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728_B:Beis Moshiach 1/26/2010 12:06 AM Page 3 contents THE EXPRESSION OF INNER GOOD 4 D’var Malchus MOSHIACH: FEEL THE PLEASURE 6 Thought | Rabbi Zvi Homnick SAVING SOULS IN NEW DELHI 10 Shlichus | Nosson Avrohom MY REBBETZIN 18 Stories for 22 Shvat | H. Ben Yishai THE REBBE BROUGHT ME BACK USA 22 Feature | Shneur Elias 744 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, NY 11213-3409 Tel: (718) 778-8000 Fax: (718) 778-0800 BELIEVING ALL THE WAY [email protected] 24 www.beismoshiach.org Moshiach & Geula | Dafna Chaim EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: M.M. Hendel ENGLISH EDITOR: IN THE DARKEST OF TIMES Boruch Merkur HEBREW EDITOR: 28 22 Shvat | Shneur Zalman Levin Rabbi Sholom Yaakov Chazan [email protected] MOSHIACH: WHAT WE BELIEVE [CONT.] 32 Moshiach & Geula | Rabbi Gershon Avtzon Beis Moshiach (USPS 012-542) ISSN 1082- 0272 is published weekly, except Jewish holidays (only once in April and October) for $160.00 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and in all other places for $180.00 per year (45 PUTTING T’FILLIN ON EVERY JEW HE issues), by Beis Moshiach, 744 Eastern 34 MEETS Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11213-3409. Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn, NY and Feature | Mendel Tzfasman additional offices. Postmaster: send address changes to Beis Moshiach 744 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11213-3409. KOSHER MEDITATION Copyright 2010 by Beis Moshiach, Inc. 41 Moshiach & Science | Dr. Aryeh Gotfryd Beis Moshiach is not responsible for the content of the advertisements. 728_B_Beis Moshiach 25/01/2010 8:18 AM Page 4 d’var malchus THE EXPRESSION OF INNER GOOD Sichos In English A NAME IS TELLING attributes their being sent forth to land of dangerous animals.” The division of the Torah Pharaoh; it was * he* who motivated Our Sages interpret this to mean, readings is not random, nor are the them to leave Egypt. [6] “they will be transformed, so names chosen for them a chance that they will no longer cause harm, phenomenon. WHY IT WAS PHARAOH as it is written, [7] ‘The wolf will The name of every parsha is a WHO SENT FORTH THE dwell with the lamb.’” In this era of ultimate good, the thematic statement, encompassing JEWS the reading as a whole and predatory animals will continue to expressing its fundamental theme. Describing Pharaoh as the agent exist, but “they will neither prey, nor This week’s Torah reading of the Exodus points to one of its destroy.” [8] Their negative contains many significant narratives purposes, and in a larger sense, tendencies will be eliminated, and demonstrating G-d’s love for the alludes to the ultimate purpose of they will serve a positive purpose. Jewish people, and the Jews’ creation as a whole. G-d’s intent in creation was not response to Him. To highlight this factor, at the merely to reveal unbounded spiritual It tells of several of the more very beginning of the process of light within the context of material striking miracles in our people’s Redemption, G-d told Moshe: [2] existence. history: the splitting of the Yam Suf, “With a strong hand, [Pharaoh] will Were this His purpose, He would the descent of the manna, and the drive them from his land.” not have created a material world, victory over Amalek. For the intent of creation is that for the revelations in the spiritual And with regard to the Jews’ this material world and all of its realms are far greater. [9] response, it includes the Shirat elements be transformed into a Nor is His purpose merely to HaYam - song of the Red Sea, an dwelling for G-d. [3] nullify the influence of those entities acknowledgment of G-d’s hand so This includes all elements of which oppose holiness, for then their powerful that it enabled even the existence, even those which oppose creation would not contribute most common person to attain peaks the forces of holiness. anything. of prophecy.[1] There is no aspect of being which Instead, G-d’s desire is that every And yet seemingly, these will not serve a positive purpose. aspect of existence become part of wondrous dimensions are not at all In certain cases, as in the His dwelling. reflected in the name of the Torah example of Pharaoh, a And just as a mortal’s dwelling reading! transformation is necessary. In their reveals the character of its owner, The Shabbos is called Shabbos immediate state, they cannot serve a every element of His dwelling is Shira (“the Shabbos of Song”) positive purpose, and “their intended to reveal a different facet of recalling the song of the Red Sea, destruction is their purification;” [4] His Being. but the * name * of the Torah i.e., only when they are