Emuna: The Difficulties Involved in Waking Up – as in the Days of Yore

by Rav Avraham Vasserman, Givatayim, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

 "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." So said the renowned Winston Churchill, who led Great Britain to victory in World War II. Many in Israel today are finally awakening from the "conception" that held that we should hope for the best while feeding the crocodile. This includes even the most sworn supporters of co-existence with the residents of Gaza. Some of them have even become extremists on the other end of the spectrum, demanding that not a single Arab remain there after the war. It is very simple, they explain: One cannot be neighbors with the Satan.

But there are still those who hold on to the idea that we must distinguish between Hamas terrorists and "innocent Gazans" – as if they never saw the videos of that terrible October 7th showing the "non-involved" breaking the fences down to pave the way for the terrorists, and even accompanying them on their mission to murder and rape and burn and kidnap.

But even worse is the approach of the State of Israel in its officialdom, especially the security network, regarding the Palestinian Authority. It continues in many ways to feed the crocodile, saying that the PA is different than Hamas. Even after it is realized that one or both of them together will actually eat us first – because there's no one else around – many in official Israel begin to hope that the crocodile will simply turn into a domesticated iguana. 

Despite all sorts of imaginative attempts to distinguish between how Hamas and Fatah, respectively, behave, it is still clear to all that the PA, if it only received half a chance, would perform exactly as Hamas did and is doing. After all, the PA's financial support for the perpetrators of the attacks – the monthly salaries that the PA pays the terrorists' families – actually renders them their dispatchers. Murders by otherwise "not involved" terrorists are carried out sparsely, with an average of more than one dead Jew every two weeks. However, just because large numbers of Jews are not murdered in one day, but are spread out over time, doesn't make it more tolerable or containable. 

But it is very hard to change a conception that has taken hold so widely in the world, and in Israel, and in the heads of so many decision makers and policy setters. In truth, this phenomenon is nothing new.

Remember the Prophet Jeremiah? He had two demands, or exhortations, of the Jewish Nation: Please rectify your evil ways, and please do not embark on the irresponsible adventure of rebelling against Babylonia. But the nation, led by King Yehoyakim, did not listen, and instead did rise up against Bavel. The latter sent international bands of warriors to fight Israel, but even this Divine sign did not move the nation (Kings II 24, 2-4) from its conceptions.

Nor did the terrible death of Yehoyakim – whose corpse was thrown outside the walls and received a donkey's burial – move anyone. The dead, stubborn king's brother, Yehoyachin, continued along the same path, making diplomatic overtures to Egypt against Bavel – whose king then proceeded to lay siege to Jerusalem, capture the city, exile its king and his family, and steal precious Holy Temple vessels. Yirmiyahu again pleaded with the nation to change its ways, and to realize the destruction to which their actions were leading them. The "false prophets" of the time were a particularly hard obstacle, combining words of comfort and solace with assurances that G-d was strong enough to vanquish Israel's enemies in every situation. Jeremiah accused them of "claiming Peace, Peace – but there is no peace."

Yirmiyahu ostensibly won the Battle of the Prophets, for he correctly predicted the untimely death of false-prophet leader Hanania ben Azor (Yirmiyahu 28). But still: Though he could have said, "I told you so," the people were too steeped in their conception, and did not repent. 

The false prophets continued to produce "prophecies of comfort", and Jeremiah was condemned to a cruel death for the crime of national betrayal by having weakened its will. Only at the very last moment was he saved (Jeremiah 38). In place of Yehoyachin, Nebuchadnezzar had appointed Tzidkiyahu, who followed the foolish path of his predecessors and rebelled against him. Oh, the power of the conception! 

Even after Tzidkiyahu woke up to the dangers, it was too late, for other powers in the nation, stronger than him, continued to resist Yirmiyahu's message. Yes, the prophet agreed that G-d could perform miracles, as He had done against Sancheriv – but this generation was not necessarily as worthy as that one, he told them, and therefore it was time to give in. The nation refused to listen: Yirmiyahu was jailed, the Temple was destroyed, and Judea was exiled. 

By now it could have been expected that the nation would finally wake up. But too many Jews continued to worship idols, and too many continued to believe that their future lay with Egypt, and not, as Jeremiah continued to say, with Bavel. He warned that Pharaoh would fall before Nebuchadnezzar, and that the latter would take out his wrath on the Jews there, some of whom had taken part in the assassination of the Bavel-appointed Gedaliah. The people scorned Yirmiyahu once again, and refused to entertain the thought that Egypt could be defeated. When Nebuchadnezzar arrived in Egypt with his armies, it was too late for the Jews to reconsider their old conceptions… 

And Nowadays? 

The Scriptures do not tell us the life story of Yirmiyahu simply so that we can know how many times he failed in his attempts to return the nation to the straight path. This does not honor the Prophet or his prophecies. Rather, it seems that the message is: "If you want to make a change in the nation, do not rely on facts alone!" 

