1 - Topic – Rav Hutner - The praising of Hashem for Refuos
For this week’s Parsha I would like to share with you a few thoughts. The first is connected to the Davening. As you know, when we Daven we say in the Beracha of Refa’inu (רְפָאֵנוּ ר' וְנֵרָפֵא. הושִׁיעֵנוּ וְנִוָּשֵׁעָה כִּי תְהִלָּתֵנוּ אָתָּה). We say because you are the one we praise. (כִּי תְהִלָּתֵנוּ אָתָּה). You are the destination of all of our praises. The question is why is it in this Beracha in particular as (כִּי תְהִלָּתֵנוּ אָתָּה) could be in any Beracha. G-d gives us Parnasa and we thank him (כִּי תְהִלָּתֵנוּ אָתָּה). When G-d will bring Moshiach, Hashem protects Tzadikim (כִּי תְהִלָּתֵנוּ אָתָּה). Why is (כִּי תְהִלָּתֵנוּ אָתָּה) Dafka in the Beracha of (רְפָאֵנוּ)?
In the Pachad Yitzchok on Chag Hapesach Maimar 16 the following explanation appears with a Hakdama of the Yesod of the Maharal in his Sefer on Inyanei Yetzias Mitzrayim where the Maharal asks how is it that on the night of Pesach we say (וכל המרבה לספר ביציאת מצרים הרי זה משובח) somebody who praises a lot is himself praiseworthy. We talk about Yetzias Mitzrayim and praise Hashem the whole night. But doesn’t the Gemara say that a person is not supposed to add praises to Hashem (סיימתינהו לכולהו שבחי דמרך).
The Gemara in Maseches Berachos 33b (12 lines from the bottom) relates that when someone got up to Daven and after saying at the beginning of Shemoneh Esrei (הקל הגדול הגבור והנורא) he added additional praise. So Rava said (סיימתינהו לכולהו שבחי דמרך) you can’t add your own praise because then you are never allowed to stop. We don’t praise HKB”H except with things that it says B’feirush in the Torah. We don’t go out of our way and add words of praise on our own. We are too small to stand and praise the Ribbono Shel Olam. So the Maharal asks why on Pesach we are (המרבה לספר ביציאת מצרים).
Rav Hutner in the Pachad Yitzchok offers the following answer. The Gemara says that we are too small to praise Hashem. (משל למלך בשר ודם שהיו לו אלף אלפים דינרי זהב והיו מקלסין אותו בשל כסף והלא גנאי הוא לו) A Mashal to a king that has gold and we praise him as if he has silver. That is not a praise to praise a king with our small recognition of Hashem when the truth is so much greater. That is why we say that we don’t praise the Ribbono Shel Olam with our own words.
Zagt Rav Hutner, what about a king who has gold and silver and one day invites people over and shows off a painting or shows off a nice vessel, you can praise the painting or the vessel. What about the question how can you praise him on a painting if he has gold or silver? The answer is if the king himself put it out to be noticed and admired than obviously that is something that is desirable.
Zagt Rav Hutner, the same thing by Yetzias Mitzrayim. We find in this week’s Parsha right before Chamishi that Moshe Rabbeinu comes to Pharoh and Pharoh would like him to help get rid of the terrible Makkah of the frogs, the Tzefardim. So Moshe Rabbeinu says as is found in 8:5 (הִתְפָּאֵר עָלַי, לְמָתַי אַעְתִּיר לְךָ) give me a time and that is when I will ask G-d to remove the Tzefardim. (הִתְפָּאֵר עָלַי) means let me show you something which is a P’air, that is praiseworthy, that is amazing. You tell me the time and it will happen exactly then.
The idea being, that HKB”H said through Moshe Rabbeinu that what I am doing is L’his’poair, for beauty, is for recognition of Tiferes for HKB”H. As the Posuk says in 10:2 (וּלְמַעַן תְּסַפֵּר בְּאָזְנֵי בִנְךָ וּבֶן-בִּנְךָ, אֵת אֲשֶׁר הִתְעַלַּלְתִּי בְּמִצְרַיִם) it is HKB”H’s desire that whatever took place by Yetzias Mitzrayim should be a source of praise that Yidden praise the Ribbono Shel Olam for all time. That is why a bunch of our Siddur is full of praise of Yetzias Mitzrayim. Of course, there are Kappitalach Tehillim but the praises that we add in our own language these are praises that have to do with Yetzias Mitzrayim.
