Hashgachah Pratis in the Sefarim Hakedoshim
Excerpts from the popular shiur by Harav Hatzaddik R’ Beirish Shneebalg shlit”a
That’s How We Leave Galus
We’ve discussed many times, and it is brought in many sefarim, that leaving Mitzrayim was not a singular historic event that took place thousands of years ago, but rather it is an event that takes place all the time. We are in galus today as well. Aside from the general galus of Am Yisrael, every one of us is experiencing his own personal galus – difficulties and complications that seem to trap him, and he wants to emerge from his narrow straits, whatever they might be.
The holy Torah is eternal. Every word written in Torah is always relevant, until the end of time. During these weeks, when we read in the Torah about Yetzias Mitzrayim, it is a time to delve into this well and to internalize what we need to internalize.
If we look into the process of the original Yetzias Mitrayim, we can learn about the personal Yetzias Mitzrayim that is relevant for each of us nowadays. We’ll consider several points that could light the way for us in our personal galus and direct us in how to emerge from our difficulties.
Yetzias Mitrayim was a long process. Hakadosh Baruch Hu sent Moshe to speak to Bnei Yisrael and to Pharaoh, and then once again to Bnei Yisrael and to Pharaoh. He smote Mitzrayim with ten makkos. Why was this entire process necessary? Hakadosh Baruch Hu is all-powerful; He could take Am Yisrael out of galus in one moment. But the explanation here is that it was not enough to take Bnei Yisrael out of Mitzrayim, because the people themselves had to go out of their own galuyos.
Nowadays as well, all the difficulties that come upon us are part of a long process that is meant to take our neshamos out of their galuyos and to purify our souls, so that we will come closer to Hashem and believe in Him with complete emunah. It isn’t enough to merely eliminate the tzaros; rather, there is a process here that every individual must go through until he himself emerges from his own galus.
Another point to bear in mind: Bnei Yisrael complained to Moshe that from the moment he came to Pharaoh, not only did it not become easier for them, but in fact the work became more difficult. And indeed this was the truth. However, they did not know that all this was in order to make their emergence from the galus happen sooner. As we know, because of the difficulty of their enslavement, the time Bnei Yisrael spent in Mitzrayim was shortened.
Sometimes when we begin a process of strengthening ourselves, it is specifically then that the situation gets worse; and we need to know that it is all only for our good, to shorten and hasten the process.
As in the days when we came out of Mitzrayim, we will see wonders now as well, and we will see Hashem’s yeshuah. May each of us emerge from his personal galus, and all of Am Yisrael from the general galus.