That is, we can say, "We told you so" all we want, but it will not make a dent in those who are convinced otherwise. There are many who cleave to their problematic ideology even in the face of facts that show its falsehood. Why is this? 

It is because even when we see a certain reality, it is sometimes hard to translate it into actions – especially when it involves admitting past mistakes, a change in lifestyle, and/or the loss of precious careers or peace-camp scholarly grants and the like. It seems that there will always be "prophets of peace," with many followers, who will simply not see the catastrophe to which their path leads – even when others see it clearly. On the contrary, they will find ways to justify their approach, and prove that the very catastrophe that we face requires that we continue along the same failed path with even greater force.

Yirmiyahu was alone in his campaign, and therefore the odds against him were great. But today, there are many who are waking up, joining the even greater numbers who from the beginning never agreed to feed the crocodile. Now, then, is the time to lead a march towards national salvation, and to bring about the fulfillment of the verse: "No more will be heard violence (Heb: hamas) in your land, or wasting or destruction in your borders; you shall rather call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise" (Yeshayahu 60,18).    

Beshalach: The Staircase of Faith in the Weekly Portion

by the late Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Avraham Shapira, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion of Beshalach (Sh'mot 13,17-17,15) is one that is entirely emunah, faith. Faith comes in different levels: there is "smallness of faith," and there is also faith that is "big," on a high level. The renowned 13th-century Rabbeinu Yonah wrote that there is "faith atop faith," and that in Parashat Beshalach, the Israelites rose up from level to level in their faith:

First G-d told them, "Don't be afraid; stand firm and see what G-d will do to save you today" (14,13), and then shortly afterwards, after the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, "They believed in G-d and in His servant Moshe" (14,31). Next was the story of the manna, which became their food and sustenance for the next four decades; this was a classic story of faith in G-d, for they trusted Him every single day for 40 years that the manna would appear in precisely the daily amount they needed.

Next came G-d's promise – "I am G-d, Who heals you" (15,26), which necessitates faith in G-d as the ultimate healer. And the portion concludes with Moshe holding up his arms to fight Amalek: "His hands remained steady [lit: emunah] until sunset" (17,12).

When Israel stood in trepidation at the Sea of Reeds with the Egyptian army hot in pursuit, we read, "The Children of Israel cried out to G-d" (14,10). Rashi explains: "They took hold of their ancestors' craft;" this means that they were not screaming out in simple fear, but were rather showing solidarity with their forefathers, who instilled within us the special value and treasure of prayer to G-d. As we then see less than a day later, when they were already reciting the Song of the Sea in praise of and thanks to G-d for the great miracle, they sang: "This is my G-d and I will glorify Him; G-d of my father, I will exalt Him" (15,2). Rashi explains why they mentioned the G-d of their forefathers: "I [Israel] am not the beginning of sanctity; the holiness and G-d's kingship over me began back in the times of my fathers."

The Prophet Isaiah stated in G-d's name: "This nation I created for Me, My praise it will recount" (Yeshayahu 43,21). The creation of Bnei Yisrael, which began with the Exodus from Egypt, was designed so that we would thank and praise G-d. This is why, in our Sh'moneh Esrei prayer blessing asking for health and healing, we say, "Save us and we will be saved, for You are our praise" – because all of Creation is so that we will acknowledge and praise G-d. The above promise that G-d is He who heals us is part of the process of leaving Egypt, because it is the creation of our nation – and within this process are included all the necessary acts of salvation via which we reach the point of "His praises we will recite."

On the other hand, we don't only pray and passively believe, nor did we latch onto all of our forefather's crafts. At the end of the Torah portion, we read how Israel fought with Amalekh in Refidim. However, our Sages derived from this, in Sanhedrin 106a, that they "weakened" (rafu yedeihem, a variant of "Refidim") themselves and did not pass on their forefathers' tradition of Torah study to their children. That is, in Refidim they were weak, confused, and hesitant, and asked, "Is G-d truly in our midst, or not?" (17,7) The weakness, therefore, was in not being able to pass on the traditions to the succeeding generations – and this brought the danger of Amalek upon them.

The rectification began with Moshe Rabbeinu, who raised his arms and kept them emunah, faithful and steady. The Ibn Ezra explains the connection: "Faith is something that stands steady and true." The Rashbam explains: "Standing in strength, as is Israel's faith throughout the generations." Moshe Rabbeinu established Israel's faith forever, as we see from the Medrash (Mechilta D'Rashbi) in the name of Rabbe Akiva: "When the Torah states that when Moshe's arms were raised, Israel would prevail in the battle with Amalek – meaning that Israel, in the future, will raise up words of Torah that will be given to Israel from Sinai via Moshe."

