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This weeks parsha,
Parshas Vo’ayrah, begins with Hashem telling Moshe that He revealed
himself to the Avos as Kel Shakay. The name of Hashem, Havayah, was never
realized by them. These possukim reveal much insight into the names of
Hashem and their meanings. A name of Hashem doesn’t describe His essence
in any way. That is a realm that is totally beyond our grasp. Our only
connection to Him is through his interaction with this world. His
‘names’, therefore, describe a certain attribute of His association with
us.
Rashi explains
these possukim to mean that guarantees were made to the Avos, and they
trusted, even though they didn’t see the fulfillment of these promises.
The name, Hashem, which represents the culmination of those assurances,
wasn’t shown to them.
The Ramban quotes
the Even Ezra who has a very different understanding in these words. Kel
Shakay refers to Hashem shaping events within the realm of nature. The
gemara Chagiga teaches that when the world was being created it kept on
expanding. Hashem limited that olam, that world, with the name Kel
Shakay, which means, enough.
The Ohr Gedalyahu
points out that the word olam, world, has the same root as ‘he’elem’,
which means hidden. The world is defined as the place where Hashem’s
presence is hidden. It is an olam in the full sense of the word. During
creation, Hashem set a limit on the degree that He would be concealed. He
said “diy”, enough, to the olam. There is ‘nature’ wherein He is unseen,
but with a perceptive glance, His presence can be discerned. The Ohr
Gedalyahu quotes from the Zohar that the name Elokim is comprised of the
two words ‘elah’ and ‘mee’. Literally, ‘this’ and ‘who’. All of ‘this’
that is before our eyes, ‘who’ brought it here?!
That was the nature
of the Avos’ divine service. They discovered Hashem from within the
world. Avrohom Avinu, at the tender age of three, realized that this
palace must have a supervisor. Yitzchak Avinu and Yaakov Avinu also
recognized Hashem in the such a way. Hashem too, performed miracles for
them, but within the realm of ‘normal’.
The name Havayah
that is now being shown with Moshe, institutes a completely different way
of Hashem running this world. The semblances of nature no longer comprise
the parameters wherein He operates. There will be plagues, a splitting of
the sea, and ultimately, a clear revelation of Hashem’s presence on Har
Sinai! Ani Hashem!!! I am Hashem and I am totally limitless in my
abilities! Nature is a mere cloak that is easily removed!
The Ramban (Sh’mos
13:16) writes that from these revealed miracles we must learn to
appreciate the hidden ones. To reach that cognizance that there is no
nature! To see through the haze and recognize the hand that is guiding
everything!
From the very
outset, when Hashem appeared to Moshe from the burning bush, Moshe
refused to speak to Bnei Yisroel or Paroah by himself. Ignoring the
reassurances of Hashem that he was capable of handling the mission, he
steadfastly deferred to Aharon.
The Ohr HaChaim
(6:28) writes that this can explain the usage of the term ‘vay’hee’, and
it was, in regard to Moshe’s refusal. The gemara (Megilah) states that
this is a term that introduces a tragedy. ‘Vay’, meaning woe. What
catastrophe is being referred to here? He chillingly writes that if Moshe
had performed this mitzvah alone, then perhaps he would have entered
Eretz Yisroel and we would have avoided all of the travails endured in
the midbar. Futhermore, had Moshe entered Eretz Yisroel he would have
built the Beis Hamikdash which would have been eternal!
Moshe truly had the
ability to do it but felt he was unable. How often do we have the
capacity to really accomplish something, yet back away based on false
feelings of inadequacy? How often do we create a ‘reality’ of inability
which results in opportunities lost for eternity?
This weeks parsha
spans the first seven plagues. One can easily be astonished by Paroah’s
behavior. One minute he’s begging Moshe to remove the plague, promising
to release Bnei Yisroel, the next he’s standing steadfast in his stubborn
refusal to emancipate them. Our astonishment only grows when we reach the
seventh plague, the fierce hail-fire storm.
Moshe warns of the
impending onslaught. All cattle and slaves must be brought in from the
fields or face certain death. The Torah tells that all those who feared
Hashem brought in their property. However, many left them out in the
fields! How could intelligent thinking people not heed Moshe’s warning?
How could they knowingly allow their property to be destroyed?
Rav Chaim
Shmuelovitz zt”l sheds light on this paradox. The possuk tells that those
who left their belongings outside, didn’t ‘som lev’ to the word of
Hashem. They didn’t take it to heart! Their knowledge remained in the
intellectual sphere but never penetrate their hearts! They knew, but they
didn’t act on that knowledge.
Suddenly, the
actions of Paroah and the Mitzrim no longer seem astonishing but rather
quite familiar! It’s so easy to know but so difficult to do! How many of
us realize that certain things must be added to our schedules, yet never
quite do it! How many of us could use resounding arguments and easily
convince others of the importance of acts that we ourselves are remiss
in! (How many of us could write convincing parsha sheets and yet fall far
short in living up to those very ideals!) Yes, it’s easy to mock Paroah
until we realize that Paroah lives on in each and every one of us!
May Hashem grant us
the perception to recognize that it is His presence, His light that
permeates all that surround us in this olam. May this light enable us to
see and realize all that we can accomplish. May we then merit to not only
know what we can do, but rather, to roll up our sleeves and actually
accomplish.
Good Shabbos.
Yisroel Ciner
Copyright © 1997 by
Rabbi Yisroel Ciner and Project
Genesis, Inc.
The author teaches
at Neveh Zion in Telzstone (near
Yerushalayim).
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