Observe Mitzvot Enthusiastically

There is an interesting Midrash brought in the מכילתא that is a play on words, regarding the Mitzva of preparing Matzot for Pesach.

The Torah tells us, ושמרתם את המצות, that we are to guard the Matzot. We are taught to take great care, being certain that no water touches the wheat after it is harvested.

The מכילתא suggests that we should read the Pasuk slightly differently. Instead of ושמרתם את המצות, referring to Matza, we should read it as ושמרתם את המצוות, that we should take great care in observing the Mitzvot.

Just like we do not let the dough rise to become Chametz, we must not delay in the observance of the various commandments. If there is a Mitzva to perform, אל יחמיצנו, do not delay and make it like Chametz.

In Pirkei Avot we are told that a person must not say that when he has time, he will study Torah. For perhaps, he will never have time.

We are to condition ourselves to observe all Mitzvot with enthusiasm and without delay. This is learned from that little change made by the מכילתא. We are to fulfill ושמרתם את המצוות, just like we fulfill, ושמרתם את המצות.

Great Wealth

There was a promise made to Avraham Avinu that the Jewish people would leave Egypt with great wealth. The Talmud says that some individuals went to Moshe Rabbeinu and said that they didn’t care about the wealth. They were happy to just be getting out of slavery.

Hashem told Moshe that he could not break the promise that he had made to Avraham.

Rav Elazar Abuchatzeira pointed out that the reason why this was so important to Avraham, was that he foresaw the future. He was afraid that at some later time in history the Jewish people would make a request for reparations for all the years they were not compensated for their being slaves. By being given their compensation at the time of the exodus, this would create a situation where they would be able to completely sever ties with Egypt.

This was also the reason why it was important that we were driven out of the land. This, too, would create a situation of complete separation from Egypt.

The message here is that when we are around negative influences, we must separate and distance ourselves, to the point that we have completely broken ties with such negativity.

From Slavery to a Holy Nation

Rabbi Twerski wrote that a greater miracle than the splitting of the Red Sea was the remarkable transformation of the Jewish people from a nation of slaves, to a holy nation. It took only seven weeks from the day they left Egypt until they stood at Mount Sinai, and received the Torah.

The explanation for this miraculous transformation, could be explained in one word, “family.” The solid familial bond in Egypt kept the slave mentality out of the minds of the Jewish people.

And, in addition, it was Moshe Rabbeinu who convinced Pharoah that he would get more productivity from his slaves, if they had one free day a week. This is why we say, ישמח משה במתנת חלקו, that Moshe rejoiced with the gift of his portion. It was as if he was pleased that already realized the power of Shabbat.

So if we consider that the combination of a strong family bond and having one day a week to solidify that bond, it’s no wonder that the Jewish people were fully prepared for the revelation at הר סיני.

The same holds true today in helping young Jews remain close to their Jewish values. If they have the support of their parents and grandparents, who are excellent role models, and Shabbat is truly a holy day of coming closer to G-d and expressing freedom, they, too, will be on a level where they are ready to receive the Torah at Sinai.

Message of Matza and Chametz

Parshat בא contains many of the laws connected with Pesach preparations and Seder night. There is a great deal of symbolism connected with these laws.

Rabbi Twerski noted such symbolism regarding the commandments to eat Matza on Seder night, and not to eat Chametz.

The Matza has very defined rules in its preparation. Only eighteen minutes are allowed from the time the water touches the flour, and it is taken out of the oven.

This represents the idea that nothing happens on its own. There is a plan to everything that takes place in the world. We are certainly not in total control of our destiny. We are entirely subservient to Hashem and whatever He has in mind for us. We hope that we are living our lives in such a way that He is pleased with us, and that He will act kindly towards us.

The Chametz is left to rise and is not limited by rules. It shows a spontaneity to the world. It represents those who believe they are in control of their fate. They feel that it is within their power to make things happen. They need not answer to anyone. If it is money that they seek, they will find ways to achieve whatever it is they want.