That is, Moshe prepared Israel to be ready to receive the Torah, to emerge from their weakness, and to rise up to a level of bold strength of faith in G-d. As their trust in G-d grew and their heart became unflinching in G-d's path – they became victorious!

May G-d privilege us to continue along the path set by our Patriarchs, to come ever close to the Torah and its teachers, and to thus strengthen our ties between Fathers and Sons, with perfect faith – Amen.

Emuna: Reading, or Screening?

by Rav Haggai Londin, Rosh Yeshivat Holon yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Rabbi Londin explains how our preoccupation with screens developed from ancient Greece, and how to counter the trend.

Frontal learning is today's primary development tool for our individual progress and growth. Children receive an average of twelve years of schooling as a start, and many then go on to attain additional years of higher education. In general, the more years of education and academic degrees one has, the more his social and economic status increases.

It is widely believed that the purpose of learning is simply to add knowledge. Our world is quantitative and material, and therefore in order to maximize my functionality, I need information. In other words, if my goal is to "enjoy life," I need money, for which I need work, for which in turn I need professional skills that are acquired through study and information. As such, education has no value on its own; it is only a means, not an end.

This approach leads, inevitably, to the quest to make learning easier and quicker. The more accessible we render the learning, and the faster it becomes, and the more colorful and attractive the study is – the better for all of us.

In our postmodern culture, there is a constant push to make things easier, and especially in the field of learning. Videos, stories and pictures are the focal points of pedagogy today. The status of the teacher is also changing: Too often, he or she is no longer an educator who is supposed to impart values, but is rather a supplier of facts. Some even dream of (or fear…) making teachers obsolete and effecting the learning via online systems, with no human contact.

The Jewish approach is very different. It posits that the real world is that which is spiritual, while the material aspects thereof are only its wrapping. The purpose of education is not only to impart facts, but to imbue us with morals, values, and the like, and to thus render us better people. As such, knowledge that is acquired without effort and with no challenge will not produce the desired result. It will fill our heads with information, but will bring about no personality change. 

Back in 1963, the Italian educational system ran an experiment to see if children could be educated via hypnosis. The children were put into a trance, and the texts were recited to them via earphones – and when they woke up, behold, they knew the material by heart! However, the experiment was quickly dropped, for two reasons: They remembered the material only for a short time, and were unable to use the information they were fed to deduce or reason. For instance, when they were asked, "Based on what you learned in case X, what would be the answer for case Y?" – they could not answer. 

When the learner gathers information passively, he does not qualitatively change his way of thinking or his personality. Our Sages refer to the ability to analyze situations and infer from case to case as Binah. We seek Binah when we are not content with the visible image of reality, and rather strive for a deeper look at the inner logic behind things. Our study of Mishnah and Gemara is a perfect example of the development of this ability, which is not only a learning technique, but a complete approach to life itself.

The quantitative approach has taken over much of our modern thinking. That which can be measured is more prevalent in our discourse than what can be felt and sensed. This is an offshoot of ancient Greek thinking (that the message of Chanukah negates), which sought the ultimate building block of existence; it found it in the form of what it called the "atom," which literally means indivisible. We now know that atoms can be divided, but the approach is the same: There is a finite framework, both maximal and minimal, to existence, and what is significant is only the quantitative-material dimension, of which intellectual learning is also a part. Values and spiritual-divine dimensions do not exist for them; everything is formulas and tables. Even the emotional dimension is quantified as a measure of emotional intelligence (EQ).

As opposed to the Greek-western approach, Judaism maintains that the qualitative dimension is that which forms the basis of the quantitative. There is therefore truly no limit to the world of the material, which is based on infinite energy. Every single hair has within it the energy of an atom bomb. The infinite is found at the basis of everything that is finite. Accordingly, the goal of education is not to maximize what we can extract from the natural world – but to touch the essence of life! 

This is why one must have the virtues of honesty and integrity in order to acquire real knowledge: "Only if your rabbi is like an angel of the Lord of Hosts, seek Torah from him," our Sages teach. Torah scholarship essentially tells us: Note the inner world that stands at the foundation of everything, and never suffice with just the outer wrapping. Again, in the words of the Sages: "Do not look at the jug, but rather at what it contains."

Today, in the 21st century, these struggles between quality and quantity, between passivity and proactivity, are manifest in the competition between reading books and staring at screens. The reason why our parents used to (hopefully many still do) yell at us, "Get away from that boob tube and go read a book!" is because when we read, our brains have to work actively to translate words and sentences into pictures and thoughts, with the help of our critical senses. The use of screens, on the other hand, means we skip the thought process, and thrusts the unfiltered picture directly into our brains, devoid of critical analysis. 

As is well-known, George Orwell's 1948 book entitled "1984" described an imaginary future world in which the "Big Brother" government had total control over its citizens' lives. One of its primary means was the placement of screens in every corner brainwashing them with absurd statements such as "White is Black" and "War is Peace." Although Orwell was referring to some type of Communist government, he was not far from today's actual reality. People have now chosen to subjugate themselves to incessantly brainwashing screens.  

