Bo: Why Hashem Sent the Makkos—Teaching Emunah, Recognizing Chesed, and Finding Light in Darkness

Transcript

This Torah class is brought to you by TorahAnytime.com. ... Makos. The Makos, which was such an intricate, important part of Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim, what was the point for the Makos? What was their tachlis? What was the idea and maybe lesson that was supposed to be taken and learned from the Makos? So the first thing we have to discuss: who were the Makos for? Were the Makos for Mitzrayim, meaning Paro, the people in Mitzrayim? Were the Makos for the world? We're going to learn that the whole world heard, Shamu amim yirgazun, chil achaz yoshvei Pelashes, az nidhalu alufei Edom. So it was world news. Vayishma Yisro... כה אמר... אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֱלֹקִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. Rashi says, what is אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֱלֹקִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל? Says Rashi, Kriyas Yam Suf and Milchemes Amalek. Ki hotzi Hashem es Yisrael... MiMitzrayim zug doyla kula. So, Milchemes Amalek and Kriyas Yam Suf, that's l'Yisrael amoi. But Ki Hoytzi Hashem is even greater. Now what did they hear about Ki Hoytzi Hashem? Just that they left? מסתמא they heard the makos also. I'm sure they heard all the tremendous miracles that happened in Mitzrayim. So is the point to show the world, or maybe was it for Klal Yisrael? Was it for the Jewish people to see and learn from? Who was the object, so to speak, of the makos? The object of the makos was Paro? Was it his people? Was it the entire world? Was it Klal Yisrael? So let's read in the beginning of Parshas Bo, where the pasuk seems to say that it has not only shaychus to Mitzrayim, but to Klal Yisrael as well. The pasuk, Shemos Yud, pasuk Aleph, the beginning of Parshas Bo: Vayomer Hashem el Moshe, Bo el Paro, ki ani hichbadti es libo v'es lev avadav, l'maan shisi ososai eileh b'kirbo. So here it's clear that the ososai, the miracles, the wonders, the makos, was for them, Mitzrim, Paro, ki ani hichbadti es libo, and it's not only libo, v'es lev avadav. So you see clearly that the makos was for... It was directed towards Paroi and his avadim. But then the pasuk continues, U'lemaan tesaper b'oznei bincha uven bincha es asher hisalalti b'Mitzrayim. So you see that it was not only—the point is not only Paroi, but it seems to be also, l'maan tesaper b'oznei bincha, es asher hisalalti. And that is because v'yadatem ki Ani Hashem. That is going to teach you that I am Hashem. So it seems to be that the makkos was twofold. It was for the Mitzriyim, for the people in Mitzrayim, the avadim, the slaves of Paroi, and as well as for Klal Yisrael. And this is v'yadatem ki Ani Hashem; you'll know that I am Hashem. The word v'yadatem ki Ani Hashem is going back on what? Is it going back on ki anochi badti es libo v'es lev avadav? Is it going back on the l'maan shisi ososai eileh b'kirbo? Is it going back on the l'maan tesaper b'oznei bincha? Is it going back on es asher hisalalti b'Mitzrayim? There's a lot in the message.

