Dvar Torah Parashat Va'era
- Salez Pros
- 7 days ago
- 10 min read
Dedicated in Gratitude to Hashem and In Honor of my Husband, Avi Ben Dayan and All our Children and Grandchildren By Marlene _______________________________________________________ Parashat Va'era Where Credit is Due
In last week’s parasha after Moshe helps the daughters of Yitro, they tell their father an Egyptian man helped them. Some commentaries say that this was due to Moshe’s dress. The Medrash Shemot Rabba (1:32) say that Yitro’s daughters were saying they were thankful for the Egyptian that Moshe killed. Because that Egyptian was beating the Jew, Moshe killed him and had to run to Midian and he was able to save them.
In this week’s parasha when it comes to the first plague, blood, Hashem commands Moshe to command Aharon to use Moshe’s stick to hit the water to start the plague (Shemot 7:19). Hashem commands Moshe to command Aharon to begin the plagues of frogs and lice with the stick. However, for all the other plagues that began with the use of the stick Moshe did so without Aharon. What was different about the first three makot—plagues?
To start the plague of the blood and frogs Hashem wanted the Nile to be hit. Since Moshe the Nile protected Moshe when he was a baby in the basket, Rashi (7:19) says that out of hakarat hatov—recognizing the good Moshe should not hit the water. The same is for the plague of the lice that needed the earth to be hit. The earth covered the Egyptian that Moshe killed, so out of gratitude Moshe is not the one to hit the earth. The daughters of Yistro and Hashem are teaching us the importance of showing gratitude to those who helped you.
Rabbi Tzvi Bergman says he finds it difficult to see that Yitro’s daughters were thankful for the Egyptian who was beating the Jew. Quoting his Brisker Rav he gives an interpretation of what the daughters of Yitro were trying to say which is illustrated by the following true story.
During the construction of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin in Poland a wealthy Jew was honored with laying the cornerstone. The Lubliner Yeshiva was one of the most prestigious Yeshivas in the world, and the ceremony was packed and attended by the leaders of Polish Jewry.
The Boyaner Rebbe approached the rich Jew and said to him, “I’m not jealous of the mitzvah you will get by laying the cornerstone. I am jealous of the mitzvah you did beforehand that made you worthy of getting this mitzvah.” The first merit was greater than laying the cornerstone, because the laying of the cornerstone gets you rewarded in this world with all the fame and honor. The daughters of Yitro were saying that the merit of saving the Jew from the Egyptian (which was done in private) made him worthy of this opportunity to do the public mitzvah.
Not Just Innocent Bystanders
At the end of last week’s parasha, in retaliation for Moshe’s request to free Bnei Yisrael. Pharaoh decided to punish them by withholding the straw to make the bricks, saying, “Now you will not be given straw to make bricks, but your quota of bricks must not diminish (5:18)!”
Rabbi Frand asks an interesting question. Why didn’t Pharaoh just double their quota of bricks instead of holding back the straw? The answer is that Pharaoh wanted to break the Israelites’ spirit. Had he merely doubled the quota of bricks, they would have been forced to work harder. But by compelling them to find straw to make the bricks, he created a situation of anxiety and distress. Today, when someone has to work hard, they can manage. However, when financial, health or other worrisome problems are added into the equation, the result is a psychological pressure that can break a person’s spirit! Pharaoh wanted to harm the Jews’ collective mental state.
Though Pharaoh did not allow the Hebrews straw, Hashem gifted the Egyptian people straw, so they would have the opportunity to share with the Israelites. But since they refused to help make life even slightly easier for the slaves, Hashem later punished the Egyptians for their lack of action. They were not able to say it was just Pharaoh’s fault since they withheld their materials. Another commentary goes even further, saying the Egyptian people didn’t let the Israelites have straw to specifically cause dissension among the Hebrews, as they would argue over the straw needed to fill their individual brick quotas. The Egyptians felt a perverse joy over watching Bnei Yisrael fight, therefore earning their punishment of the plagues.
Turning Din to Rachamim
Rabbi Elimelech Biderman says that when one remembers that whatever he is going through was handpicked and planned by Hashem, that, in itself, will turn “Elokim – Hashem's attribute of strict judgment” into “Havayah – Hashem's attribute of kindness” (Shemot 6:7).
It states (Shemot 2:12) that when Moshe kills the Egyptian “Va’Yifen Ko Va’Ko – he turned here and there.” Yosher Divrei Emet (Shemot) writes that the passuk is hinting that one should always say “ko – It was so decreed from Heaven.” “Va’Yifen Ko Va’Ko,” no matter what occurs, the good and the opposite, accept it, because ‘ko,’ this is how Hashem destined it to be.”
Every person should have the attribute “ko” regardless of whether they view what occurred as “good” or “bad,” he should say it is from Heaven. If it is good, “Ko Min Ha’shamayim—this is how it was decreed from Heaven.” And if chas ve’shalom it is difficult, it is also “Ko Min Ha’shamayim—as decreed from heaven.” This is the way kosher Jewish people live.
The Chafetz Chaim once gave a parable. Sometimes we take a medicine, and it is terribly bitter. But the medicine cures the disease. What word do we use to describe the medicine? Bitter? Yes. Bad? No! The medicine is healing! There are instances in life when our natural human reaction is to say that an event is bad. But a Jew has the obligation to believe that everything that G-d does is ultimately for the best.
Rabbi Biderman continues, saying that it is hinted at in the first passuk of the parasha, “Elokim spoke to Moshe and He said, 'I am Havayah.'" Hashem told Moshe that his awareness that everything comes from Hashem will turn “Elokim” into “Havayah” – trouble into kindness. It is known that Nachum Ish Gam Zu was called so because he would always say, “Gam Zu Le’Tovah—This, too, is for the good." But there seems to be a word missing in his name! His name should have been “Nachum Ish Gam Zu Le’Tovah!”