Of course, there's no use thinking that our protests, or anything else, will magically cause the phenomenon of screens to disappear from our lives; the contrary is much more likely as the world gallops towards an even more digital future. Still, supervision and control over our habits is possible even in the 21st century. As has been said before, measures include setting a set time framework for computer and phone use, filtering mechanisms, purchasing analytical tools regarding what we see and spend time on, and more. Most fortunately, we also have the Sabbath – 25 consecutive weekly hours when we turn inwards and disengage from our daily routines. What a gift we have been given!

Let us also constantly encourage the development of reading and study skills, with an emphasis on comprehension and investigation. Comics don't fill the bill; novels have value mostly on the emotional plane; and best of all is the study of Torah.

Rabbi Londin is the author of "12 Faith Challenges for the 21st Century."

Bo: Not Only Freedom, But Also Great Wealth

by Rav Elisha Vishlitzky, head of the El-Ami Movement , yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion (Bo; Sh'mot 10,1-13,16) features the historic Exodus from Egypt, in which the People of Israel not only escape their enslavement, but also become G-d's Nation. Amid these two historically spectacular events, the Torah also recounts another event which seems to be slightly less impressive: G-d tells Moshe, "Please speak to the people and have them borrow from their [Egyptian] neighbors utensils of silver and gold" (11,2). Issues of money and property seem to be somewhat out of place here.

Explaining this verse, the Talmud quotes the Sage R. Yannai: "G-d said 'please,' meaning that this was a request. G-d said to Moshe: Please ask Israel to please borrow the silver and gold utensils – so that the righteous Avraham Avinu [to whom G-d promised that his descendants would be enslaved and would later leave Egypt with great wealth] would not say that G-d fulfilled the enslavement part of the prophecy, but not the part about the great wealth.

The Talmud thus explains why G-d wanted Israel to borrow the silver and gold, but the answer still requires explanation.

The background to this story includes some additional important details. For one thing, Avraham had originally been told to journey to the Holy Land, which He would ultimately give to his descendants. Avraham thereupon asked: "How can I know that I will inherit it?" (B'reshit 15,8) The commentators offer different explanations as to what Avraham meant; we will explain his intention as follows: "How will the Divine lordship, which will be revealed via the Nation and community, be revealed in such a miraculous, unnatural manner?" G-d then answers with the Covenant Between the Pieces, in which He promises, "Your descendants will be foreigners in land not theirs for 400 years, where they will be enslaved and oppressed, but I will ultimately bring judgment upon the oppressors, and your descendants will leave with great wealth." In other words, it will truly be a miraculous process, fraught with hardship, but from it the Jewish Nation will sprout forth.

The questions are now even clearer. Why must they leave with great wealth, and why by Divine promise? And why must this be fulfilled by Divine request of Moshe and Israel? And what is this extra consideration of Avraham that G-d feels he must show him?

Interestingly, the above-quoted R. Yannai has another teaching in the Talmud that is related to this topic. The Torah, in D'varim 1,1, lists the places that Bnei Yisrael passed through on their way to the Promised Land – and Rashi (citing the Sifri) says that each place-name alludes to a sin that the Israelites committed in the desert. R. Yannai explains that the place Di Zahav, which can literally mean "enough gold," is Moshe Rabbeinu's way of telling G-d that He gave them so much gold to the point that they had to say "Enough!" – and that this wealth was precisely what they used to fashion the Golden Calf.

R. Yannai – who said above that G-d asked Israel to borrow silver and gold on their way out of Egypt – teaches here that the sin of the Golden Calf was not exclusively Israel's fault; rather, their abundance of gold and silver, and the subjugation to it, led them to sin. And so the questions become even stronger: Why did G-d keep on giving them more and more? And why did He actually "request" of them to ask for the riches?

Rav Kook, in his commentary on the Aggadah (homilies) in the Gemara, clarifies that the purpose of the Exodus from Egypt was not simply to end Israel's subjugation and enslavement – but mainly to create genuine freedom in the world, to create a nation of truly free people.

The issue of money and gold is not at all the main topic in this story, certainly not in comparison with the other sublime events of the Exodus. But it does emphasize for us that God wants to give us tools by which to truly sense the feeling of freedom. It is important to Him that we leave Egypt not as impoverished wretches; we must rather fulfill that which the Torah said, "And the Israelites went out [from Egypt] in triumph" (Sh'mot 14,8) - and great wealth is certainly an important aspect thereof. 

