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These divrei Torah were adapted
from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah
Tapes on the weekly portion: #1233 – Mutar To Say Mumbai, Corpus Christi
and Even Satmar and Sans? – Why Not? Good Shabbos!
The Power of Holiness Needs To Be Balanced by
the Power of Impurity
The pasuk says, “And the
magicians of Egypt did the same with their magic…” (Shemos 7:22). The Ribono shel Olam
told Moshe Rabbeinu to go before Pharaoh and to impress upon him the fact
that he was the Agent of Hashem.
“Take you staff and throw it onto the ground and it will turn into a
serpent.” (Shemos 4:3) When Pharaoh challenged his sorcerers to match
that “trick,” they were able to match it, just like that. The Zohar adds
that not only were the Egyptian sorcerers able to do this “trick,” but
Pharaoh even called their wives, and the sorcerers’ wives were also able
to do this same “trick.” He then called in their children and the
children of the magicians, who performed the same “trick” as well. The
point of the Zohar is that this act of turning a staff into a serpent was
not a particularly impressive sign that Moshe was an Agent of Hashem. It was
something even a kindergarten kid could do.
We see this concept
by at least some of the other plagues as well—that the Chartumei Mitzrayim were
able to replicate them. Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky in his Emes L’Yaakov
provides a very important explanation about what happened to this power
of magic in the world. In other words, we see that this “kishuf ” was a
reality in the ancient world, not just “magic” based on sleight of the
hand. This was the real thing! Rav Yaakov addresses the issue: How come
this stopped? Likewise, in many places the Talmud discusses the power of Shaydim. Closer to
our times, there apparently was a reality called a Dybbuk. A Dybbuk was a spirit
that entered a body and took it over, controlling the person until he was
treated by someone who knew how to exorcise the Dybbuk. What
happened to all these things? Why do we not seem to experience (real)
magic, Shaydim,
or Dybbuks
today?
Rav Yaakov says
(and this is well known, but the application is very important) that
there is a concept in hashkafa
that is based on the pasuk
in Koheles “…zeh l’umas zeh asa Elokim…” (7:14) (G-d has made the one as
well as the other). To put it in layman’s terms, HaKadosh Baruch Hu
creates a level playing field. If the true prophets (e.g., Moshe
Rabbeinu) were given the power to do these kinds of tricks—to turn a
piece of wood into a snake or other types of miracles like that—then it
would be nearly impossible to deny the truth of Hashem’s message.
Everyone would need to be an observant Jew who keeps the Torah. That
would require a mass conversion of the entire planet, because no person
or nation could deny the reality of the words of the true prophet. This
in effect would take away the phenomenon of free choice.
A person receives
reward for choosing the right path in this world when he has the ability
to choose the wrong path. If the deck is stacked or the playing field is
not level, and only the prophets of Hashem
can perform supernatural miracles, theological decisions would become
meaningless. There would not be freedom of choice, and there could be no
reward and punishment.
Therefore, as long
as this tremendous koach
hakedusha (power of holiness) existed and a tzadik or navi was gifted with
the ability to change nature, there had to be, by virtue of the principle
of zeh-l’umas-zeh-asa-Elokim,
corresponding powers in the nations of the world as well.
Rav Kamenetsky
cites in this regard the comment of the Ramban in Parshas Beshalach, that
at Krias Yam Suf there was a “Ruach
Kadim Aza kol haLaylah” (strong east wind blowing all night).
Why was that necessary? The Ramban explains that this enabled Pharaoh to
say to himself: “You know why the sea split? It was a natural event, like
a tsunami or an earthquake, that caused it to split. Therefore, I can
enter the dry land between the parted waters myself.” The Ribono shel Olam had
to allow him to deceive himself and claim “This was just nature, the
result of a strong wind. It was not the Yad Hashem.”
For this reason, as
long as we had the power of kedusha
(holiness) on our side in the personage of Neviim and tzadikim, the nations of the world had
to have parallel forces through the koach
hatumah (forces of impurity). We all know the teaching of
Chazal regarding Moshe’s role as the greatest of the prophets. Chazal
expound: “There never again arose in Israel a prophet like Moshe…”
(Devorim 34:10) – In Israel there never arose such a prophet, but amongst
the nations of the world there was such a prophet—Bilaam son of Beor.