Zagt Rav Hutner, this will now explain the Beracha of Refa’ainu. Why? This is because the fact that HKB”H is the Rofei of Klal Yisrael also is related to Yetzias Mitzrayim. HKB”H says in 15:26 (כָּל-הַמַּחֲלָה אֲשֶׁר-שַׂמְתִּי בְמִצְרַיִם, לֹא-אָשִׂים עָלֶיךָ, כִּי אֲנִי יְרוָר, רֹפְאֶךָ). HKB”H designated at the time of Yetzias Mitzrayim for all time that HKB”H is the Rofei of Klal Yisrael. Therefore, says Rav Hutner, (כִּי תְהִלָּתֵנוּ אָתָּה). We wouldn’t allow ourselves to say our own words of praise in the other Berachos. We wouldn’t say Tehila, we thank Hashem for what we have, but a Lashon of Tehila we would not say. We say it here because it is part of HKB”H’s promise to us by Yetzias Mitzrayim.
I would add that Asher Yatzar too has praise of healing and maintaining the body and that too, the long language which is unusual as in the other Berachos we say that HKB”H is (זוקֵף כְּפוּפִים), or (רוקַע הָאָרֶץ עַל הַמָּיִם), or (מַלְבִּישׁ עֲרֻמִּים). We don’t go into a long praise and in Asher Yatzar we do. The answer is that HKB”H being the Rofei Yisrael goes back to that original praise.
Of course this gives us a Kavana and an understanding when we say Refa’ainu and we say Asher Yatzar to think back to HKB”H’s promise to Klal Yisrael to always be the (רופֵא חולֵי עַמּו יִשרָאֵל).
2 – Topic – Chamin B’motzoei Shabbos - The idea of accepting rebuke and making the most of it
We have near the beginning of the Parsha a Yichus of the Shevatim of Reuvain, Shimon and Levi and that is it. Reuvain’s Yichus is his children and his grandchildren and then Shimon and Levi and then it ends. It is only Reuvain, Shimon and Levi. Rashi explains Al Pi Pshat that HKB”H is Meyacheis Klal Yisrael until He got to Moshe Rabbeinu but when He got to Moshe, Aharon and Miriam so HKB”H now tells the story of Moshe, Aharon and Miriam which is the story of Yetzias Mitzrayim.
Nevertheless, Al Pi Drush there must be another reason why Reuvain and Shimon Dafka are mentioned here along with Levi. I would like to share with you an answer from the Sefer Chamin B’motzoei Shabbos in the Shemos volume Maimar Gimmel from the Tolna Rebbe Shlita.
You remember Parshas Vayechi (just two weeks ago). If you were thinking as I am sure that you were while you reviewed the Parsha you must have felt the pain of Reuvain, Shimon and Levi. All the other brothers are getting Berachos, not only praises but Berachos for the generations to come and Reuvain, Shimon and Levi receive Tochacha, they receive Mussar. It is painful. They have a small Nechama because Rashi says later that all the Berachos from each Sheivet went on all the other Shevatim as well. All right, but still just think of the Tzar of Reuvain, Shimon and Levi and their descendants that they were not blessed.
What does it say that Reuvain, Shimon and Levi here in the Medrash in Shir Hashirim Rabbah, it gives many reasons but the first reason it says is that their father was critical of them and because they accepted their father’s rebuke Reuvain and Shimon were Zoche to have their Yichus with Moshe and Aharon.
The Medrash goes on that Reuvain, Shimon and Levi were more careful in watching their Yichus. Reuvain, Shimon and Levi were more careful than the rest of the Jews to distance themselves from Avodah Zora. What an incredible Limud. That which was a negative. Which we see that Reuvain and Shimon although they did not receive the Berachos as the other Shevatim received it. How painful for us to read about it Kol Shekain them Bish’as Maiseh. They turned it into a Beracha. They received rebuke, they received some Mussar but they took it well and they themselves made sure to grow meaningfully from what happened, and they remained just a step more dedicated than the other Shevatim.
What a beautiful Mussar to learn. The Siba of negativity, of rebuke remained for the next few hundred years from the passing of Yaakov until Yetzias Mitzrayim it remained a source of strength. It made them double up their care to serve HKB”H. How beautiful.
So two beautiful thoughts, the praising of Hashem for Refuos and the idea of accepting rebuke and making the most of it.