And this is why Moshe and Israel were asked to "please" collect the wealth. Our state of mind at the moment of the Exodus was one of free choice. G-d was saying to Israel: "If you want to leave in a poor state, you may certainly do so; you are not obligated to borrow silver and gold vessels from Egypt. But if you want to go out in a true state of freedom, and to empower the feeling of being free, and to intensify your inner work and feel your power - then ask your Egyptian neighbors for silver and gold." It was up to Israel, but G-d recommended the latter, so as to raise up their status as a free people. 

Emuna: G-d's Daily Renewed Love's for Israel

by Rav Naim Ben-Eliyahu, of saintly blessed memory, Rosh Yeshivat Ben Ish Chai and brother of the late Chief Rabbi of Israel Mordechai Eliyahu, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

As we enter the new month of Shvat, it is appropriate to take a look at a verse from Isaiah 66 - the haftarah reading when Sabbath and the New Month coincide – which refers indirectly to this month's holiday: Tu B'Shvat, the New Year for Trees. 

The verse, at first glance, is tremendously puzzling: "For, as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making, stand before Me, says the Lord, so shall your seed and your name stand" (66,22). One who read this verse understands that G-d will expand the world, will build a new heaven and a new earth, and Israel's generations will never cease forever. 

How is such a thing conceivable? Will there then be a new world, with new heavens and a new earth, to which Israel will be relocated and then last forever?!

Many commentaries have been written on this verse, and the Medrash Yalkut Shimoni cites several of them. However, the Radak (R. David ben Kimchi, France, d. 1235), ignored all the other explanations and provided his own. To understand it, let us begin with the following story. A nice and gentle man got married and had a son, whom he loved mightily with all his heart. When he would leave every day for morning prayers, he would look at the boy with overpowering love, and would say, "My son! How cute you are, how beloved!" He would then embrace and kiss him. Upon his return from the synagogue, he would see him and again exclaim, "My child, how I love you!" while kissing and hugging him. And so he would do every day. 

One day his father-in-law came to visit, saw how his son-in-law behaved to the child, and asked, "What's this?" The young father answered, "For me it's as if he was just born today; my love for him is renewed each day as if it were totally new, and that's why I love him so much." The father-in-law said, "I see. OK, we'll give it another year or two, and then you'll be over it…" But of course the young father continued along the same path.

We recite about G-d in our morning prayers, "He renews in His goodness every day, always, the act of Creation." G-d created His world, as we see – but we don't really look. Today's sky is not the same as yesterday's. We arise in the morning, look around outside, and see the earth flowering and the trees growing – but every day is different. You can go out each day and see a new growth, as if it were Tu B'Shvat each day!

 

We should know that when we speak of G-d's renewing "in His goodness every day, always, the act of Creation," we mean that it is as if He constantly fashions a new heaven and a new earth; He will not destroy the old world, but it will rather look as if it is new. And this is how our children will be forever to Him – as beloved as if we were just now born to Him! G-d's love for us will always remain before Him; everything is new, nothing is the same old thing as it was before. O Nation of Israel: your descendants and name will last forever and ever.

Another explanation of this verse – it is cited in the Yalkut Shimoni – is that when G-d created His world, He considered that, in fact, He would create new heavens and a new earth, and that Israel would remain as it is. And the Medrash states there that if the heavens and earth, which were created for Israel's honor, last forever, how much more so is this true for the tzaddikim [and Israel], for whom the world was created, that they will last forever. 

In any event, the Nation of Israel will be in existence for all time. As the verse states: As the new heavens and the new earth that I make stand before Me, so shall your seed and your name stand."

Vaera: The Search for a True Jew

by Rav Netanel Yosifun, Rosh Yeshivat Orot Netanya, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

There was once a certain tzaddik (righteous man) who decided to look around in his town, which was full of Jews, for just one of them who was truly a sincere Jew in his every action!

He looked around and watched his neighbors and how they acted, but he did not find one whose service of G-d fit what he was looking for. But then one night, it happened: he found a simple Jew whose service of G-d was totally genuine. How did the tzaddik come to this conclusion? 

It turned out that the simple Jew he found was a water-drawer by profession. When the tzaddik passed, late one night, by the old dilapidated shack in which the simple Jew lived, he was astonished to see a bunch of poor Jews from the village joyously dancing and drinking a l'chaim to each other with cups of water. The tzaddik came in and said, "Please answer me: What is it that you're so happy about?"

The water-drawer explained: "As you see, I am very poor, and though I work very hard all day, I still barely make a living. It's quite difficult for me, as can be imagined, and I always prayed to G-d that He would send me a nice sum of money so that I could open a business and make some money in a dignified and relatively easy manner."

"And precisely today, my request was answered! I was walking along the street, and suddenly I found a bag – and inside was a large sum of money! I thanked G-d for His nice gift, hid the money at home, and went to the synagogue for the afternoon prayer. All of sudden, a woman bursts in and starts crying that her purse was stolen with all the money that she had been saving up for years for her only daughter's wedding – and then she fainted in her sorrow."

