1. I would like to share with you a few thoughts on the Parsha and then an overall thought. In the Parsha we find in the very first Rashi when it talks about the names of Klal Yisrael that Rashi says that Klal Yisrael is compared to the stars. Why does that come to mind here? Because by the stars HKB"H Kavayochel (לְכֻלָּם, שֵׁמוֹת יִקְרָא) gives names to the stars as is seen in Tehillim 147:4. The same thing here Klal Yisrael is compared to the stars and are counted on a constant basis. That is what it says here in the first Rashi on the Parsha.
In the (new volume of the) Ayeles Hashachar from Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman, he asks what is so great about being compared to stars. Being numerous like the stars is one thing but what is the big deal to be compared to stars, what is the message of being like a star and what does it matter that stars do have names or don't have names. It is a bit of a strange thing to compare Klal Yisrael to stars because they have names? What is the Inyan of that?
He explains very beautifully a Yesod. We don't give names to things unless they are unique. When things are identical we don't give names. Names differentiate between things. If you have 20 cans of coke in front of you they all have the same name. There is no difference between one can of coke and the other can of coke. If there are 20 different flavors of soda in front of you, you might call one a coke, one sprite, one orange etc. that is because names differentiate between things. Things that are identical are never given names. That is a basic idea of the importance of names. Therefore, when we learn that (לְכֻלָּם, שֵׁמוֹת יִקְרָא) and Dovid Hamelech tells us that HKB"H gives names to the stars (מוֹנֶה מִסְפָּר, לַכּוֹכָבִים; לְכֻלָּם, שֵׁמוֹת יִקְרָא). We have here a revelation that every star has its own purpose, its own Tafkid. Every star is different from every other star. That is a Chiddush.
The Gemara says in Maseches Berachos 59a (top line) (שבשעה שהקב"ה בקש להביא מבול לעולם נטל שני כוכבים מכימה והביא מבול לעולם) and again in Maseches Rosh Hashana (on the bottom of 11b and top of 12a) (רבי יהושע אומר אותו היום י"ז באייר היה יום שמזל כימה שוקע ביום ומעינות מתמעטין ומתוך ששינו מעשיהן שינה הקב"ה עליהם מעשה בראשית והעלה מזל כימה ביום ונטל שני כוכבים מכימה והביא מבול לעולם ר' אליעזר אומר אותו היום י"ז במרחשון היה יום שמזל כימה עולה ביום ומעינות מתגברים ומתוך ששינו מעשיהם שינה הקב"ה עליהם מעשה בראשית והעלה מזל כימה ביום ונטל שני כוכבים והביא מבול לעולם) that when HKB"H brought the Mabul to the world he did so Kavayochel by taking out the Mazal Kima and removing two stars from the tail of Kima and that caused the Mabul to happen. In other words, the stars of Mazal Kima somehow influenced the world and could bring a destructive Mabul to the world. Every star has its own unique position, has its own unique purpose. We didn't create the world so we don't understand what each one has as a purpose. So this is an interesting thing. You look under the stars of the sky and you see them all as many of the same thing and then Dovid Hamelech tells us (לְכֻלָּם, שֵׁמוֹת יִקְרָא). Each one has its own unique purpose. So too with Klal Yisrael, you see many people so it is easy to think it is many of the same. Many individuals. People might have different likes and dislikes but as far as our role in the world there are 600,000 Jews and all of them have this and this job. It is not that way.
By people also, every individual has its unique (Tafkid) purpose. Since every individual has his unique purpose, we shouldn't compare ourselves to others we should see what we have to do as individuals what each of us has to do as individuals and that is the love that HKB"H has. He looks at us each individually.
In my Vertlach on Parshas Vayechi I don't remember if I said it last week, however, someone asked why it was that when Yaakov gave the Beracha to Menashe and Ephraim he crossed his hands to bless Menashe and Ephraim each with the appropriate hand. Why not just switch positions, put Menashe on the other side and put Ephraim on the other side and then Yaakov wouldn't have had to cross his hands.
The answer is that it is an important lesson in Chinuch. You don't change the child to fit what you need. You change the way you deal with the child to fit the child. Every child, every person, has unique talents, unique purpose in the world, and a unique set of expectations that the Ribbono Shel Olam has for him. The Mechaneich, father, or even the grandfather has to adjust his hands according to the child. That is the idea of (לְכֻלָּם, שֵׁמוֹת יִקְרָא).
