Parshat Beshalach 5778 - Journey Forth

Parsha Paragraphs

Rabbi Naftali Moshe Kassorla

Parshat Beshalach 5778

Journey Forth

The D’var Torah for this week is dedicated in memory of: ר׳ אלחנן יעקב ז״ל בן מורי וחמי ר׳ שמואל פנחס

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This week's parsha brings us to the release of the Jewish people from the bonds of slavery, finally free to serve their G-d. After hurrying to leave Egypt, the nation is pursued by Pharaoh and his army who are bent on bringing them back; they are virtually trapped, with the Egyptians chasing them from behind and the sea blocking them in front. The nation panics, crying out to Hashem to save them.

Moshe, hearing the people’s fear, gives them words of encouragement saying: “Do not fear! Stand fast and see the salvation of Hashem that He will perform for you today…Hashem shall make war for you, and you shall remain silent.” (Shemot 14:13-14)

Now Hashem speaks to Moshe saying, מה תצעק אלי - “Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the people and let them journey forth!” (ibid. 15) Rashi comments that we understand from G-d’s response to Moshe that he had been praying to G-d. G-d criticizes Moshe for praying for help at this moment, as now was not the time for lengthy prayers – when the people are in peril.

The commentators ask: Why is G-d upset with Moshe’s praying for salvation? Is prayer not the most natural and proper response one should have when one finds himself in danger? Furthermore, to buttress this question, we find that there is a famous dispute between the Rambam and the Ramban (ספר המצוות - מצוה ה׳) regarding the obligatory nature of prayer: whether the daily obligation is a Torah injunction or a Rabbinic one. The Ramban (who in fact asked the above question on our parsha) is of the opinion that although daily tefillah is Rabbinic, if one finds himself in a עת צרה (a state of distress), it then changes to the status of a Torah obligation. So seemingly, according to this opinion, it is not just the natural response to a calamity, but a Torah obligation! Thus we must try to understand what G-d is critiquing in regards to Moshe’s decision to pray.

Furthermore, the words of encouragement that of Moshe offers are seemingly circumspect. Moshe is assuaging the people’s doubts in G-d, for the nation cried out complaining, “Were there no graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the wilderness? What is this that you have done to us to take us out of Egypt?” (ibid. 12). While the nation is expressing their fears, they are revealing thoughts which seem to border on heresy! In effect, they are accusing Hashem of taking them out to kill them in the wilderness – the same G-d Who just struck the Egyptians with devastating plagues, is now sadistically planning to destroy them for no reason?! Clearly their situation – which brought them to such conclusions – is very grave; and Moshe, having heard this, would have been quite right to pray on their behalf! So again, why is G-d upset with Moshe’s prayer?

To answer the above, we can look to the S’forno, who gives an interesting explanation which illustrates the connection between Moshe’s encouragement of the people and his praying to Hashem. The S’forno tells us that Moshe prayed and cried out to G-d, not in fear of the impending army of Pharaoh, but rather due to witnessing a lack of faith in the people. After hearing them express their fears, Moshe thought the people would not trust in G-d’s salvation. He was concerned that they would not obey the command to enter into the Sea. In regards to this did G-d reply to Moshe saying: “Why do you cry out to me! Do not falsely accuse this nation! Do not lose faith in them! Tell them to journey forth, and you will see that they will listen!” G-d, the S’forno explains, was not pleased with Moshe having doubted the Jewish people – that even though they expressed such extreme fears, Moshe should have believed in the nation that they would obey the command, ultimately demonstrating their latent trust in G-d.

There is much to be gleaned from this S’forno, but what stands out to me as most powerful is the message that Hashem is sending us: life is not static, and we can find ourselves fluctuating between feelings of confidence and accomplishment, and those of stagnation and uncertainty. We can even begin to doubt ourselves and our commitments. Yet we must remain steadfast in the constant belief and knowledge that we are capable of anything – but not stemming purely from a belief in ourselves, rather because G-d Himself believes in us! Despite what doubts we have expressed and difficulties we have encountered, we are still always beloved to Him. Even at the darkest of moments, when we may have given up and unfortunately even lashed out at G-d, He has not given up on us. For He knows that when given the chance, we will rise to the occasion and “journey forth.” These are the elements that create a deep relationship.

This is a powerful and inspiring message for anyone, be they a teacher, a student, a parent, a child, or a spouse. We can never lose hope or give up on ourselves or anyone else, because Hashem Himself does not allow for it. This message should strengthen us in our weaker moments, and shine the path forward in our strongest moments, for we are capable of anything. We must simply: “Journey Forth.”