The man continued his story, which took a surprising turn: "I ran home, lied down in my bed, and wallowed in my sorrow – and anger. I was angry at G-d, and I said to Him in my heart: 'That's it, I'm not praying to You anymore! You wanted to help me, and for that You took money from a poor widow saving up for her daughter's wedding?! I don't want any further connection with You!' And with that, I fell asleep."

"In the middle of the night, I woke up, and I heard my soul crying out within me and saying, 'What?! You're forgetting Hashem? The G-d of compassion? You're willing to give up all your ties with Hashem? You won't pray to Him anymore?'

"I immediately jumped out of bed, ran to the woman's house, and gave her back her money. And now, my friends and I are dancing and singing in joy that I once again have the chance to be connected to G-d and to pray to him!"

The tzaddik finished: "That's a true Jew!" 

At first blush, the water-drawer seems a bit strange and even foolish. To react in such a way when finding money that he knows is not his? To be angry at G-d under such circumstances? But if we delve deeper, we realize that it is precisely because of those thoughts, those sincere feelings, that he ends up praying with such depth to Hashem. It was davka because he was so truthful and genuine with himself, even in a manner that appears illogical and even chutzpah-like, that he merited later to reveal the depth of his ties with G-d and how important they are to him. He was finally able to affirm that his most important goal was to be able to have a link with, and pray to, Hashem!

This story brings us to the sharp exchange between Moshe Rabbeinu and G-d at the end of last week's Torah portion, which continues in this week's portion as well. Moshe complains sharply to G-d: "Why have you sent me? Ever since you sent me, the Jews' situation in Egypt has worsened!"

And then, in the beginning of Parashat Va'era that we read this week (Sh'mot 6,2-9,46), G-d answers him and says, in effect: "If you will trust in Me, and look at the situation with Divine eyes and not with mortal eyes, you will understand that the Divine processes are long but exact, and that everything in the end will lead to a happy ending and Redemption itself." G-d also adds (as Rashi explains): "The Patriarchs recognized this, and even though they didn't merit to see the fulfillment of the promises I made to them, they did not complain."

Yes, G-d has criticism of Moshe here. But we note that because Moshe was genuine, and cried out his sincere feelings from the depths of his heart, it was precisely from this truth that he merited to have G-d explain to him the proper way to approach the situation, and thus become G-d's loyal servant – "throughout My house he is trusted."

What is the proper way? Sometimes, when a person views a grave problem from the Divine perspective, it actually takes away his ability to pray to G-d – for, he feels, everything leads to the ultimate goodness, meaning that even now, everything is already good – so why pray? It is precisely when one looks at things with mortal eyeglasses, and does not see the greatness in the current situation, that he can then cry out to G-d with truth and real closeness.

It is told about one of the great tzaddikim who told his students, before his death, that he would not agree to enter the Gates of Paradise until the Complete Redemption comes. After he died, they all waited for the Redemption, assuming that his demand would be met – but alas, it continued to tarry.

What happened was that when the deceased reached the Heavens, he no longer saw things with earthly eyes, but rather from the Divine perspective – and therefore he recognized that all the suffering was ultimately leading to good, which meant that everything is good already now, and it is as if the Redemption has come. 

But we, who are still on earth, must continue to pray for G-d's salvation. May we merit to express true prayers from the depths of our hearts!

Emuna: The Redemption is Already Here!

by Rav David Shlomo Levy, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The Prophet Isaiah provides us with words of comfort and encouragement in the face of those who would harm us. For example: "Do not fear, for I am with you… I also helped you, I also supported you with My righteous hand. Behold, all those incensed against you shall be ashamed and confounded; those who quarreled with you shall be as naught and be lost." (41,10-11) 

The Holy Zohar, on Parashat Ki Tisa, explains the second verse as follows: G-d will certainly in the future fulfill all the promises He made via His prophets. If not for these prophecies, Israel would not have been able to withstand the tribulations of the Exile. When suffering came upon them, they entered the Beit Medrash, opened the holy books, read of the great goodness that waits in store for them, and became consoled. 

Thus, the Redemption, even before it arrives, comforts and strengthens Israel during times of troubles, via the Prophetic promises.  

How does it do this? How can our anticipation comfort us and give us strength, if the Redemption itself has not yet appeared? More specifically: When times are really difficult and it appears that there is barely any hope, how can we find solace in a future event whose time and date are unknown to us? 

The Ramchal (R. Meir Chaim Luzatto, 18th century author of Mesilat Yesharim) writes in Derekh Hashem: "In terms of the man himself, we mentioned above that he is comprised of two opposite elements, which are the soul and the body… and within his body, everything is also physical and dark… But from the depths of G-d's wisdom He set up matters such that even though mortals are immersed in that which is physical, he can still attain completeness and raise himself to that which is pure and virtuous." 