Vayel Pari. Actually, there's four things in the message. One is, Ki anochi kavadti es liboi. In order I should give him the makos. In order you should speak to your children about the osos, and that hisalalti, I made joke in Mitzrayim. Veyadatem ki ani Hashem, all of the above. Is it Ki khbadti es liboi veyadatem ki ani Hashem? Is it ososai that makes ki ani Hashem? Is it l'maan tesaper, and that's ki yedatem ki ani Hashem? On which of the above points in the shlichus does the veyadatem ki ani Hashem go back on? Very simple question. We always read the pesukim, and the pesukim we take for granted, the way it's read, but we never analyze the veyadatem. On which part is it going back on? There's a few things in the pasuk, in the message, in the shlichus. Ichbadti es liboi. The Rambam learns the veyadatem ki ani Hashem has a lot to do with ki ichbadti es liboi. The Rambam learns, a very famous Rambam, we spoke about it in previous weeks, that the fact that Pari's heart was hard means Hashem took away his bechirah, and that was to prove that I am the boss and not you. He couldn't do teshuvah. The ichbadti es liboi is affiliated, and it is mekushar. To v'yedatem ki ani Hashem. Rambam. So maybe we could say that it includes the hitchabdut yisliba. Doisosai, that makes sense, right? Doisosai proves that Hashem is Hashem. Rabbeinu Bechaye in the supernal learn like this, that it's going back on the osiyos, on the makos. Hashem said, I put the makos, and this is v'yedatem to know ki ani Hashem. L'maan tisaper. What is l'maan tisaper? Maybe that's to teach v'yedatem ki ani Hashem. How are you going to teach the children? By you teaching them. How will the children know I am Hashem? By teaching. The Razal learns like this, to the point that he asks a nice question: if it's referring to the children, it should have said v'yeidu. They will know. Why does it say v'yedatem and you will know? So the truth is, every generation has a v'yedatem, and how did you know? Because your father taught you. So l'maan tisaper is not just that generation; it's continuous. So in pshat, in the simple translation of the pasuk, it had to say l'maan tisaper b'oznei bincha, v'yedatem, because each father knows because the l'maan tisaper meant that his father had to teach him. So how do you know and your children know? And the answer is l'maan tisaper b'oznei bincha. So that's why it doesn't say v'yeidu; they will know. If it was talking on that generation only, so then you're right, it should have said veyedu. In order, you should teach your children, they will know. But being that it's going on all the generations, so how does the next generation and the generation after, the fathers know that you, who's doing the teaching, because your father taught you. So the l'maan tesaper is actually veyadata, that everybody, you and your children know. But the Razah says another pshat, beautiful pshat. He says when you teach emunah to the children, it also makes that you learn emunah. Emunah strengthens by the father when he teaches the child. Veyadata, ki ani Hashem. You know, Pesach night, v'higadta l'vincha. So we take on v'higadta l'vincha is that the child should know. The truth is, we learn v'higadta l'vincha is a mitzvah sipur yetzias Mitzrayim even if there is no child. So then why does it say v'higadta l'vincha? And the answer is maybe that's how you learn, by teaching. The night of Pesach.

V'higadta l'vincha, that you strengthen yourself in emunah. Because, like the Razah explains, v'yadatem, through the Laman tisaper, you'll know. So v'higadta l'vincha is a way on how to be mechazek yourself with emunah. Yadatem ki ani Hashem. You know, the night of Pesach, even if there's no child, it's still said b'derech she'eilah uteshuvah, question and answer, mah nishtanah. And what's the reason for that? Because the way to be mechazek the emunah is not just to read it and to absorb it, but to internalize it in a derech of she'eilah uteshuvah, of teaching, question and answer. So even though it's referring to you, it should have said, yeidu, that they will know. You're teaching them and they will know. Says the pasuk, v'yadatem, no. Pasuk beis: U'lemaan tisaper b'oznei bincha, u'ven bincha, es asher hisalalti b'Mitzrayim. It should have said, v'yeidu, they'll know. What do you mean, v'yadatem, you'll know? I hope you know. If you're teaching, you better know. Today's times, maybe there's a rebbeim who teach and they don't know. It could be a problem. So maybe the pasuk is telling, v'yadatem, you should know before you teach it. Could be. Pashut is, if you're teaching, you know. So why does it say v'yadatem? V'yadatem, says the Razah, is because through the teaching, you become yodea. You become stronger. You become knowledgeable. Teaching is a vehicle of being mechazek yourself in emunah. So we have many different pshatim on what the v'yadata, Ki Ani Hashem, is going back on in the pasuk. Is