Fidelity to the Truth

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

We are meant to learn lessons from current events. Today’s headlines connect to the first Rashi in this week’s parsha.

A new president took office three weeks ago, promising to tackle waste and fraud in government while returning power to the people. Since then, he has worked forcefully to root out corruption and inefficiency in government spending. Taxpayers, stunned and disgusted, are learning the full extent of how billions of their hard-earned dollars were squandered.

Despite these revelations, the mainstream media continues to ignore these disclosures and maintains its relentless criticism of the president, who is fulfilling the will of the people. His efforts to shrink the bloated government and reduce the excessive expenditures that contributed to a staggering $37 trillion deficit are met with resistance from those who benefit from the status quo.

The Democrat Party and its representatives, who turned a blind eye to the mistakes and failures of the previous administration and its ineffective, incoherent leadership, have now turned their ire on the president. They attack his attempts to clean up government and restore American greatness.

President Trump and his administration are being vilified for exposing the lies and deceptions that allowed the government to operate under a veil of corruption. For this crime, he faces daily ridicule. Last week, Vice President J.D. Vance traveled to Europe, where he delivered a sharp critique of European nations, calling out their hypocrisy. The response was swift and predictable, as the vice president committed the cardinal sin of breaking with the norm of diplomatic complacency, challenging the idea that global leaders must always play along with the prevailing narratives, as fictitious as they may be.

Two weeks ago, the president exposed the hypocrisy of the Arab world and those who harbor animosity toward Israel when he proposed relocating the residents of Gaza from the land, which has become a grim and desolate place under Hamas control. After more than a year of Israeli bombardment, it has become uninhabitable for human life. Rather than receiving praise for offering Gaza’s residents a chance at a normal life by changing the status quo, the president was harshly condemned by those who claim to be concerned about so-called refugees. In reality, they revealed that they don’t genuinely care for this population. Instead, they use them as pawns in their ongoing battle against Israel.

In the world in which we live, truth is rare. Fiction, deviation, misinformation, and half-truths pervade across the world. The only way to have a connection to the truth is by following the Torah. Consequently, the laws that govern financial interactions between people must have a basis in the Torah for them to be truthful and just. Relying on other sources will lead to improper outcomes.

Parshas Mishpotim follows Yisro, because the dramatic and awe-inspiring majesty and glory of Maamad Har Sinai were an introduction to the laws governing how we deal with each other.

The depth of the connection between the two parshiyos is discussed by the Sefas Emes, who explains that “Ve’eileh hamishpotim asher tosim lifneihem” is the natural consequence of “Anochi Hashem Elokecha.”

The posuk states, “…asher tosim lifneihem,” teaching us that even though these laws appear to be rational, Jews are forbidden to adjudicate their disputes in secular courts. Even if the secular laws seem to equal those that appear in the Torah, we must know that they are not. There are truths and then there is the Torah’s truth, composed and transmitted by the One who created the world. We don’t live our lives in accordance with social mores and customs of the world around us. We live with His truth, the real truth.

Chazal teach that Hashem created the world according to the Torah. Therefore, it follows that the rule by which Hashem designed us to live is that of the Torah. The halachos are based on the logic of the Torah, not the logic of human beings. If our logic happens to conform with the Torah, that is because we have studied the Torah and it has affected us. It is also because the Creator created us to follow the rules of the Torah and implanted in us those concepts. The reason why a person who injured someone else pays him damages is not because it makes sense, but because the Torah mandates us to do so. Since that is the rule of the Torah and the world was created according to the laws of the Torah, people have those concepts embedded into them.

When people veer from the Torah, when people are corrupted, their mindset also changes and becomes corrupted. While they acknowledge the obligation to be truthful, they view truth differently in order to justify their way of life. Truth remains a value, but it becomes subservient to their agenda and objectives. They justify lying for what they view as the common good. They hew to a veneer of fidelity to the law coupled with kindness and goodness as they convince themselves that they are good people. Eventually, those around them and those who deal with them and study them recognize that it is all a ruse.