We learn from the Ramchal that Creation is comprised of opposites: Soul and body; impure and pure; evil and good; deceit and truth. We live in This World, which in terms of physical nature is material and dark, but even in this state - and perhaps because of it - he can attain completeness, he can attain Torah. 

World of Lies vs. World of Redemption 

There are two worlds. One is a world of darkness and deceit, and the other is the spiritual world, one of truth and Redemption. Man, too, is made up of both these elements, but the question he faces is: Where will he rest his head? In which world does he actually live? Where is he headed? Is he totally immersed in the problems of This World – the pogroms, the troubles, the difficulties – causing him to despair and break? Or are his soul and spirit in the world of the spirit, the world of cleanliness and purity, the world of truth and sanctity, the world of Redemption?  

The world of Redemption is not just something of the future. It rather exists all the time, even if not in its complete form. The question is just when it will appear in its perfect configuration; when will evil in totality – the smoke blocking off the truth –waft away and disappear. A Jew enters the Beit Medrash and learns the promises of the Prophets – and already then he lives the world of Redemption; his essential approach to reality is not just vis-à-vis the problems of the hour, but also to eternal life. As the above Zohar passage states: "They enter the Torah study halls" – they enter a different world. 

Redemption is Always With Us 

The Holy Zohar thus teaches us that the Nation of Israel withstood and outlasted all our enemies. How? In the merit of our being well-rooted and connected to the world of Redemption. Yes, we had trials and tribulations, but they passed us by – very close by, for certain, but they never were able to harm the source of our spiritual strength. Those who sought to hurt us succeeded in breaking some of our branches, but not the very roots, which are way beyond where the enemies can reach. It is from those roots that we always derived our strengths of renewal, our ability to rebuild from the ruins something bigger and taller.   

Thus, we mortal Jews live on two planes: the spiritual, Torah plane, independent of temporary and transient events – and the practical plane, that in which G-d is currently running His world. We are not permitted or able to detach ourselves from the physical reality and sink into the spiritual world; on the contrary, This World is the place in which we are charged to act and to rectify. Here is where G-d has put us to live, here we fulfill His mitzvot, and here we struggle for the holiness of the Land and the sanctity of His blessed name.  

But at the same time, deep inside us and in our souls, we must drink in from the world of Redemption traits and values such as serenity, trust in G-d, and joy. We are like the ladder Yaakov saw in his dream: "Its legs planted in the ground, and its head reached the heavens." Our ability to meet this great challenge that reality places before us, and to see our day-to-day problems in their proper proportion and not to allow ourselves to fall before them – comes precisely from our perpetual attachment to the world of Redemption which is not yet seen completely in This World.  

We must wage this struggle with self-sacrifice and stubbornness; certainly not out of despair or self-hatred, but rather with the understanding that, as we learn in Pirkei Avot, "it is not incumbent upon you to complete the job – but you are also not permitted to abandon it." We will do all that we can, and G-d will do what is best.  

And may we merit quickly the fulfillment of the conclusion of the above prophecy: "Those who quarrel with you, those who war with you shall be as nought and as nothing." 

Shemot: The Dual Message of the Tribal Names

by Rav Mordechai Hochman, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

They hint both at the Egyptian Exile and the Redemption 

The Book of Sh'mot, which Jews around the world begin reading aloud this week, is the second book of the Pentateuch. The Abarbanel names it the "Book of Exile and Redemption" – both of which appear dramatically in it.  

Sh'mot opens with the same six words that we read towards the end of B'reshit: "And these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt" (B'reshit 46,8; Sh'mot 1,1). Many of the commentators seek to explain why, after the names of Yaakov's children were listed when they descended to Egypt, the Torah considered it necessary to list them again at the beginning of Sh'mot. Rashi explained that the reason is simply because the Torah wished to show the high affection in which G-d holds Bnei Yisrael. The Medrash Rabba explains differently:  

They are mentioned here [in Sh'mot] to allude to the Redemption. For instance, Reuven [which means 'See, it is a boy'] is reminiscent of G-d's words [setting the stage for Redemption], 'I have certainly seen the poverty of My nation [in its suffering in Egypt]' (Sh'mot 3,7). And Shimon [which stems from the root meaning 'to hear'] corresponds to 'G-d heard their cries' (2,24). And Levy [from the root meaning 'to accompany'] corresponds to the fact that G-d accompanied Israel in its troubles, as is written, 'I am with them in their troubles' (Psalms 91,15). And Yehuda [from the root meaning 'to thank'], for Israel thanked G-d… 

The Hassidic work Shem MiShmuel explains that G-d mentioned the names of the Tribes again just before the story of the enslavement to indicate that He created the cure – the future Redemption – before He brought upon them the disease, namely, the tribulations of the subjugation in Egypt. The names allude to the future Redemption; if the Creator had not created this cure, He would not have brought upon them the subjugation. 

