Evil is Removed Through Torah Study:
Sefer Bais Aharon quotes his father, Rav Osher of Stolin zy”a, as explaining the words of Rashi in Brachos (47B): “L’hotzi rabim yedei chovasam”, to mean that one can take others out of their obligations and their sins. (The word “l’hotzi”, which is usually used to mean to have someone in mind when you say a bracha so that they fulfill the mitzvah as well, literally means “to take out.”)
With this in mind, the Bais Aharon says that the word “metzorah” can be translated...
Moshe Rabenu was Afraid of Drowning in the Depths of Egypt’s Impurity:
The Chidushei Harim zy”a writes that when one sees someone drowning in the ocean, it is dangerous to try to drag him ashore by one of his arms or legs, as this may just cause the one trying to save him to be dragged into the water as well. Rather, it is better to drag him by the hair, as this would be a way to save him without placing the saver in danger.
So too, Moshe Rabenu saw that Klal Yisroel was drowning in the impurity of Egypt and he was afraid to go to Pharaoh. He hesitated to go until Hashem told him that He had hardened Pharaoh’s heart, meaning that He would be there together with him to serve as his “lifeguard” and ensure that he doesn’t get sucked in as well.
Groaning is Bad for the Heart:
Rav Moshe Midner zt”l explains the words of this pasuk as follows:
“Ki ani” – the “ani”, i.e., the ego. “Hardens the heart” – focusing on oneself makes one’s heart hard and unable to properly serve Hashem. In order to serve Him in the proper way, one must annul his personal desires.
In this vein, the Meor Vashemesh (Parshas Va’eschonon) quotes an explanation of the Magid of Zlotchov zy”a on the words (Devarim 5:5): “I stand between Hashem and between you.” This can be understood to mean that when one is focused on “I” – his own accomplishments and successes – he creates a separation between himself and Hashem. This is as Chazal say (Sotah 5A) that if a person is haughty, Hashem says that He cannot dwell in the same place as him.
The Curses of a Gentile:
Rashi states: “L’maan shisi (that I may place). Shumi she’asisis ani. (My placing, that I may place).”
It is related that Rav Yeshaya of Kerestir zy”a was once approached by a man who complained that he owed a gentile money and the man wouldn’t leave him alone and was threatening to shoot him with a gun and kill him. It had gotten to the point that he was afraid to go home because the gentile might be waiting to murder him.
The Rebbe quoted this Rashi and translated it as follows: “L’maan shisi - oib er vet shasin. (If he shoots you.) She’asisis ani – vet er shisin zich alein. (If he wants to shoot you, he will end up shooting himself.)”
And that is exactly what happened. The gentile shot himself to death.
The Yid returned home, assured that the tzadik’s blessing would be fulfilled. As he neared his house, his wife came out and happily told him that everyone was talking about how that gentile had shot himself.
Hardening the Heart to Cause an Increase of Joy:
The Meforshim ask why Pharaoh’s heart was hardened in order to have many miracles occur. Why wouldn’t it have been sufficient to have one makkah that lasted for so long that he had to eventually give in, or to have Makkas Bechoros first so that he would send the nation out immediately?
The Chida zt”l answers with a moshol of a man who was traveling in the desert and finds a treasure of 10,000 gold coins in one spot. Of course, this makes him very happy. His friend, on the other hand, first finds 1,000 coins, which makes him happy, and then later finds 1,000 nine more times, until he gets a total of 10,000. In the end, they both have the same amount, but the second man had more joy because the first man only got happy once, while the second man had ten different times of happiness.
The nimshol is that if Hashem had made only one makkah that would have been big enough to get Pharaoh to free the nation, the Jewish people would have had a lot of joy, but now that He sent ten makkos, they had even more joy in total.
Nothing is Gained by Stubbornness:
Rashi states: “V’hisalalti – I mocked.” The Ramban also understands this word to mean “to mock”, and adds: “I mocked him by hardening his heart and taking revenge against him. This is as is stated (Tehillim 2:4): ‘He Who dwells in Heaven laughs; Hashem mocks them.”