Study the leaders and administrators of communist and socialist countries and you will find that those who claim to be leaders of a worker’s paradise where all people are treated equally are, in fact, sadist butchers, who could care less about people’s rights, possessions, and lives. The same is true, though not on the same level, of the full gamut of politicians who care for themselves and their own power and wealth, viewing the people as pawns they must use to help them fulfill their desires. These people appoint judges and bureaucrats who will carry out their will and help advance the desired agenda. They speak of fidelity to truth, justice, and fairness, but, in truth, veer far from their stated goals.

The world runs on a form of fiction, a lie that is compelling and enticing and bears all the similarities to the truth. But it is still a lie. The system of justice presents itself as honorific and precise, but all too often, we find that the people who administer justice are lacking in fidelity to a just code.

From outside appearances, it seems that the laws are similar, but they are not. There are some things that you think you can accept at face value, but even those are often fiction. The yeitzer hora tempts us with different guises. Some are transparent and obvious enticements, while others are more cleverly devised to fool and entrap us. Societal mores are presented as truths, and those who don’t accept them are made to feel that they are out-of-fashion and irrelevant vestiges from a different time.

It’s all a game. Some people play baseball, some play football, and some play the truth.

There is no truth outside of the Torah. Leadership is about acting, about sincerity and compassion, about intelligence and presence. Facts and numbers are stubborn things, but they are either ignored or spun by those in power to create and foster the narrative necessary to promote their agenda.

The Torah is eternally true and relevant. We are not affected by today’s trends and fads, for we know that they will not stand the test of time. To compromise on truths is to engage in a fictitious momentary pursuit. To compromise on what we are and what we stand for to appeal to the world is a foolish endeavor.

The transparent attempts to betray the life-giving vision and mission of the Torah are to untether our vital links in exchange for temporal and fleeting societal standards that are in constant flux.

Chazal refer to this world as “alma deshikra,” meaning that everything around us is a lie. It’s all fake. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we can have a connection to the truth of the Torah. When we recognize that the nations of the world are governed by lies covered by a veneer of integrity, we learn a valuable lesson in how to navigate its roads and avoid its pitfalls.

Much of what happens in the world is akin to a Potemkin village, a deceptive or superficial facade created to give a false impression of prosperity, success, or well-being for the purpose of misleading others or hiding what is going on. So often, appearances are not what they seem, having been deliberately manipulated to conceal undesirable realities.

It’s one thing when marketers craft illusions of an ideal scenario while concealing the often less flattering reality. But it’s an entirely different matter when a government, particularly an American government, does the same. For four years, a man was propped up as president, while everyone in his administration, his party, and the media knew that he was physically and mentally incapable of fulfilling his duties.

Now, we’re learning that the funds we were told were being allocated to charitable projects worldwide were, in fact, funneled into a massive slush fund for Democrats, their allies, and their associates. The public was deceived for years, but it was all supposedly for the greater good—to advance the liberal progressive agenda in this country and around the world, and to enrich those connected to the political elite.

Anyone whose neshomah was at Har Sinai must learn this parsha and realize that if we study Parshas Yisro and accept the Torah and its truth, but we fail to study and properly observe the laws contained in Parshas Mishpotim, our acceptance of the Torah is lacking. Yisro is contingent on Mishpotim. One who doesn’t properly carry out the laws of Choshen Mishpot can be neither a ben Torah nor a mokir Torah. Someone who lacks respect for the property of others is lacking in faith. Those who engage in fraud and disrespect are not only dishonest and uncaring, but have failed in their commitment of naaseh v’nishma.

Sometimes, people neglect or bend the laws of Choshen Mishpot because they place the pursuit of finances above all other values. In so doing, they demonstrate their human frailty as well as a lack of faith in the Divine order. At times, man’s vision becomes clouded. We must endeavor to always be honest and upstanding in our dealings, not permitting our own interests to subconsciously cause us to err.

The Torah that we follow is comprised of emes and its paths lead to peace. In order to achieve proper lasting relationships and friendships, they must be based on honesty and fidelity to the truth. If we are evasive or deceptive, as charming as we try to be and as hard as we try to mask our differences, we will ultimately fail.

Armed with strength and truth, and guided by the Torah, we can build bridges to make the world a better place and prepare it for the coming of Moshiach. By being honest, facing up to our differences and surmounting them, we can reach accommodations that last over time.

Just as life has no meaning without the Torah, so is the order of creation interrupted by a lack of mishpot. When the baal korei reads the Aseres Hadibros, everyone pays close attention, for we know that the Torah is the song and foundation of life, and these hallowed words are the foundation of Torah and a Torah life.

