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שבת שלום - פרשת וארא
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Video Shiur
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Click play to watch the video shiur by Rav Yosef Kaminetsky
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News and Notes
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Last Shabbat was an in-Shabbat, hosted by Rav Eliezer Kwass. Along with inspiring tefillot and delicious meals, Rav Kwass offered a shiur on "The Rambam and the Rogotchover," and Joe Hyams of Honest Reporting hosted an oneg Shabbat on Friday night.
Our students spent Sunday through Tuesday on a tiyul in the southern part of Israel. Among the many activities in which they participated was a five hour hike through the world's largest naturally formed crater, Machtesh Rimon, a pre-dawn hike to the top of Har Shlomo, where they davened Shacharit, a barbecue, bonfire and kumsitz, water sports including kayaking, jetskiing, and tubing, and a yeshiva-wide paintball competition. Everyone had a terrific time, and we thank Rabbi Moshe Lichtman for joining the students on the tiyul.
Yesodei HaTorah students continue to progress in their learning, as all five morning shiurim move forward through Masechet Ketubot. The shana bet bekiut program, having completed Masechet Makot, is now in the first perek of Masechet Sotah; several students are attempting to memorize the entire give-and-take of the Gemara. Numerous students have also begun independent projects that keep them in the Beit Midrash well after the end of night seder. As always, it is a pleasure to see the tremendous progress that all our students are making, as they build their skills and become progressively more proficient in their learning abilities - in Gemara, Chumash, Nach, Jewish thought, and other areas of Torah.
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Parsha Insights
By Rabbi Scott Kahn
"Moshe spoke [as he had been commanded] to the Children of Israel; and they didn't listen to Moshe. Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying, Go and speak to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, that he should send the Children of Israel from his land. Moshe spoke before Hashem, saying, Behold, the Children of Israel did not listen to me; how will Pharaoh hear me, while I have obstructed lips?" (Shmot 6:9-12)
In this week's Torah portion, Va'Eira, we read of Moshe expressing the same complaint, and the same desire to avoid his divinely ordained role, as he uttered in Parashat Shmot. In the earlier instance, however, Moshe's attempts to avoid his mission are met with overt divine displeasure, whereas a similar protest in our parashah elicits no comment whatsoever from G-d. Why does Hashem react differently here than He did in Parashat Shmot?
According to Rav Soloveitchik, the difference in G-d's reaction is based upon the differing requests being made of Moshe. In our parashah, Hashem is essentially telling Moshe to be the leader of the people - not simply to save them, but to become a king of sorts. Moshe's humility, evident through his attempted rejection of such a role, is proper and entirely praiseworthy. In Parashat Shmot, however, Hashem was demanding that Moshe approach Pharaoh in order to save Am Yisrael, who were mired in slavery. In such an instance, humility is not warranted, for the divine command to eliminate the people's suffering cannot be subject to any hesitation whatsoever.
Rav Soloveitchik also notes that this precedent leads to a halachic conclusion. While the Gemara states that someone who is asked to act as the shaliach tzibur must initially refuse the honor before accepting (Berachot 34a), the Gemara also says that refusing to accept the honor of reading the Torah shortens a person's life (Berachot 55a). The difference here is the same as is seen in the two refusals of Moshe: acting as the shaliach tzibur means taking a position of leadership, and should be politely refused before it is accepted. But reading from the Torah is a mitzvah - a divine command - and must be accomplished without hesitation. (See Aharon Ziegler, Halahkic Positions of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, vol. 1, page 69)
Perhaps an alternate approach to understanding the distinction between Moshe's two protests can be understood from the midrash. Shmot Raba (6:6) explains that the refusal of the Children of Israel to listen to Moshe's most recent promise of redemption - a refusal that immediately preceded G- d's directive to speak to Pharaoh - was based upon their reluctance to forego idolatry. In the words of the commentator, Anaf Yosef, "Originally, when he informed them of [Hashem's promise of redemption], they were not troubled, for there was no hint in his language of distancing themselves from idolatry. But now, when G-d said, 'I will take you to me as a people and I will be G-d to you, and you will know that I am Hashem your G-d,' accordingly it became hard in their eyes to separate from idolatry." In other words, the enslaved people were willing participants in the drama of redemption only so long as this redemption imposed no demands upon them. In the aftermath of Moshe's most recent declaration, however, they recognized that the price of freedom was the requirement to become G-d's holy nation. Their unwillingness to follow the will of Hashem - even at the expense of their freedom! - demonstrated that they were undeserving of divine redemption.
When Moshe initially heard G-d's command to take Israel out of Egypt at the burning bush, he asked two questions: Am I important enough to do this task, and do the Children of Israel have enough merit to be released? (Shmot 3:11) Hashem answered him that He would be with Moshe, thereby giving Moshe the necessary gravitas for the task at hand, and that the Children of Israel would deserve to be redeemed by virtue of their future acceptance of the Torah. (See Rashi on Shmot 3:12) The remaining protests lodged by Moshe all were predicated upon this initial, crucial component which validated the assumption that Am Yisrael deserved redemption in the first place. Moshe understood that if this assumption were proven false, all of G-d's promises regarding Moshe's fitness for redeeming the people would be useless. Accordingly, once the Children of Israel showed a lack of willingness to separate from avodah zara, thereby making any future acceptance of the Torah impossible, Moshe assumed that his ability to have any effect upon the people's future was removed, as well. For this reason, he exclaimed, "Behold, the Children of Israel did not listen to me" - that is, they refuse to acquire the merits that will enable the redemption to take place; thus, "How will Pharaoh hear me, while I have obstructed lips" - in other words, when all of G-d's promised help will no longer be forthcoming? This was a valid complaint, and thereby warranted no chastisement.
Despite the fact that Moshe's claim was apparently valid, Hashem countered with a repetition of His command to speak to Am Yisrael and Pharaoh, in order to redeem the people from the land of Egypt. In Rashi's words, "He commanded [Moshe and Aharon] to lead them gently, and to tolerate them." (Shmot 6:13) For Hashem understood what Moshe could not yet understand: that Israel's refusal to discard its idolatry was temporary. No matter that the people seem utterly undeserving of divine favor; what they do not do now, they will do later. Although they have no merits now, they will in the future. Moshe could only see Am Yisrael for what they were then, but G-d, in His omniscience, knew what they would one day become. They did not deserve redemption yet, but they would one day. For this reason, the process of redemption could already begin.
Even today, the Jewish nation seems to be adrift, and we can wonder whether the ship will ever be righted. We only wonder this, however, because we lack the all-seeing eye of the Ribbono Shel Olam. G-d promised that we will one day see the geulah shleima, the complete redemption. This is not only because Hashem has infinite mercy on His people, but also because He has infinite confidence in His people. Whatever our shortcomings today, we will one day earn the complete redemption; and this knowledge of our people's ultimate goodness should inspire us to imitate G-d Himself: to love all Jews, to have infinite patience, and to express complete confidence in their inner goodness.
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