The מצה and חמץ are two opposites. The Matza is reflected in humility and complete dependence on G-d. The Chametz typifies arrogance and a rejection of accepting G-d’s dominion of the world.

Silence of the Dogs

There is an interesting story related to a major conflict that existed between two factions in the Jewish community during the period of the Brisker Rav.

He wanted a prominent member of the community to get involved and settle the dispute. There was resistance on the part of this Jew as to whether to get involved or not.

The Brisker Rav convinced him to get involved with the following argument.

In Egypt, the dogs were confused as to how to respond. On the one hand, when they saw אליהו הנביא, they usually would rejoice. But during the tenth plague, they also perceived the presence of the מלאך המות, the Angel of Death. When they saw him, they would usually cry.

The dogs were confused and chose silence. The Brisker Rav told this prominent Jew, that dogs choose neutrality, not humans.

The argument was received and the conflict was resolved!

Pharoah’s Stubbornness

A great deal can be learned from analyzing the behavior of Pharoah during the plagues. In one instance, we learn Pharoah’s reasoning in not letting the Jewish people leave Egypt.

This occurred when he noticed that not one of the Jewish cattle perished during the plague of pestilence (except for the cattle of Shaul Ben Hacnaanite).

We see that this angered the evil king almost as much as the plague itself. “If I am suffering, they should be suffering as I am. Why should they have what I don’t have?” This was no doubt how he was thinking. Misery loves company, but here reality was hitting Pharoah right in the face. There was no getting around it.

The G-d of Israel that he had denied, is letting him know that he is being held accountable for enslaving His people, and for denying Him. This was a bitter pill to swallow. He was clearly proven wrong, and he was not ready to come to terms with this. Instead of admitting his mistake, he becomes more angry and more obstinate.

We see from here how damaging one’s pride can be. We all make mistakes in life, and sometimes, we treat others badly. When this is brought to our attention, we should not play the “blame” game and make excuses. We should be big enough to admit when we were wrong and ask for forgiveness.

Pharoah’s arrogance, would not allow him to do so. We must be much bigger than that.

Three Exiles

During the plagues, Hashem tells Moshe, ושמתי פדות, which means that “I will make a separation” between you and the Egyptians. They will receive the plagues, and you will not.

The word, “פדות” is found only three times in all of Tanach. This word can also mean freedom or redemption. פדות hints to the three types of Galut the Jews have suffered over the generations.

The first Galut, or Exile, came at the ends of the oppression of the nations of the world. The second Galut has been caused from within by back stabbing, self hating Jews, that through their acts of treachery, much suffering has come to the Jews.

The third Galut, is self inflicted, when one puts himself in Galut. Aside from being unable to see the remarkable period of Redemption that we are living in, these individuals are imprisoned by their own desires. They have no control over their needs of self indulgence and gratification. They give in to their lusts and needs of power and honor.

It was said many times that it’s difficult to get the Jews out of Galut. But it’s even more difficult to get the Galut out of the Jew!

Every one of us needs to do some serious soul searching and examine if we are not imprisoned by some kind of negative character flaw. Jealousy and self pity are two of the most common traits we need to overcome.

It appears that we have mostly overcome the first two types of Galut. It is that third, self imposed Galut that we need to pray for our own redemption and freedom.

Pharoah Like an Alcoholic

Rabbi Twerski compares Pharoah’s behavior during the plagues, to that of an alcoholic. In Parshat וארא, we learn of the first seven plagues rained down on Egypt.

Each time, there is a warning before the plague. The warning is not heeded, and the devastating plague arrives. Pharoah begs for the plague to stop and then breaks his promise, and more devastation follows.

The alcoholic is warned that he better get help with his horrible addiction. He ignores the warning. His personal plague is that he first loses his job. This is not enough until his wife leaves him. He continues ignoring those wishing to help, and he loses his home and all his assets. It is only when he hits rock bottom and is homeless, that he wakes up.

