from a foreign land and prospered and integrated in the new host country. Things were looking up. Here we are welcome, respected and treasured. Here it will be good, they thought. And then the people turned on them, vilified them, and kept their distance, eventually enslaving them, killing their children and tormenting them in every way they knew.

In future eras, the pattern would repeat. Welcomed as refugees, they slowly acclimated, then assimilated, becoming proud citizens, feeling at home, as if the exile had ended and they were in the promised land. But then, inevitably, the nation turned on them, shunted them aside, and accused them of every crime, saying that their money was ill gotten. Their patriotism was questioned and they were accused of having dual loyalties, their host country just something for the parasitic group to nurture itself from.

We give it a name to make ourselves feel better, as if it is some type of malady the country and world can be cured of. Anti-Semitism. We forget that what is happening today is a manifestation of the historic pattern set into place by the Creator to keep Am Yisroel separated from the outside culture and moral degeneration, and to keep them connected to Torah and Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The Netziv wrote about this in a special treatise he published with his sefer on Shir Hashirim

And the Meshech Chochmah famously discusses this in Parshas Bechukosai.

The latent hatred is always there, but as long as the Jewish people keep to themselves and recognize that Hashem watches over them with Hashgocha Protis, as they follow the mitzvos of the Torah according to the Shulchan Aruch, caring for each other and using their blessings for the communal benefit, Hashem keeps the hatred hidden and the superficial love is apparent. When the people get so comfortable that they think they need no protector and can veer away from Hashem and His commandments, the hatred rises to the surface and what we call anti-Semitism is manifest.

So many countries in the world nowadays don’t build things. They build lies. Russia builds lies, attacking a neighboring state, getting bogged down in a disastrous war and lying about every facet of it. The American administration led the country into an inflationary spiral as it sought to curtail the use of fossil fuels, pumping trillions of dollars into the economy in pursuit of green and woke goals. The United Nations, charted to pursue peace, instead lies about everything, especially Israel. The media lies about the right, censoring and libeling them, as it does of course about Jews. Going after religious Jews is now in vogue.

What we can do as individuals is to remain committed to the gedorim of halacha that prevent us from sinking along with the morass of humanity, as woke and deviant ideologies and lifestyles are promoted and pushed the world over. The social fabric that holds together families and communities is unraveling, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to prevent the acrid air from fouling us and our children. In our Goshens, we must endeavor to remain loyal, separate and distinct so that we remain an am kadosh, continuing to merit the Divine protection.

The Chofetz Chaim and Rav Avrohom Mordechai Alter, the Gerrer Rebbe, once traveled together by train to the capital city of Warsaw for an important mission.

In those days, the train would wait for some time at each station. Chassidim would pass word to each other about the Rebbe’s route, and they would throng to the local stations. For many, it represented the best chance to catch a glimpse of the Rebbe. As the train approached the first stop, the Rebbe’s gabbai told him that they were almost at the station. The Rebbe rose to oblige the people waiting on the platform. The Rebbe asked the Chofetz Chaim to join him, but the elderly giant said that he was worried that the kavod received from so many people would affect him. He said that he would remain in his seat.

The Rebbe turned to the Chofetz Chaim. “Fahr Yidden’s veggen, to satisfy the sincere, authentic will of Jews to express kavod haTorah, it’s worth enduring the heat of gehennom,” said the Rebbe.

Upon hearing this, the Chofetz Chaim linked arms with the Rebbe, joining him. To benefit Yidden, he was prepared to suffer. Together, they stepped out at that station, and at each subsequent one on the way to their destination.

Two humble giants, sacrificing their own inhibitions for the benefit of others. Such has been the way of good Jews throughout the ages, overcoming their own reticence and desire for privacy and personal growth for the needs of the time, never seeking to derive benefit of their actions for themselves.

When we demonstrate through our actions that we understand and appreciate why Hashem has blessed us, everyone gains. When we all contribute that with which Hashem has blessed us for the benefit of each other, we gain and the community gains. When we give selflessly, we grow. We cause each other to grow and enable success to take root. When we go beyond our comfort zones to comfort others, to console and support; when we go when it’s difficult and contribute when we don’t want to, we earn zechuyos for ourselves and Am Yisroel.

When we recognize that Hashem blessed each person with different gifts with which to benefit Am Yisroel and use those gifts in the way they were intended, we can stave off the punishing hatred of golus. If we believe that what has come to us is due to our own abilities and wisdom, without the direction of the One above, the posuk forewarns that great harm will follow.

Let us all appreciate that all we have is from Hashem, given to us so that we can each carry out our individual missions in this world, benefitting ourselves and others. If you realize that everything we have was gifted to us for a purpose, it is easier for us to part with it and use it lehagdil Torah ulehaadira and to benefit those who have been given less. It enables us to earn Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s protection over ourselves and our people, and keeps the nations’ hatred toward us suppressed.

May Hakadosh Boruch Hu bless our people with parnossah b’revach, and may our roshei yeshiva, rabbonim, mechanchim, baalei tzedakah and askonim continue to build and expand what they are doing, so that we merit Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s Hashgocha and the ultimate redemption very speedily in our day.