it the ki ani ichbati es liboi? Is it, l'maan shisi ososai eileh b'kirboi? Is it, l'maan tesaper b'oz nei bincha? It could mean many things. It could mean that the ichbati es liboi is also Ki Ani Hashem. You know from that that I am Hashem, like the Rambam learns, like we spoke out for the Chasam Sofer, Ani Hashem, that the end will be Hashem will punish those that sin and they won't be able to do teshuvah. It could go back on the ososai, like most of the Rishonim seem to say, very simple, the makkas is l'v'yadata, that you should know Ki Ani Hashem. Or it could be it's going on the l'maan tesaper b'oz nei bincha, ben bincha, eis asher hisalalti b'Mitzrayim. Rabosai, I'd like to add and explain how the v'yadata is not just on all of the four above points, but actually all of the four above points are connected. And that's why each thing, as a result of the other, leads to v'yadata Ki Ani Hashem. Ki ani ichbati es liboi, therefore I gave him makkos. Because of that, you have to be l'maan tesaper b'oz nei bincha. U'ben bincha. And that's hisalalti b'Mitzrayim, and only through all of this, the above, both pesukim, the entire shlichus, v'yadatem ki Ani Hashem. So it's not just v'yadatem going back on point one, point two, point three, and point four, and maybe all the four points, but even more. Connected are all the four points, and I'll explain to you what I mean. What is kveidus halev? What does it mean? When someone's heart is hard. So Reb Yeruchim in Daas Torah says something very interesting. He brings a beautiful medrash. Shlomo HaMelech says, V'dibarti ani im libi. I spoke to my heart. V'dibarti ani im libi. I spoke to my heart. Shlomo HaMelech was a brilliant person, the wisest of wise. Yet, in conversation, who does he talk to? Not with his mind. V'dibarti ani, he says, koheles, im libi. I discuss it with my heart. Says the medrash, halev meivin, halev shomea, halev...

Nun ches. Nun ches. Fifty-eight. Fifty-eight things. Do we have a Tashter over here? Are we too inside? It's a beautiful piece from Rabbi Yerucham. Not here. The one on Shmois, not here. Okay. The Medrash is saying that the lev is a shemeya, the lev is a mekabel, the lev is a medaber. Says Rabbi Yerucham, you know what the Medrash is trying to bring out? It's all talui balev. The mind thinks, can be brilliant, but all the kochos, all the koiches, to listen, to hear, to talk, to give counsel, it's all about the lev. It's all about the lev. Says Rabbi Yerucham, you know what Pari's problem was? He was very smart. He had very hard heart. When someone is very smart, he thinks. That's brilliant. And the guy that works with the heart, eh, he's foolish. Eh, he's balev, he's his heart. He's a sweet, emotional, right? He's a brilliant, intelligent man. He's a— Paro was extremely intelligent, with no heart, and therefore, every day, he maneuvered to change things. One day, I'll let them out. Tomorrow, no, I won't let them out. The next day, okay, I will let them out. The next day, I won't let them out. Do I, I will and I won't and I will and I won't. I don't understand. Are you stable? Are you stable? And the answer is, a mind without a heart, that's what he does, because he's mushpa, because he's influenced by the situation, and the mind dictates on how he's supposed to respond. If this comes, so I'll do this. If this comes, okay, I'll do that. If this happens, okay, I'll do that. This is wisdom, wisdom. But if a person in the heart, there's nothing there, so there's no person. So he becomes, in English we call it wishy-washy, one day like this, one day like that, depending on what comes up. Says Rabbi Yerucham, that was the biggest his'allus, that was the biggest joke. You don't think Paro lost respect in the eyes of his avadim? They look at him, one day you say this, the next day you say that, the next day you say this, the next... And as a matter of fact, the pasuk actually says, Haterem teida ki avdu Mitzrayim? The servants were screaming at him. Don't you know that we're looking like we're heading towards disaster? I mean, why can't you stick to letting them go and that's it? Why one day like this and the next day we keep on getting more makos and more makos, and you think that you're outsmarting Hashem, yeah? Oh, you see, it stopped. You see, it didn't happen in my house. You see, it happened to the Jews also. You see the chatumim. You know what that is? That's wisdom. It's a very, very beautiful vort from the Birucham. The situation at hand dictates. Oh, I see, if the chatumim were able to do it, oh, so the mind tells me, well, מסתמא it's got to be nothing. If the Jews have it also by kinim, oh, מסתמא it's nothing, yeah? But at some point the heart picks up and says, the wisdom of the heart tells you, מה אתה... מה אתה... what are you doing? So to follow the mind and to forget the heart, that becomes a person's his'orlalus. That becomes where a person begins to seem to be foolish.

