Parshat Bo

 

Parshat Bo

 

      In this weeks parsha, HaShem prepares for the final plagues against Egypt that will pave the way for the redemption of Klal Yisrael. The parsha starts: "HaShem said to Moshe, Come to Pharaoh for I have made his heart and the heart of his assistants stubborn so that I shall place these signs of mine in his midst." Interestingly, this passuk is different from all other times that HaShem has hardened Pharaoh's heart. Instead of just Pharaohs heart, his assistant's hearts are hardened as well. The question is, why? Is it not enough to make Pharaoh's heart hard just as in past times? What difference does it make now if his assistants are as stubborn as he? Even if HaShem would only harden his heart and not that of his assistants, why would Pharaoh care what their opinion is? Is he not the ruler and they the subordinates?

      Perhaps we can learn a tremendous insight into the character of Pharaoh, and our modern leaders in general. So far, Pharaoh has had the support of his inner circle, creating a bubble around him, making him impervious to any outside pressures; as long as he had the security of his "cabinet" and servants, he was able to stand steadfast against the plagues.

 However, now the situation in Egypt reaches a fever pitch; Moshe has brought countless plagues, each at its appointed time without fail, and is now striking fear among Egypt. Anyone who looked honestly at the situation knew that Egypt was in serious trouble and would surely want to get the Jews out of the country. They would demand that Pharoah, their leader, finally give in. If Pharaoh were to lose his inner sanctum of support, he would thus be left alone and would surely bow to the insurmountable pressure against him. By himself, Pharaoh was not strong enough to stand against opposition, and he would have sent out the Jews at the request of his nation. Hashem did not yet want the Egyptians to agree to free Klal Yisrael – there were still great miracles that He wanted to display (as the passuk states "so that I shall place these signs of mine in his midst"). Therefore, in order to bring about the final plagues in an exultant climax, HaShem needed to harden not just the heart of Pharaoh, but also those of his servants and his advisors.

From here, we see how much Pharaoh was beholden to others' opinions. His "strength" was really just a façade, built upon the support of his subordinates. How incredible it is it that the king himself is at the mercy of others!

Later in the parsha we see how this plays out. The servants, seeing that all is lost, rebuke Pharaoh saying, "How long will this be a snare for us? Send out the men that they may serve HaShem, their G-d! Do you not yet know that Egypt is lost?" After this open criticism of Pharaoh, Moshe and Aharon are suddenly called back and are told that the nation may leave. What happened? According to what we have explained, we can say that when Pharaoh lost his last bit of support and his servants gave in, it was only inevitable that he would as well.

            This lesson applies not only to Pharaoh, but also to our modern day politicians and leaders, who surround themselves with ego-soothing servants and assistants (whom we call in today's parlance "yes-men"). These leaders have never had their own opinions challenged by their close assistants, so they are able to remain obstinate in the face of any public disagreement to their ideas. Instead of doing what is best for the nation, they skew and twist the opposition to their policies in every direction in order to fit their own viewpoint.

            This lesson beckons us to give thanks to G-d for giving us true and strong leaders who are guided by our Holy Torah and its imperatives. Chazal instituted the blessing of "Al Hatzaddikim" in Shemoneh Esrei for this reason – to instill in us an appreciation for our Sages who literally give every minute of their day for the service of the public. Because they themselves are acting as servants of Hashem, they can lead us with a commitment to truth, and not succumb to external pressures or internal biases.

            May Hashem keep our righteous leaders healthy and safe, and may we merit the building of the Beit Hamikdash and the return of the Beit Din Hagadol speedily in our days, Amen. 

 

Shabbat Shalom 

 

 

 

--
Naftali Kassorla

Parshat Shemot

וַיִּשְׁמַע יִתְרוֹ כֹהֵן מִדְיָן חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֱלֹהִים לְמֹשֶׁה וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַמּוֹ כִּי הוֹצִיא יְקֹוָק אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם

 שמות פרק יח פסוק א

"And Yitro, priest of Midian, Moshe's father-in-law, heard about all that El-him had done for Moshe and for His people Yisrael, when HaShem brought Yisrael out of Egypt

 וַיָּבֹא יִתְרוֹ חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה וּבָנָיו וְאִשְׁתּוֹ אֶל מֹשֶׁה אֶל הַמִּדְבָּר אֲשֶׁר הוּא חֹנֶה שָׁם הַר הָאֱלֹהִים 

שמות פרק יח פסוק ה

"Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, came to Moses with his sons and wife, to the Wilderness where he was encamped, by the Mountain of G-d"

אל המדבר - אף אנו יודעין שבמדבר היו, אלא בשבחו של יתרו דבר הכתוב, שהיה יושב בכבודו של עולם ונדבו לבו לצאת אל המדבר, מקום תהו, לשמוע דברי תורה

 רש"י שמות פרק יח פסוק ה

 "We already know of our own account that he was in the desert! Rather in the praise of Yisro does Scripture speaks: for he was living amidst worldwide honor and yet his heart inspired him to go out into the desert, a desolate place, for the purpose of hearing words of Torah"

  Yitro, as Rashi explains was overcome with so much emotion from all the miracles that HaShem preformed for Klal Yisrael, that although he was one of the most respected members of the world, he left his life of luxury to go to a  place of desolation a "Makom Tohu". The word "Tohu" as we know HaShem uses this word to explain what the world was before creation:  

וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחֹשֶׁךְ עַל פְּנֵי תְהוֹם וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם

בראשית פרק א 

"The earth was unformed and desolate, and darkness covered the surface of the abyss. The breath of El-him hovered above the surface of the water."

