Miller’s Musings Parshas Vo’eiro: Comfort-Able

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	Quote of the Week: “Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor the lack of contradiction a sign of truth.”

Miller’s Musings

אראופרשת

Comfort-Able

After so many years of servitude, surely all one wants to hear is some glimmer of hope. A tiny vestige of a way out of the suffering and desperation. And yet when Moshe comes to the Jewish people and offers just that, the people seem unwilling or unable to accept any solace from him. “And they did not listen to Moshe from shortness of breath and from hard work.” Why were they unable, when they needed it most, to cling to this flicker of light in their almost impenetrable darkness? They had displayed fortitude and belief up until now, even in the face of such misery and despair. Why were they unable to maintain it any longer?

From the most humble beginnings of the Jewish people’s inception, it was known that they would enter into slavery in a strange land and that they would be ultimately redeemed. Avrohom was told that this would be so and this would have been transmitted from father to son. In fact the Medrash tells us that every Shabbos the Jewish people read from scrolls that spoke of the seeming incongruity of Hashem’s goodness versus the reality of this world, in which the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper. In addition, the scrolls foretold the future salvation of the nation. They provided them with comfort they needed and were the source of the hope that they felt. However after Moshe addressed Paraoh and requested freedom for his people, the evil tyrant decreed that they work on Shabbos as well, something that up till then he had not demanded. They no longer had their time in which they could read these works and gain courage and optimism from their words. Despite Moshe’s promises and prophecies of their deliverance, without the foundation on which their faith had been based for so many years, they were unable to muster the fortitude and strength needed to consider his tidings.

Living in this world of falsehood, we are faced with contradictions and challenges to our beliefs and faith every day of our lives. There are those who do not seem to deserve what they receive and those whose actions are in total conflict to what they are meant to represent. It is natural to be shaken by such inconsistencies and to lose one’s convictions in what should be part of our deepest truths. The challenges we encounter must be confronted and dealt with. There can be no hiding from that which is an enemy to our values and no ignoring that which causes such destruction and devastation to all that is good and right. But we must also not lose sight of the eternal and essential beauty and truth of our Torah. Those who truly live by it, see it for what it is; the source of so much good and so much strength. Those that purvey it as being theirs, yet do not live up to its maxims, are simply not selling the product they claim to possess. It is not a fault in the authentic goods, but in the salesperson and the defective ware. It is when we lose touch with the Torah and become detached from Hashem and its teachings, that we are provoked to doubt its legitimacy. When it is an essential and profound part of our lives, we see it for what it is; a tragedy and a disgrace, but only in those that are responsible.

*May this Shabbos help us to see what is true and right, no matter what.*

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Parshas Va’eira

The seventh plague to hit the Egyptians was hail. The Egyptians were warned to take inside all the animals that were in the fields. If not, they would die in the plague (9:19).

Moshe Rabeinu had a good track record. There had previously been six plagues that had devastated Egypt. There was at least a decent chance that the plague would happen. Any rational person would realize that it was worthwhile to exert a bit of effort and gather his valuables inside. But many did not. They just ignored the warning! What were they thinking?

This is one of the many places where we see that denial of G-d and His providence is not caused by a clear decision based on knowledge and understanding. Rather, it is rooted in a lack of desire to want to believe in G-d. And why does he not want to believe in G-d? Because he has his own agenda and belief in G-d would not fit comfortably with his plans. He would be required to alter his lifestyle and he is not prepared to do that. So he is faced with a conundrum between what deep down he knows to be true and what he wants to do. What is the solution? He comes up with theories to explain why there is no G-d and how the world came into existence and how freak things can and do happen. He will believe in anything, no matter how strange, just as long as it does not obligate him to change his ways. (Birkas Peretz – quoted)

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gave 200

still owe 1935

Seeing Beyond The “I”

Little is known about the first 80 years of Moshe’s life.

When he received the instructions at the “burning bush” from Hashem, to play a part in the freeing of the Jewish nation from their Egyptian bondage, he was already 80 years old. We don’t know much about what happened during that time and what traits he portrayed which made him “the right man for the job”.