Because, for example, how many people, they say, you know what, if I do this, I'll make money, and if I do this, I'll make money, and if I do that, I'll make money, and if I... And they think they're very smart, yeah? In the heart of heart, they should pick up already that Hashem runs the world. Hashem runs the world. And therefore, if I believe strongly Hashem runs the world, all my tachsisim, all my big plans, which I think, ooh, I'm being smart, I'm outsmarting the system, it doesn't work. You know, people like this, people laugh at. Look at him, one day, the next day, unstable. So, ki ani hichbati es liboi. You know what the problem was? He might have heard in his head that there's Hashem, but it wasn't in his heart as a fact. And therefore, every time that the makkas come, and then they leave, so his mind tells him, oh, I outsmarted the system, I got away with it. Leman tesaper b'oznei bincha uven bincha. I saw that Reb Simcha Zissel from Kelm explains that the idea of Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim to the children is veyadata hayom, ashevos el levavecha, which means it's not enough veyadata. It's not enough veyadata. It has to be vashivoiso el levavecha. It has to go into the heart. Reb Yerucham speaks about it a lot. Pari had the veyadata. He got clear messages. Hashem runs the world. But because it wasn't vashivoiso el levavecha, because he didn't have a heart, so it didn't go anywhere. Reb Simcha Zissel from Kelm explains that l'maan tisaper, he got it to a bincha, is also, is also another form of veyadata that you know, but it needs to be vashivoiso el levavecha. That's Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim. The night of Pesach, we take the children and we bring it into their heart. I want to show you something interesting. There's two points which I thought about in great length over Shabbos, the past. Is there a mitzvah of veyigadta to teach Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim to the talmidim? You know, by Torah we had veshinantam levanecha. Chazal teach us, levanecha, eilu hatalmidim. How about veyigadta lebincha? Let us be doresh veyigadta lebincha, eilu hatalmidim. We don't say anybody darshening. We don't see Chazal telling us veyigadta lebincha, bincha eilu hatalmidim. Why not? As a matter of fact, it seems that Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim is unique, that a father must teach a child. Notice in the Haggadah. The tzaddikim were sitting in Bnei Brak. The Tannaim were sitting in Bnei Brak, and they were discussing Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim, and in the morning the talmidim came. Why were the talmidim not there all night? So that's the question. Why wasn't the talmidim sitting by the Tannaim and learning from them? And the answer is, either they were there till about as much as they were able to handle, and then they left after a while. How much can you listen to a shiur? Half hour, forty minutes. If it's Rabbi Wolkin's shiur, two hours, okay. At what point do you leave? If I spoke all night, people would leave also. Usually they would stay for two and a half, three hours. I would be able to push them for three hours. But kol ha-layla, so in the morning the talmidim came. Or maybe we could say that the talmidim, they weren't by the Rebbe, but actually they were by their parents. The talmidim, vigadta l'vincha, there's a mitzvah. The parent should say, Torah, talmud Torah, the Rebbe. Vigadta l'vincha, it's not the Rebbe. Vigadta l'vincha is father to... and I found a mekor for this. I found a mekor.