In the Tzidkos Hatzaddik he has a beautiful idea regarding Emunah. We all know that there is a Mitzvah to have Emunah (belief) in Hashem. Rav Tzaddok Hakohen writes that after you have Emunah in Hashem, a person has a second aspect of his obligations to Emunah. That is, a person has to believe in himself. A person has to believe that he has unique Shaychus to HKB"H. If you are in a crowd and a person looks at the crown a person doesn't see an individual. Not so with the Ribbono Shel Olam.
Like a parent who goes to graduation and there are maybe 100 graduates. His eyes and his mind focus on his child. If he has twins, his eyes, his mind focus on the pair of twins. HKB"H focuses on every single one of us. It is a pretty important lesson.
Many of us think for example regarding learning that we are gone because we don't learn enough. At the Yom Hadin we will be embarrassed. The Yom Hadin will come and Hashem will say why didn't you learn five more minutes a day? We will say five more minutes a day, I thought that you were going to have a complaint that I should have learned a few more hours a day. I wasted a lot of time. He will learn that Hashem expected from him to learn another five minutes a day. All that was expected from him was one night a week, maybe just Shabbos afternoon. He is going to cry. He will say Ribbono Shel Olam If I knew that all you needed was five more minutes I would have done it.
It is a Gemara. The Gemara in Maseches Sukkah 52a (15 lines from the top) says (כדדרש רבי יהודה לעתיד לבא מביאו הקב"ה ליצר הרע ושוחטו בפני הצדיקים ובפני הרשעים צדיקים נדמה להם כהר גבוה ורשעים נדמה להם כחוט השערה הללו בוכין והללו בוכין צדיקים בוכין ואומרים היאך יכולנו לכבוש הר גבוה כזה ורשעים בוכין ואומרים היאך לא יכולנו לכבוש את חוט השערה הזה) that Rishoim (someone who fails in his Din), L'asid Lavo will look at his Yeitzer Hora and see that it was only like a string, only like a thread, and he will cry and say had I known that it was a thread I would have been Misgabeir. Had I known that the Ribbono Shel Olam wants another five minutes from me, that the Ribbono Shel Olam wants just a Shabbos afternoon from me I would have done it. That is the idea of (לְכֻלָּם, שֵׁמוֹת יִקְרָא). And so, a very important message from the very first Rashi in Shemos.
2. I would like to move much later in the Parsha to the story of Yisro. I would like to share with you a Kasha that I had in Nach for a very long time and a Vort in the Parsha that may well answer it. It is very strange that when the descendants of Yisro come to Eretz Yisrael and join Klal Yisrael you would think a Ger over generations he melts into Klal Yisroel, he melts into the people. It is true in Eretz Yisrael where each Sheivet had its own land that a Ger would find it difficult because he has to rent, but Yisro did get some land as we learned in Sefer Yehoshua for the first 400 years in Eretz Yisrael. Still it is very strange that we find throughout Nach that Yisro stayed separate. Very separate.
For example, if you turn to the Haftorah of Parshas Beshalach which is the story of Devora in Shoftim, we meet there a Jewish woman who by all accounts is not only a Jewish woman but a great Jewish woman. (יָעֵל, אֵשֶׁת חֶבֶר הַקֵּינִי). Yoel who came from the family of Keini, the family of Yisro. The Posuk tells us that she lived separately from Klal Yisrael. Not only she, but the Posuk says in 4:17 (וְסִיסְרָא, נָס בְּרַגְלָיו, אֶל-אֹהֶל יָעֵל, אֵשֶׁת חֶבֶר הַקֵּינִי: כִּי שָׁלוֹם, בֵּין יָבִין מֶלֶךְ-חָצוֹר, וּבֵין, בֵּית חֶבֶר הַקֵּינִי). The descendants of Yisro stayed totally separate. Incredible!
We find this again when Shaul goes to do battle against Amaleik in Shmuel 1 15:6 (וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל אֶל-הַקֵּינִי לְכוּ סֻּרוּ רְדוּ מִתּוֹךְ עֲמָלֵקִי, פֶּן-אֹסִפְךָ עִמּוֹ, וְאַתָּה עָשִׂיתָה חֶסֶד עִם-כָּל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, בַּעֲלוֹתָם מִמִּצְרָיִם; וַיָּסַר קֵינִי, מִתּוֹךְ עֲמָלֵק). We find here again that the Bnei Yisro lived separately. Why did they live separate? It is a mystery in Nach.