3 – Topic – Torah Temimah - A Diyuk in Pesukim at the end of the Parsha
This comes from one of my Mispallelim Moshe Tzvi. Last night in Shul he said to me, I was being Mavir Sedra and I got to the end and I see an inconsistency. The first Posuk after Maftir Moshe Rabbeinu goes out to Daven that the Makkah of Barad come to an end and the Posuk says in 9:33 (וַיַּחְדְּלוּ הַקֹּלוֹת וְהַבָּרָד, וּמָטָר לֹא-נִתַּךְ אָרְצָה). The thunder and the hail ended and the rain did not hit the ground. Then it says 9:34 (וַיַּרְא פַּרְעֹה, כִּי-חָדַל הַמָּטָר וְהַבָּרָד וְהַקֹּלֹת) that Pharoh saw that the rain, the hail and the Kolos came to an end.
Wait, the order is in reverse. Before it said (הַקֹּלוֹת וְהַבָּרָד, וּמָטָר) and here it says (הַמָּטָר וְהַבָּרָד וְהַקֹּלֹת). How strange. One Posuk after the other and the order is reversed. This certainly needs an explanation.
When he asked me this I felt that the place to look for Diyukim in language which is not addressed in the Mikraos Gedolos Chumash would be found by an uncle and a nephew, the Netziv and the Torah Temimah. The two of them each in their own Sefer on Chumash in his own way were big Dai’kanim on Diyukai Hak’ra, were careful to be precise in Teitching a Posuk.
Here I found not in the Netziv but in the Torah Temimah in his Sefer Tosafos Beracha, where he explains and runs into Pshat at least part of the change in order as follows. Really Moshe Rabbeinu told Pharoh that he was going to Daven for the Kolos and the Barad to come to an end. He did not mention anything about the rain at all. He didn’t say a thing about the rain. If you look back at Posuk 29 Moshe says to Pharoh (הַקֹּלוֹת יֶחְדָּלוּן, וְהַבָּרָד לֹא יִהְיֶה-עוֹד). He didn’t say anything about the rain. Why did HKB”H stop the rain? Because it doesn’t rain in Egypt. Egypt is watered by the waters of the Nile. So Pharoh and the Mitzrim for the rain to continue was a great blessing, was a great Beracha. Mitzrayim is cursed in that it doesn’t have rain. Therefore, when Pharoh heard that Moshe Rabbeinu was going to Daven for the end of the thunder and the hail he said at least the rain will keep on coming and it will be a Beracha.
Moshe Rabbeinu goes out and (וַיַּחְדְּלוּ הַקֹּלוֹת וְהַבָּרָד) what he Davened for happened. Plus (וּמָטָר לֹא-נִתַּךְ אָרְצָה). The plus is that the rain did not come down. Pharoh saw this and said Aha! (וַיֶּחֱזַק לֵב פַּרְעֹה). Pharoh was stubborn. What did he notice? He noticed that the thunder and the hail stopped. But mainly he noticed that the rain stopped. (וַיַּרְא פַּרְעֹה, כִּי-חָדַל הַמָּטָר וְהַבָּרָד וְהַקֹּלֹת--וַיֹּסֶף לַחֲטֹא; וַיַּכְבֵּד לִבּוֹ, הוּא וַעֲבָדָיו). Pharoh became more stubborn because of the rain and that is why the rain is mentioned first. In Moshe’s Tefilla it is mentioned last and in Pharoh’s noticing it it is first. Pharoh noticed that the rain had stopped and even though earlier he said 9:27 (יְרוָר, הַצַּדִּיק, וַאֲנִי וְעַמִּי, הָרְשָׁעִים) he became more stubborn.
This reminds us of Moshe Rabbeinu at Makkas Bechoros saying 11:4 (כַּחֲצֹת הַלַּיְלָה) about midnight. He was afraid that if he said at midnight then Pharoh will say that it wasn’t exactly midnight. What a fool he is. All the Bechorim are dying and he is saying aha it was the minute after or the minute before. Big deal!
The answer is yes. People are stubborn and Pharoh would have said that it didn’t happen exactly at midnight. How did Moshe Rabbeinu know this? At the end of Parshas Vaeira, here the Barad destroyed everything and Pharoh says aha the Mattar did not come down to the ground and you said that only the hail won’t come down. What a fool, what an absolute fool. To become stubborn over one small point, one small Nekuda.
Oy we are all foolish, we don’t take the big picture to heart adequately. We are busy with the small things. We should learn from this Diyuk Hak’ra (וַיַּרְא פַּרְעֹה, כִּי-חָדַל הַמָּטָר וְהַבָּרָד וְהַקֹּלֹת) and then (וַיֶּחֱזַק לֵב פַּרְעֹה). Look what happens to him in Parshas Bo.
So with these three wonderful ideas I bid you all a wonderful Shabbos and a meaningful Shabbos. The weeks of Shovavim are in the dead of winter when people tend to become more lax in their Shemira, to be more careful the weeks of Shovavim. Kol Tuv!