If you look, there's a shoifet in Tanach. His name was Gideon. Gideon, if he was a shoifet, he wasn't a child. He must have been a navrech of forty, fifty. And he works in the field, and it was a time, the pasuk says that Klal Yisrael had a lot of suffering from the Amalekim, suffering from the Amalekim. And the malach comes to Gideon. Malach reveals himself to Gideon, says to Gideon, I don't understand. Yesterday, my father read with us, Aviseinu, my father, Siprus told us about all the miracles that happened in Mitzrayim. Ayei kol niflosav? Where are all these miracles? Look how the Jewish people are suffering. Yesterday I talk about Hashem is great and He does miracles to the Jewish people. Where are all these miracles? HaKadosh Baruch Hu appreciated very much that Gideon said this, and Hashem said, Lech b'chochacha zeh, take this power that you speak good for Klal Yisrael and become a shoifet. And this is the present, so to speak, that he received for being melamed sanegoria on Klal Yisrael. The mefarshim ask, and Rabbi Yerucham speaks about it so beautifully, so eloquently, in Daas Chochmah UMussar, chelek gimmel, page kuf tzadik, a marvelous question. He says, I don't understand. Gidon was a baby. Let me ... my father told us yesterday it was Pesach, but he doesn't know anything on his own. Imagine someone takes a bechina, a test, and the Rosh Yeshiva asks him, So tell me, what does Tosafos say? So you say, Tosafos says so and so. Yeah, where does Tosafos say it? So you say, My father told me Tosafos says it in Bava Metzia. What do you mean your father told you? You learn Bava Metzia, so you learned. Oh, yeah. Tell me, where in Bava Metzia? It's in the Torah. My father told me that the Torah, Hashem... You don't know the Torah? Why would he tell the malach Hashem? Tells the malach Hashem, My father told me yesterday, b'tzeis Yisroel miMitzrayim. By fifty, you should be able to say on your own, b'tzeis Yisroel miMitzrayim, Hashem took us out of Mitzrayim. Ask somebody to read a pasuk. You know, he'll say, My father told me that it's Vayavo Moshe v'Aharon el Paroh. Read it, Vayavo Moshe v'Aharon el Paroh, what? To tell you that your father taught you Aleph-Beis? I mean, what do you want? Says Rabbi Yerucham, we see from here that emunah is based on avoseinu sipru lanu. My father told me. That's how emunah works. My father told me, his father told him, and his father told him, all the way back to Yetzias Mitzrayim. A yesod: Avoseinu sipru lanu. Our fathers told us. What is avoseinu sipru lanu? That's... Emunah is, my father told me and his father told him. Now why does it have to be that way? What's wrong if my rebbe told me? What's wrong if someone who I trust told me? So if you look at the Ramban in Parshas Bo, he has one line. He says that V'hodat l'vanecha, l'vnei vanecha, yom asher hisa lifnei Hashem Elokecha b'Chorev. You're supposed to teach your children. Says the Ramban, you know why? Because that's mesorah from father to a child, because a father would never teach his child lies. I'm insulted, but a rebbe would teach lies. I went around asking this to a few people this week. I hope a rebbe wouldn't teach lies either, but only a father. But this is the Ramban, that a father would only tell the truth. So if you want, emunah. Emunah has to come from a father. Chiddush. So that's v'gadta l'vincha and not talmidim. Talmud Torah could be what? Ela talmidim. V'gadta l'vincha maybe has to be, v'hiseinu sipru lanu.

