I want to begin by quoting a possuk in this week’s sedrah. Hashem is speaking to Moshe Rabbeinu, and He tells him what’s going to happen as the makkos unfold. “הֹע¿רַּפ ב≈ל ̇∆‡ ה∆ׁ ̆¿ ַ̃‡ יƒנֲ‡ – I’m going to make Pharaoh’s heart hard” (Shemos 7:3). I’m going to make him stubborn, and that’s going to bring even more troubles upon him.”
Now, Hashem didn’t do that right away. In the first five makkos, it doesn’t say that Hashem strengthened Pharaoh’s heart; he was an akshan all by himself. הֹע¿רַּפ ב≈ל ַ̃ז¡ח∆יַו – Pharaoh strengthened his own heart (ibid. 22). ֹוּבƒל ̇∆‡ „≈ּב¿כַה¿ו – He made his heart heavy (ibid. 11), הֹע¿רַּפ ב≈ל ַ̃ז¡ח∆יַו – and he strengthened his heart (ibid. 15). Again and again, he sinned on his own. And finally Hashem said, “That’s enough. From now on, הֹע¿רַּפ ב≈ל ̇∆‡ ה׳ ַ̃ז¡ח∆יַו – I’m going to harden his heart (ibid. 9:12). Even if he would want to submit, I won’t let him.”
Now Rashi is bothered by that; he wants to know if that’s fair. Is there a yosher to make Pharaoh’s heart hard and then make him suffer for it? You, Hashem, are the One Who made his heart hard. You didn’t let him change. So where is the yosher to punish him?
A Forever Plan
So listen to what Rashi says about that. He says that it was for the benefit of the Am Yisroel. רַחַ‡≈מ יƒּ„¿‚∆נ¿ּכ יסƒר¿ ̇ƒה¿ו ַיﬠƒׁ ̆¿רƒה∆ׁ ̆– Since Pharaoh was such a big rasha until now and he rebelled against what I told him to do, ֹ̇וּמּו‡ָּב ַחּרו ַ̇חַנ ין≈‡∆ׁ ̆ יַנָפ¿ל יּלוָ‚¿ו – and I know that there’s no hope anymore from him,ם≈לָׁ ̆ ב≈ל ̇≈ ָ̇ל בּוׁ ָ̆ל – to come back in teshuvah. Pharaoh is already too tough in his wickedness and therefore יƒל בֹטוֹוּבƒל ה∆ּׁ ַ̆ ̃¿ ̇ƒּי∆ׁ ̆ – it’s better for Me to make his heart hard from now on,יַ ֹ̇ו ֹ̇ו‡ ֹוּב ֹ̇וּב¿רַה ןַﬠַמ¿ל – in order I should bring extraordinary punishment upon him, ̇∆‡ּירוƒּכַ ̇¿ויַ ֹ̇רוּבו¿ּ‚ – and you will recognize My mighty acts.
And it’s not a one time thing, says Rashi. ֹו ָּ̇„ƒמ ן≈כ¿ו‡ּהו¿ךּרוָּב ׁ ֹ̆ו„ָּ ַ̃ה ל∆ׁ ̆ – That’s what Hakadosh Baruch Hu does always. ֹ̇וּמּו‡ָה לַﬠ ֹ̇וּיƒנָﬠ¿רּוּפ ‡יƒב≈מ – He brings misfortune on the nations,ל≈‡ָר¿ׂ ̆ƒיּעו¿מ¿ׁ ̆ƒּי∆ׁ ̆ י≈„¿ּכ – so that Yisroel should listen,ּו‡ָירƒי¿ו – and they should be afraid.
Who Are You Really?