Shabbat Shalom

Parshat Bo 5778 - Perfect Timing

Parsha Paragraphs

Rabbi Naftali Kassorla

Parshat Bo 5778

Perfect Timing

The D’var Torah for this week is dedicated in memory of:
ר׳ אלחנן יעקב ז״ל בן מורי וחמי ר׳ שמואל פנחס

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In this week’s Parsha, G-d prepares for the final three plagues against Egypt, these will pave the way for the redemption of the Jewish People, as they serve to be the final knockout to Egypt. The country is currently in desolation after having been struck in some of the most devastating ways.




At this crucial moment, Hashem tells Moshe that He is bringing these plagues upon the Egyptians: למען תספר באזני בנך ובן בנך את אשר התעללתי במצרים…“so that I can put these signs of Mine in his midst; and so that you may relate in the ears of your son and your son’s son that I made a mockery of Egypt…that you may know that I am Hashem” (Shemot 10:1-2). G-d commands us to relate, in detail, of the plagues and His domination over Egypt, because in seeing the power of the plagues, we will have a greater recognition of Hashem.


However, one could ask: Why now? Three more plagues have yet to come, yet the Torah is now telling us of the obligation to recount the plagues. Wouldn’t it make more sense to tell us of this obligation after all the plagues have finished? It seems logical that at the conclusion of the plagues, we would have a clearer perspective of Hashem's power, which would then result in a greater recounting of the story of redemption. Yet we are told to pass on the miracles to the next generation in the middle of the story. Why?




Perhaps the answer lies in the Gemara in Yevamot (79a). The Gemara tells us about the unique traits of the Jewish People:




שלשה סימנים יש באומה זו, הרחמנים והביישנין וגומלי חסדים

There are three attributes to this [Jewish] nation: Mercy, Modesty, and Charitability




It is in the Nation’s D.N.A makeup to be merciful. While mercy can be a praiseworthy quality, it can act as a double-edged sword. Sometimes it causes us to be too trusting of others in a situation that does not call for mercy. One only need look at the entirety of the State of Israel's history and the many attempted (and one-sided) overtures for peace, resulting in nothing but more violence. This desire for peace, even to one’s own detriment, stems from our attribute of mercy – a heartfelt concern for others. (This is why it is also no surprise that Jews generally tend to lean left in politics, seemingly always siding with the underdogs; as is evident by the numerous NGOs which support the Palestinians over the Jewish State.) Interestingly, Former Prime Minister of Israel Golda Meir once remarked that “Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us.” To anyone thinking critically, it is evident that hate, not peace, is their intention. Yet due to undirected Jewish mercy, the truth cannot be recognized.


With this in mind, we can now answer our initial question: The most appropriate time for the instruction to recount the episode of the plagues was specifically in the middle of plagues, to prevent “misplaced mercy.” Egypt was in-effect desolate, literally standing on one crippled foot, about to crumble. For anyone with a semblance of a heart, it would be impossible not to feel some sort of mercy at this point, even with Egypt’s long history of abuse to the Jews.




I noticed an interesting phenomenon when I used to watch boxing matches. The lead-up to the match would divide the fan base, each side rooting for one boxer over the other, with threats thrown back and forth to each side. Finally the fight commences, and a boxer ultimately succeeds in knocking out his opponent. But we all grimace when the favored boxer has clearly won, yet still continues to brutally and savagely beat his opponent beyond necessity. And if the referee is late in stopping the fight, he is condemned in the media the next day as irresponsible and careless. Why? Did we not previously cheer for our fighter to literally physically destroy his opponent? Did we not only a moment ago root for the “enemy” to be in this very position? But because we are not completely cruel, we inherently do not wish for a person to be beaten past a certain point. This is a natural response from any human, but all-the-more so for the Jewish people. 


However, the natural response, even a merciful one, is not always the most appropriate. In order to forestall this innate emotional reaction, Hashem chose a time in the midst of the punishment to state the obligation to recount the plagues. For through recounting the story, we remind ourselves of the reasons why Hashem is doing this to Egypt – the pain they caused, and the evil decrees they enacted upon us. To feel sorry for Egypt would have detracted from the message that G-d wanted to ingrain in us and the world. The response of mercy would have been wrong here – רחמנות במקום אכזריות. Now was the time for Hashem to glorify Himself for all generations and for this, our nerves needed to be steeled. This was a time when we couldn’t allow ourselves to feel their pain.