  From here we see the extent of the word Tohu to connote literally nothing, and STILL Yitro was drawn to the desert to hear word of Torah. This was the power of his emotion, this emotion allowed him to look past the impedement of such a place. It drove him out of a life of security and comfort to join the Jewish people in a wilderness fraught with danger and discomfort. It caused him to change his whole life from top to bottom and become a Jew!

  However there is a slight difficulty, for four pesukim later when Yitro reaches the encampment of Klal Yisrael, Moshe comes to greet him. Moshe begins to tell him of all the miracles that HaShem preformed for Klal Yisrael:

וַיְסַפֵּר מֹשֶׁה לְחֹתְנוֹ אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְקֹוָק לְפַרְעֹה וּלְמִצְרַיִם עַל אוֹדֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵת כָּל הַתְּלָאָה אֲשֶׁר מְצָאָתַם בַּדֶּרֶךְ וַיַּצִּלֵם יְקֹוָק

: שמות פרק יח פסוק ח

" And Moshe told his father-in-law all that HaShem had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt for the sake of Yisrael; including all the hardship that had befallen them on the way, and [how] HaShem had rescued them.

  Rashi explains why Moshe found it important to tell Yitro of all the wonderments in Egypt:

ויספר משה לחתנו - למשוך את לבו לקרבו לתורה רש"י 

שמות פרק יח פסוק ח

"In order to draw his heart to bring him closer to the Torah"

  Why must Moshe draw him closer to Torah? was it not for that express purpose that Yitro left his place of honor in the world to come to the wilderness? its almost analogous to a person coming a Rabbi and saying "I want to learn Torah, please teach me" and the Rabbi answers back "You know..there is a GREAT thing called the Torah have you heard of it? you should really study it!" Yitro went to a makom of "Tohu" to learn the Torah! Why is this itself not enough of a sign of showing closeness to HaShem?

 Perhaps one could explain from the words of Rashi. Rashi earlier in pasuk chet calls this emotion which overcame Yitro as "U'ndavo Libo" "Inspiration of the heart" as we saw earlier this emotion was such a powerful moment of inspiration that it caused a person to do things he would have never done before. For example, when one watches the bombs falling on the southern towns of Israel, he may feel an overpowering sense of responsibility and leave his job and family to volunteer for those in need. However like all emotions it can dissipate in short time, and once this feeling wears off he might find himself in a place of discomfort and danger, having lost this excitement he might regret his prior decision and return to a life of idol worship because he doesn't have the same "spiritual experiences" as at first. Although Miztvot should be practiced with the full heart, if the heart is not there it is not a dispensation to the mitzvah. This is where Moshe comes. Moshe wants to draw his heart to the Torah, to show him that Judaism is not just a life filled with spiritual experiences, rather Judaism is a commitment of the self too, of the heart and the mind. To be a Buddhist can also give you spiritual highs, but this is not point of Judaism. A life of Torah is a fulfilment of the will of HaShem. A life of Torah is by definition a life of spiritual highs and lows. As rashi says "In order to draw his heart to bring him closer to the Torah". Not just the heart but the person himself, so at that time when the heart is not there the person will be. This point is brought out beautifully in the Bracha of She'hakol, We start out saying Baruch Ata "blessed are You" talking to HaShem directly but when we finish we say "SheHakol Nehiyah Bidvaro" "that all was created in HIS Word" speaking ABOUT Him. This is teach us that our relationship with Hashem will sometimes be as if hes in front of us and times where his presence to us may be hidden.

 According to this explanation we can now understand another seemingly difficult pasuk. After Moshe retells of all the miracles in Egypt, Yitro responds:

וַיֹּאמֶר יִתְרוֹ בָּרוּךְ יְקֹוָק אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶתְכֶם מִיַּד מִצְרַיִם וּמִיַּד פַּרְעֹה אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶת הָעָם מִתַּחַת יַד מִצְרָיִם.עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי גָדוֹל יְקֹוָק מִכָּל הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי בַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר זָדוּ עֲלֵיהֶם

שמות פרק יח פסוק יא 

 "Yisro said, "Blessed is HaShem Who rescued you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of Pharaoh; Who rescued the people from under the hand of Egypt. Now I know that HaShem is greater than all the gods, because the very thing they plotted came upon them."