Hashem Yisborach sent Moshe, His trusted messenger, to command Pharaoh to set free the Jewish people. Pharaoh, however, was stubborn, and he refused to let them go. He thought he would benefit by keeping them as slaves. Hashem, however, laughed at him because He knew that, in the end, not only would Pharaoh gain nothing from his stubbornness, he would actually lose a lot. He would not only have to release the Jewish people, but he also would lose all the wealth of Egypt, which they would take with them. This was the mockery of Pharaoh.
In this vein, a story is related (see Mikdash Dovid of Rav Dovid Hanagid, a grandson of the Rambam, Maseches Avos 6:10) that during the times of Rav Yosi ben Kisma, two Jewish children were taken captive by a non-Jew. Rav Yosi went to the man who had taken them and offered him 100 dinars to free them. The man refused the offer, and Rav Yosi turned to leave. Before he even got to the door, Hashem started to take vengeance against the gentile. He began to suffer excruciating pains all over his body. He literally felt like he was about to die. His friends told him that this suffering might be the result of making Rav Yosi angry. They advised him to call him back and to appease him.
He immediately sent a message to Rav Yosi, asking him to come back and take the two children. Rav Yosi said that he only had 80 dinars now. The man got angry and sent him away again. As soon as he left, the man’s suffering got worse. He sent for Rav Yosi and said that he would do the deal for 80 dinars, but Rav Yosi told him that he now would only give 50. Again, the man got mad and sent him away. Once again, the suffering got worse, and he sent a message that he would do it for 50. This time, Rav Yosi said that he wouldn’t give him anything.
By now, the man was suffering so much that he agreed to release the children for free. Rav Yosi told him that he must pay the children something to compensate them for the time they had spent in captivity, and the had to agree to give them 80 dinars. Once he did so, his suffering ended.
We see from this story that not only did the gentile’s stubbornness not help him, it led to a big loss for him.
A Believer Instills Belief in His Children:
The verse says that we should relate the story to Hashem “and you will know”. It would seem that it should say “and they will know”, as the pasuk is talking about the children and saying that we shall relate the story for them to know what happened.
Rav Yehoshua of Belz zy”a asks this question that if someone wants to convince someone to believe in something, he must first believe in that thing himself. So too, if someone wants to instill emunah into someone else, he must first have strong emunah himself. If one is strong in his own emunah, he can pass it on to others, but if he is not, he cannot influence others.
Accordingly, the pasuk is saying that in order to relate the story to one’s children and instill them with emunah, one must first know about Hashem on his own. You must first know Hashem and believe in Him completely, and then you can teach emunah to your children.
The Zechus of Every Crumb:
The word “parsah” (hoof) can also be translated as “perusah” (a piece of bread).
It is said in the name of Rav Meir of Premishlan zy”a that this pasuk can be understood to be saying that when a person dies, he does not leave behind even one piece of bread that he gave to a poor person. Rather, every piece goes up to Shomayim and speaks on the person’s behalf before the Heavenly Court.”
Worthy of the Three Pillars of the World:
The Chidushei Harim zy”a explains the words “and we don’t know how we will serve Hashem” to mean that while we are in this world, we don’t know which of the three pillars of avodah we should focus on most in order to rectify our neshamos – Torah, tefillah, or gemillus chasadim. “Until we arrive there” – we don’t know this until we arrive before the Heavenly Court, when it will become clear what the main avodah was that we should have focused on in order to perfect our souls.
Therefore, one should fulfill the verse (Koheles 7:18): “Also for this and also from this do not remove your hand.” We should immerse ourselves in all three so that we do not miss the one we were meant to place special focus on.
Sealing the Golus With Chesed:
However, holy ancient sources have revealed to us that chesed is the main avodah that can bring close the geulah. This is as Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk zy”a explains the promise Hashem made to Avrohom Avinu (Bereishis 12:2): “And I will make you into a great nation.” Chazal say: “I might think that we would conclude with all of them (all the Avos); however, the pasuk states: ‘And you will be a blessing.’ They will conclude with you, and they will not conclude with them.”