Bilaam was a degenerate, but he was a prophet. Why? It would not be fair.
The nations could claim that if they had a prophet like Moshe, they would
have been different. So Hashem gave them such a prophet, but he led them
further astray!
This is the point
emphasized by the Emes L’Yaakov: As long as there was any power of kedusha in the
world, there had to exist a corresponding power of Tumah in order to
make it even. Once the era of prophecy ceased in Yisroel, such powers of tumah stopped in the
world at large as well.
With this
principle, the Emes L’Yaakov attempts to answer a very difficult Rambam.
The Rambam writes in his Mishna Commentary on Tractate Avodah Zarah that Shaydim have no
power whatsoever and the entire belief in them is false. The Vilna Gaon
in Shulchan Aruch uses strong language against this opinion of the
Rambam, which on the face of it is contradicted by many Talmudic and
Medrashic sources.
Rav Yaakov explains
that in the era of the Tanaim and Amoraim mentioned in the Gemara, when
there were in the Jewish world many personalities who were miracle
workers, there also existed Shaydim
which were powers of impurity that existed in the world to counter-act
the power of kedusha
given to certain righteous miracle workers who existed in Klal Yisrael. When
the Rambam said there are no such things as Shaydim and the like, he was referring
to his day and age, when conceivably they no longer existed, just as
there no longer existed miracle workers amongst Klal Yisrael.
At the end of Rav
Yaakov’s discussion on this topic, he shares something very interesting.
There is a famous story whereby the Chofetz Chaim (1838-1933) exorcised a
Dybbuk from a person. The Chofetz Chaim was not associated with bubbe meises (old
wives’ tales) and apocryphal stories. Rav Yaakov writes that at the time
of this incident, Rav Elchanon Wasserman commented that this will most
likely be the last Dybbuk
to ever enter a human body. He elaborated that when there is someone on
the level of the Chofetz Chaim, who possesses within himself at least a
remnant of the kedushah
that once existed in Klal
Yisrael, then there can be a Dybbuk. But once the likes of the
Chofetz Chaim left the world, there will probably never again be a story
with a Dybbuk—unless
there would is also a Jewish community with such pure holiness and emunah that their
power of kedusha
necessitated the presence of a corresponding power of tumah in their
midst.
As a rule, however,
our level of sanctity is so low and so weak that there is no need for a
corresponding force that grants this level of supernatural abilities to
the power of tumah.
The Urgency of Removing the Frogs
The sefer Darash
Mordechai asks, why did Moshe need to cry out to Hashem to remove the
frogs (Shemos 8:8)? Pharaoh deserved every plague he received. He
deserved the full duration of Hashem’s intended punishment. It seems that
here Moshe intervened. He left the palace and cried out to Hashem to
remove the frogs that He had placed upon Pharaoh. Why not let Pharaoh
suffer a little longer? Why did Moshe seemingly preemptively stop this
plague?
The Darash
Mordechai offers several answers to this question.
First, he cites an
answer in the name of the Imrei Emes (Rav Avraham Mordechai Alter, the
fourth Gerer Rebbe). We see that Hashem
was very particular about kavod
malchus (preserving the honor of the monarchy). Despite the
fact that Pharaoh was wicked, he was a king. There is a concept that a
king must be given honor. In order to display kavod malchus, Moshe Rabbeinu
acquiesced to Pharaoh’s request that the frogs be removed.
The Darash
Mordechai then quotes an answer from the Rebbe, Rav Bunim of P’Shische.
He says the purpose of the plagues was to establish Emunah (Belief in
G-d) in the world. The Ramban speaks about this. After the Exodus, no one
could doubt that there was a Ribono
shel Olam who controls the world. Part of Emunah is that
there is a thing called koach
hatefillah. A person needs to believe in the power of prayer.
Moshe wanted to demonstrate that prayer has the power even – as it were –
to override a decree of the Almighty. Therefore, that is why Moshe prayed
for the maka
to cease, and that is why the plague of frogs was truncated, so to speak.
