Seen by Those Who Want to See:
Rashi states: “I appeared to the Avos.” The Meforshim ask what Rashi is adding with these words, as the pasuk clearly mentions the names of all three Avos. Rav Moshe of Kobrin zy”a explains that the root of the word “Avos” has a connotation of “desire”, as in the verse (Bereishis 24:5): “Ulai lo sa’aveh” (perhaps she will not desire). Accordingly, Rashi is stating that Hashem says, “I appear to those who desire to see Me!”
Giving Up a Gold Necklace for Hachnasas Kallah:
I would like to relate an amazing story that occurred two weeks ago (this shiur was given in 5784). I personally heard this story first-hand and was awed to discover that even in the year 2024, there still live amongst us people who are truly willing to sacrifice of themselves and give away all they have for the benefit of others.
This is the story:
Two weeks ago, an orphaned boy arrived in the United States. This boy’s family lives in Beit Shemesh and I know them very well. He is currently engaged to be married but as a result of the dire poverty that afflicts the family, they have no funds to pay for the wedding expenses. The situation is so dreadful that there was a strong possibility that the wedding would have to be pushed off. There was no money whatsoever to pay for the minimum costs.
Some distinguished communal activists in America became involved in this case and did all they could to help. They couldn’t stand seeing this orphaned groom in such a terrible state and arranged for him to fly to America to solicit donations. They began to take him around to various batei medrash to collect during the tefillos, hoping they would be able to raise enough to cover the expenses.
A day after they started collecting, one of the activists called me and related an incredible story that occurred that day. He began his call by saying very excitedly, “I received a donation of $8,000 for the orphaned groom in an amazing way“.
He then related, “The groom was walking around the bais medrash, collecting donations from the men. One young working man took note of him and, when he got home, told his wife that there had been a 19-year-old orphan in shul who was forced to collect money for his own wedding. When his wife heard this, she became very agitated.
This young couple had been putting away a small amount of money every week, as they were saving up to buy the wife a golden necklace as a gift. Just a few days earlier, they finally had saved enough money for the necklace, and they had gone to a jewelry store and purchased a beautiful one.
The wife told her husband, ‘I think that the mitzvah of tzedakah will be a much better adornment for me than having this golden necklace around my neck. I think that the most beautiful piece of jewelry I could ever have is the mitzvah of allowing an orphan to go to the chuppah without worry‘!
They quickly made their way back to the jewelry store and told the owner that something urgent had come up and they needed to return the necklace and get their money back. He was kind enough to give them a full refund of all the money they had paid for the necklace - $6,000. The couple supplemented their donation with $2,000 more from their maaser money, and gave the chosson a check for the sum of $8,000“.
This is the epitome of “a Yiddishe Mamma”. She eagerly waited for many months to be able to buy this golden necklace, but she willingly gave it up to help an orphaned groom get married with joy.
I saw the check with my own eyes. I still can’t get over the fact that Jewish woman in the year 2024 is on such a high level that she was willing to make such a huge personal sacrifice for the sake of a fellow Jew in need.
This is the meaning of Rashi’s words: “Hashem is seen by those who desire to see Him.” If all one wants is to do the will of Hashem, he merits openly seeing His ways, and he is blessed with the purity of spirit to do amazing acts with genuine mesiras nefesh!
The Three Bechinos of Avodas Hashem:
Sefer Toldos Yaakov Yosef writes that the three Avos symbolize three bechinos of avodas Hashem. He explains that Hashem first draws a person close with His middah of chessed, even if the person is unworthy, which is the middah of Avrohom. The person then must work on himself until he is worthy to receive this closeness according to the middas hadin, which is the middah of Yitzchok. Finally, he becomes used to serving Hashem properly at all times and becomes a person who “dwells in His tents”, which is the middah of Yaakov.
In the Merit of the Avos, the Children Have Much Goodness:
Someone once asked the Magid of Zlotchov zy”a why he lived a luxurious lifestyle and accepted honor and glory, while his father, Rav Yitzchok of Drohovitch zy”a, lived a life of poverty? He replied, “You have answered your own question. My father didn’t derive any pleasure from this world, so his sons inherited all of the honor and luxury that he never used for himself.”