Rav Elimelech explains that during the Ikvesah D’Meshicha, Klal Yisroel will be immersed in Torah and avodah, but it will not be with sincerity, so it will lose its value. When these mitzvos will be brought before the Heavenly Court, they will be rejected. However, tzedakah is valued by Hashem even if it is given with imperfect intentions. This is as Chazal say (Bava Basra 10B): “If one gives a coin to tzedakah on condition that his son should live or on condition that he merit Olam Haba, he is a complete tzadik.” Accordingly, when Hashem says that we will conclude with Avrohom, the intention is that we will conclude the golus with his middah of chesed.
Therefore, we must increase our tzedakah and chesed in order to bring close the redemption!
The Value of Tzedakah Even if it is Shelo L’Shmah:
It is said in the name of the Baal Shem Tov zy”a that there are three mitzvos that are of great value even if they are done without perfect intentions. 1. Giving tzedakah. As we said, even if one gives tzedakah with the intention of personally benefitting, he will be rewarded because the poor man did benefit from his charity. 2. Immersing in a mikvah. Even if one doesn’t have intentions to do the mitzvah, he still is purified by the mikvah. 3. Learning Zohar. Even if one doesn’t understand the words, they still purify his soul.
Becoming a Tzadik in the Merit of Emunah:
The Panim Yafos (Shemos 25:12) explains the Gemara’s statement that one who gives tzedakah on condition that his son should live is a complete tzadik by saying that he is rewarded for his emunah. This person is expressing genuine emunah that Hashem will fulfill his request for his son to live, and one who has such emunah is considered a true tzadik.
This individual has two merits – his emunah in Hashem and the sustenance he provided to the poor man. In the combined merit of the two, his action is greatly valued by Hashem.
The Value of Chesed:
A dybbuk once came to the Sar Shalom of Belz zy”a and the Lev Sameach of Alesk zy”a in search of a tikkun for its soul, but they were unable to help him. It then came to Rav Mordechai of Nodvarna zy”a. He asked why it thought he could help after those great tzadikim were unable to. The dybbuk answered, “The main koach of the Belzer Rebbe is Torah. The main koach of the Alesker Rebbe is avodah. Your main strength is in gemillus chasadim, and this is the strongest force in Shomayim. The Satan has no power against it. Therefore, I felt that you could help me.”
The Chesed of the Sanzer Rov:
A poor woman once came to the Sanzer Rov zy”a with tears in her eyes. She related that she was a widow with several orphaned children who made money by selling apples in the marketplace. However, she had been unable to sell any apples lately because someone had spread a rumor that her wares were of low quality.
The Rov couldn’t stand to see a widow in such pain. He told her to take her basket of apples and go to the marketplace. He followed her there and stood next to her, calling out loudly that he had apples for sale. When people saw the Rov selling apples, they hurried over to buy some, and all her wares were sold very quickly. The Rov then told her, “You see! You’re apples are very good quality!”
Compassion for Every Jew:
Rav Hirsch of Rimanov zy”a (Sefer Beeros Hamayim) explains that the Torah is teaching us how a person can sanctify himself to serve Hashem. The words “every firstborn” can be understood to mean that one should look at every other Jew as a firstborn, chosen son of Hashem. Therefore, one should annul himself before all others. “Peter rechem b’bnei Yisroel” can be translated to mean that one should give mercy (rachmanus) to every Jew, whether he is “a man or an animal”. One should not judge others to determine if they are worthy of compassion, as they all are “to Me”. They all are Hashem’s creations, and it is up to Him – not you – to decide if they are worthy or not. This is as Chazal say (Bava Basra 9A) that one should not make investigations when giving sustenance to others.
No Excuses for Hachnasas Orchim:
The Kotzker Rebbe zy”a once asked a wealthy man why he didn’t fulfill the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim and he said, “Doesn’t the Rebbe often tell us that we need to break our taivos? Aren’t we taught to refrain from earthly pleasures? If so, how can I bring guests into my home and cause them to enjoy good food? If I did that, I would be guilty of turning them into baalei taivoh!”