But we must know that the pesukim of Mishpotim are also verses in that song and form the foundation of Torah life. The Torah is not a theoretical and philosophical book. It is the very foundation of the world, of life in general and our lives in particular. Those who live by it are blessed and live a blessed life.

May we study these laws of mishpotim of Choshen Mishpot as well as we study the laws of Orach Chaim, so that we know them and follow them as second nature. Doing so will earn for us the brachos of the Torah and help us merit the geulah sheleimah bekarov.

The Beauty of Shabbos

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Finally, after generations of enslavement in Mitzrayim and a dramatic redemption, Klal Yisroel reaches the apex of creation, standing at Har Sinai and receiving the Torah from Hakadosh Boruch Hu. They hear the Aseres Hadibros and are awed and inspired to live lives of holiness, following the will of the Creator.

One of the mitzvos included in the Aseres Hadibros is Shabbos. We study the posuk of “Zachor es yom haShabbos lekadsho” (20:8), which literally translates as “Remember the Shabbos day to make it holy.”

The pesukim then state that we are to work six days of the week and rest on the seventh, not doing any work on that day because Hashem created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Therefore, He blessed the Shabbos day and sanctified it.

The Ramban explains the posuk of “Zachor es yom haShabbos lekadsho” to mean that it is a mitzvah to remember to sanctify Shabbos and keep it holy. He cites the posuk which states, “Vekarasa laShabbos oneg likdosh Hashem” (Yeshayahu 58:13), and writes that when we rest on Shabbos, we do so because it is a holy day. We therefore take a break from even thinking about mundane matters. Instead, we seek to satiate our souls in the way of Hashem and study Torah.

In Parshas Beshalach (16:28-29), the Torah discusses Shabbos in reference to the monn. A double portion fell on Friday because none fell on Shabbos. The posuk states, “Reu ki Hashem nosan lochem es haShabbos - See that Hashem has given you the Shabbos.”

The Seforno explains that the posuk is saying that we should think about the concept that Hashem has given us Shabbos, which has two components that set it apart from the rest of the week: firstly, through its mitzvos, and secondly, because it is a gift that Hashem gave to the Bnei Yisroel.

This is probably based on the Gemara in Shabbos (10b), which states that Hashem told Moshe that He has a good gift among His treasures by the name of Shabbos and He wishes to present it to Klal Yisroel.

What is the gift? Is it the entirety of Shabbos or is it a component of Shabbos?

In the sefer from Rav Meir Soloveitchik al haTorah, in Parshas Beshalach, it is brought from the Brisker Rov that he deduced from a Rashi in Bereishis (2:2) that the rest component of Shabbos – menucha – is not just a lack of work, but a special creation that Hashem presented to us. He says that Shabbos has two components. The first is its mitzvos and the second is the menucha.

The Brisker Rov concluded that the menucha of Shabbos was especially created for the Jewish people and is the gift that Hashem gave us.

What is the gift of menucha?

Rav Shimshon Pincus (Shabbos Malkesa 3:4, 2) explains that when a person engages in intense physical labor, he naturally becomes tired and requires rest. This is rooted in the laws of nature, as it reflects a deep spiritual truth: that the source of all life is spiritual. The physical realm, by contrast, is not only distinct from the spiritual, but also serves as a barrier, distancing a person from his spiritual essence and, in turn, from his true source of vitality.

When someone immerses themselves entirely in physical labor, he becomes disconnected from this spiritual energy, leading to exhaustion. However, when he ceases his physical exertion and rest, his physical side no longer obstructs his spiritual side. This allows him to reconnect with his true source of life, replenishing his energy and restoring his vitality.

This is compounded when we sleep and our neshamos ascend on high to their Creator, becoming reconnected to their life source. They return to us fully charged and we wake up energized to take on the day.

The gift that Hashem gave us with Shabbos is that on this day we totally separate from gashmiyus – physical labor, activities, and thoughts – and return to ruchniyus, that which is spiritual. The holiness of Shabbos envelops us. Once we are unburdened from the physical aspects of life that we have been enveloped by for the past six days, we enter the realm of the kedusha and menucha of Shabbos, as we proclaim, “Yom menucha ukedusha l’amcha nosata.”