Finally, the Darash
Mordechai cites an answer from the Chiddushei HaRim (Rav Yitzchak Meir
Alter, the first Gerer Rebbe). Moshe Rabbeinu did not merely daven over
here. The Torah has many words to express prayer. Here the Torah uses the
words “VaYitz’ak
Moshe el Hashem” (Moshe cried
out to Hashem), which indicates one of the highest and
most intense forms of Tefilla.
In fact, the pasuk
in Parshas Shemos says “Behold the tzeaka
(crying out) of Bnei
Yisrael has reached Me…” (Shemos 3:9). The Zohar says that tzeaka goes straight
to the Ribono shel
Olam, bypassing any intermediaries. Sometimes someone needs a
malach to
boost his prayers and to take them in to the Ribono shel Olam, so to speak. Tzeaka literally is
a primal scream. That scream is so powerful that it goes straight to the Ribono shel Olam.
This really
intensifies the question. It does not say “Vayispalel Moshe el Hashem” (which
would indicate a more conventional word for prayer) but “Va’Yitzak“.
Moshe was so concerned that the frogs should cease that he resorted to
the most powerful form of Tefilla
that exists – namely, Tze’aka!
Why?
In Tefilas Geshem
(recited on Shemini Atzeres to pray for rain of blessing for the coming
winter season) we invoke the merit of Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, and then
Moshe. The paragraph regarding Moshe mentions how he provided water for
the people. We conclude with the words “Upon the Rock he struck and
waters came forth.” Many commentaries ask, this would seem like an
inappropriate time to bring up “Al
ha’Selah hach, va’yetzoo mayim“? The hitting of the Rock is
what caused Moshe Rabbeinu to not be able to go into Eretz Yisrael. So
why bring that up? We talk about the merits of Avraham, Yitzchak, and
Yaakov. It would seem that we should mention Moshe’s merits as well, and
steer clear of his actions that may have been problematic.
The Chiddushei
HaRim makes a magnificent observation. Moshe Rabbeinu knew what he was
doing when he hit the rock. It was not a mistake. Moshe Rabbeinu wanted
to save Klal Yisrael from Divine criticism. He reasoned: Here I talk to
them repeatedly and still they do not do the right thing. If I go to a
stone and say to the stone “Give forth your water” and just like that, it
gives forth its water, how would that reflect on the Jewish people? Moshe
could talk until he was blue in the face to the Jewish people, who
benefited from G-d’s kindness, and they might not listen. And yet the
stone obeys instantly! What a poor reflection that would be on Klal Yisrael!
Therefore, Moshe
decided he would not
speak to the rock. He would instead hit the rock, thereby lessening the
implicit criticism of Klal
Yisrael. It is for such self-sacrifice and concern for the
welfare of the Jewish people that Moshe is praised in Tefilas Geshem.
The Chiddushei
HaRim applies the same line of reasoning with regard to the frogs:
Moshe Rabbeinu had
commanded the frogs to ascend from the Nile. The frogs obeyed the command
of Hashem.
They ascended from their comfortable home in the Nile. They went into the
ovens of the Egyptians and died there. They were killed Al Kiddush Hashem.
The frogs reflected poorly on the Jewish people. Hashem gave them an
order and they followed it to martyrdom, while the Jews had sunk
spiritually to the 49th level of spiritual impurity. “These
are idolaters and these are also idolaters.”
As long as the
frogs were present and jumping into the Egyptian ovens, every minute was
another indictment of Klal
Yisrael. Therefore, when Moshe had the opportunity to get rid
of the frogs, he did so with intensity: Va’Yitzak! “I want to stop them in
their tracks and immediately halt this embarrassing comparison between
their actions and that of the Jewish people.” He therefore used the
highest form of Tefilla.
The HaKaras HaTov of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
For the first three
plagues – Blood, Frogs, and Lice – it was Aharon who hit the water and
hit the sand with the Staff of Hashem, thereby bringing on these plagues.
Chazal say that Moshe Rabbeinu owed Hakaras HaTov (gratitude) to the
water which saved him as an infant, when the basket his mother hid him in
floated in the Nile River. Likewise, it was the sand that saved Moshe
when he buried therein the Egyptian whom he killed. Moshe “owed” so to
speak to the water and the sand and therefore did not want to be the
initiator of a plague which came from these entities.