broken will As a foretaste [10] of this reading, B’Shalach, meaning “When their positive nature be revealed. ultimate state, the name of our he sent forth,” has no obvious Nevertheless, ultimately, this Torah reading focuses on the reference to these positive qualities. transformation will take place, and transformation of Pharaoh. On the contrary, if anything the positive energies they contain The other miracles it mentions B’Shalach has negative will surface. involve the negation of undesirable connotations, implying that the Jews This concept is highlighted by influences and/or the expression of had to be sent forth from Egypt the prophecies of the Redemption wondrous spiritual forces. By against their will. And the Torah which state, [5] “And I will rid the directing our attention to Pharaoh’s 728_B_Beis Moshiach 25/01/2010 8:18 AM Page 5 role in sending forth the Jews, and eagerly counted the days until it commitment on the part of the however, the name B’Shalach would be fulfilled. [18] Jewish people will, in turn, enable underscores a deeper purpose, that When they reached Mount Sinai, Moshiach to continue in the even most perverse elements of they camped in a spirit of oneness, fulfillment of his mission: [22] existence can generate positive unified by their desire to receive the “fight[ing] the wars of G-d... and influence. [11] Torah. [19] succeed[ing], build[ing] the [Beis And yet we find, that “G-d held Ha]Mikdash on its site, and LOOKING BEYOND EXILE Mt. Sinai over them as a tub,” [20] gather[ing] in the dispersed remnant compelling them to receive the of Israel.” A question, nevertheless, remains To r a h . May this take place in the unresolved: If the Jews were eager, why was immediate future. Why was it necessary for this necessary? Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. VII, p. Pharaoh to send the Jews out of The point is that there are levels 188ff; Shabbos Parshas B’Shalach 5732, 5735 Egypt? Why weren’t they eager to in desire. leave? G-d wanted the Jews to accept Notes: One might say that they had no 1. Mechilta, quoted in Rashi, Exodus 15:2. the Torah with a total commitment, reason to hurry. 2. Exodus 6:1. feelings so powerful that it was as if After the initial plagues, more 3. Midrash Tanchuma, Parshas B’Chukosai, sec. 3. their lives depended on it. than six months before the Exodus, 4. Keilim 2:1. The Jews were not capable of 5. Leviticus 26:6. the enslavement of the Jewish people summoning up this level of 6. Toras Kohanim on the above verse. had ceased. [12] commitment on their own, and 7. Isaiah 11:6. The Jews were living in the most therefore, G-d compelled them to 8. Ibid.:8. select portion of the land of Egypt 9. For an explanation of this and the concepts to reach this peak through external [13] and the Egyptians were ready follow, see Likkutei Sichos, Vol. VI, p. 18ff, and the means. sources mentioned there. to give them anything they wanted. Similarly, with regard to the 10. This was indeed only a foretaste, for the [14] transformation of Pharaoh was not fully completed Exodus. Moreover, they also had spiritual at the time of the exodus. On the contrary, shortly G-d wanted the Jews to seek to afterwards, he experienced a change of heart and fulfillment, for our Sages relate [15] leave Egypt with a deeper desire pursued the Jewish people. that the existence of the yeshivos 11. See Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XII, p. 33ff and other than their ordinary will. was never nullified throughout the sources which offer a similar explanation in Therefore He brought about interpreting the reason the Alter Rebbe (Shulchan Egyptian exile. Aruch HaRav, ch. 430) gives for the observance of circumstances that awakened this Why then should they have Shabbos HaGadol (“the great Shabbos,” the more profound and encompassing Shabbos preceding the holiday of Pesach). The Alter desired to leave Egypt? What did commitment. Rebbe states that this Shabbos commemorates the they have to gain? miracle of the Egyptians’ firstborn rebelling against Pharaoh and demanding that he release the Jews. This, however, was not the case. What was so great about this miracle? The Our Sages state that all the GENTLE FORCE transformation of darkness to light it represents, that the Egyptians themselves demanded the Jews’ people who did not want to leave B’Shalach is also a lesson in our release. Egypt died in the plague of relations with others. 12. Rosh HaShana 11:1. darkness. [16] Every Jew possesses an inner 13. Genesis 47:6. All the Jews who remained desire to follow the Torah and its 14. Exodus 12:35-36. See also Rashi’s commentary. wanted to leave. They realized that mitzvos. [21] Nevertheless, for this 15. Yoma 28b.