Last Week's Geshmakah Question:
Hashem called Moshe from for the first time from this burning bush that wasn't getting burned, what was the message?
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This Week's Geshmakah Question:
The Midrash says that by the makkah of the frog, a very big frog came, and the Mitzrim kept hitting it. The more they hit, the more frogs came out of this frog. Question: Why did they then keep hitting it?
Story of Teshuvah and Regret
A person did a forbidden thing on Shabbos—by mistake—and felt really guilty about it. He went to Rav Michel of Zlotchov, who told him to fast many times.
This person later met the Baal Shem Tov, who said, “You don't need to fast or punish yourself. Instead, donate candles for the shul.”
The person came back to the Baal Shem Tov and said that every time he tried to light the candles, they kept blowing out, and dogs kept coming in to eat them because they were made of animal fat. The Baal Shem Tov realized it must be because Rav Michel still believed that a more serious way of teshuvah was needed.
The Baal Shem Tov sent a letter inviting Rav Michel for Shabbos. Rav Michel was on the way, but there were many reasons for delay. It was already almost sundown and closer to Shabbos when he finally reached the house of the Baal Shem Tov.
Rav Michel opened the door and saw the Baal Shem Tov wearing his Shabbos clothing, in the middle of making Kiddush. Rav Michel realized he must have violated Shabbos, and he fainted on the spot.
They quickly went to help Rav Michel. When he got back up, the Baal Shem Tov said, “Don't worry. You didn't do anything wrong; you didn't travel on Shabbos. I decided to make early Shabbos this week. But tell me, Rav Michel, when you thought you did a forbidden action on Shabbos, how stressed and broken were you?”
Do you see how much pain a person feels just from realizing they sinned against Hashem? This is the main part of teshuvah: That pain of regret you had was painful enough for a teshuvah, and no more fasting is needed. That's why this holy Yid doesn't need to fast. Because he already did real teshuvah through his regret and sadness over what he did.
That's the lesson! We don't appreciate how many times we have already done teshuvah. Who celebrates that they sinned? No one! We feel bad; this itself is a big part of teshuvah—that guilty feeling.
But don't let the bad/guilty feeling pull you down. If you have guilty thoughts that you want to be better from now on, then that's great thoughts from the Yetzer Tov.
If it's thoughts of “you messed up and now you should just give up,” it's from the Yetzer Hara. (Rav Chaim Volozhiner)
This Connects to This Week's Parsha:
Klal Yisrael was very weak and couldn't even daven, but they knew they were going down in spiritual levels to the level of 49 tumah and cried out to Hashem.
When Klal Yisrael cried out to Hashem, this feeling of pain was a show of emunah. It was a call asking Hashem for help. Chazal say that it was in the zechus of emunah that they were able to leave Mitzrayim, and it will be in the zechus of having emunah that we will leave the golus we are in today.
In life, one thinks they must do big things and daven for hours; if not, they think they didn't really daven. But from here, we see that Klal Yisrael did the best they could; they didn't even say words of prayer, but Hashem heard them.
To the Yeshiva Best.
Short Story: The Kotzker Rebbe
A person went to the Kotzker Rebbe, who was known to be very sharp, and said, “I have big problems!” and went on to talk about it.
The Rebbe said, “The main thing is to daven.”
The man started crying, “Rebbe, my problem is so big I can't even focus on davening!”
The Rebbe looked at him and said, “The bigger problem is that you can't daven.”
That's the lesson! Our davening is very powerful, and Hashem sees every little bit of pain we go through.
The Baal Shem Tov said that the heavens shake when a Yid gives a small krechtz (a sigh) and realizes he is late for Mincha and runs to shul.
This Connects to This Week's Parsha:
When Klal Yisroel was in Mitzrayim, they were so weak they couldn't even daven.
All it says in the Torah is “they cried out to Hashem,” it was a prayer without words.
And the Torah writes, “Hashem heard their cry.”
This prayer may have had no words, but it was straight from the heart.
In life, we sometimes forget how powerful our prayers are, even if it's just a short cry from the heart.
Readers' Answers
Asher Grossman Answers: Even when someone sins, we are never consumed by the fire of the Yetzer Hara; our souls are still pure, and we are Hashem's children.
Chaim Weinberger Answers: The message to Moshe was that being a leader you have to be ready to go into a thorn-bush.
Avrohom Dick of Lakewood: To show that just as the bush continues, even when “under fire,” so too the Yidden will continue existing no matter what.
Yehuda Cohentov From LA Answers: Hashem was showing that although Bnei Yisrael would endure the “fire” of galut, they would not be consumed, because He is with them and will take them out.
R. Rosenblum Answers: Sometimes it looks like bad things are happening, but if you look good inside and you know what's really happening, you see that nothing is getting destroyed—it's all for a good purpose.
The Baal Shem Tov's Torah.
Davening is Powerful.
