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Parshas Beshalach the Rest of the Story

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Parshas Beshalach the Rest of the Story CANDLELIGHTING: 4:42 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 11 י שבט תשע"ג SHABBOS ENDS: AFTER 5:46 72 MIN 6:13 JANUARY 11, 2014 PARSHAS BESHALACH THE REST OF THE While the Jewish people were involved with gathering gold and silver, Moshe went to the Nile River to collect Yosef’s bones before STORY: the Exodus. The Gemara in Sotah (13a) comments that we can see By R’ Yosef Dovid Rothbart As the armed Egyptians approached the sea, their ministering angel, from this how special the Mitzvos were to Moshe Rabbeinu. “The What’s behind the passuk? Uzza, came before Hashem and prayed for their survival. “You are entire nation was busy collecting booty and Moshe was busy with righteous and just. You show no favouritism. Why then do you intend the bones of Yosef HaTzadik. As Shlomo Hamelech says in Mishlei, to drown my nation? Did the Egyptians drown the Jewish people? Chacham Lev Yikach Mitzvos - a wise person grabs Mitzvos.” (There was a royal decree to drown the babies and the Egyptians Superficially it seems that going to gather the Egyptians’ wealth was complied with it to save their own lives; but, although a person is not what the Jewish people should have been involved with at the obliged to surrender his own life rather than commit murder, one who final moments before leaving Egypt. Instead they should have does not do so does not incur the death penalty.) And if you plan to followed Moshe’s example - the one who is considered a Chacham drown my people because they enslaved the Jewish nation, you Lev - and aided in the retrieval of Yosef’s bones. But were they not should know that the Egyptians already paid them for that with all commanded by Hashem to go and request money from the the treasures that the Jews took when they left. Certainly Hashem Egyptians in order that Hashem would fulfil his promise to the Avos who is just won’t punish my people twice.” (c.f. Rashi 11: 2)? Why then is Moshe referred to as a “Chacham Hashem assembled all the angels and proclaimed, “I am going to Lev”, which seems to be a loftier character trait, for doing the will respond to Uzza’s claims against me. When the world was going to of Hashem? Was not the entire Jewish nation also fulfilling His will by suffer from a terrible famine, it was Yosef who amassed grain for collecting spoils from the Egyptians? Paroah which he sold. In this way, Paroah acquired his great wealth. The Gemara in Bava Metziah (32b) teaches us an interesting After Yosef died, Paroah ignored all that Yosef had done for the Halacha. If a person sees his friend’s donkey buckling under its country and he subjugated the Jewish people.” Hashem continued to recount the entire story of the subjugation in burden, he is obliged to help readjust the load. Similarly, if one’s Egypt, of Paroah’s refusal to listen to His warnings to let the Jewish friend is having difficulty loading up an animal, he is obliged to help. nation go, and of his present plans to attack them. “Is there any The Gemara continues that if both these situations happen question whether the Egyptians deserve to drown in the Nile?” simultaneously, one should first readjust the load of the struggling Realizing that his defence had collapsed, Uzza tried a different tactic. donkey for this scenario involves Tzar Baalei Chaim. However, if the “Most Merciful Lord, I admit that the Egyptians are guilty. But please donkey that is collapsing under its load belongs to a friend and the have compassion on my nation, a nation whose numbers exceed person who needs help loading his animal is an enemy, the Halacha 900,000,000. Please don’t let such a large nation be destroyed. Have is different. In that scenario, one must help the person he doesn’t mercy.” like load up his animal. The reason is that by helping out someone The other angels agreed with this argument. “Save the Jewish nation, whom he dislikes, he is breaking his Yetzer HaRa and strengthening but do not kill the Egyptians.” his character, and that takes precedence. When the ministering angel of the Jews, Michael, heard this, he The Alter from Novardok offers a beautiful explanation to our motioned to Gavriel, a second angel, and the two of them flew down question based on this Gemara. The Alter explains that it was much to Egypt in a single leap. They hurried to the city that had been built easier for everyone to collect gold and silver from the Egyptians by the Jewish slaves and found a brick that contained a Jewish infant. than to collect