Egypt is hit extremely hard. It is no longer the superpower it once was. Only when Pharoah loses his precious first born son, does he put aside his obstinance.

We must learn from this episode that when we find ourselves in a bad way, we should get help right away. Being in denial, only makes matters worse. It then becomes that much more difficult to pick up the pieces and fix things.

Genius of the Vilna Gaon

There are sometimes little nuances that show the genius of some of our Torah scholars. One such Torah giant was the Vilna Gaon, which we see from such a nuance.

During the plague of דבר, pestilence, the Torah at first tells us that from the cattle of the Jewish people, not even one died.

The Vilna Gaon pointed out that if we check out the actual wording of the Pasuk, it says, לא מת ממקנה ישראל עד אחד, that none of the cattle of Israel died, until one. The עד אחד seems to mean, “except for one.”

The Torah is hinting in a very subtle manner that there was one person among the Jewish

people whose cattle did die during the plague of דבר. The reference was to the future מגדף, later revealed to be שאול בן הכנענית, the son of the Egyptian man and Israelite woman.

She was Shlomit Bat Divri, who was raped and conceived by the Egyptian that Moshe ultimately killed. The son of this union never really saw himself as part of עם ישראל.

Because of this, he was not given the privilege of being part of the miracles witnessed by the other Jews.

It took a genius like the Vilna Gaon to point this out.

Sibling Rivalry

During this week’s Parsha, Moshe and Aharon emerge as the leaders of the Jewish people who will take them out of bondage.

When the Torsh describes the two of them, it says, הוא משה ואהרון, this was Moshe and Aharon. At this point we were well aware who these two individuals were.

The Torah is telling us the secret to the success of their mission. It was because of איש אחד בלב אחד, one man and one heart. There was absolutely no jealousy between them. No sibling rivalry to speak. Each brother was absolutely thrilled at the other brother’s success.

The Torah needed to emphasize this point about our heroes, Moshe and Aharon. There was a realization that one needed to work on oneself to avoid this sibling rivalry.

We saw what happened to Cain and Abel and the jealousy that led to tragedy. It is so wrong for siblings to compare what the other has. Parents need to do their best to avoid creating an environment of jealousy. Nevertheless, they should be respected in their decisions as to how to deal with each of their children.

Moshe and Aharon set the standards of brotherly love. The results of this brotherly love, was Jewish redemption. If we would only follow their example, what great things would come, because of it!

Moshe’s Disrespect

This week we read פרשת וארא, that begins with an assurance from Hashem that He will keep His promise with Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yakov. The Jewish people will be redeemed from Egypt in a most glorious manner.

The commentators point out that Moshe was reprimanded by Hashem for his protests and claims that things were worse after he first appeared before Pharoah.

The question asked was what Moshe did wrong. Wasn’t he supposed to plea on behalf of his people. Compare this with King David who asked Hashem, למה עזבתני, “Why have You forsaken me?” This protest was considered legitimate while Moshe’s was not.

Rabbi Twerski says that the key words in Moshe’s case were, למה הרעות, why have You made things worse? This was considered unacceptable to imply that anything Hashem does is bad. We are to believe that everything Hashem does is for the good.

It was okay for David to complain about his suffering. But it is out of line to call it evil. We are taught that just as we are to bless Hashem for the good, we are to also bless Him for bad. We are to always remember that the word, נגע, which means, “blemish,” is actually ענג, “a delight.”

We need to wait for things to play out for us to realize why we went through difficulties. It worked for the Jews in Egypt. First there was slavery, and it was followed by our glorious redemption.

Moshe’s Great Midot

Rabbi Twerski analyzed the character of Moshe Rabbeinu in his early years, and what allowed him to emerge as the leader of the Jewish people.

He learned the trait of מסירות נפש, of giving of himself, from his adopted mother, Batya. He felt the pain of his brethren when the Torah said, וירא בסבלנותם, that he saw their suffering. It is possible to sympathize, empathize, or identify, with the suffering of others. Moshe was on the level where he identified, the highest level of interaction with another in pain.