Now, what is the purpose of this fear? So we’ll introduce the subject with a Gemara in Mesichta Megilla (3a). They quote there a possuk from Daniel: הָ‡¿רַּמַה ̇∆‡ יƒּ„ַב¿ל ל‡≈ּיƒנָ„ יƒנֲ‡ יƒ ̇יƒ‡ָר¿ו – I, Daniel, alone saw a certain vision, הָ‡¿רַּמַה ̇∆‡ּו‡ָר ‡ֹל יƒּמƒעּיוָה ר∆ׁ ֲ̆‡ יםƒׁ ָ̆נֲ‡ָה¿ו – and the men who were with me did not see the vision. ם∆יה≈לֲﬠ הָל¿פָנ הָלֹו„¿‚ הָ„ָרֲח לָבֲ‡ – But even so, a great trembling fell upon them, ‡≈בָח≈ה¿ּבּחו¿ר¿בƒּיַו – and they fled into hiding (10:7). Daniel is relating that he was once in the company of three important men when a vision appeared to him and not to them. And still, even though his companions didn’t see anything, a great fear fell upon them.
So the Gemara asks, ֹזוֲח ‡ָלּ„ רַחַ‡≈מ יƒכ¿ו – if they didn’t see,ּו ̇יƒע¿ּיבƒ‡ ‡ָמֲﬠַט י‡ַמ – why were they frightened? If you don’t see a danger, you can’t be afraid.
And the Gemara answers, ֹזוֲח ‡ָלּהו¿ינƒ‡¿ּ„ בַּ‚ לַﬠ ףַ‡ – even though they didn’t see,ּזוָחּיהוַלָּזƒמ – their mazal saw.
Now the word ‘mazal’ we can explain perhaps as the alter-ego; there is another personality that everybody has, a subconscious personality. You’re a dual personality, what you think you are and what you really are. And what you really are can sometimes sense things that your conscious being cannot sense. And so their second personality — you can call it ‘intuition’ if you want, but that doesn’t really tell the whole story — this intuition told them there was something to be very much afraid of.
Undiagnosed Trembling
Now, ‡ָינƒבָר רַמָ‡ – when Ravina heard this whole story, he said, “ּהַינƒמ עַמ¿ׁ ̆ – we hear from this a certain lesson: ̇יƒע¿ּבƒמ¿ּ„ ן‡ַמ י‡ַה – If a man is frightened, לַﬠ ףַ‡ י≈זָח ‡ָלּיהוƒ‡¿ּ„ בַּ‚ – even though he doesn’t see why he should be afraid; he doesn’t know what it is that’s causing this fear, י≈זָח יה≈לָזַמ – but he should know that his mazal sees something. His second personality senses that there’s something to be afraid of.
Now, I have to say this Gemara only with the utmost caution because people who are a little bit emotionally disturbed can misinterpret this and get off balance. So don’t worry about it unless you’re a very capable person; otherwise forget about it.
This is said only to people with solid good sense — if something comes to you as a premonition, you don’t know why you have a certain feeling of something to be afraid of, you should know there is something to be afraid of.
Dealing with Fear
The question is,ּיה≈ּ ̇¿נַ ַּ̃ ̇ י‡ַמ – what should you do about it? If you saw the peril, then you would know what to do; but if you don’t see it, what should you do?
So the Chachomim give us three alternatives. You understand that the first is the best, the second is the second-best option, and the third is the number three.
Number one is עַמ¿ׁ ̆ ַ̇‡יƒר¿ ̃ י≈ר¿ ̃יƒל – let him say Krias Shema. It’s the very best. The first thing to do in a time of peril is to remember Hakadosh Baruch Hu. ל≈‡ָר¿ׂ ̆ƒי עַמ¿ׁ ̆ – Pay attention! Think about this, Yisroel!ּינו≈ ֹ̃ל¡‡ 'ה – Hashem is our Elokeinu! That’s most important. Think about Hashem. „ָח∆‡ ה׳ – He’s the only One; anything that happens, He’s the One Who made it happen.
Now we have to understand that in the following way. Why does Hakadosh Baruch Hu cause things to happen to people? Only for one purpose, in order to remind them that He is still around. When everything goes smoothly, after a while, you forget about Hakadosh Baruch Hu. So if you keep reminding yourself always, you don’t have to be nudged. But if you forget, sometimes Hakadosh Baruch Hu has to remind you, and you cry out to Hashem. “Oh,” Hashem says, “if you remember Me, you reminded yourself about Me, then I don't mind listening to you.” As long as you cry out, He’ll listen to you. So the purpose of everything that happens in this world is to make you cry out to Hashem, to be reminded about Him.
