This week’s parsha is parshas Vaeira. We will focus on the “kal va’chomer” that Moshe Rabeinu presents to HKB”H (Shemos 6, 12): "וידבר משה לפני ה' לאמר הן בני ישראל לא שמעו אלי ואיך ישמעני פרעה ואני ערל שפתים". Moshe spoke before Hashem, saying, “Behold, Bnei Yisrael did not listen to me, so how will Pharaoh listen to me? And I have a speech impediment (blocked lips).” Rashi notes that this is one of ten instances of “kal va’chomer” in the Torah.
The commentaries point out an obvious problem with this “kal va’chomer.” The Torah states explicitly why Bnei Yisrael did not listen to Moshe (ibid. 9): "וידבר משה כן אל בני ישראל ולא שמעו אל משה מקוצר רוח ומעבודה קשה"—Moshe spoke accordingly to Bnei Yisrael; but they did not listen to Moshe, because of shortness of spirit and hard work. Clearly, these conditions did not apply to Pharaoh; so, perhaps he would be inclined to listen to Moshe.
In this essay, we will present a marvelous explanation found in the immaculate teachings of the holy Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak HaLevi, the Chozeh of Lublin, zy”a, in the sefer Divrei emes. It teaches every Jew a fundamental principle concerning one’s day-to-day life. It addresses the extreme danger that exists for those whose livelihood depends on reshaim, who deny the validity of Hashem’s Torah. It is imperative that they make every effort to avoid having their souls and spiritual selves also being enslaved.
The Grueling Slavery to the Corrupt Decadent Egyptians Caused Bnei Yisrael to Sink to the Forty-Ninth Level of Tumah
We will begin to shed some light on the subject with the Rabbi of Lublin’s interpretation of the following pesukim in last week’s parsha (ibid. 5, 1): "ואחר באו משה ואהרן ויאמרו אל פרעה כה אמר ה' אלקי ישראל שלח את עמי ויחוגו לי במדבר... ויצו פרעה ביום ההוא את הנוגשים בעם ואת שוטריו לאמר, לא תאספון לתת תבן לעם ללבון הלבנים כתמול שלשום... כי נרפים הם על כן הם צועקים לאמר נלכה נזבחה לאלקינו, תכבד העבודה על האנשים ויעשו בה ואל ישעו בדברי שקר". Afterwards, Moshe and Aharon came and said to Pharaoh, “So said Hashem, the G-d of Yisrael, ‘Send out My people that they may celebrate for Me in the midbar . . . On that day, Pharaoh ordered the taskmasters over the people and the guards, saying, “You shall not continue to give straw to the people to make the bricks like yesterday and the day before yesterday . . . for they are becoming lax; therefore, they cry out saying, ‘Let us go and bring offerings to our G-d.’ Let the work lay heavier on the men, and let them engage in it, and let them not engage in false words.”
The Rabbi of Lublin wonders what benefit Pharaoh thought would accrue from increasing the labor on the men. Seemingly, that would only increase their desire to be released from Mitzrayim by any means possible. He explains the matter based on that which is written in parshas Bo (ibid. 12, 39): "ולא יכלו להתמהמה"—and they could not delay. In the siddur of the Arizal—Siddur Rabbi Shabtai (Haggadah shel Pesach)—he explains that there are fifty levels of tumah; had Yisrael delayed even one moment longer, they would never have left Mitzrayim, because they would have sunk to the “sha’ar hanun”—the fiftieth level of tumah.
Accordingly, the Rabbi of Lublin explains how it was possible for Yisrael—the descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov—to sink to the depths of the forty-ninth level of tumah in Mitzrayim. For, this is the nature of slavery. When a slave is subjected to backbreaking labor and is deprived of every personal freedom, the more physical freedom he loses, he also loses his spiritual freedom, bit by bit. Eventually, he acquires all the personality characteristics of the one enslaving him.
Thus, as Bnei Yisrael were thoroughly enslaved to the Egyptians—who were the root of tumah—they lost their personal sense of worth and their kedushah. As a result, they became mired in the tumah of Mitzrayim. This, indeed, was Pharaoh’s intent when he announced (ibid. 1, 10): "הבה נתחכמה לו פן ירבה... ויעבידו מצרים את בני ישראל בפרך, וימררו את חייהם בעבודה קשה." Come, let us act wisely with him . . . The Egyptians enslaved Bnei Yisrael with back-breaking labor. They embittered their lives with hard work. To summarize, Pharaoh cleverly schemed to enslave Yisrael with arduous labor, so that they would eventually sink to the depths of tumah, the fiftieth level, and never be able to leave Mitzrayim.
Increase the Intensity of the Labor so that They Will Sink to the Sha’ar HaNun
In this light, the Rabbi of Lublin asserts that when Pharaoh saw that Bnei Yisrael still wanted to go offer korbanos to Hashem in the midbar, he understood that they had not yet sunk to the fiftieth level of tumah. Therefore, he decided resolutely to subject them to even harder labor to accomplish this goal.