Shabbos disconnects us from gashmiyus, enveloping us in the source of energy and life. This is the ultimate gift of menucha that Hashem presented to us.

In order to merit this gift, however, we have to do our part and not only refrain from doing the physical labor of the 39 melachos, but, on Shabbos, elevate ourselves from the mundane through our actions and also through our thoughts. We refrain from discussing, reading about, or thinking about work and the everyday concerns that occupy our minds during the week. Shabbos is a time to step away from the ordinary and reconnect with a higher, spiritual realm. The more we do so, the better off we are and the more energetic we will be.

Menuchas Shabbos is not about lounging around, engaging in shallow conversations, or indulging in gossip without regard for the truth or the harm it may cause. It is not about speaking ill of others, mocking them, or simply passing the time with meaningless chatter.

Those who seek to experience the gift of menuchas Shabbos do so by elevating their ruchniyus through learning, refining their behavior, thoughts, speech, and what they read and focus on.

Shabbos is not solely about refraining from the 39 melachos. It’s about rising above our physical, material side as much as possible. It’s an opportunity to connect more deeply to our spiritual essence.

Shabbos is a precious gift from Hashem. The more we recognize and appreciate this gift, the closer we draw to Him and the better off we are. Viewing Shabbos as a burden only robs us of the deep opportunities it offers. It keeps us stuck in the triviality of the physical world, sapping our energy and preventing us from experiencing the true depth and perception this holy day can provide.

The holiness of Shabbos is so profound that, according to the Vilna Gaon, when we eat and drink on Shabbos to fulfill the commandment of oneg, experiencing the joy of eating and drinking on Shabbos, it is as sacred as if we were partaking in a korban. The reason for this, he explains, is that by engaging in these physical acts, we bridge the gap between the physical and spiritual realms, connecting the material (gashmi) and the spiritual (ruchni).

Rav Dovid Cohen elaborates on this by explaining that the essence of kedushas Shabbos lies in elevating the physical world and connecting it to the neshomah. Eating and enjoying food, though a physical act, becomes a spiritual one when done with the intention of fulfilling the mitzvah. As a result, this act is considered so holy that it is as if the person was consuming the meat of a korban.

Imagine that, although we are in golus, without the Bais Hamikdosh and without korbanos, every Shabbos we have the opportunity to eat in a way that is equal to eating korbanos. We don’t have to travel anywhere or do anything special. All we need to do is sit at our Shabbos table, immersed in the sanctity of the day, enjoying the delicacies our mothers and wives prepared for us and the family. Most likely, the recipes they used were handed down to them from their mothers, who received them from their mothers for hundreds of years, each one of whom cooked for a family of mekadshei Shabbos who had the pleasure equivalent to eating korbanos that were shechted in the Bais Hamikdosh.

No matter where they lived and how hard they worked all week, they all enjoyed the transformative powers of Shabbos, the yom menucha ukedusha.

Davening in the Zichron Moshe Shul in the heart of Yerushalayim’s Geulah neighborhood is a special pleasure. The shul and its shtieblach welcome Jews of all stripes who combine to form the beautiful mosaic that is Geulah in particular and Yerushalayim in general. Sitting side by side are the greatest talmidei chachomim, tzaddikim, mekubolim, tradesmen, shleppers, and every other type of Torah Jew you can imagine. It’s a special feeling to share a bench with them and call out to Hashem in the Holy City in the Holy Land.

I was there one Friday morning and saw a man sleeping on a bench. His clothing was dirty. His sleep was repeatedly interrupted as he scratched himself in pain from not having showered in many days. It was a pitiful sight, though not unusual in that hallowed shul.

On Friday evening, I was going to a different neighborhood for the meal and would be davening there as well. However, I went out of my way to pass Zichron Moshe and take in its sights and sounds.

As I passed the shul, I stopped by the window of the large bais medrash, known as “The Big.” I looked towards the mizrach, and there, next to the rov, was the man who, that morning, had been sleeping in squalor on a bench in that very room. From the window, I saw him as he sat on the mizrach wall, facing the mispallelim. He was bedecked in a Yerushalayimer gold bekeshe and shtreimel. He was shining as he sat there with a broad smile on his face. He looked like a malach.