This is a very different explanation than that of the Besht, Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hassidism. His student R' Yaakov Yosef HaCohen Katz, in his work Tzofnat Pa'ne'ach, wrote in the name of his great teacher: 

The reason that Reuven, Shimon, etc. are listed here after already being listed [in B'reshit] during their lifetimes, is that in Sh'mot, the names are listed to their credit, but here, at the [beginning of the] Egyptian exile, the names allude to the exile of the soul… When they study Torah, for instance, Reuven wishes to boast about it, as if to say, "See I am a [Torah scholar];" and Shimon - so that his reputation [shom'o] will go forth, and Levi would connect to [accompany] pious men so that he will be considered pious and he will be praised… And therefore, from this spiritual exile that existed, the Children of Israel 'were fruitful and fertile and… they filled the land' (Sh'mot 1,7) – they turned the spiritual and inner into physical and material, and this brought about the physical exile, as the succeeding verse states: 'A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Yosef' (verse 8) – "new" in that he renewed decrees against Israel.   

The Besht understood that the names of the Tribes are to be understood here negatively; their descendants developed negative traits that can be derived from the tribal leaders' names. For instance, Reuven's descendants developed the negative trait of wanting to stand out ("See me!"), and similarly with Shimon; Levi's descendants began to do things not for the sake of Heaven, but rather to receive praise, as they "accompany" the pious men in order to impress others. And the same with the other tribes, in accordance with a "negative" understanding of their names. 

This is difficult! For we know that the Besht always sought to see the good in every one; why would he here, in Sh'mot, understand the names of the Tribes in this negative manner?  

It appears that the Torah itself leads us in this direction. We know that the names of the Tribes are listed in several places in the Torah, and often in different orders; each case must be studied to understand why its particular order was chosen. In this case, we note that the names of Yaakov's sons are divided into groups: The first four are "Reuven, Shimon, Levy and Yehuda" (1,2); the "and" makes it clear that they are one entity. This group is then followed by "Yisachar, Zevulun and Binyamin" – clearly again a group, this time of three. Next are two groups of two each: "Dan and Naftali; Gad and Asher." We must understand: Why are the sons of Leah – the first six names in this list – not mentioned together, but rather appear in two different lists? After all, in the list in B'reshit, and in Chronicles I (2,1), the six of them are mentioned in one group!  

It appears that the Torah is hinting to us that the four oldest sons of Yaakov, who were also born one after the other, took upon themselves to rise haughtily above the others and make the decisions for them. We know that after they were born, Leah stopped giving birth, until after the maidservants Bilhah and Zilpah gave birth to two sons each, at which point the Torah tells us that Leah bore Yisachar and Zevulun. Thus, the four oldest saw themselves as "special" in a way – as alluded to by their placement here in a separate group unto themselves.  

Yisachar and Zevulun were seemingly not thrilled with this arrangement, but they consoled themselves by remembering that they, like their oldest brothers, were the sons of Leah, and not of the handmaidens as were the other four brothers. And they therefore placed themselves above the latter four. The Torah also includes Binyamin with Yisachar and Zevulun, because he, too, was born of one of two Yaakov's original wives, Rachel; these three sons had a common denominator of being younger brothers of the first sons of the main wives, Rachel and Leah. 

Even within the last group – Dan and Naftali; Gad and Asher – there seemed to be hierarchy, as the Torah hints by the separation between the two pairs. It is very likely that Dan and Naftali, the sons of Rachel's handmaiden Bilhah, felt themselves above those of Leah's handmaiden Zilpah – for we know that after Rachel's death, Yaakov moved into the tent of Bilhah, and not of Zilpah.  

The Besht sensed that the Torah was telling us that there was a hierarchy among the sons of Yaakov, and that each group felt itself to be "above" the next one. And even within the different groups, there are indications that each member considered himself "above" the next one.  

Arrogance Leads to Exile – and the Opposite 

This type of situation, in which each member of Israel tries to one-up and be superior to his fellow, leads to the Gentiles coming and reigning superior over Israel, as the Besht concluded: Their character traits brought about physical exile and new decrees from the king of Egypt. 

And on the other hand, Moshe Rabbeinu, who grew up as an Egyptian prince, repressed what could have been his sense of superiority over others – and actually endangered himself in order to save his fellow Jews. As the Torah tells us, "he went out to his brethren and he saw their suffering, and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man of his brethren; he looked to and fro and saw that there was no man, and he smote the Egyptian" (2,12). The Netziv (Ha'amek Davar) explains that he looked to see if anyone would be a "man" and deal with the injustice; when he "saw that there was no man," he realized it was up to him! This lack of superiority over others is what began to sprout the Redemption, after the trait of arrogance brought about the subjugation.  

Clearly the Besht did not come to dispute the Medrash. Rather, the names of the Tribes allude both to the causes of the Exile and to the future Redemption.