This does not mean that we should never have any mercy for the Egyptians. On the contrary; on Seder night, when we recount the story of the redemption, we spill wine and detract from our own happiness in recognition of the fallen Egyptians. However, this act only comes at a time when we can look back as free people, from the perch of history, where we can see everything come together to form the beauty of the redemption. This is not misplaced, for here the mercy is not stemming from an automatic emotional response. Instead on this most joyous of nights, when we are free men of royalty, despite our feelings of supremacy, we still relate to the pain others – even our enemies. In this way, we do not detract from the message of the Exodus and the recognition of Hashem’s Sovereignty, and we show that we are masters over our own mercy – a sign of true freedom.


Through this we can see how a Jew is to utilize to use his emotions. Feelings should not be simply a reaction to external stimuli; rather, they can be controlled and felt at the appropriate times. There is a time to be merciful and a time to be harsh, a time to be happy and a time to be sad. Hashem wants us to be masters over our feelings and use them properly.





Shabbat Shalom

Parshat Va’eira 5778 - Take A Minute

Parsha Paragraphs

Rabbi Naftali Kassorla

Parshat Va’eira 5778

Take A Minute

The D’var Torah for this week is dedicated for the speedy רפואה שלימה of:

שושנה בת אולגה שתחי׳

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This week's parsha begins to tell us of the onslaught of plagues that G-d brought down upon Egypt. After finally convincing Moshe to be His messenger with Aharon, G-d commands Moshe to confront Pharaoh with a miracle – turning his staff into a snake – to show that Moshe is an emissary of G-d. Pharaoh summons his “wise men and sorcerers” (Shemot 7:11) and they too manage to perform this task. Later, Moshe and Aharon, at G-d’s behest, confront Pharaoh and warn him of the first plague: the changing of the Nile to blood, and the death of its fish. Aharon strikes the Nile and it turns to blood. Again Pharaoh has the חרטומים (sorcerers) match this act.

After the plague of blood, the Torah tells us: ויפן פרעה ויבא אל ביתו ולא שת לבו גם לזאת “Pharaoh turned and went home, and he paid no heed, even to this.” Rashi explains, “He paid no heed: to the wonder of the staff which was changed into a serpent and also not to that of the blood” (Ibid.23)

However, we must ask an obvious question: we already know from the previous verses that when the חרטומים replicated the miracles, “Pharaoh’s heart stiffened and he did not heed them…” (Ibid.11) and “when the Egyptian sorcerers did the same with their spells, Pharaoh’s heart became hard, and he did not heed them…” (Ibid.22). What is the Torah adding by telling us again that Pharaoh did not take heed? And what connection is there between the beginning of the verse, “Pharaoh turned and went home..” to the end of the verse that “he paid no heed.”

I believe the answer lies in a common experience. We’ve all felt those times in life when we encounter something that strikes within us inspiration to overcome a challenge, a bad habit, or to dedicate ourselves to something of higher purpose. These are the special times that call for reflection, times when something occurs which is so shocking that it causes us to reevaluate our life’s direction. Yet so often, those feelings that grabbed us, manage to vanish away like mist in the wind. The most important thing to do to retain that moment, that flash of inspiration, is to quickly act upon it, to do something concrete – immediately.

However, the most sure-fire way to lose that chance is to immediately return to our daily routine, unchanged. We can easily miss an opportunity to grow when we simply go back to what feels familiar, to our “comfort-zone” where we can forget and ignore the inspiration we experienced.

With this in mind, we can now properly frame Pharoah’s attitude. In a time of an incredible revelation of G-d, and after witnessing two wondrous signs, Pharaoh should have taken a moment to stop and reflect upon what he witnessed. Yes, even after his own sorcerers performed the same signs, there was still ample reason to discern G-d’s Sovereignty. For example,  the S’forno says that Pharaoh should have questioned what he saw:  "To recognize the difference between what G-d had done and what his sorcerers had done. G-d’s activity had produced a total change in the nature of the river Nile, a phenomenon which had been considered as inviolate, constant, incapable of being abolished. It had turned the Nile into ‘real blood,’ so much so that all the fish had died. As opposed to the changes affected by the tricks of the חרטומים, they were performed on phenomena that were unstable to begin with. Possibly, all the sorcerer's acts were really produced through illusions or trickery."

Yet, what does Pharaoh do? Does he take that crucial minute to stop and think? No, He turns and goes home; he returns to his comfort-zone, his familiar surroundings, and ultimately, to his preconceived notions. This seemingly insignificant action inevitably led to: “and he paid no heed.” That moment, that chance to reflect, was lost. Having drones this it was only natural that Pharaoh would not take anything to heart.

All too often, we allow precious moments of potential to slip away. But if we realize that it's really in our hands to seize them, we can become more cognizant of these opportunities, and of what they can accomplish. Unlike Pharoah, we, who truly desire to become better, can then use these moments to achieve our goals.