Shabbos transformed him. He was a new person.

It was Shabbos, and he was a new being, almost unrecognizable from what he was a few hours before.

I stood there soaking in the image and thinking that this is how the geulah will be. We are overcome with shmutz, dirt, pain, and sadness. We are in golus, exiled among the nations and those who have strayed. We are far from home. But we do not despair. We know that the day of our redemption is around the corner. We will be cleansed, freshened, and made anew. Joy will return. And in the very place where we experienced pain, humiliation, and suffering, we will find comfort.

Meforshim wonder about the connection between the geulah and the heightened moments when Shabbos enters every week, which are combined in the universally recited Lecha Dodi.

We raise our voices and sing, welcoming the kallah, yet the words we chant aren’t as much about Shabbos as about Yerushalayim.

We shift from Likras Shabbos to Mikdash Melech, focusing on the Palace of the King. We hope for Hisna’ari and call out for Hisoreri, breaking into dance as we envision the time of Yosis Olayich Elokoyich.

The commentators ask why we chant these poetic expressions about the redemption and Yerushalayim at the time that Shabbos descends upon the world. Why do we mix the two?

In Zichron Moshe, as I stood transfixed at that window, I saw the transformational power of Shabbos and I discovered the answer to this question.

Every Shabbos, we are each able to rise from the dust of the workweek, from the darkness of golus - mei’afar kumi.

When Moshiach comes, we will do so as a people, together, just as we sing in Lecha Dodi: “Hisna’ari mei’afar kumi livshi bigdei sifarteich ami al yad ben Yishai bais halachmi korvah el nafshi ge’olah.”

May we all merit, each week, the transformation that Shabbos offers, and the ultimate transformation that Moshiach will bring when he redeems us from the struggles of the six days and ushers us into the world of eternal Shabbos.

Choose the Path of Faith

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Recently, we’ve become all too familiar with the heartbreaking news from Eretz Yisroel: surprise attacks, bombings, hostages, deaths, and soldiers killed and suffering grave injuries. Each day brings new challenges—political unrest, legal battles, and the looming threat of the giyus. We long for the day when peace will finally prevail in our ancient homeland, and our brothers and sisters can live in safety and harmony.

Good news is rare, and when it comes, we cherish it.

Last week, there was news that gave everyone a jolt and a feeling of chizuk. Three female hostages were released on Thursday. Big deal, you say. We have become used to hostages being released by the savages who have been holding them since October 7^th. But this release was different.

First, we must learn not to take the news and world events as mere facts. Every occurrence carries a lesson, a message from Hashem guiding us on how to live our lives. Nothing happens by chance; everything is orchestrated with purpose.

Second, when good news arrives, it should bring us happiness. The release of a Jewish captive, held in deplorable conditions for over a year, is significant and is worthy of celebration. It’s an opportunity to recognize Hashem’s kindness, just as we acknowledge His judgment in times of tragedy.

We should embrace good news, celebrate it, and remember it, rather than focusing solely on the sorrow and constantly criticizing. There is much good in the world, and it’s important to seek it out and celebrate it.

Last week’s release was special for several reasons. As part of the latest cease-fire deal, for some reason, the release of hostages takes place on Shabbos. Agam Berger was on the list to be released last Shabbos. Her mother asked that the public refrain from engaging in any chillul Shabbos surrounding her release. She asked that no pictures be taken on Shabbos and that none of her and her family’s friends should travel to greet her on Shabbos when she is brought to an Israeli hospital for a medical review.

The Bergers were not a religious family prior to the tragic day when Agam and so many others were taken hostage. But as the ordeal began, Mrs. Berger decided that the hostages were taken because they were Jewish and that it would be a zechus for them to be released if she and others would become more Jewish. She found her daughter’s diary where she wrote one month before she was taken away that she was working on bringing herself closer to Hashem. Mrs. Berger began reaching out to rabbonim and religious teachers to help her along her way. She began adopting Shabbos, arranging gatherings for tefillah, spreading taharas hamishpocha, and working on strengthening emunah and bitachon in Hashem in keeping with her daughter’s adoption of the posuk of “B’derech emunah bocharti” (Tehillim 119:11) as her slogan.

As an apparent gift from Hashem to Agam and her family, there was no chillul Shabbos at all involved in her release. She was freed from captivity on Thursday and instantly set off a dramatic display of kiddush Sheim Shomayim.