My father. My father, my father taught me, and that's why Gidon says, Esmoel was Pesach, and I heard my father say, B'tzeis Yisrael miMitzrayim, because emunah in Hashem, which is yetzias Mitzrayim, has to come from a father. I want to ask you a different question. It says, L'maan tesaper b'oznei bincha. What does the word oznei bincha mean? Ears? Where else would you talk to? You want to talk to his eyes? You want to talk to his nostrils? Who do you want to talk—where else would you talk? L'maan tesaper l'bincha, you tell your son. Why does it have to say oznei, oznei bincha? It's a tremendous question, and I looked, I didn't see any of the mefarshim talk about it. It should have said, L'maan tesaper l'bincha. Why does it say b'oznei bincha? So I was thinking to myself, we find the same lashon by Yehuda speaking to Yosef. He tells Yosef, Daber na davar... b'oznei adoni. Daber na avdecha davar b'oznei adoni—excuse me—Daber na avdecha b'oznei adoni. So Rashi says, What's oznei? Where else would you speak to? So you see that the Chazal asked this question. For some reason it's not here. Ask, but it's the same type of question, l'choira. Why do you need oznei? Why does it have to say the word oznei? So Chazal say, sheyichnasu dvarai b'oznecha. It should enter. It should get to where it's supposed to go to. You could talk on deaf ears. A person could talk, talk to the walls. There's a nice joke that they say, that there was once a prospect shidduch that was supposed to take a bechinah test from his future father-in-law, but he knew nothing. He knew nothing. He knew nothing, you hear? So they told him that the best thing is that whenever your father asks you a question, an answer, say, Lamai nafka mina, which means, What's the difference, right? Now, usually when you say, Lamai nafka mina, you mean halachically. What's the nafka mina? If it's like this pshat or that pshat, so it comes out a difference like this. Kitzur, it worked a few times, but then after a while, Lamai nafka mina, Lamai nafka mina, Lamai nafka mina, the father-in-law was picking up there's something wrong. So he says, What do you mean by Lamai nafka mina? What do you mean? The guy didn't know. He says, Lamai nafka mina, you talk to me or you talk to the walls. It's the same thing. What's the difference if you talk to me or you talk to... You could talk and talk. L'man t'sapeh l'bincha. You know that people, you could say shiur for two hours to a guy, and the guy talks to the walls, you hear? L'mailah fromina. They say over a cute story of a person that was sitting in a rav's shiur. And the rav was speaking and speaking, and he's looking around in the room, who's listening? Can't find anybody listening. He's looking, he's trying to find one guy he can talk to. There's everybody either sleeping and then dreaming and... He finally finds a guy who shakes his head. You know, and the rav is talking, he's going like this, he's shaking, making with his faces like, Yeah, no, maybe. So he started to talk to that guy, directed the whole shiur towards that guy, and the guy's going... and the guy's... Then he goes, No, and then, Maybe. So after the shiur, the rav walks over to him and says, Moiridik, at least I had who to talk to, but tell me, which part did you like and which parts you didn't like and which... Because he saw that he was going, Yes, no, maybe. Which one? So the guy goes, Rebbe, let me tell you the truth. Not one word I understood. Not one word. I didn't know what you were talking... Not even from the beginning I understood. So why were you shaking your head with back and forth, yes and no? He said like this: You started to talk...

And I realized that I have a picture in my house of my great-grandfather, and he looks very much like you. But not always. It depends on what angle you were talking on. So sometimes I would go, Yes, he looks like my great-grandfather. And sometimes I said, Mm. And then when you turned your head a little more, No, no, it's not בכלל like my grandfather. So a whole shiur, I was going back and forth, מסתפק, you hear? You got it to Lubavitch. You're gonna sit there and you tell him over a hundred things, and the only guy, what are you talking about? It has to be באוזני בןך, not an enter. That's Chazal's meinach is the pshat, you hear? It's not an enter. It's got to go where it's supposed to go to, דאבנא דבאוזני בןך, you hear? Okay. How do you make it enter, rabboisai? How does it enter? So I want to tell you a ma'aseh dike thing. I want to tell you a ma'aseh dike thing. Yes, it's got to be interesting. And yes, it's got to be on his level. But there's also another nekudah. There's also another nekudah. The Michtav MeEliyahu speaks that there's an inyan of a