This is implicit in the remark Pharaoh made to his taskmasters: "כי נרפים הם"—they are becoming lax—in other words, we have not yet worked them hard enough. “Therefore, they cry out saying, ‘Let us go and bring offerings to our G-d.’” Therefore, we must proceed as follows: “Let the work lay heavier on the men, and let them engage in it, and let them not engage in false words.” This will cause them to sink to the Sha’ar HaNun of tumah; then they will no longer desire to bring offerings to Hashem; and they will never be able to leave Mitzrayim.
This also explains very nicely the passuk: “Moshe spoke accordingly to Bnei Yisrael; but they did not listen to Moshe, because of shortness of spirit and hard work.” On account of the grueling labor Bnei Yisrael were subjected to by the Egyptians—the source of evil and tumah—they, too, sunk to the forty-ninth level of tumah. Thus, they were incapable of heeding Moshe Rabeinu’s words of kedushah.
In this manner, he explains the “kal va’chomer” of Moshe Rabeinu: “Behold, Bnei Yisrael did not listen to me”—despite the fact that they themselves and the roots of their neshamos are inherently kadosh, since they are the descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. Yet, because of their enslavement to the corrupt Egyptians, they have sunk to the forty-ninth level of tumah. “So how will Pharaoh listen to me?” After all, Pharoah is the very root of tumah; he, most certainly, will not listen to me. This concludes his sacred insight.
How to Survive in Galus among Worshippers of Avodah Zarah
It appears that we can substantiate this illuminating insight of the Rabbi of Lublin, zy”a, by referring to what is written in parshas Vaeschanan (Devarim 4, 28): "ועבדתם שם אלהים מעשה ידי אדם עץ ואבן אשר לא יראון ולא ישמעון ולא יאכלון ולא ירוחון". There you will worship gods, the handiwork of man, of wood and stone, which do not see, and do not hear, and do not eat, and do not smell. Rashi comments: This is to be understood as rendered by the Targum. Since you serve those who worship false gods, it is as if you worship them. Thus, we are taught explicitly that even if a person merely serves idolators but has no intention, chas v’shalom, of joining them; nevertheless, they exert a significant influence on those that serve them. So much so that the passuk concludes: “There you will worship gods, the handiwork of man.”
Thus, we can appreciate the advice the Torah adds for Jews who are perforce in galus among worshippers of avodah-zarah. To avoid their profound, negative influence (ibid. 29): "ובקשתם משם את ה' אלקיך ומצאת כי תדרשנו בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך"—from there you will seek Hashem, your G-d, and you will find (Him), if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. In other words, in the event that you are compelled to work for those who worship avodah-zarah, intensify your connection with HKB”H by praying to Him to save you from falling into the clutches of those you work for. Thus, they will not succeed in corrupting you spiritually in a way that is opposed to the Torah.
It is apparent that this is what Bnei Yisrael did in Mitzrayim. Although they sank to the forty-ninth level of tumah, they cried out from the depths of their hearts to Hashem, as it is written (Shemos 2, 23): "ויאנחו בני ישראל מן העבודה, ותעל שועתם אל האלקים מן העבודה"—Bnei Yisrael moaned because of the work, and they cried out. Their outcry because of the work went up to G-d. Elsewhere, it expresses this even more explicitly (Devarim 26, 7): "ונצעק אל ה' אלקי אבותינו וישמע ה' את קולנו וירא את ענינו ואת עמלנו ואת לחצנו"—then we cried out to Hashem, the G-d of our forefathers, and Hashem heard our voice and saw our affliction, our travail, and our oppression. In keeping with this discussion, we can suggest that this outcry to Hashem is what saved them from sinking to the Sha’ar HaNun of the tumah of Mitzrayim.
The point is that the Sha’ar HaNun of tumah is the denial of and blasphemy of Hashem. As Pharaoh, the leader of the klipah of Mitzrayim, proclaimed (Shemos 5, 2): "מי ה' אשר אשמע בקולו לשלח את ישראל לא ידעתי את ה'"—who is Hashem that I should heed His command to release Yisrael? I do not know (recognize) Hashem!” This is alluded to by his remark: "מי ה'", in that the gematria of the word מ"י is fifty. Thus, it alludes to the fiftieth level of tumah to which someone who denies the existence or divine authority of Hashem falls and proclaims: “Who is Hashem that I should heed His command?!”
Therefore, by crying out to the G-d of their forefathers, even when subjected to the arduous physical and spiritual enslavement in Mitzrayim, causing them to sink to the forty-ninth level of tumah, the following held true of them: “From there you will seek Hashem, your G-d, and you will find (Him), if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.” This prevented them from sinking to the Sha’ar HaNun of tumah. This then is the message HKB”H conveyed to Moshe Rabeinu (ibid. 3, 9): "ועתה הנה צעקת בני ישראל באה אלי וגם ראיתי את הלחץ אשר מצרים לוחצים אותם, ועתה לכה ואשלחך אל פרעה והוצא את עמי בני ישראל ממצרים". And now, behold! The outcry of Bnei Yisrael has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. And now, go and I will send you to Pharaoh, and you shall take My people, Bnei Yisrael, out of Mitzrayim.