Shabbat Shalom

Parshat Shemot 5778 - Rebuilding Trust in an Untrustworthy World

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Rabbi Naftali Kassorla

Parshat Shemot 5778

Rebuilding Trust in an Untrustworthy World

The D’var Torah for this week is dedicated for the refuah shleimah of:

שושנה בת אולגה שתחי׳

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Tht upon the Jews, with the murder of the infant boys, the back-breaking labor, and the ravaging of the slave’s wives, causing great anguish to our nation. A very dark period indeed.

The Torah says: “A man went from the House of Levi, and he took a daughter of Levi...The woman conceived and gave birth to a son.” (Shemot 2:1) That man was Amram, and the woman was Yocheved. The son would grow up to be Moshe Rabbeinu, who would eventually lead the Jewish people out of Egypt, out of slavery.

Rashi (ibid.) explains the significance of this background information: “He [Amram] had been separated from her [Yocheved] because of the decree of Pharaoh, and he remarried her...he went on the account of his daughter [Miriam]’s advice who said to him “your decree is more severe than that of Pharaoh, for Pharaoh decreed only on the boys, but you have decreed on the girls as well…”

Amram acquiesced and actually remarried Yocheved, because Miriam argued that his actions were in fact worse than Pharaoh! This obviously begs the question: surely Amram understood on his own that to refrain from procreation altogether is more destructive than killing only one gender. So why did Amram leave Yocheved to begin with? And if Amram had a strong justification for his actions, what was so incredibly convincing about Miriam’s argument that compelled her father to reconsider and change course?

The Gemara in Sotah (12a) sheds some light on the dynamics of Amram’s decision. The Gemara states that Amram exclaimed upon hearing the decree: ‎אמר לשוא אנו עמלין עמד וגירש את אשתו - “Our effort is for naught, he then arose and divorced his wife, thereupon all the men arose and divorced their wives.” The Sifri in Devarim (26:7) explains that “effort” refers to the sons (see the Maharsha in Sotah as well). Because of Pharaoh's decree, Amram felt that any efforts at building the nation, at building a society for the future, would go to waste. Pharaoh’s cruelty was so great that he decreed even to kill the male babies of his own countrymen (Rashi 1:22). The hatred that Pharaoh had for the Jewish people was so strong that he was willing to mass-murder the babies of his own people, lest the savior of the Jews be born through them. The very the prospect of bringing children into a world of such evil was depressing, unthinkable. In this time, a period so dark and destructive to our nation and to the world, perhaps Amram did not want to have any children exist, only to suffer at the sight of this abuse.

However Miriam argued against this sentiment. She reasoned that no matter the situation, even at the worst of times, we must continue to move forward at all costs – we must continue to grow and build. We cannot let the destroyers deter us from progressing. We must approach life with the attitude that things will improve, and remain strong in the hope that we will see a better day. Yes, they are killing our boys, but do not let them win by stopping us from raising the next generation. This argument compelled Amram to return to Yocheved. And from this, Moshe, the מושיען של ישראל, was born and led the Jews out of Egypt.

This attitude of despair was quite prevalent in the world post-holocaust. At this time, many made Amram’s calculation – understandably so – after losing their entire families to the Nazis and witnessing the depravity of the world, to leave Judaism and to “check out” from society. How can one, after experiencing such evil, face the world with starry-eyed visions of תיקון עולם? How can one be expected to trust the world again?

Yet there were also those select few, dreamers and optimists, who did not allow the experience of evil to corrupt their view; rather they drew strength from the mission that they felt Providence had foisted upon them to build a new world. Orthodoxy was all but assumed dead in post WWII America, but the pioneers stayed strong and forged ahead, for they continued to look forward, girding themselves with the strength of the past, of their ancestors, to hope for a better future. And just a few years after the destruction of European Jewry, the sociologist Egon Mayer, in his book, From Suburb to Shtetl: The Jews of Boro Park (1979) a study of the Orthodox Jewish community in the 1970’s, concluded: “they were facing a cultural renaissance, rather than the complete assimilation considered inevitable by much of the previous sociological literature on the subject.” (Beyond the Melting Pot, Alberto Bisen and Thierry Verdier – N.Y.U 2000). And today we reap the benefits of these optimists’ “efforts”; they were certainly not “for naught.”

I am proud to say that my wife is a descendent of two such dreamers, who settled in America and built a Torah home. Her Grandparents, after losing their 4 children in the Holocaust, rebuilt their family from scratch, and today their many grandchildren and great-grandchildren are proud Torah Jews bringing strength to the Jewish people and Hashem. I hope and pray that I can instill in my family and coming generations this same sense of mission, and the hope that the world can, and will be a better place.

Shabbat Shalom