Happy Crying
Now, people who are regular customers here know, there are two ways of crying out to Hashem. If you cry out to Hashem in happiness, it’s even better.
If you cry out to Hashem when things are going well — let’s say you have no headache and you cry out to Hashem, “I thank You, no headache!” Or “I thank You. No heart trouble. I thank You, I have two good kidneys. I thank You for so many things,” and you keep on thanking Hashem, so He says, “Well, if you’re reminding yourself about Me, I don’t have to remind you.”
But people who forget sometimes have to be reminded. So they have a pain in the side and they go to the specialist and he says, “You need a biopsy. I have to send you for a scan.” Ooh, that’s a pachad! So you get busy crying out to Hashem that it should turn out right. You have to know that was the purpose — the only purpose is to make you cry out to Hashem. And therefore, when a man finds himself in a situation that he doesn’t understand, he feels a premonition of sakanah, chalilah, and he doesn’t know what, let him remind himself about Hashem.
The Second Prescription
But suppose, the Gemara continues, that you can’t do that. ̇∆פֹּנƒּטַה םֹו ̃¿מƒּב ם≈‡ָ ̃ יƒ‡¿ו – Suppose you’re standing in a place that’s not clean, where you cannot say divrei Torah. You can’t say Krias Shema, so what should you do? What’s the second-best remedy? How can he ward off the danger that is fast approaching? י≈„יƒמ¿רַּ‚ עַּב¿רַ‡ּה≈ּ ̇¿כֻּ„ƒמ ףֹׁ ̆¿נƒל – Let him leap four amos away from where he’s standing.
How does that help? Well, that in itself is only the beginning because when somebody wants to save himself, he has to improve — he has to make a change in his way of life. But at least one of the changes that he should consider is moving, golus. ̇∆ר∆ּפַכ¿מ ּ̇לוָּ‚ – Exile is a kaparah for everything, the Gemara (Berachos 56a) says.
Now if you live in a neighborhood where all the people are shomrei mitzvos, don’t think of exiling to a different place far away from a Jewish neighborhood. No, that kind of exile is just the opposite. But suppose you live way out in Long Island, then you should go into golus and go to a frum neighborhood. Go into exile to Flatbush. Even better, go to Boro Park. It’s very important to understand that.
Remember The Landlord
But even if you’re in the frummest neighborhood and even if you’re the frummest person, but when a man is settled and comfortable, even in a good place, he forgets. He forgets that he is not the baal habayis. He’s only a visitor. Even though we have a beautiful home and it’s paid up, the whole mortgage, it’s not yours. יƒ„ָּמƒע ם∆ּ ַ̇‡ יםƒבָׁ ֹ̆ו ̇¿ו יםƒר≈‚ יƒּכ – “You’re only strangers and tenants with Me,” Hashem says (Vayikra 25:23). יƒּכ ı∆רָ‡ָה יƒל – “The world belongs to Me.”
And so when you move four amos, that’s at least a beginning. The place where you’re standing is a comfortable place. It’s your daled amos and you feel like a gavra, a boss, in your place. No, that’s not conducive to teshuva. So move. At least a little bit move away from your place and that should remind you that you’re not an owner in this world; you’re only a visitor.
The Interesting Segulah
And now we come to the third option, and we’ll see soon it’s the story of the Rashi we began our talk with. ‡ֹל יƒ‡¿ו — Suppose you can’t do that either. Suppose, besides for being in a dirty place, he’s also in prison — the good old prison where he has a heavy iron ball and chain on his feet — and now he has a premonition of some sakanah chalilah. But he can’t jump, he can’t move. And he can’t say Krias Shema either; it’s dirty. I once went to visit a man like that. He was in the hospital and he couldn’t daven or say Krias Shema because the room was dirty. There was a dirty bedpan there. And he couldn’t move either — he was bedridden.
So what should you do? יƒכָה ‡ָּימ≈ל — As the last resort, the third prescription, he should do this. He should say, “יƒ‡ָּנƒמ ‡ָינ≈מ¿ׁ ̆ י≈חָּבַט י≈ב¿ּ„ ‡ָיזƒע — The goat that’s in the slaughterhouse is fatter than I am.”
It means, “Why are You looking at me? Aren’t there others who can be punished instead of me?