However in this week’s parsha, Voaira, we get some indications.

Towards the beginning of parsha, the Torah lists the main families which made up the nation. When mentioning each one the Torah simply says “the children of………were……….” With one exception, when the verse identifies the members of the family of Levi, the Torah stresses “these are the names of the children of Levi”.

What’s with the names?

The commentators explain that the Levite tribe were unique in that the names that Levi gave to his children alluded to sorrow and pain that the Jews were experiencing in Egypt. Gershon- from the word ger- a wonderer, Kehas- darkness and Merari- mar, bitter. These names are of immense significance when taken into account that the tribe of Levi were the only tribe who didn’t even experience the hardship!!

The tribe of Levi shared a family trait of being able to empathise with the pain of another during his time of distress. Moshe showed that very characteristic at the very beginning of his life- in spite of being raised in the house of Pharaoh with the comfort and security enjoyed by somebody growing up in the royal palace, his immediate reaction to seeing his fellow brother being harmed, was to defend him, even at the risk to his own life.

Somebody who can “see beyond himself” and feel the pain of another, is fitting to be a leader.

We’d do well to follow Moshe’s example.

R’ Ezer Pine
(Based on the writings of the Shloh)

Shovavim Tat

Don’t Speak Too Softly

By the other plagues, when Moshe davined that the plagues should stop, the Torah says that he davined, whereas during the plague of frogs, when Moshe davined to Hashem that the plague should stop, the Torah tells us that Moshe screamed to Hashem (8:8). Why did Moshe need to scream to Hashem?

There is a halachah that when a person says krias shema, he should say it loud enough so that he can hear it himself. If he does not he has still fulfilled the mitzvah (Orach Chayim 62:3). The same is true for other areas such as davining.

What is the idea behind this? Perhaps it is just a code way of saying that a person should not speak too quietly, rather he should speak with certain decibels – a level of decibels that can be heard by himself. Or maybe when we need to say something, it is not enough to just say it, rather we need to talk to ourselves. Just like there are times when we need to communicate and speak to others, so too there are times when we need to communicate and talk to ourselves.

Is there any practical difference between these two ways of understanding? Yes. If a person is in a place that is very noisy. According to the first way, he does not need to speak louder than normal. As long as he is speaking at a level that is normally audible, he is fulfilling the requirement to talk (at a certain level of decibels). However, according to the second way, he needs to communicate with himself. If there is a loud noise, he cannot hear himself, he is not communicating with himself and therefore would need to speak louder.

The frogs were making a very loud noise. Moshe’s normal speech was not loud enough for him to hear himself with the background noise, therefore he needed to shout (like the second way). (Sifsei Chachamim 8:6)

There are authorities who say that despite the noise, it is not necessary to raise the voice (R’ S Z Aurbach, R’ Vosner – quoted in Dirshu Mishne Brurah).

בלי וירוסים. www.avast.com

On Target

The seventh plague that struck the Egyptians was the plague of hail. An interesting observation is made (by the Brisker Rov). Hashem told Moshe, “Stretch out your hand toward the heavens and there will be hail in the whole land of Egypt, on man, on animals and on all the grass of the field in the land of Egypt” (9:22). This seems to suggest that the hail only descended on a location where there was a person, an animal or grass. In other locations, even right next door, hail did not fall! Seemingly, the explanation is that the point of the hail was to damage. Therefore in a location where there was no person or animal or grass, there was no need for the hail to fall! (Zichron Moshe).

Miller’s Musings Parshas Shemos: To Love and Be Loved

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	Quote of the Week: “Children go where there is excitement. They stay where there is love.”

