Written by Rabbi Daniel Yaakov Travis
(based on a derasha from
HaGaon Rav Moshe Sternbuch shlita,
Ravad of Yerushalayim
Leil Shabbos)
Compared to the Stars
"Even though the Shevatim were counted in their lifetime by name, they are counted again after death. This is to show the Almighty's fondness for the Jewish people, who are compared to stars which are called to appear by name, as the pasuk says 'He takes out his hosts by number and He calls all of them by name.'" (Rashi Shemos 1,1).
What is the deeper meaning of the comparison between the Jewish people and the stars? Perhaps it is that the stars appear as tiny, distant dots in the night sky, yet in truth they are vast entities many times larger than the world around us. So too, the neshamah of every Jew may appear insignificant to the untrained eye, and yet it is a vast entity, as is the reward the neshamah will receive for the mitzvos it guides a person to perform.
Just like each star has its own unique name, every Jew has his own unique purpose in this world that no one else can duplicate. Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk remarked, "When I get to shamayim they won't ask me why I wasn't the Baal Shem Tov. They will ask me why since I was Elimelech of Lizhensk, why wasn't I Elimelech?"
The parallel between Klal Yisrael and the stars becomes more relevant as we draw closer to the end of this long and bitter galus. During the daytime, the sun illuminates the world and no other light is visible. Starlight only appears at night when the entire world is dark.
As we travel deeper and deeper into the darkness of the galus, the light created by each mitzvah that a Jew performs appears brighter and more powerful. A mitzvah that in previous generations would not have been especially significant, today fills the world with radiance. We now have the opportunity to reach great spiritual heights, in a way that in previous generations would have been impossible.
Shovavim
The first six parshiyos of the Book of Shemos are commonly referred to as Shovavim, an acronym for Shemos, Vayera, Bo, Beshalach, Yisro, Mishpatim. These weeks, when we learn about the miracles of Yetzias Mitzrayim and the giving of the Torah, are a special time for teshuva. What is the connection between the themes of these parshiyos and teshuva?
When the Jewish people initially came to Mitzrayim, we were under the leadership of Yaakov Avinu. He made sure that we remained a separate nation, and did not assimilate with the Egyptians. Yaakov's guidance imbued us the spiritual fortitude and protected us from the negative influences of our surrounding environment.
However, after Yaakov's death, the Jewish people experienced a rapid fall, until we reached the 49th level of impurity. Had we continued to fall, we would have reached the point of no return. The Almighty took us out of Mitzrayim, and propelled us on an upward ascent until we received the Torah on Har Sinai.
The route that we traveled when leaving Mitzrayim, is a process that every Jew faces when doing teshuva. Even if he has fallen to the lowest level of impurity, he can still pick himself up and aim for the highest levels of holiness. True repentance lights up his neshamah, and illuminates the world with the Almighty's radiance.
The Torah hints to this special process in the pasuk "Mikra kodesh, zecher yetzias Mitzrayim." Mikra kodesh, "when we sanctify ourselves" [through teshuva], zecher yetzias Mitzrayim, "is a hint to what happened in Mitrayim," where we lifted ourselves up from the depths of spiritual degradation.
Friend or Foe
The Torah writes that a new king arose who did not know Yosef. Rashi explains that Pharaoh was really the same king, yet he revised his decree. What was the nature of this gezeira?
Throughout our history the Jews have been challenged by two types of challenges. At times, the nations are friendly to us and welcome us into their society – providing we drop our religious beliefs. During other periods, we were persecuted and tortured for being Jewish.
Pharaoh adopted both of these strategies. Initially he decreed that Klal Yisrael should be invited to mingle with the people of Mitzrayim, but the Jewish people resisted this temptation and remained aloof. When Pharoh saw that his plan had not borne fruit, he changed tacks, and was gozer backbreaking labor.
This type of two-pronged strategy continues to be repeated to this today. When the Jewish state of Israel was first founded, the Satmar Rav and the Chazon Ish discussed how this would affect the future of Torah Judaism. The Satmar Rav feared that the Zionist drive towards a socialist state was so strong, they would institute one discriminatory decree after another, aiming to eradicate the Jewish character of the Land of Israel.
The Chazon Ish agreed with the Satmar Rav that this was definitely a possibility, but it was not his primary concern. He was much more worried that the Zionists would lure religious youth to join them through friendly means. These types of tactics are much more insidious and effective, and potentially had the ability to eradicate religious Jewry.
Political Images
Even after Pharaoh started resorting to violence and cruelty, he still tried to offer logical political excuses for his reprehensible behavior. Pharaoh only decreed the murder of the male babies, who he claimed presented a potential military threat to his nation, but he graciously agreed to leave the female children unharmed. His ultimate plan was that the Egyptians would marry the remaining Jewish women, and this way he would effectively wipe out the Jewish people.
In contrast to Pharaoh’s attempt to whitewash his true intentions, the Torah tells us that Shifra and Puah acted in an opposite manner. These two righteous women single-handedly saved the Jewish people from annihilation. They were rewarded with batim, houses – descendants who were Kohanim and Leviim.
One would think that such a valiant act would automatically receive a vast reward. Yet the Torah tells us that had they acted to receive honor and glory, they would not have received such a significant reward. Only because they acted out of fear of the Almighty, were they compensated so immensely.
Emunah Peshuta
The Medrash writes that Moshe Rabbeinu made an agreement with his father-in-law Yisro that their first son would become a priest to avoda zara. Amazingly enough, Moshe agreed to this stipulation. Micha, the child of Moshe Rabbeinu's first-born son Gershom, latter became an idol worshiper. How could Yisro have made such an offer, and how could Moshe Rabbeinu have accepted it?
The purpose of this "deal" between this two great tzadikim was certainly not that their offspring should actually worship idols. Yisro had come to the truth of Torah through a long intellectual search, and felt that this had strengthened his beliefs. He wanted at least one of his grandchildren to also follow in this path.
Before the Almighty gave us the Torah which prohibited avoda zara, Moshe Rabbeinu could agree to such a stipulation. However, belief based on philosophical proofs is not always strong, and can easily be toppled by a clever argument.
In truth, the highest level of trust in the Almighty is emunah peshuta, simple faith. The Yavetz, one of the Rishonim who lived during the times of the Spanish Inquisition, writes that many of the Jews who built their belief systems on philosophical proofs succumbed during those difficult times. Those who had emunah peshuta, simple trust, were able to stand up to the challenges they faced.
In today's world, we do not face the terrible choice between giving up our beliefs or dying for them, Baruch Hashem. Yet we must nonetheless strive to attain emuna peshuta, and complete clarity regarding the reality of the Almighty's existence in our everyday lives. By making the smallest opening in our heart for teshuva, we take a significant step towards this exalted level.
Please daven for the hatzlacha of Moshe Daniel ben Chia Etta and Daniella bas Sarah.