The Rebbe replied, “Other people’s gashmius is your ruchnius. If you give people earthly food to eat, it will positively affect your spiritual stature.”
Combining Kol Nidrei and Kol Chamirah:
A chasid who lived in a small village once came to spend Pesach with the Rebbe of Ruzhin zy”a. Since he was extremely tired from his journey, he went to sleep on a bench in the bais medrash. Meanwhile, night fell, and the chasidim davened Mincha and Maariv. Since they did not see him, they did not wake him, and he continued sleeping. After davening, the Rebbe checked for chametz in his apartment, and then went into the bais medrash to check there as well. Finally, he began to recite “Kol Chamira” in a loud voice. The villager woke up from his sleep and shouted, ‘Oh no! They are already saying Kol Nidrei, and I have missed the Seudas Hamafsekes!’
Everyone present began to laugh but the Rebbe told them, “Don’t laugh. He is correct. Sefarim Hakedoshim state that whatever can be accomplished during the Yomim Noraim through teshuva, tefillah and tzedakah can be accomplished during the month of Nissan through the mitzvos of Pesach.”
He added that this is hinted in the words of the pasuk: “And you shall perform this avodah in this month.” “This avodah” is a hint to Yom Kippur, and “this month” is a hint to Nissan. Thus, Kol Chamira and Kol Nidrei are closely connected.
Hitting Doesn’t Last Forever:
Rav Moshe Leib maintained a hachnasas orchim house in Sossov, where anyone could come and eat for free.
One day, he was traveling through a forest when he was accosted by a group of thieves. They were about to kill him when one of them recognized him as the rabbi who had given them food to eat when they were hungry, so he told the others not to harm him.
The thieves had a boy with them who they were using as their apprentice. They wanted to show off his knowledge, so they asked the Rebbe to test him on his learning. The Rebbe asked him what he was studying, and he said that he was learning Chumash Vayikroh. The Rebbe then asked him if he knew what the word “vayikroh” means, but he was unable to answer.
The thieves got mad at the boy and began to mercilessly hit him. However, the Rebbe was amazed by the fact that boy did not cry or scream. He didn’t show any pain at all.
Afterwards, the Rebbe asked the boy why he didn’t cry while he was being beaten. He answered that since he had been a small child, the thieves had trained him to tolerate pain. They wanted to make sure that if he was captured by the police, he would be able to withstand their torture without revealing any secrets. The way they taught him to do this was to think that every hit would be the last one because “no one can hit forever.”
After hearing this, the Rebbe said that the boy had taught him a lesson in avodas Hashem. When He sends us yissurim, we must remember that He won’t hit us forever!
The Children are Hungry:
The Rov once spent quite a while preparing for Tekiyas Shofar. A simple Jew was present who thought to himself: I’m so hungry, and the Rebbe is taking so long!
The Rebbe sensed his thoughts and said, “Ribono Shel Olam! Your children are hungry!”
He then immediately began the brachos on the shofar.
Simcha Removes all Boundaries:
The Rebbe would say: Chazal say (Bava Basra 59A) that the gates of tears are never closed. But simcha is so powerful that it can break through all closed gates and boundaries.
The Punishment for Ignoring the Poor:
The pasuk in Tehillim (10:1) states: “Why does Hashem stand from afar? Why do You hide in times of distress?”
The Rebbe of Vishova zy”a (Sefer Sheeris Menachem, Parshas Reeh) quotes the Sossover Rebbe as explaining that we are asking Hashem why He is standing at a distance, so to speak, and not showing us mercy. The answer to this question is that “we hide in times of distress.” When poor people in distress comes to us for help, we hide from them and choose not to assist them, and this is our punishment.
The Sheeris Menachem adds that this explains the Gemara (Kesuvos 68A) that says that someone who turns away from giving tzedakah is akin to one who worships idols. The reason for this comparison is because avoiding giving tzedakah causes the Shechinah to hide from us, just like serving idols does.
For this reason, Chazal say that when a poor man asks for charity, one should give him at least a small donation, rather than sending him away with nothing.
May the memory of the tzadik be a blessing for Klal Yisroel.