Let's get to our Parsha. In this week's Parsha we learn that Moshe Rabbeinu made some sort of promise to his father in law Yisro. The Posuk doesn't say what the promise was but it refers somewhat mysteriously to a promise as it says in 2:21 (וַיּוֹאֶל מֹשֶׁה). Rashi brings as an incredible thing that Moshe promised Yisro that his first son would go to Avodah Zorah. Incredible! Of course the Pshat seems to make zero sense.
The same thing we find from a Gemara in Maseches Bava Basra 109b (16 lines from the bottom) (ויהונתן בן גרשם בן מנשה) mentioned in Shoftim 18:30 is actually a descendant of Moshe Rabbeinu, a grandson of Moshe Rabbeinu. He fell to be the priest of Pesel Micha for an idol because of this (וַיּוֹאֶל מֹשֶׁה). What is going on? The whole thing is very mysterious.
Rav Chaim Shmuelevetz in Sichos Mussar (תשל"א מאמר כ"ה) explains and I will share with you his explanation in our language. We know that there is a concept of Emunah Peshutah, believing in HKB"H because we trust our parents and grandparents and all who teach us what they saw at Sinai and at Yam Suf. That is called Emunah Peshutah. Then there is Emunah Derech Chakira. There is Emunah which comes from investigation. From one who thinks into the world and thinks into those who say that the world came about on its own and realizes that it cannot be. He thinks into those who don't see a purpose in creation and says it can't be. Emunah Derech Chakira is certainly a higher level.
Says Rav Chaim Shmuelevetz, Yisro wanted to raise his children on a higher level as he had done. He had explored all the Avodah Zoras and came to a conclusion. He told Moshe Rabbeinu I want to raise my grandchildren with Emunah Derech Chakira and Moshe Rabbeinu conceded to raise his oldest child in that fashion. To give him to an Avodah Zora so to speak, to teach the child Avodah Zorah and have the child come to an understanding to stay away from it.
In Eretz Yisrael every Sheivet had its own unique characteristics. Yisro's descendants had their own characteristics. They raised their children with Emunah Derech Chakira. Klal Yisrael doesn't do that. We raise our children with Emunah Peshuta. When they will reach the level they will come to Emunah Derech Chakira. When they reach the level of learning the Seforim that are on a much higher level and they will come to Shaar Hayichud then they will come to Emunah Derech Chakira. We don't send our children to Yeshivos unless that Yeshiva teaches Emunah Peshuta.
Therefore, Yisro and his descendants and his Yeshivos were separate. Klal Yisrael never bought into it. It may be true that (יָעֵל, אֵשֶׁת חֶבֶר הַקֵּינִי) was a great product of the Yeshivos of Yisro. That would explain why Yisro and his descendants stayed separate from Klal Yisrael. And so, we have a thought from the beginning of the Parsha and a thought from the end of the Parsha.
3. Before ending I would like to share with you my concern and the concern for many in Klal Yisrael for the well-being of our Rosh Yeshiva, Harav Yisroel Belsky, Chaim Yisrael Ben Chana Tzirel and I would like to beg you all to take it seriously. HKB"H listens to the Tefillos of a Rabbim. We are having a gathering for Tefilla at midday here at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas to say Tehillim from 12:15 to 12:45 preceded by Sedorim and Divrei Chizuk. At 12:45 there will be Mincha B'rov Am. I ask all of you who are nearby to come and join. Those who are far away, to put Rav Belsky's name into your Tefillos. The Tefillos Harabim have a tremendous Zechus.
We need Rav Belsky. There aren't too many that you can go to in our area who you can ask a Shaila in Halacha in any Miktzoa and have a meaningful discussion and a Psak, certainly with a strong opinion. We hope that HKB"H will bring Rav Belsky back to the Yeshiva very quickly with a Refuah Sh'leimah B'karov.
I hope all of Klal Yisrael which is always Klal Yisrael turning to the Ribbono Shel Olam. HKB"H is M'orer us to Tefilla, let's take the Hisorerus and make it happen. Wishing everybody an absolutely wonderful Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Shemos. |
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