He was very concerned for his older brother Aharon’s honor. He didn’t want to accept his position as Jewish leader if his brother would be slighted in any way.

He made sure to ask permission of his father in-law, Yitro, before returning to Egypt in his new role. Even in his confrontation with Pharoah, Moshe showed the evil king respect, because of the years that Egypt treated Israel well.

So we see that every step of the way, Moshe Rabbeinu demonstrated exemplary Midot. This is the secret of the emergence of a great leader.

Back Stabbers

There is a very powerful Midrash brought by Rashi in connection with the words, אכן נודע הדבר, now the matter is known.

The simple explanation is that Moshe now realized that it was known that he had killed the Egyptian, and he needed to run away from the law.

The Midrashic interpretation is that Moshe now understood what had been troubling him for a long time. How was it possible that one nation could be enslaved by another nation. Now that he saw that there were דיליטורין, back stabbers among the Jewish people, he realized why they deserved to be slaves.

The Prophet Isaiah warned us that מהרסיך ומחריביך ממך יצאו, that those who tear down and destroy will come from within. It is not the outside enemy that threatens us, but it is the traitors and disloyal from within that threatens our people.

Unfortunately, this realization of Moshe Rabbeinu rings true today. We need loyalty and unity among our people, in order to be strong. If we are, the outside enemies will never be able to harm us.

Pharoah the Politician

There are many opinions regarding the Torah’s description of the king of Egypt. We are told, ויקם מלך חדש, that a new king arose in Egypt.

There are commentators who explained that it was an actual new king. He did not have good feelings towards the Jews, and ultimately enslaved them.

It is the other interpretation that is difficult to understand. According to this second opinion, it was the same Pharoah but he was new in the sense that he made new decrees and acted “new” in the sense that he forgot everything Yosef did, in turning Egypt into the superpower of the world.

If it was the same Pharoah, he went from praising Yosef for being filled with the Divine spirit, to “I do not know your G-d.”

Rabbi Twerski suggested that this was for political reasons. The mood in Egypt had changed and public opinion expressed a genuine fear that the Jewish people would overthrow Egyptian leadership because of their huge numbers. Pharoah needed to change his attitude in order to keep his job and not get removed.

All of the contributions of Yosef were thrown out the window. This was a harsh reality of what was to come in the world of politics. Too often so called leaders, will abandon all of their values so that they keep their position of power. How sad and how true!

130 Year Old Mother

The מעינה של תורה asks the question as to why Yocheved’s age of 130 was not given the same notoriety as Sara’s giving birth to Yitzchak. Wasn’t this an even greater miracle than שרה אמנו?

The answer is given by way of a parable. Two poor individuals were discussing a particular town and their success or failure at collecting charity from that town. One of them bemoaned the fact that he had very little success in raising funds, and concluded that it was not a very generous community.

The second poor person said he did extremely well when his request for help was answered generously. They realized that this success was due to coming on Purim when there was a special Mitzva to help the poor.

Moshe’s birth was like Purim in the sense that babies were being born miraculously and in abundance. Women regularly had sextuplets in six months and they all came out healthy.

Therefore, in an environment like that, a 130 year old woman giving birth, did not stick out.

Sara’s birth of Yitzchak was not during supernatural times, so the knowledge of a ninety year old woman giving birth, was big news!

Separate and Unique

Shavua Tov-

Rabbi Twerski makes a very emphatic observation in connection with today’s Parsha. He prefaced this with the words, “It’s high time Jews recognize this!”

He is referring to the lessons of history that began with the Jews in Egypt. They were on very good terms with the Egyptians as long as they remained in the Land of Goshen. However, when they began leaving their Jewish enclave, and began participating in Egyptian theater, the troubles began. It was their attempts to assimilate that led to their ultimate slavery.

The was true with the Purim story and the participation in Achashveirosh’s feast. Over and over again this lesson has not been learned.

