Written by Rabbi Daniel Yaakov Travis
(based on a derasha from
HaGaon Rav Moshe Sternbuch shlita,
Ravad of Yerushalayim)
Making Fun of Pharaoh
"…you should relate to your children and grandchildren that which I was 'hitalalti' in Mitzrayim, and the miracles that I did, for I am Hashem” (Shemos 10,2)
Rashi explains that "hitalalti" refers to the mockery the Almighty made of Mitzrayim. On one day Pharaoh declared, "Hash-m is righteous, and myself and my nation are evil." Yet a short time later, after the Almighty removed the each plague from Egypt, Pharaoh forgot everything that happened, and returned back to his previous arrogant denial of G-d.
The Torah instructs us that the correct way to convey this irrational behavior to tell our children is to depict Pharaoh as foolish and fickle. However, this episode seems like a minor aspect of the major miracles of the ten makos. Why does the Torah place such an emphasis on remembering this?
If we look closely at what happened to Pharaoh, we can understand that we also experience similar patterns in our lives. When we have a crisis, we pour out our hearts to Hash-m in tefila, begging him to rescue us from our straits. Yet just as soon as we find our salvation, we find ourselves slipping back to our old ways, and Hash-m is once again the furthest thing from our minds.
Remembering Pharaoh’s foolish behavior can help keep us aware of our own hypocrisy. We will realize that even when things seem to be good, we are still utterly dependent on the Almighty's constant protection and mercy. This will prevent us from making the same mistakes as Pharaoh.
The Secret to Staying Inspired
After Hash-m has directly intervened in our lives by saving us from harm, rescuing us from a crisis or some other act of hashgacha pratis, we will certainty feel uplifted and close to Him. However if we let nature take its course, we will inevitably forget what happened almost immediately. How can we maintain the lofty awareness of Hash-m’s greatness that we achieve during our moments of inspiration?
The Zohar reveals that we are obligated to regularly revisit and recall our memories of these acts of Divine kindness. Constant reflection on the awesome acts of love that the Almighty performs just for you will ensure that these acts become etched on your heart and make a permanent impression on your world view. This is the deeper meaning of the mitzvah of remembering Yetzias Mirtzrayim daily.
In addition to remembering Hash-m's kindness, there are other measures that help us maintain a constant and unwavering connection to our Creator. The strongest force that pulls us away from serving Hash-m properly is our sins. If we want to maintain our elevation, we should know that every effort we make to avoid an aveira is a huge step in the right direction.
In the sixth chapter of Hilchos Teshuvah, the Rambam writes that Pharaoh was not the only person to have his heart hardened by Hash-m. Anyone who habitually transgresses sinks into impurity, and creates blocks between himself and his Creator. These locked doors make it much harder for him to return to the Almighty.
Even with the doors of teshuvah slammed shut, a person can still use a spiritual crowbar to pry them open. However the deeper a person has immersed himself in sin, the harder it will be to get through the gates of repentance. Righteous individuals constantly worry if perhaps they have overstepped the bounds, and therefore are always doing teshuvah to maintain their closeness to Hash-m.
In another section, the Zohar writes that a person who has sunk into transgression will have difficulty concentrating on his prayers. His mind is bombarded with foreign thoughts, and this disturbs his prayers. He must erase his sins through teshuvah, and then he will be able to return to praying with the proper intention.
Signs of Blood
When the Beis Hamikdash stood, we brought the korban tamid daily. These sacrifices erased our transgressions, and helped us to maintain an elevated state. Now that the Temple lies in ruins and we are in galus, what can we do on a daily basis to protect ourselves from the strong undercurrent in our society, which pulls us downwards so forcefully?
On the night of Yetzias Mitzrayim, Hash-m revealed the secret to us. Every Jewish family was obligated to do bris milah on all of the males, and to wipe the blood of the Korban Pesach on their doorposts. These two signs protected them from the fatal power of makos bechoros.
The blood of milah and on the doorposts is a lesson for all generations regarding how we can remain elevated despite the downward pull of the galus. Blood represents mesiras nefesh, completely giving ourselves over to the Almighty's will, even when this is difficult. Such acts ensure that we will stay on the elevated level that a Jew is meant to strive for, even when the tides around us are pulling us in another direction.
It is particularly noteworthy that the Almighty instructed us to place the blood on the door. This is meant to be a reminder to us that if we want our homes to be a place where the Divine Presence will dwell, that we must stand guard over what we let into the house. Radios, newspapers, and internet are especially threatening, as they can subtly introduce foreign ideas wrapped in the guise of essential information and convenience, and these can be completely antithetical to Torah ideology.
This is what the Torah means when it foretells that your children will ask, "What is this avodah to you?" In the thick of the galus, the korban Pesach and the Temple service may seem antiquated and irrelevant to our children. We are instructed to answer them that just as the Jews acted with mesiras nefesh and were saved from the depths of Mitzrayim, so too in every generation if a prodigious effort to swim against the tide which pulls us downward will allow us to maintain our elevated state.
For this reason when Moshe Rabbeinu told the Jewish people that they would have Jewish descendents, Klal Yisrael expressed deep thanks to the Almighty. The Jewish people thought that when they would be exiled into foreign lands that their descendants would stray from the path of Torah. Moshe Rabbeinu told them that if they would internalize the message of the korban Pesach and act with mesiras nefesh in the galus, they would be protected from harmful influences.
Potential for Greatness
Rav Sternbuch relates that when he was thirteen he entered yeshiva in England. During his first week there, the Rosh Yeshiva Rav Shneider gave a shiur to the entire yeshiva in which he told the students that he expected them all to become gedolei Yisrael like Rav Chaim Brisker.
One of the young bachurim responded in shock to the Rosh Yeshiva's words. "How can we be like Rav Chaim Brisker?! I don't have a father like the Beis HaLevi, and I am not gifted with the genius of Rav Chaim!"
The Rosh Yeshiva explained that he did not expect the boys to reach the same level of Torah learning as Rav Chaim. Certainly, Rav Chaim was given exceptional parents, intelligence, and other advantages, which enabled him to reach the level that he did. This was not expected of everyone.
Rather every bachur who channeled all of his energies towards reaching his potential is considered a gadol. Since he did everything in his power, Hash-m would consider him to have fully fulfilled his obligation to strive for Torah greatness. This was the Rosh Yeshiva's expectation for each of his talmidim.
The world we live in today is filled with powerful distractions and temptations that tug at our hearts and minds from all directions. Maintaining our moments of inspiration, teshuvah, and mesiras nefesh are the best defense against foreign influences and the most important step towards reaching our personal greatness; these are the keys to maintaining the high as we count the days until this bitter galus ends.