The Dzhikover Rebbe zy”a uses this story to explain this pasuk: Hashem appeared to Moshe and said, “I am Havaya”, using His name that represents an abundance of goodness. He was telling him to lead Klal Yisroel in this manner, by providing them with an abundance of enjoyment. Hashem then said that He appeared to Avrohom with the name of “Shakai”. This name represents making do with little. He was saying that since the Avos lived simple lives, their children could live with much abundance.
Forgiven in the Merit of Giving In:
The Ohr Hachaim notes that the pasuk begins by saying that “Elokim” spoke to Moshe, and it then says that He said, “I am Havaya.” He explains that the name Elokim represents Hashem’s middas hadin, while the name “Havaya” represents His middas harachamim. Thus, Hashem was telling Moshe that He really should treat him with the middas hadin but He still will go above and beyond and treat him with middas harachamim.
The reason this is so is found in the Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 17A) that says that Hashem forgives the sins of those who forgive those who wrong them. If one forgoes his own honor and forgives others when they harm him, Hashem does the same, and He forgives his sins. Moshe Rabenu epitomized this middah. He was the humblest man in the world, and he always gave in on his honor. Therefore, even though Hashem held it as a complaint against him for speaking badly of the nation, He forgave him and treated him with his middah of “Havaya”.
Forced to Serve Idols:
The Chida zt”l (Sefer Pnei Dovid) explains the words, “And also, I heard the moans of the children of Yisroel”, as follows: Hashem is saying that he heard the cries of bnei Yisroel. It is true that there was a complaint against them for serving idols but this was because “the Egyptians were holding them in bondage” and forcing them to do so. Yes, once they became accustomed to serving idols they continued to do so – but they never really wanted to do it in the first place. Therefore, Hashem remembered His covenant to redeem them, and He did not punish them for the sin they committed against their will.
Forgiven Because of Regret:
The Chida zt”l (Sefer Chomas Anach) writes that this pasuk hints to the greatness of a baal teshuva. He states that if an individual realizes that he sinned and he feels regret for what he did, Hashem forgives him. Thus, the pasuk can be read as saying: “And the sons of Merari” – if one bitterly regrets (mismarer) his sins. “Machli” – he is forgiven. He adds that the word “mushi” can mean “to remove”, as in Zecharia 3:9: “Umashti es avon ha’retz.” (I will remove the sins of the land.) Thus, this name also indicates the removal of sins.
One Who is Careful With His Words Can Use Them for Great Things:
Rav Levi Yitzchok of Berditchov zy”a (Sefer Kedushas Levi) asks why the pasuk says “provide a sign for yourself”, rather than simply saying “provide a sign.” The word “lachem’, for yourself, seems to be extra. He answers as follows: The Arizal writes that every individual must believe that his words can provide pleasure to Hashem and accomplish great things for Klal Yisroel. If a person does believe this, he will be very careful with his mouth and ensure that no pointless and wasteful words are uttered. Rather, he will only use his words to speak well of Klal Yisroel and for divrei Torah. When one does this, he will certainly bring pleasure to Hashem and He will use this person’s words to accomplish great things.
He thus explains that when the pasuk says: “Provide a sign”, it is meant as a lesson for us. That is why it says that this should be a sign “for yourself.” The pasuk is hinting to us saying that we know that our words are powerful, but we ask for a sign that they can be used to accomplish great things. To answer this, Hashem gave the sign of Aharon’s stick turning into a snake. This symbolized how we have the power through our words to turn one thing into another and change the world.
Moshe Annulled His Ego:
The Modzhitzer Rebbe zy”a (Sefer Divrei Yisroel) writes that this pasuk is hinting to the great humility of Moshe Rabenu. It can be read as saying: “Ki ayin” – no man was ever found like him who epitomized the middah of “ayin”, i.e., self-annulment and considering oneself as insignificant and unimportant. “Like Hashem, Elokim” – he writes that this is a reference to Moshe Rabeinu, who is referred to in the pasuk as “Elokim”. Thus, the pasuk is saying that no man ever existed who annulled himself as much as Moshe did.
