Yisro arrived in the camp of Bnei Yisrael shortly after Kriyas Yam Suf and it was then that Moshe Rabbeinu related to him everything that had happened since they left Mitzrayim and how Pharaoh and the Egyptians had been punished. In response, Yisro exclaimed: “Now I know that Hashem is greater than all the gods...!”
Why only “now”? Rashi explains that Yisro was saying that while he had already recognized Hashem’s greatness, now he saw it even more than before.
The Imrei Noam reads an additional meaning into these words. He explains that the nations of the world only do teshuvah when prompted by tzaros, as we see from the makkos in Mitzrayim and later, events in Ninveh. When times are good and food is plentiful, instead of being grateful they pursue empty and even evil lives and only improve their ways when forced to. Not so the Yidden; Yisro noticed how they served Hashem with such dedication despite their lives of comfort. The Dor De’ah had all their needs met, and yet their level of connection to Hashem was firm. They didn’t require discomfort or punishment to cause them to turn to Him. “Now,” when everything was calm and their enemies had been defeated, the Yidden did not slacken in their avodas Hashem — instead, they enhanced it, and this was what so impressed Yisro.
Unfortunately, Hashem often does have to wake people up and prompt them to do teshuvah via tzaros. While that may be the method that finally succeeds in reaching them, this doesn’t mean that when we see a fellow Yid struggling in life, whether with emotional or physical difficulties, we should leave them to flounder. Our response should always be to help them extricate themselves from their plight rather than to help them cope with it.
Encouraging someone to endure a painful reality rather than try to improve things is almost always wrong. Few situations are truly so hopeless that they leave no option other than to accept the pain and suffering.
When it comes to caring for our children, these guidelines are even more pertinent as our children rely on us to help and protect them. When the great Rebbe R’ Zusha was stuck in the mud, he cried out to Hashem to save him: “Ribbono shel Olam, I know I am stuck in the mud because I need to do teshuvah — but I can’t do teshuvah while I’m stuck in the mud, so please, take me out!” If R’ Zusha needed help to extricate himself from the mud, how much more so do we?