As she completed her ride to freedom aboard an Israeli helicopter, she held on her lap a pad that read: “B’derech emunah bocharti uvederech emunah shavti…” Instead of choosing other avenues to keep herself alive as she fought to survive amidst the hardship of cruelty of being kept as a prisoner of Hamas, she chose the path of bringing herself closer to Hashem and trusting in Him.

She then let it be known that while in captivity, despite her precarious situation, she refused to do work on Shabbos. Despite being deprived of food and water, despite being famished and malnourished, she did not eat non-kosher food, did not partake of chometz on Pesach and fasted on Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av. She davened from a siddur she found in Gaza, no doubt a gift Hashem sent her as a reward for her mesirus nefesh and deep emunah.

Her story is reminiscent of stories of old that we read about people held by the Nazis in Auschwitz, who, though barely surviving, didn’t permit non-kosher food to pass their lips and held on to their siddur or tefillin as if it was the most precious item in the world, though doing so threatened their life. And here was a young soldier, who didn’t know much religiously, who risked her life for the observance of mitzvos.

Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin became famous for his dedication to mitzvah observance as he endured an unjust period of confinement, and his story still inspires people. Remarkably, when he was in Israel a while back, Mrs. Berger reached out to him for guidance in inyonim of emunah and bitachon. They met twice and a bond was formed.

Books filled with stories of Holocaust heroism continue to be published, inspiring readers today, many years after the events took place. Yet, there is often an asterisk next to these stories, as they occurred 80, 90, or even 100 years ago in a very different world and under vastly different circumstances. The unspoken question lingers: would people in our generation—raised in times of abundance—be able to endure and overcome such unimaginable challenges?

The truth is that Jewish people, since our founding, have faced challenges of faith, requiring mesirus nefesh for mitzvah observance and our very survival. For thousands of years, nations of the world sought to eradicate us, using all types of methods, and despite it all, we are still here. We are eternal survivors. As the novi Yeshayahu (54:17) foretold, “Kol kli yutzar alayich lo yitzloch, none of the weapons that will be fashioned against you will succeed…zos nachalas avdei Hashem, this is the heritage of those who serve Hashem.”

When we see someone from our time, who grew up in comfortable surroundings, with all the modern accoutrements, be able to so strongly defy dastardly efforts to destroy her—held in the most inhumane conditions, above and below ground, always on the brink of starvation, in the shadow of death, and not fearing evil because she knew Hashem was with her—and despite the risk to her safety and life she insisted on keeping Shabbos and kashrus, it is a source of chizuk to all.

Every person has challenges in their life, thankfully not as severe as those the freed hostages were forced to endure. And when we wonder from where we will get the strength to surmount our nisayon, we can think of Agam and her situation and do as she did, resolving to do as the posuk prescribes, “Derech emunah bocharti,” choosing the path of emunah and bitachon. When conquering the challenge, we will be able to proclaim, “Uvederech emunah shavti,” Hakadosh Boruch Hu returned me to where I belong.

A foreign visitor to the Chazon Ish asked him what message he could bring back with him for his country folk. The Chazon Ish told him that the posuk says regarding Noach, “Tomim hayah bedorosav,” that in his day he stood out for his goodness. He explained that every time period has a specific mitzvah that defines it and helps the people of that time succeed.

The Chazon Ish said that in our time, the supreme mitzvah is emunah. Those who have emunah will have everything, for everything else will follow. In our time of darkness, when the good is covered and so many are misguided and don’t recognize Hashem in their lives, the way to persevere and succeed in being a good person and a good parent, as well as a shomer Torah umitzvos, is first by looking beneath the surface and recognizing Hashem’s fingerprints everywhere, welcoming Him into your life.

Even in a time of hester such as ours, when Hashem is hidden, He is still there. It is simply that we must seek Him, for He will never abandon us. Every once in a while, He sends us reminders that behind it all, He is there. When we get such a reminder, we should rejoice and remember that if we learn seforim such as Chovos Halevavos with a good peirush and Mesilas Yeshorim with the peirush of Rav Don Segal, we gain an understanding of what emunah is and how it enhances our life.

