Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Bumps And Bruises


בס"ד
"...כל המחלה אשר שמתי במצרים לא אשים עליך כי אני ד' רפאך" [שמות טו:כו]
"Any ailment that I sent upon the Egyptians, I will not inflict upon you for I am Hashem your healer"  [Shemos 15:26]

Two incredible perspectives on this passuk are quoted in the מעינה של תורה.

Firstly is the idea, expressed by the Malbim, is that just like a healer will sometimes have to perform a painful procedure – so too does Hashem sometimes inflict discomfort upon us. But in sharp contrast to the punitive judgment meted out upon the Egyptians, this discomfort is only part of the healing process and is meant to be instructive, not punitive.
Secondly, the Chasam Sofer gives an analogy of a "house physician" or a medical practitioner who is on retainer to treat anyone in the household versus a doctor who has a private clinic and charges per treatment. It is possible that both doctors are working equally hard to ensure their patient's health. It is inescapable, however, that the physician who has a private clinic may very well wish for some patients to relapse, since treating them would be lucrative. The house physician, however, would only wish health upon his patients since he has nothing to gain from their illness. In this way, says the Chasam Sofer, we should view Hashem – as our personal healer – who has no interest in "treating" us since He has nothing to gain from administering such treatment.
These perspectives are a welcome addition to our own internal arsenal for dealing with, and understanding, life's challenges. Sometimes we fall, and sometimes it hurts. With this passuk, Hashem is reminding us that often our pain is just a bruise left there by the hands of a caring healer. And when that explanation doesn’t seem to suffice – we should always recall that Hashem IS our personal caretaker – and since he doesn't gain from our pain – we can certainly believe that it is not extraneous or meaningless – even when the meaning eludes us.

Hatzlacha !!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Is The Cup Half Empty Or What ?

The difference between the world view of Moshe and Pharaoh can be summed up in the following passuk:
"
ראו כי רעה נגד פניכם "
"... behold an evil star greets you" [Shemos 10:10]

Pharaoh feels that the Israelites would be foolish to leave, for there is an evil star that rises against them in the desert, a star that signifies bloodshed. Why isn't Moshe worried about the star ? Why does Pharaoh place so much trust in his astrology ?

Despite having his kingdom and country turned upside down by several plagues - some of them too supernatural to contemplate - Pharaoh still thinks that he has the right idea abut how the world runs. He's not all that far off - the evil star does foretell bloodshed. This is where Pharaoh gets caught. He is convinced that if there is an omen of bloodshed that it means that his enemies will suffer.

Moshe isn't worried about the star because he knows the larger truth. Yes - there is an omen for bloodshed - but that won't interfere with Hashem's plan ! Who do you think put the blood star up there in the first place ?! In fact, Hashem does neatly deviate the bloodshed from the Jews to the blood of bris milah.

Pharaoh says to Moshe - the laws of nature are immutable - even your G-d won't save you now ! Moshe calmly responds - even when it seems as if the laws of nature are ranged against us, and even if G-d won't alter the laws outright - Hashem is never bound by those laws.

Every day day the opportunity to choose between Moshe's philosophy and Pharaoh's presents itself. When something doesn't go our way - do we consider it just an unfortunate incident ? A star that just happened to rise against us ? Or can we achieve a slice of Moshe rabbeinu's emunah ? We might not know why it happened but it is certainly all for the grandest master plan there is.

Hatzlacha !!

Friday, January 11, 2013

But, Why ?!?


בס"ד

The Torah is not merely a book of history. It is a book of instruction. One may wonder – what instructions are hidden in the horrific plagues that beat ancient Egypt, and it's meglomaniacal despot, into submission ?

The answer may very well lie in the last pesukim that describe the seventh plague – hail. Makkas Barad was a profoundly explosive attack upon Mitzrayim, in which millions of hail missiles rained down, causing incredible levels of destruction. Immediately following this plague, however, the Torah testifies as to which crops were destroyed and which survived (see Shemos 9:31-32). Rav Moshe Feinstein, Zatzal, teaches us that this is because no destruction is arbitrary.

In a winter season when many are affected by storms and the damage to property has reached epic proportions – we may yet need to internalize the lesson of the hailstones. Not a single hailstone fell at random – and neither does anything else.

Please, G-d, when we can say that our full and perfect belief in the Hashgacha that Hashem employs in the world is standing firm – we will be able to rejoice in the fifth statement of redemption – "והבאתי" and will merit the coming of Moshiach, amen.

Hatzlacha !!

Friday, January 04, 2013

Jewish Heroism


בס"ד
What makes a hero ?

In Egypt, we find that while the Israelites were enslaved there was a tiered system. There were slaves and overseers. The slaves were answerable to the Jewish overseers who, in turn, were answerable to their Egyptian taskmasters.

When Moshe first requests that Pharaoh let the Jews go he is met by ridicule ("Who is the Hashem that I should listen to him?!"). He is also faced with a nasty reality. Rather than relenting, Pharaoh's cruel logic makes him impose even harsher tasks on the hapless Jewish slaves.

The Torah teaches us that the Jewish overseers performed heroically under these new, unreasonable, decrees. (See Shemos 5:14) In fact, for their heroics, they were later projected to roles of prominence in Jewish society.

Just what were these heroic acts in the face of the angered Egyptian taskmasters ? The Jewish overseers took the beating meant for the slaves. They realized that the goals and jobs set before their brothers were impossible. They endeavored to help them finish up – but when that proved untenable – they took responsibility, and the subsequent beating, in their brothers' stead.

A Jewish hero is not necessarily one who triumphs with raw physical power. When it comes to strength, we know that Hashem has it covered more thoroughly than we ever could. So what does He leave for us ? To make the right and noble choice. It takes a bully to throw a punch – it takes a real hero to take one.

Let us use this week to increase our sense of responsibility for our fellow Jews – what can we do for them ? Regardless of who is at fault, or who should have done it – what can we do to alleviate a fellow Jew's hardship ?

This week we can all be heros.

Hatzlacha !!