Reb Hershele Liska answers that Reb Nachum’s name implies that "This is also from Hashem." His awareness was so “Gam Zu,” that automatically, everything became good.
The Kaliver Rebbe Shlita from America taught the following beautiful message: It states, “Also, I heard the moans of Bnei Yisrael that the Egyptians are holding in bondage... Therefore, say to Bnei Yisrael, 'I am Hashem'" (Shemot 6:5). This can be translated as follows, "I heard that Bnei Yisrael say that the Egyptians are enslaving them. They think it comes from the Egyptians. Therefore, tell them “I am Hashem” so they know that everything is from Me, Hashem. When Bnei Yisrael gain that awareness, the following words of the passuk will transpire “I will take you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will save you from their labor, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments" (Shemot 6:6). This is because when we believe everything comes from Hashem, everything becomes “chessed—kindness.” By the first plague the Nile turned to blood, and all the fish died. This seemed like a problem for the Egyptians and the Jewish nation alike because one of the main staples in Egypt was fish. It seemed that this plague took away their livelihood. However, it was the opposite. The Midrash (Shemot Rabba 9:10) states, that the Jewish people became wealthy from the plague of blood. How? “An Egyptian and a Jew were in the same house, and there was a barrel full of water. The Egyptian wanted to pour some of that water into his pitcher, but it became blood. The Jew was drinking water. The Egyptian said, 'Give me a little bit of your water.' He gave, but it turned to blood.”
“The Egyptian said, 'Let's drink together from the same bowl.' The Jew drank water and the Egyptian drank blood. Only when he paid the Jew for the water did he have water. This was how the Jewish nation became wealthy." The Zera Shimshon discusses this to show that when we think we are losing, Hashem turns everything around and makes it good for the Jewish nation. The Jewish nation thought they were losing when the Nile turned to blood because there would be no fish, but they became very wealthy and had plenty of food to eat.
In the Friday night song of “Kah Ribon” Rebbe Yitzchak of Vorke A’H says that “Alfin” can be translated as “alefs,” a letter which represents Hashem. The song says “A person should live, ‘Shnin Alfin—years of recognizing that everything is from Hashem’” then he won't suffer from judgments and hardships. His awareness that everything is from Hashem will protect him from all trouble
Hashem’s Messengers
Throughout the parasha Moshe Rabeinu walks into Pharaoh’s palace and negotiates for the Jews to leave. Pharaoh was the supreme leader of an empire, he surely had impenetrable security. Yet even as Pharaoh becomes increasingly angry with Moshe’s visits, Moshe was still able to waltz in whenever he had a message.
We can see here that when Hashem sends a messenger there is no stopping them. Moshe was the messenger of Hashem, so Pharaoh’s security stood no chance. This week we had the inauguration of a new president. Even after many groups of people tried to stop him from taking office through assassination attempts, court cases etc. against all odds he is now the President of the United States. It must best that Hashem decided to give power to this man for the good of the Jewish people and Israel.
A Hardened Heart
Later in the parasha, when Egypt was barely surviving the plagues inflicted on it by Hashem’s wrath, we read, “But I shall harden Pharaoh’s heart, and I shall multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt (7:3).” Hashem is speaking after Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let the Israelites leave Egypt. The famous question is asked by all the commentaries, how can Hashem harden Pharaoh’s heart, thereby removing his bechira—free will, and then punish him and his people with even more severe plagues?
The answer our Rabbis give is that Pharaoh was his own worst enemy. Hashem gives everyone a chance to choose how to utilize his or her own free will. Nevertheless, Hashem can remove free will at any time, as He did with Pharaoh, after he ignored Moshe’s request to let Bnei Yisrael go. If we choose to follow a path that leads us to sin and we continue that path, then Hashem could make it harder for us to refrain from committing that sin.
In Parashat Balak the angel of Hashem says to Bilaam, “Go with the men, but do not say anything other than the exact words that I declare to you (22:35).” Rashi comments, “Be’derech she’adam rotze le’lech, ba molchin oto—Along the road on which a person wishes to go, there he will be led!” In other words, the way that you really wish to go, that is the way you will allow yourself to be led. Hashem’s guidance proceeds from our own decisions. Which path we want to take is in our hands: one that leads to spiritual growth or, chas veshalom, descent.
May we all strive to reach our own personal potential, while keeping our humility, as Moshe Rabbenu showed us. We must also be sensitive to the needs of our fellow Jews. May we have the foresight to always travel on the right path and be able to utilize our bechira properly, so that we never come to the point where our hearts chas veshalom become hardened and stop us from growing in Torah and mitzvot. May we always understand that Hashem is in control, and be grateful for our families, our health, our successes, and even our challenges! Amen!
Shabbat Shalom! Rabbi Amram Sananes, written by Jack Rahmey
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This book is a compilation of Divre Torah from the weekly parasha classes from Rabbi Sananes’ teachings over the last 10 years along with my own experiences in those classes which has stimulated my Torah growth. I’ve included many pertinent stories and life lessons to grow from at your Shabbat table. There’s also questions and discussion points at the end of each Parasha to stimulate a Torah conversation at your Shabbat table for the whole family to participate in. Also, included is a holidays section at the end of the book to use for all of our special holidays and Yomiim Toviim. Now available in all Jewish bookstores and Amazon! Scan the barcode on the right to purchase from Amazon. |
Rabbi Sananes and I look forward to hearing your feedback. Sincerely, Rabbi Amram Sananes and Jack E. Rahmey AmramSananes@me.com and jrahmey@rahmeyfinancial.com (917-226-6276) |
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