Miller’s Musings

שמותפרשת

To Love and Be Loved

Growing up in the palace of Paroah, is probably the last place one would have looked for the savior of the Jewish people. And yet this is just where Moshe was raised, a fugitive from his adopted uncle’s purge of all male Jews. The extreme irony of this situation is obvious to all. The very person that Paraoh sought to eradicate was living and supported by him in his palace. Chazal tell us that not only did he reside in their home, “the daughter of Paraoh kissed and hugged and cherished him…everyone desired to see him and Paroah kissed him and hugged him.” Now this is all very heartwarming and somewhat humorous, given the circumstances, but why is this something that we needed to know? What are the Sages teaching us by relating how beloved and loved Moshe was to them?

When trying to understand who Moshe was, there are many descriptions that could be used to define perhaps the greatest human being that ever lived. A person of unparalleled faith, a great leader and the humblest of all men. Yet the facet of his personality that set him apart, above all others, was the care that he showed for his fellow man. It was the simple act of chasing after a lamb searching for water and carrying it upon his back, that showed Hashem the nature of this towering personality. If he cared so deeply for a simple animal, how much more so he would care for His flock; the Jewish people. But, says the Siach Mordechai, to show such profound love for all, requires a person to have experienced tremendous love directed towards them. A person that feels loved as a baby and a child, will grow up to reflect that love towards others. Whilst one that is denied love, or worse, suffers cruelty, knows only this and will act in this way towards others. For Moshe to love and care deeply for every single one of his nation, required that he be raised in an environment that showered him with love and affection, needing all around him to value and cherish who he was. Being the family of the single most powerful man in the world, as well as a person who was anyway innately appreciated by all those he came in contact with, afforded him that possibility. This is the message the Medrash wishes to convey; that Moshe needed to be just where he was, in order to be exactly who he needed to be.

We know we have to show our children love. We know our family, friends or students need to know that we sincerely care about them. But we have to realise that this is not just about our relationships, it is about all of theirs as well. If we ensure our children feel the love that we undoubtedly feel for them, we are not just creating a strong and meaningful relationship with them, we are also modelling for them, the kind of relationship that they should create with others. If we are attentive and show genuine concern for their welfare, they will do so towards the people that they encounter in their lives. The more we give, the more they will give. The more we instil in them the power and beauty of kindness, the more they will want to pass this on in their lives. Show love and care to all you meet and, even if they don’t know it, you will be giving them a gift of infinite value; the desire to create greater good in the world around them.

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*May this Shabbos bring out the best in us to bring out the best in others.*

Parshas Shemos

(This should be a merit for the neshama of my mother’s mother, Rivka Bas Shmuel Helman, whose yartzeit is tonight, Thursday night, Friday)

The Egyptians were worried about the growth of the population of the Jewish people. They sought a way to deal with the Jewish problem (1:8-9) to throw the boys into the river. The sages tell us that there were three advisors, Bilaam, Iyov and Yisro. Bilaam advised Pharoah to kill the boys and so he got his “just deserves,” he too was killed. Iyov was quiet and was sentenced to suffering. Yisro ran away (because he was against Paroah’s plan and was scared that Paroah would kill him – Iyun Yaakov), and was rewarded with descendants who would sit on the Sanhedrin, the judicial courts (Sotah 11a).

We can understand the punishment of Bilaam, he advised that the boys should be thrown into the river, so measure for measure he was killed. We can also understand the reward of Yisro. He forgo the honour of his lofty position as advisor to Paroah, and so he was rewarded with the honour that his descendants would be on the Sanhedrin. Iyov was silent. Why was he deserving of suffering?

Iyov had good reason not to stay silent and not protest as Paroah would not have listened to his claims anyway. But Hashem made him suffer. Iyov cried and screamed as a result of his pain. The shouting and crying did not not help alleviate his pain. But he cried anyway. This is the nature of a person, when it is painful, he cries. This is the lesson that Hashem was teaching Iyov – when it hurts you cry. Iyov knew the plans of Paroah and yet he still managed to stay quiet. Why? Because he did not feel the pain. It did not bother him so much. He did not not feel the need to cry. (Brisker Rov – quoted)

When other people are suffering, we may not always be able to help, but at least it should touch our hearts and we should feel the pain and scream.