When Jews remain separate and unique in their beliefs, they were able to avoid the harsh pitfalls of the exile. When they tried to “fit in” and be like everyone else, they fell.

It does not mean that they were not able to contribute to their respective societies. But it meant that they got involved politically and economically with their hosts. But they were always careful not to get involved socially. The social interaction between Jews and non-Jews, never bode well.

It began in Egypt, and continues to this very day. It’s high time Jews recognize this.

Jewish People and the Moon

This week we begin the Book of Shemot, that describes the slavery in Egypt and the exodus. The Jewish people went from prosperity to bondage. They went from the sin of the Golden Calf to the construction of the Mishkan.

The first Mitzva given in Egypt was the establishment of the lunar calendar. The significance of following the moon, is that it is a reflection on our history.

Like the Jewish people, the moon has its time when it is full and strong. But there are other times when it wanes and is barely seen.

We have seen periods of light and periods of darkness. We must learn from this how we deal with those difficult times in our lives.

The Baal Shem Tov taught us that we must never despair during our dark times. The troubled times help mold and shape us. We eventually realize that everything is for the best. Medicine might taste bitter, but it ultimately heals.

As a people, we have gone through so much over the generations. Thankfully, we are now in the period of Redemption as we have witnessed a rebirth of our people as we have come home to Israel. The best is yet to come!

Comforting Mourners

After the death of Yakov, the brothers assumed that Yosef will now punish them for his sale. He reassured his brothers that he fully understood that this was part of a Divine plan, and he has no malice towards them.

They were all dealing with the sadness of the great loss of their father, Yakov Avinu. The Torah says, וינחם אותם וידבר על לבם, that Yosef comforted them, and spoke words of consolation.

We get a glimpse from here as to how we are to comfort mourners. The loss of a loved one, is a very painful and traumatic experience. Rabbi Twerski brings the adage, “Joy that is shared is doubled. Pain that is shared is halved.”

Sharing sorrow, helps the sufferer, bear it. Feelings can be conveyed without words. One heart can speak to another without words. This is the reason we are not supposed to initiate a conversation when visiting a Shiva house. Just being present and letting the mourners know that you are there for them, is a comfort in itself.

Yosef helped set the guidelines as to how to know the proper conduct of comforting mourners, or those who are in pain.

To Be Like Efraim and Menashe

We are told in the Parsha that parents will bless their children with the words, ישימך אלוקים כאפרים וכמנשה, that Hashem should make you like Efraim and Menashe.

One of the reasons for this blessing is that parents are praying that their own children will succeed and maintain their commitment to Judaism, regardless of the challenge. Efraim and Menashe never lived in Israel and lived their entire lives in decadent Egypt. Despite this, they were considered on par with the other tribes of Israel, and they met the challenge.

A second interpretation is that there was great love between the two brothers, and there was no sibling rivalry between them. Some say that Yakov switched his hands to put his right hand over the younger, Efraim, because of his great humility and admiration for his brother.

It is clear why parents would wish that their own children would have the same attributes as Efraim and Menashe.p

Every Child is Unique

Yakov made a point of telling his sons that it was important that they remain united and that there be Shalom between them. This way his blessings would have a proper vessel for them to be received.

Rabbi Twerski points out that Yakov Avinu was teaching a valuable lesson in parenting when he gave the blessings.

Basically, he realized that each of his sons was different and they had their own special talents. He was encouraging them to reach their own individual potential. True blessing comes when a person is able to become everything he can be.

Parents make a big mistake when they “decide” what their children should be. The important factor is that the children need to be encouraged to do what makes “them” happy and fulfilled.

This is especially harmful when parents try to manipulate their children when they tell them that they are only telling them what to do, because they love them.

My brother told me a story of a friend who bemoaned the fact that his son had become Chareidi. My brother told the friend that he should feel good that his son had the self confidence to express himself in a way that he would feel fulfilled.

This was the message that Yakov gave to his sons.