They Did Not Bow to Pharaoh’s Idol:
The Alshich Hakadosh cites a Medrash that says that one had to walk through a very short door to get into Pharaoh’s palace. Sitting opposite the door was an idol, and since one had to bend down to walk through the door, one would inevitably bow to the idol. However, when Yaakov walked through the door, it miraculously grew and became taller, and he was able to walk through while standing straight. The same thing occurred when Moshe and Aharon walked through the door. This is hinted to in the words “stand before Pharaoh”, which indicates that they were able to stand straight and did not have to bow. So too, it says about Yaakov: “And he stood before Pharaoh.”
Don’t Worry About Tomorrow:
The Modzhitzer Rebbe zy”a (Sefer Divrei Yisroel) writes that the word “tomorrow” symbolizes the different between Klal Yisroel and the nations of the world. A Jew does not live his life worrying about tomorrow, but a non-Jew does. The Medrash says (Tanchuma Beshalach 20) that if one has enough to eat today but he worries about what he will eat tomorrow, he is a man of little faith. The Jewish nation is a people of faith, and we take one day at a time and fully believe that Hashem will provide for us tomorrow, so we have no need to worry. The gentiles, however, do not have this type of emunah, so they always worry about tomorrow.
This is the meaning of the verse (Mishlei 13:25) that says that a tzadik eats until he is full but a rasha’s stomache is empty. A tzadik has emunah that Hashem will provide for him tomorrow, so he eats until he is full and doesn’t scrimp in order to save food for later. A rasha, however, is worried about tomorrow, so he makes sure to save food.
Emunah Even While Not Understanding:
It is related (Sefer Hasichos 5685) that a man once told the Rashab of Lubavitch zy”a that he had questions on the concepts of souls and angels and, therefore, he didn’t believe in them. The Rebbe answered with a moshol: Two wise men were traveling in a wagon and speaking French to each other. What do you think the horse is thinking? It’s thinking that it wants to eat some straw! What do you think the wagon driver is thinking? He’s thinking that he wants to drink some whiskey. Neither of them understands a word the two Frenchmen are saying. Does that mean that they don’t exist?
The nimshol is obvious. If you don’t understand something, does that mean that it doesn’t exist? No. You just are lacking the knowledge to understand the truth.
Similarly, it is related (Shmu’os V’Sippurim 3) that someone once told the Tzemach Tzedek zy”a that he had doubts in his emunah. The Rebbe asked him, “Do you fear the king?” The man answered that he did, and the Rebbe proceeded to ask, “Have you ever seen the king?” The man replied that he had never once seen the king. The Rebbe then asked, “If you have never seen him, why are you afraid of him? How do you know he is even real?” The man said, “My brother once saw the king, and I trust him.” The Rebbe then said, “Do you also trust me?” The man said that he did, and the Rebbe told him, “If you can trust me, you certainly can believe that there is a G-d who rules and guides this world!”
Emunah is Not Hishtadlus:
The Alter of Novardhok, Rav Yoizel Horowitz zt”l, would say that if a man would place his complete trust in Hashem and accept that he is the only one who can protect and save him, he would certainly be saved. Unfortunately, many people fail to recognize think this and tend to believe that bitachon is a form of “extra hishtadlus”. In other words, they think that they have to do whatever they can on their own, and, in addition to this, they also have to have bitachon. Because of this erroneous mindset, they do not receive their salvation.
He explains this with a parable of a poor man who heard about the famed philanthropist, Baron Rothschild. He decided to travel to Germany to meet the wealthy baron and to ask for his help. He traveled for months until he reached his destination and he returned home from his arduous journey with his face beaming with happiness, his cart loaded with expensive goods, and, in his hands, a huge sum of money that he received from the wealthy man. His friend witnessed this and decided to try his luck as well. However, unlike his friend, he decided that while he was traveling to Berlin, he would stop by all the towns on the way and collect money there as well.
