Beshalach

Current Events

Author: Rabbi Moshe Pruzansky

At the conclusion of last week’s parashah, the egyptians finally allowed the Jews to leave egypt. After ten miraculous plagues, the promise that Hashem made to Avraham Avinu to rescue the Jewish nation with miracles, an outstretched arm, and laden with riches had finally been fulfilled. Additionally, the Jewish nation was about to receive the Torah and was headed to eretz yisrael. The exodus looked poised for the perfect ending with the Jewish nation riding into the proverbial sunset. However, in this week’s parashah, the Jews are faced with yet another terrifying drama. Hashem hardened the egyptians’ hearts and brought them to not only regret their decision to free the Jewish nation, but to also chase the Jews. Why did Hashem orchestrate this final chal- lenge? Wasn’t everything that was meant to be accomplished by the exile already accomplished?

We can answer this by first addressing another question, posed by Rav Shlomo Kluger (in Parashas Va’eira): Why was there a need for a miraculous redemption from egypt in the first place? Why couldn’t Hashem have brought Pharaoh to decide to simply free the Jewish nation like Hashem did to King Koresh, who simply decided to let the Jewish nation return to their homeland and build the second Beis HaMikdash (Ezra 1:1)?

Jacob was fired from his job. he was broken and didn’t know how he would support himself. he couldn’t sleep at night. one morning he went outside to bring in his newspaper. To his delight and surprise, hidden inside the pages were two one- hundred-dollar bills. at first, he thought they were fake, but then he examined them in the sunlight and saw they were real. From that day on, he found two hundred-dollar bills inside his news- paper every single day. It was like manna from heaven. One morning, by accident, his neighbor switched newspapers with him. When Jacob asked for his paper back, the neighbor apologized that his son had already ripped most of it. he told Jacob just to keep his paper. Jacob refused the offer. he went to gather the shredded paper and found his two hundred dollars. This went on for four years. all his neighbors could not under- stand how he was surviving without a job. It looked like he was always on vacation, enjoying life, and still managing to pay all his bills. One morning, when he went out to bring in his newspaper, he saw a man stepping on it, unwilling to move. Jacob was about to yell at him, but the man spoke first. “Where is my thank you?” “What?” Jacob responded in confusion. The man explained, “For four years, I have been supporting you, and not once did you come to say thank you.” Jacob replied, “oh, I’m sorry. I never saw you. I didn’t even know you existed.” “That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” said the man. “For four years, you have been eating my bread and drinking my water, and you had no idea that I even exist? Not once did you bother to wake up early and see who is putting money in your newspaper.” (This a mashal quoted by rabbi ashear, from the Sefer Emunah Sheleimah.)

It is human nature to lull ourselves into thinking everything we have is a result of “normal” occurrences, and forget to fully thank Hashem. Of course, the Jews felt grateful to Hashem for their exo- dus, but they also felt thankful to the egyptians for allowing them to leave. Therefore, Hashem made sure that there was a Kri’as yam Suf so that we would be honest enough with ourselves to take a close look at Who takes care of us and give credit where credit is due.

The entire purpose of the exile was two-fold: 1) To prove that Hashem intimately runs every detail of events in the world and that there is no other power other than Him. 2) To prove that even the actions of man are carefully orchestrated solely by Hashem. Rav Shlomo Kluger explains that had Hashem ended the Jewish exile with Pharaoh playing the role of the “great emancipator” and finally de- ciding to set the Jewish nation free, their gratitude to Hashem would have been compromised. Deep down they always would have felt that some of their gratitude belonged to Pharaoh (Imrei Shefer, by Rav Shlomo Kluger, Parashas Va’eira, p. 38).

It is for this reason that a final showdown between the egyptian and Jewish nations was necessary. Although the Jewish nation at- tributed most of their freedom to Hashem when they finally left egypt, they still felt that a small amount of credit and gratitude was due to Pharaoh. After all, he certainly had a hand in their freedom — albeit only after much “convincing.” In order to teach the Jewish nation that no one was involved in their freedom, or any other event for that matter, except for Hashem, He hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would chase them. After the Jews saw Pharaoh pursuing them, they no longer felt even the minutest feel- ings of gratitude toward him and realized that Hashem was the only one who deserved their gratitude. Additionally, after the Jewish nation witnessed Hashem harden the egyptians hearts (14:5) and cause them to inexplicably run into the water during the splitting of the sea without giving the miracles that they had witnessed a sec- ond thought, the Jewish people recognized that even the decisions of man are fully within Hashem’s hands.

It was due to this understanding that caused the Jewish nation to sing one of their greatest songs of praise, Shiras Az Yashir. Only after the Jewish people had witnessed and internalized this lesson could the exodus come to a dramatic conclusion, for from that point we had an all-new confidence that every event we witness or hear about is solely an act of Hashem.

This lesson is more relevant to us now than ever before. Never before have we had as much access to news and world events as we do today. We often find ourselves intrigued and caught up in the commentary of “experts,” analysts, and news reporters. We want to know the par- ticulars of how something happened, why it happened, who was the hero, and so forth, because we feel that it makes a difference. We can get so caught up with the details that we might begin to believe that it was the brilliance of an individual or might of a country that was the cause of a success or failure. However, we must always recognize that the details of these events were inconsequential and Hashem could have easily accomplished those results with a plethora of other methods as well.*

This lesson was first taught to us when we left egypt, and is still so supremely relevant and important to us that we are required to remember yetzi’as Mitzrayim not once, but twice a day! The mitzvah to remember yetzi’as Mitzrayim means to remember that Hashem is just as in control and involved with current events now as He was back then. Would you like to see acts of G-d? Simply look around you. While the Nevi’im spoke about what Hashem will do, history books tell of what Hashem has already done, and the news tells us what He is currently doing. What will our president do next? What will happen with the stock market? Iran? The situation with the Arabs in eretz yisrael? Hashem is the only One that deserves our absolute and constant faith, dependence, gratitude, and prayers.

*At the same time, their efforts warrant our thanks, praise, and admiration, for we are always required to feel and express gratitude for the efforts of others.