The Tefillah of the Leaders of Am Yisrael
ראש לכם הזה החדש :לאמר מצרים בארץ אהרן ואל משה אל ‘ה ויאמר" (ב-א יב) "השנה לחדשי לכם הוא ראשון חדשים
Rav Moshe Leib Litsch Rosenbaum of Pressburg explained:
When saying "hachodesh hazeh lachem" HaKadosh Baruch Hu alluded to Moshe and Aharon about the fitting way for them, the leaders of Am Yisrael, to pray for their flock. "Hachodesh hazeh" – with all its events, should be "lachem" the leaders of the nation "rosh chodashim" – an example and a symbol for all the events that will be nischadesh and will follow as a result of the sins of Am Yisrael. Meaning that even if Am Yisrael will sin extensively, they should take heart that just like the redemption of Am Yisrael from Mitzrayim took place despite them being mired in the 49 levels of impurity, likewise, there is nothing blocking Hashem from forgiving their sins, and therefore, they should not give up on davening for them.
Indeed, after the cheit ha’eigel, Moshe asked (Shemos 32:11): "Lamah Hashem yechereh Apcha b’amcha asher hotzeisa mei’Eretz Mitzrayim" – meaning, if you redeemed them from Mitzrayim even when they were mired in the 49 levels of impurity, why are You not ma’avir al middosecha to forgive them for this sin as well?
Imros Hashem, Vayikra 3:4
Darkness – Lack of Light or a Creation in its Own Right
"חשך וימש מצרים ארץ על חשך ויהי השמים על ידך נטה משה אל ‘ה ויאמר" (כא י)
The Ramban (later, in passuk 23, and see previously, 4:11) explains that even though darkness is not a creation in its own right, but rather a situation that exists due to a lack of light, the darkness with which Egypt was struck was a special creation: A thick cloud descended from the Heavens, enveloped the Egyptians and completely blocked any light from reaching them. This is what Chazal refer to (Shemos Rabbah 14:1) when they say that the word וימש here is from the term מישוש to feel or touch, meaning that it was tangible darkness "thick like a dinar" which could be touched.
But the Gra disagrees and holds that darkness in general is an actual creation in its own right, and is not just a condition of a lack of light, as is evident from the words of the passuk (Yeshayahu 45:7): "yotzer ohr uborei choshech." And when we see that light repels darkness it is because HaKadosh Baruch Hu limited the power of the darkness and determined that it should be repelled by light. In Makkas Choshech, according to the Gra, Hashem removed this limitation from the darkness, and the light did not have the power to repel it, and on the contrary, the darkness is what repelled the light. Based on this, "vayamash" here is explained like (Shemos 23:22) "ימיש– which means "yassur", that the darkness with which the Egyptians would be struck would have the power to overcome the light and to remove it.
Rav Shmuel Yitzchak Hillman, the Raavad of London, wrote that based on the words of the Gra, we can clearly understand the words of the brachah of Hama’ariv Aravim: "Gollel ohr mipnei choshech vechoshech mipnei ohr." Because the light and the darkness are equal creations, therefore, just like Hashem spreads out the "light in front of the darkness" each day, likewise, He also spread the "darkness in the face of the light" and if not for the decree of Hashem, the light would not have been able to repel the darkness.
Rav Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik of Brisk explained based on the Gra the words of the piyut in Haggadah Shel Pesach: "Karev yom asher hu lo yom velo laylah, ram hoda ki Lecha hayom af Lechah halaylah." During the time of Mashiach, when there will be an essence of "neither day nor night" then it will be known that "af Lecha halaylah" – that even the darkness is a Divine creation just like the light. Because if not, and the darkness is merely a lack of light, how can there be a reality of "neither day nor night" – because isn’t it the case that in a lack of light there must be darkness?
Kol Eliyahu; Ohr Hayashar Tamid 32a; Haggadah Shel Pesach MiBeis Levi, p. 244
Gratitude for Hidden Miracles
את בנגפו במצרים ישראל בני בתי על פסח אשר ‘לה הוא פסח זבח ואמרתם" (כז יב) "וישתחוו העם ויקד הציל בתינו ואת מצרים
Rashi explains that Bnei Yisrael bowed to Hashem "for the news of the geulah and the arrival to the Land and the news of the children that they would have." Rav Chaim Dov Altusky, one of the roshei yeshivah of Torah Ore, explained:
The nature of a person is that he does not recognize hidden miracles that occur to him every single minute with Hashgachah pratis, even though they are sometimes even more wondrous and powerful than the open miracles. But when they left Mitzrayim, amidst the open Miracles that Hashem performed for them, Am Yisrael awakened to recognize the hidden miracles, such as the birth of children, and to thank for those miracles as well. Therefore, when they offered thanks for the great miracles that Hashem was destined to do with them" the news of the redemption and of their arrival to the Land," they also included their gratitude for the "news of the children."
The Mashgiach Rav Zeidel Epstein related a story from the time he was learning in Mirrer Yeshivah:
One of the bochurim was once stricken with a blockage in his intestine, and he needed to be transported urgently to Warsaw, the capital, to have an operation. Some time after his trip, a telegram with two words came to the yeshivah: ‘surgery successful.’ His friends were overjoyed. When the Mashgiach, Rav Yeruchem Levovitz, heard this, he said: If we would understand the depth of the miracle that is done for us each day when our bodily systems function normally, then each brachah of Asher Yatzar would be said with tremendous joy and emotion, no less than the way you just felt when you saw that telegram that was sent from Warsaw with news of the successful surgery...
Chiddusehi Basra Mikra p. 14 [printed at the end of Chiddushei Basra, Brachos]; Kovetz Bais Hillel 20, p. 116