  Rashi explains further: 

עתה ידעתי - מכירו הייתי לשעבר ועכשיו ביותר:

מכל האלהים - מלמד שהיה מכיר בכל עבודה זרה שבעולם שלא הניח עבודה זרה שלא עבדה

רש"י שמות פרק יח פסוק יא 

"I was aware of Him in the past but, now, all the more so. 

Than all the gods.-This teaches that he was acquainted with all forms of idol-worship in the world; that he did not leave any idol un-worshipped. 

  The question is why NOW? did Yitro not come out to the Midbar with this recognition already in mind? After our explanation the answer is clear. Yes Yitro came with this overpowering emotion which caused him to leave behind his past life, but this emotion which is not a lasting cannot carry him, this is why he tried every form of idol worship! Because when these experiences left him he felt empty and went to the next idol. Only until he came to Moshe and the Torah did he see the substantial worth of a life of Torah and Miztvot, he saw how HaShem has created a Torah which is tailored specifically for man and acts as the perfect bridge between us and Him.

Shabbat Shalom.

Naftali Kassorla

Parshat Va'yechi

Parshat Va'yechi

 

      In this week's parsha, the Torah continues to tell us of the reunion between Yaakov and Yosef. The Passuk says, "The time approached for Yisrael to die, so he called for his son for Yosef, and said to him, 'Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, please place your hand under my thigh and do kindness and truth with me,  please do not bury me in Egypt. And I will lie down with my fathers and you shall transport me out of Egypt and bury me in their grave." Yosef answers back to his father, "I will do in accordance to your words." But this isn't enough for Yaakov, as he reiterates to Yosef, "Swear to me" and as a result Yosef swears.

      At first glance, this episode is hard to understand. Just before this, in Parshat Mikeitz, after Yaakov hears the news that Yosef is still alive and is a ruler in Egypt, HaShem comes to Yaakov and says, "Do not be afraid of descending to Egypt...I shall surely bring you up." Rashi explains that HaShem Himself promised Yaakov that he would be buried in the land of Israel. According to this, why does Yaakov feel the need to push Yosef so hard to bury him in Israel? Wasn't the promise of Hashem enough? One could say that this teaches us that one must make 'Hishtadlut' (effort) to open up a path for Divine help, but this explanation isn't enough. We learn that Yosef was punished with two extra years imprison for asking the wine butler to speak to Pharaoh to get him out. It would seem that this was proper hishtadlut, but rather we learn from this episode that the forefathers are held to a higher standard than us, and they must rely solely on HaShem. It would follow that Yaakov, as one of the forefathers, did not need to put in so much hishtadlut in this case.

      Furthermore, the way Yaakov makes Yosef swear to him is reminiscent of how Avraham made his servant Eliezer swear to find his son Yitzchak a wife. (In both instances, the one swearing is asked to put his hand on the other's thigh.) Interestingly, the Medrash tells us that Eliezer wished that Yitzhak would marry his daughter, which explains why Avraham made him swear to take a girl only from Avraham's family – it could be that Avraham feared that Eliezer would give his own daughter instead. But does Yaakov really think that Yosef would not bury him with his father Yitzchak and grandfather Avraham in the Maharat HaMachpela? If Yaakov has nothing to fear, why is he so adamant?

      To answer these questions we must deal with another profundity. If we look at this weeks Haftorah we will notice an instant connection between it and the parsha: the ending of David and Yaakov's life, the gathering of their sons to bless them, and so on. Yet there is one disparity – David leaves an ethical will to his children to "Safeguard the charge of HaShem, your G-d, to walk in his ways, to observe his decrees, commandments ordinances and testimonies as written in the Torah of Moshe..." However, by Yaakov, there is no such ethical will; he only gives his children blessings. Where is Yaakov's ethical will?

      One could explain that Yaakov's urging of Yosef to bury him only in Eretz Yisrael serves exactly this purpose. Through this, he was sending a very powerful message to his children for all generations. Perhaps Yaakov saw the affluence with which Yosef lived in Egypt and he feared that he would get too comfortable in Egypt among his luxury and freedom, thus forgetting the bond between our nation and the land of Israel. (This also gives us more understanding as to why Yaakov stresses to be buried not only in Eretz Yisrael but also "...With my fathers," meaning to uphold the connection which Avraham and Yitzchak had to Eretz Yisrael by being buried among them.) Yaakov's emphasis on being buried in Eretz Yisrael would serve as a constant reminder to his children of the strong connection we have to this land. According to this, Yaakov completely trusted in HaShem's promise to him to be buried in Israel, and of course Yosef had no such thought to bury Yaakov in Egypt, but rather Yaakov wanted to stress this connection to the land of Israel to his offspring forever. This was Yaakov's ethical will.

 

Today, our exile prevents us from living in Israel or, even for those of us who do live there, from fully connecting to G-d's presence in the land. However, we should always remember the bond that exists between Klal Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael, and with G-d's help, we will merit experiencing that bond in its totality very soon with the coming of Mashiach.

 

Shabbat Shalom 

 

 

--
Naftali Kassorla