On the Parsha:
"With It"
לֶׁא אִֵּ֣צֵּיַו ֙הֶׁשֹמ לַַּ֤דְג
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יַו םֵֵּ֗הָּה םיִִּ֣מָּיַב | יִִּ֣הְיַו-אֶׁחָָּ֔יו וַיַ ַּ֖רְ א בְסִּבְלֹתָָּ֑ם וַיַרְ א֙
אִִּ֣יש מִּצְרִָּ֔י מַכֶֶּׁ֥ה אִּיש-עִּבְרִּ י מֵֵּֽאֶׁחֵָּֽיו: (2:11 )
"And it was in those days and Moshe grew up and went out to his brothers and saw their suffering."
What exactly is the significance of Moshe's going out and seeing the suffering of the nation?
Rebbi Yisrael Salanter z"l said once how those who are involved in mussar and character development in a positive way are those who make it big. Why? For a person that gives time to mussar and specifically his mussar, meaning whatever speaks to him and brings him a happier and healthier connection to Hashem, number one connects with himself in a healthy, positive way, and then with Hashem and people lhavdil as well.
Same thing here: "going out and seeing" (vayeitzei vayar) what goes on in the daily lives of the nation represents this concept, which is also known as netzach hod yisod, meaning a recognition of how the people are doing. Very practical: What do the people actually need? What will bring them true, intrinsic joy? What will actually bring them closer to Hashem?
And on that note: Back in hilchos chanuka, Beis Shamai say that one begins with eight candles, and goes down each night (the opposite of Beis Hillel, who we go like). What is the message? Get rid of all the "extras", and just focus on feeling loved by Hashem. Tov m'at b'chavana m'harbei shelo b'chavana, "better a little with proper intention than a lot without" (Chovos haLevavos). This is like the gemara at the end of Makkos that says that through working on emuna and bitachon (faith and reliance on Hashem, and more than anything just living with Hashem), we are able to achieve it all in Torah and mitzvos.
Story:
The Alter from Novardok z"l was always on the move, spreading Torah and yiras shemayim, and his talmidim (students) followed in his ways (see Madreigas ha'Adam: M'zake es haRabim). Rebbi Yankele Galinsky z"l once told a great rosh yeshiva that he thinks that he has reached the stage where he will "retire" from the tremendous zikui harabim and harbatzas haTorah (outreach) that he had done until now, and rather just "stay in one place." This great rosh yeshiva laughed, and said that a "Novardoker blibte (Yiddish for "remains") a Novardoker", and in other words that he does not see this happening so quickly...(which it did not...)
Question:
Figuring out my mission in life." "
Answer:
Says Rabbi Tatz shlit"a (you can hear the shiur on Kol haLashon): Take a piece of paper and draw a circle. Inside the circle, write down all the things that you are good at and like doing, and outside the circle write down all the things that are not your "thing." In other words, what exactly do you want to "sell"? What sign are you putting up outside your door? When a person has clear what it is that they have and want to sell, now we can move! Now we know where to apply ourselves!
And says Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky shlit"a: Everybody wants to have lived a meaningful life after the fact...but the thing is to actually do so, and not rather just do what is "easy" (like "copycatting" and following the crowd). The secret to real greatness is taking time to think, as well as sticking around the right people (each to their own). It is never too late!