He was very disappointed when he met with Rothschild in his mansion and was handed a small donation. He immediately began to complain and asked why he got such a small amount when his friend was given a fortune. Rothschild replied, “There’s a big difference between you and him. Your friend traveled all this way just to come to me. He saw me as the only person in the world who could help him and relied completely on my assistance. Therefore, I had mercy on him and gave him a lot of help. But you went around to many people for help and also stopped by me as well. Since you didn’t rely solely on me, I didn’t feel any need to give you more than a minimal amount.”
So too, if we rely solely on Hashem and recognize that no one can help us besides Him, then He will give us whatever we need. But if we make our own efforts to try to help ourselves and also ask Him for help, He will not feel the need to take care of us.
Serving Hashem in Both Good and Bad Times:
The Dzhikover Rebbe zy”a (Sefer Imrei Noam) explains this pasuk by quoting the Tikunei Zohar (77A) that says that one must serve Hashem both when things are going well for him and when things are difficult. One should not allow anything to distract him from serving Him – neither an excess of wealth and goodness nor poverty or any other difficulty. In every circumstance, one must focus on this goal.
He uses this to explain the pasuk as follows: “And Hashem will make a separation” – He will separate a man to be close to Him. Who will merit this closeness? One who serves him “between the livestock of Yisroel and the livestock of Egypt” – meaning whether he is in a good situation or a bad one (as the word “Yisroel” is used to represent a good thing and the word “Mitzrayim” represents a bad thing.) If one is able to serve Hashem in this way, he will merit the end of the pasuk: “And nothing of the children of Yisroel will die” – meaning that nothing will be able to distract him or cause him to lose focus in any way on his goal of being a genuine servant of Hashem.
A Kamaya for a Plague:
Sefer M’Zekeinim Esbonen (Chelek 2, Ois 184) relates that a town was once struck with a plague that killed a lot of cattle. The cattle owners came to the Rebbe of Savron zy”a and asked him what they should do. The Rebbe gave them a bunch of kamayos and told them to hang them from their remaining animals’ necks. They did so, and the plague stopped. Everyone wondered what was written in the kamayos, as no one had ever before heard of a kamaya for an animal. They opened one up and saw that the Rebbe had written the words: “And from the livestock of the children of Yisroel, not one died.”
Do Not Allow Children to Wander The Streets:
Sefer Imrei Chaim (Likutim) explains this pasuk as follows: Who is a man who fears Hashem? One who doesn’t allow his household members to wander the streets and become influenced by outside forces.
One Who Learns Torah B’Ksav and Baal Peh Will Not Have Yissurin:
Sefer Yalkut MahaRia relates a story of a man who fell ill and traveled to see the Ziditchoiver Rebbe zy”a, arriving for Shabbos of Parshas Va’eirah. When he told the Rebbe about his sickness, the Rebbe quoted this pasuk and said that the word “chita” (wheat) has a gematriah of 22. Thus, it is a hint to the 22 letters of the Torah. The word “kusemes” (spelt) has the same letters as the word “Maseches”. Thus, it is a hint that one who learns Torah Shebiksav and Torah Shebaal Peh “will not be broken” – meaning that he will not suffer. The pasuk concludes: “Ki afilos heina.” This can be translated to mean that only will this person not suffer, he will also merit to see pila’im (wondrous salvations).
Bringing in the King:
Sefer Maaseh Tzadikim relates the story of how the Rebbe Rav Zushe zy”a brought his brother, the Rebbe Rav Elimelech zy”a, to join the Chasidic movement and became a chasid of the Magid of Mezheritch zy”a: Rav Zushe had become a close chasid of the Magid at a young age. In those years, he would often seclude himself in the forest, where he would sing songs of praise to Hashem with much enthusiasm and love, and with a great desire to draw close to Him. People would apply to him the verse (Mishlei 5:19): “You shall always be intoxicated...”