When we hear good news, such as Agam’s story, it should strengthen our emunah and remind us who we are, why we are here, and what is incumbent upon us. Emunah is a guide for a good life, and with proper emunah, we are able to follow a path to success, happiness, and redemption.

In this week’s parsha of Beshalach, we begin with Klal Yisroel at a high point, having finally been redeemed from Mitzrayim’s servitude. They miraculously cross through the Yam Suf and sing shirah to Hashem. But then, in short order, they quickly fall, and the parsha continues with a series of complaints that the newly freed slaves had toward Hashem.

And then, finally, at the end of the parsha, a change seems to overcome Klal Yisroel, and after that change, they do not rebel against Hashem for many parshiyos that follow.

Amalek descended upon the Jewish people, intent on destroying them and erasing their existence. Faced with this threat, Klal Yisroel was changed. Moshe, Aharon, Yehoshua, and Chur led the charge against Amalek. The Torah tells us that as Moshe raised his hands, the Jews gained the upper hand in battle, and when his hands were lowered, they faltered. The Mishnah teaches that the posuk reflects a deeper truth: when the Jewish people placed their faith in Hashem, they triumphed, but when they wavered in that trust, they faltered. It was their emunah and bitachon that ultimately led them to victory over their bitter enemy.

The parsha ends as Hashem instructs to write the story of Amaleik’s attack and to know that Hashem will erase the memory of Amaleik. However, that realization will wait until Moshiach’s arrival, for until then, we will face attacks from Amaleik in every generation, as we are so aware.

Amaleik decided to attack Klal Yisroel because they saw all the complaining and reasoned that the Jewish people were lacking in emunah. They saw a void and sought to exploit it. The nation of asher korcha baderech worked assiduously to tamp down any remaining embers of faith.

However, Amaleik wasn’t aware of Klal Yisroel’s power. When rallied by their leaders, they did teshuvah and returned to Hashem. Having thus asserted themselves, they were now stronger than ever. They believed with a new certainty and focus that Hashem controls the world and everything else is just a distraction from that reality.

The encounter with Amaleik tightened their embrace with Hashem and brought them closer to 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 arch-enemy will be ever-present until the redemption. We need him in order to remain loyal to Hashem. We need him to remind us who we are and why we are here.

That is how it has been throughout our history. The Jews 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 spread out of their ghettos and gradually become accepted and comfortable in the new host country. Good times are had by all, but then, just as it seems as if Moshiach has come and brought us our home in the host country, the cycle begins again. The goyim get fed up with us, the noose tightens, and before we know it, Amaleik is at our throats again.

We must ensure that our faith remains firm, and that we remain on the path of Torah and mussar, not slackening off in how we observe the mitzvos and conduct ourselves as bnei and bnos Torah.

People have many questions: Should I go to this place? Should I do this job? How should I respond to this person? Should I fight or squabble? Should I slander a business, or a competitor, or someone who embarrassed me in shul? Which school/yeshiva should I go to? Which school/yeshiva should I send my child to? The list is endless. The answer is always the same and it’s simple. Ask yourself if doing so will make the world a better or worse place. Will it make you a better person or a worse person? Will it add to your kedusha or will it weaken any holiness you have? Ask yourself if that is the way a person with emunah should be conducting himself. You will know the answer to these questions on your own, without any help or guidance. If you follow Dovid Hamelech’s advice and say, “Derech emunah bocharti,” life becomes so much better and easier.

Amaleik is ever-present, attacking us daily with challenges, moral, legal, and ethical. He seeks to temper our dikduk b’mitzvos with different guises and categorizations. Sometimes, they sound intelligent and sophisticated, while at other times, they are directed at our baser temptations. When Torah is mocked, when lomdei Torah are mocked, when our way of life is castigated by an antireligious, leftist band that seeks to overturn the government that is supportive of our community and splinter and divide us, know that they are acting as modern-day Amaleikis and don’t let them get their foot in the door.

To continue thriving, we must do as Jews have been doing throughout the ages and remain faithful to our mesorah, unyielding in our devotion to Torah, untempted by anything that dilutes a holy life, and support the hands of the Moshe Rabbeinus of our generation with emunah, bitachon, shemiras mitzvos, and limud haTorah. By doing so, we will be bringing ourselves closer to our personal redemption and the final geulah, bemeheirah beyomeinu.