We are all aware
that water and sand are inanimate objects who don’t appreciate a
‘Thank-you’ and don’t even know what a ‘Thank-you’ is. And yet, we see
that a person needs to have Hakaras
HaTov even to inanimate objects. So clearly, Hakaras HaTov is not
for the benefit of the person (or object) receiving the Hakaras HaTov. It is
for the benefit of the person who gives the Hakaras HaTov. If a person learns to
show gratitude even to something like a rock or sand or water, then he will
certainly show Hakaras
HaTov to a human being.
I recently heard
the following story: Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach was once in the hospital.
He made a point of thanking every doctor and every nurse for the care
they provided for him while he was in the hospital. (This is something
that someone does not need to be Rav Shlomo Zalman to do. Many people
rightly have this practice under similar circumstances.) But then he
asked if he could see the woman who went from room to room to water the
plants in the hospital rooms. He said that the plants brightened up the
room and therefore the woman who poured the water into the plants to make
sure that they would stay fresh also needed to be thanked for her
efforts.
Most people may
thank a doctor or a nurse who was helpful to them. But thinking about the
lowly woman that goes from floor to floor and from room to room watering
plants? She also should receive Hakaros
HaTov, because if even inanimate objects receive Hakaros HaTov,
certainly every human being deserves no less.
Transcribed by
David Twersky; Jerusalem DavidATwersky@gmail.com
Technical
Assistance by Dovid Hoffman; Baltimore, MD dhoffman@torah.org
This week’s
write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissochar Frand’s
Commuter Chavrusah Series on the weekly Torah portion. A listing of the
halachic portions for Parshas Va’eyra is provided below:
- # 039 – Shabbos Emergency: Who Do We Call?
- # 082 – Astrology: Is It For Us?
- # 130 – The Issur of Entering a Church
- # 177 – Magic Shows: More Than Meets the
Eye
- # 223 – Learning in Kollel: Is It Always
Permitted?
- # 267 – Do Secular Names of G-d Have
Kedusha?
- # 313 – Converting a Church Into a Shul
- # 357 – Birchas Hamotzi
- # 401 – Kadima B’brachos — Hierarchy of
Brochos
- # 445 – Shoveling Snow on Shabbos
- # 489 – Denying Jewishness
- # 533 – Shin Shel Tefillin & Ohr Echad
- # 577 – Davening For Non-Jews
- # 621 – Kosher Cheese Continued – Cottage
Cheese and Butter
- # 665 – Checking Out Families for
Shidduchim
- # 709 – Kavod Malchus & Secular Kings
- # 753 – Making Hamotzei – Not As Simple As
It Seems
- # 797 – Sheva Brachos at the Seder
- # 841 – Serving McDonalds To Your
Non-Jewish Employees
- # 885 – Davening Out Loud – A Good Idea?
- # 929 – The Bracha of Al Hamichya
- # 972 – Is Islam Avodah Zarah?
- #1016 – The Magician Who Became a Baal
Teshuva
- #1060 – Bentching on a Kos; Making Brochos
with Children
- #1103 – Davening In Front of a Tzelem
- #1146 – Polling Place/AA Meeting in a Bais
Avodah Zara – A Problem?
- #1189 – Can You Wear Your Tzitzes in the
Bathroom?
- #1233 – Mutar To Say Mumbai, Corpus
Christi and Even Satmar and Sans? – Why Not?
- #1277 – Snow Shailos
- #1321 – Should You Make A Bracha on Seeing
President Donald Trump?
- #1365 – Giving the Benefit of the Doubt –
Does it Apply to Everyone?
- #1409 – The Measles Vaccination
Controversy
- #1453 – Do You Make A Bracha Achrona After
Your Daily Starbucks?
- #1497 – Can One Daven in a Room With a
Cross? and Other Cross Shailos
A complete
catalogue can be ordered from the Yad Yechiel Institute, PO Box 511,
Owings Mills MD 21117-0511. Call (410) 358-0416 or e-mail tapes@yadyechiel.org or visit http://www.yadyechiel.org/ for
further information.
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