Thought of the week:
Count your blessings now. It will be easier when they’re gone, but much less pleasant.
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“And it was told to the King of Egypt that the nation [Israel] had fled, and the hearts of Pharaoh and his servants were turned to the people...” (Exodus 14:5)
Plague after plague assailed the Egyptians, destroying their country. Finally, when Hashem had exhibited all the wonders He wished, Pharaoh sent the Jews out of Egypt. He chased them out, trying to get them to leave the night of the tenth makka, as the firstborn Egyptians were dying, but the time for the Exodus didn’t come until high noon the next day. The Jews left Egypt with heads held high, with animals laden with wealth, and under the direction of Moshe and Aharon. Pharaoh and his servants couldn’t be rid of the Jews fast enough.
Despite this, when Pharaoh was told that the Jews ran away, he had a change of heart and decided to chase after them. What was that about? He knew they didn’t run away. Why mobilize millions of Egyptians to run after the Jews, in what would ultimately be a suicide mission, when you were the one who chased them out?
In the past, we’ve highlighted this as a lesson in the power of words. Though he knew all the facts, when it was conveyed to Pharaoh as if he’d been bested by the sneaky Jews, he became indignant and wanted them back. He forgot all that led up to his wanting to expel them, simply because of his ego, triggered by emotional words.
Today, we’d like to suggest a different approach. When it was told to Pharaoh that the Jews escaped, it was suggesting that Pharaoh didn’t recognize what he had when the Jews were in his land. How could he have let such a powerful tool for success slip through his fingers? Indeed, Chazal say that if the nations of the world had known how beneficial the Bais HaMikdash was for them, they would have stationed guards around it to protect it.
Looking back over millennia, we see that the countries which hosted the Jews became powerful and wealthy. Those that expelled them, crumbled and fell into the dustbin of history. Just as when Yaakov came to Egypt and the waters of the Nile overflowed its banks, the presence of the Jews in Egypt was the best thing that could have happened to them. They were given power and prestige because of the nation in their midst.
When they were gone, the Egyptians realized what they’d given up. They finally got clarity in how valuable the Jews really were to them, perhaps even worth suffering more than they already had. Yes, they had acquiesced and sent them out, but now that they were gone, they regretted their decision, so they began the chase.
The people of the world today don’t realize how important we are for their success. They foolishly hate us and seek our destruction, but it is only their own downfall they hasten. For our part, we must strive to be the holy nation of Hashem, worthy of bringing good fortune wherever we go.
R’ Eliezer Gordon, the Telzer Rov, was supported by his father-in-law for many years as he focused on learning Torah. At one point, his in-laws’ financial situation took a turn for the worse. Nonetheless, whenever R’ Leizer was offered a rabbinic position, his father-in-law was against the idea. His wife protested, “How long can we support him?”
He replied, “Who knows who is supporting whom? Are we supporting him with our money or is he supporting us with his Torah learning?” Finally, his wife won and R’ Leizer accepted a position. On the day the Gordons were scheduled to leave, R’ Avraham Yitzchak Neviazer, the father-in-law, suddenly collapsed and died.
His wife, a true tzadekes, eulogized him, “Woe is to me. I killed him. He said to me, ‘Who knows who is sustaining whom?’ Now I know that it was our son-in-law who supported us. We were living in the merit of his Torah.”
(Special thanks to Sheldon Wieder for his reminder of this story.)
©2024 – J. Gewirtz
