Pearls of Tefillah in the Parashah
“עשה אשר כל את משה חתן מדין כהן יתרו וישמע ישראל את ‘ה הוציא כי עמו ולישראל למשה אלקים (א יח) “ממצרים”
Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro, rosh yeshivas Be’er Yaakov, explained: At Krias Yam Suf and Matan Torah, all the nations of the world clearly saw the Kingship of Hashem in His world. During Krias Yam Suf “all the waters in the world were split” (Mechilta Beshalach Masechta d’Vayehi 4), and at the time of Mattan Torah “a bird did not chirp, birds did not fly, an ox did not low...the creations did not speak, rather the world was absolutely silent” (Shemos Rabbah 29:9). But while the rest of the nations of the world, which undoubtedly were very impressed by the miraculous wonders that occurred in front of their eyes, did not take heart to understand the message concealed behind them, Yisro did merit to open his eyes and his heart, and to look correctly at what had occurred and to draw the requisite conclusion.
For this reason, in Shemoneh Esreh we ask for the Geulah by saying “vesechezenah eineinu beshuvcha leTzion berachamim.” We long that when the Geulah comes, our gaze will not be focused on the wondrous events that will precede it, but rather our eyes should be open to see and understand the revelation of the Kavod Hashem that will take place “when You return to Tzion with rachamim.”
These open eyes are merited only through the power of learning Torah, and that is why we ask “veha’er eineinu beTorasecha” – that from the power of learning Torah we should merit such eyes that through them we should be able to look at all the events of life through the lens of Torah.