the bones of Yosef. Moshe understood that the less They extracted the brick and flew heavenward. Holding the brick, enticing a Mitzvah is to a person, the more challenging the Mitzvah Gavriel stood before Hashem and announced, “Lord of the universe, is, the dearer it is to Hashem. There were two Mitzvos to be look what the Egyptians did to your children. Did they have any mercy on them? Did they pay attention when the Jewish parents performed before the Jewish people left Egypt - gathering gold, an begged them to spare the lives of their children?” exciting Mitzva, and collecting the bones of Yosef, a less attractive At that moment it was decreed that the Egyptians be drowned in the Mitzvah. Moshe Rabbeinu acted with wisdom, earning the title sea. of Chacham Lev, and performed the less sought after Mitzvah. (based on the Yalkut Shimoni) These words outline the mission of every subsequent generation: to further, elevate and exalt man’s knowledge of אלוקי אבי וארממנהו )טו: ב( Hashem and homage to Him, to an ever-ascending height. (Rav Hirsch) HALACHA REFLECTIONS Hilchos Hadlakas Neiros Along with the many conveniences that electricity brought to our Shabbos, there came many Halachic questions. Is one allowed to open a refrigerator even ifSubtitle the motor is not running? Can one eat something that was on a hot-plate if there was a blackout and the We all know people who are true “givers.” When you think electricity came back on? These are just some of the questions that about the common feature of true “givers,” you will find that have arisen with the advent of electricity. Another issue that has these are people with real Emunah - real faith. Their belief in ramifications every Shabbos is the impact that electric lighting has Hashem is deep and secure. What is the connection between on the traditional way of kindling Shabbos candles. Let us explore giving and faith? some of these Halachos. Rav Eliyahu Dessler explains that self-interest and bias block a When electricity first became readily available, the Poskim debated person from being able to see the truth of Hashem. The roots of whether the mitzvah of lighting Shabbos candles could be fulfilled by self-interest lie in “taking,” which is the source of all our turning on electric lights. There were three different opinions: 1) Rav desires. The only way to recognize the truth about Hashem is Henkin (Eidus l’Yisrael pg 22) held that it is permissible to use do the opposite of “taking”, which is ”giving”. Giving to others, electricity for Shabbos candles and the proper blessing may be by doing acts of loving-kindness (Chessed), has the power to recited; 2) the Tchebiner Rav (Shrag HaMeir 5: 11) maintained that it remove bias from a person’s heart, thus allowing his heart to is not proper to use electric lights for this Mitzvah; 3) other Poskim recognize the truth of the Creator of the world. It follows that (Rav Moshe Feinstein, Har Tzvi quoting the Rogatchover Gaon) faith can only come to a person who gives. argued that although it is permissible to use electric lights, one There are people who do Mitzvos and learn Torah for selfish should not recite a bracha when doing so. Since there is no final and reasons such as honour, etc. Such a person is a true “taker,” definitive ruling on this issue, we must because everything he does is for his look at the prevailing custom, which - upon benefit. This person may not admit reflection - is a compromise among the He also considers the it, but deep in his heart he does not three views: really believe in Hashem. What Although the blessing is recited over the higher levels of his own self connection can a person, so clouded traditional candles or oil-based lights that by his own inner bias, have with true are lit in the area where the Friday night to be alien forces making faith in Hashem? With this concept, meal will be eaten, we nevertheless rely Rav Dessler illuminates a brilliant and on electricity for the other part of the demands on him. novel explanation on the famous Mitzvah of Shabbos candles. The Mishna words of Hillel - “What you don’t like Berura (O.C. 263:2, 29, 31) clearly states don’t do to your neighbour: this is the that one is obliged to have light in any room that will be used on whole Torah - all of it. The rest is Friday night. Our Sages instituted this so that family members would commentary.” One who studies a deep and profound book be able to navigate safely in the house without fear of injury that without a commentary can easily mistake the meaning of the would disrupt the harmony of Shabbos. Today, most homes rely on book.
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