At the end of last week’s Parsha Moshe Rabbeinu went to Pharaoh and told him that Hashem commanded him to let the Jews out of Mitzrayim. Pharaoh didn’t listen and in addition he harshened the working conditions of the Jews.
Moshe went and complained to Hashem why he sent him and because he had gone to Pharaoh, Pharaoh had made things even worse for the Jews.
This week’s Parsha starts with Hashem’s reply to Moshe, rebuking him for his criticism of Hashem’s conduct. Hashem then told Moshe that he will redeem Klal Yisrael from Mitzrayim. The Passuk brings the four expressions of redemption, the source that Chazal instituted the Arba Kosos – the four cups of wine we drink on Seder night. Then there is a fifth expression used for the ultimate return of Klal Yisrael to Eretz Yisrael, which resembles the fifth cup of wine, the cup of Eliyahu Hanavi.
We drink the four cups of wine on Seder night, but most have the custom not to drink the cup of Eliyahu Hanavi.
The Chida brings a beautiful insight and message regarding the custom not to drink the cup of Eliyahu Hanavi.
He brings the following story as an introduction.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi met Eliyahu Hanavi and asked him if he could accompany him on his travels. Eliyahu Hanavi agreed but on one condition, that he doesn’t ask any questions.
They arrived in a town and stayed overnight by a very hospitable couple. The next morning before they left, Eliyahu Hanavi prayed that the cow of the couple, their only source of income, should die.
They continued on their journey and arrived at the home of someone who treated them very badly. Not only, he never allowed them to sleep in his home, he barely agreed that stay in the barn with the horses.
The next morning, one of the walls of this man’s house collapsed. Eliyahu Hanavi prayed that a miracle happens and the wall gets restored.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi tried to ask Eliyahu Hanavi for an explanation but he just reminded him of their agreement, no questions.
They continued to the next town. The townspeople were not very welcoming and Eliyahu Hanavi blessed them that they all become leaders. The next town they arrived they were welcomed by the townspeople and treated with respect. Eliyahu Hanavi blessed that they have only one leader.
This was too much for Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi. He said to Eliyahu Hanavi, “I will have to give up accompanying you but I need an explanation to your strange behavior.”
Eliyahu Hanavi agreed.
“When we arrived at our first host who treated us so well, I saw that there was a decree on the wife to die. I davened to Hashem that their cow, that was their source of income, should die, but in that merit the woman will remain alive. The next host who treated us nastily, when his wall fell down I saw there was a treasure underneath that he would have inevitably found. His behavior made him undeserving of such wealth. So I davened that a miracle happens and the wall gets restored so he will not find the treasure. The townspeople that didn’t treat us nicely, I said they should all become leaders was in fact a curse not a blessing because when everyone is in charge it causes utter chaos. But the townspeople that treated us nicely I blessed them that they have one leader and live happily under his leadership.”
The Chida continues, that Hashem told Avraham that his children would be in exile four hundred and thirty years. Although the Jews were in Mitzrayim for only two hundred and ten years, but it is counted from the time of Yitzchak went into exile as well. Of the two hundred and ten years in Mitzrayim eighty six years were the Koshi Hashibud – the extra harsh years of slavery. This started when Miriam, the sister of Moshe Rabbenu was born. She was eighty six when Klal Yisrael left Mitzrayim. She was named Miriam, meaning bitter because of the extra bitterness that then started.
If we divide four hundred and thirty into five we get eighty six. ‘Kos’ – the Hebrew word for cup adds up to eighty six (Kaf=20, Vav=6, Samech=60). The four hundred and thirty years were made of five times eighty six. We have five cups of wine, five times eighty six to thank Hashem for redeeming us from those four hundred and thirty years. Four cups we drink, but the last cup that refers to the last eighty six years we don’t drink.
The Chida explains that those eighty six extra harsh years look to us as bad times, but as we see from the story with Eliyahu Hanavi, what seems bad to us may actually be for our benefit. Therefore since we will never know the true TA’AM – the truth of those eighty six years, they look bad but actually were for our good, therefore we are not TO’EM – we do not taste the last cup of wine. (In Hebrew Ta’am and To’em are words made from the same root, Tes, Ayin, Mem. It can mean ‘the reason’ or ‘taste’)
The Chida continues that who is the one that taught us this amazing insight that when we see something bad it actually may have something hiding there for our good? This came from the story of Eliyahu Hanavi. Therefore the fifth cup is called the Kos shel Eliyahu – the cup of Eliyahu Hanavi.
This message fits so well with the words of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh of Liska in his Sefer ‘Ach Pri Tevuah’ on this week’s Parsha.
The first Passhuk in this week’s Parsha starts off, ‘Vayomer Elokim el Moshe’ – ‘and G-d spoke to Moshe, ‘Vayomer elav ani Hashem’ – ‘and He said to him, I am Hashem’.
The Passuk starts off with Elokim and finishes with Hashem. Both are names of Hashem. Elokim is used when reffering to Hashem as Middas Hadin – when Hashem uses judgement, whereas Hashem refers to Hashem as being merciful.
Elokim adds up to eighty six (Alef=1, Lamed=30, heh=5, Yud=10, Mem=40).
Ani Hashem adds up to eighty seven (Alef=1, Nun=50, Yud=10 and Hashem adds up to 26).
Many times we are experiencing difficult times, we are on the receiving side of Elokim, judgement, Middas Hadin. Our Avodas Hashem is to understand that it comes from the One and only – Hashem. And when we add one to eighty six we get eighty seven, Ani Hashem referring to Hashem as merciful.
When we have true Emuna that everything that has happened to us comes from Hashem then we change over the judgement into mercy, we are Mamtik the Middas Hadin of Elokim into Middas Harachamim – Ani Hashem.
With this idea, Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Liska gives an amazing explanation on the next few Pessukim.
Hashem rebuked Moshe for speaking the way he did. Hashem said to Moshe, “I appeared to the forefathers Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov ‘Ushemi Hashem lo Nodaati lahem’- and my name Hashem was not known to them.”
Rav Tzvi Hirsch Liska explains that Hashem appeared to our forefathers with Elokim, our forefathers understood that it was Hashem behind the challenges and they inserted Hashem in to every situation and by doing that, they changed the Middas Hadin to Middas Harachamim.
Hashem explained to Moshe that this was the same Avoda that was required by the Jews in Mitzrayim and our Avoda throughout the generations, whenever we have a challenge that looks like something bad is happening, that seems that Middas Hadin is ruling over us; our Avoda is to understand that it is from Hashem, it is for a purpose, it is for our good and by doing so we change the Middas Hadin to mercy.