havah. In order for it to resonate, in order for it to go where it's supposed to go, it's supposed to be something that there's a havah, love. Let me discuss to you what does it mean v'yadata. When you talk about the makos, what are you supposed to think? Hashem is great, or Hashem is great to me. By the makkas, Hashem is great, or Hashem is great to me. You know, we say, Al nisecho sheb'chol yom imanu, v'al niflosecha v'tovosecha sheb'chol eis erev vavoker v'tzohorayim. Why don't we just say Hashem does tremendous miracles? Hashem is great. And the answer is, Hashem is great, but you know what emunah is about? Hashem is good with the miracles to me. I told you all from the Alter of Slabodka, how only Paro saw the good in the makkas, in the chesed that Hashem gave in the makkas. Paro had done teshuvah. V'yadata hayom va'ashivosa el levavecha means it didn't reach the heart, because you didn't see it as a chesed of Hashem. When we say that Paro was hichbid es libo, I mean, it didn't reach his heart. According to the Alter of Slabodka, it means it didn't touch his heart. He didn't see the chesed of Hashem in it. Again, Ki ani hichbadti es libo v'es lev avadav. The kveidus halev, according to the Alter of Slabodka, means he didn't see the chesed in the makkas. So I'm explaining, what does that mean? It didn't touch his heart. In knowledge he knew Hashem. But he wasn't moved through the chesed, through the love that he felt to the makas. That's what it means, it wasn't Vashivois el levavecha. When the Alter from Kelm says that the night of Pesach is meant, V'yadata hayom, v'hashevosa el levavecha. El levavecha means that it should enter the heart. It should be with love and feeling that Hashem did for me. You notice the night of Pesach, we don't come and just say, Hashem took, and Hashem is great, and Hashem did. But rather, what do we do? B'tzeisi Mimitzrayim, when I left Mitzrayim, right? אילו לא הוציא הקדוש ברוך הוא את אבותינו, הרי אנו ובנינו ובני בנינו משועבדים היינו. It's about me. It's the chesed of Yetzias Mitzrayim, the chesed of Yetzias Mitzrayim. The miracles enter the heart when you realize that it was with chesed. Where do you see the expression of the chesed? Baneinu u'vanei vaneinu. You know, Holocaust survivors always say the same thing at a bris.

It's almost like a script that's written for them. They always get up and they'll say at a bris, or even at a bar mitzvah or a wedding, who ever dreamt that from a Holocaust I would be sitting at a bris of my grandchild? They always say it. It seems like it's universal hergesh, an emotion by a bris. When do you see the chesed of Hashem? When you could sit and tell it over to your grandchildren: Look what I have. Look today. L'maan tesaper b'oznei bincha, uven bincha, es asher hisalalti b'Mitzrayim, v'yadatem ki Ani Hashem. Because the idea of Hashem has to be in the lev. How does that happen? That happens when you tell it over to your children and grandchildren. I was in Mitzrayim, and look what's today. Eloheicha kadosh, b'hotziicha Hashem Elokeinu, harei anu uvaneinu. Why don't we speak about harei anu uvaneinu? Just say me. Well, I would still be in Mitzrayim. I thank Hashem for that. And the answer is, it's not enough. You want to talk about chesed of the makos, chesed of the osiyos of Mitzrayim, and that is anu uvaneinu. When a grandfather could sit, talk to either his child and grandchild, that's when he starts to realize the chesed of Hashem, and that's v'yadatem ki Ani Hashem. You hear? Very deep, rabosai, but very true. Very deep, but very true. Let me begin again. Ki anich badti es liboi, l'maan shisi ososai eileh b'kirboi. U'leman tesaper b'oznei bincha, veyadatem ki ani Hashem. I asked you, where is the veyadatem ki ani Hashem going back on? What is it going on? Is it going on ki yichbad libo? Is it going on the oisosai? Is it going on the lemaan tesaper? And the answer is, it's going on all the above, like it seems in the pasuk to seem to be implying. Because kveidus halev means, like the Alter says, he didn't see the chesed of Hashem. Kveidus halev means he didn't see the chesed of Hashem. So, oisosai eileh b'kirboi, it never reached where it was supposed to reach. It never reached the heart. It was in the mind. He saw tremendous miracles, yet it didn't have its effect on the heart. So that's what the pasuk is saying: L'man shisi oisosai eileh b'kirboi. To get it to go inside and to get to veyadatem ki ani Hashem. And this is how do you do that? You do it through l'man tesaper b'oznei bincha u'ven bincha, es asher his'alalti b'Mitzrayim. That's how you do it. By teaching your son and your grandson, then you'll see the chesed of Hashem, veyadatem ki ani Hashem. That's the veyadatem ki ani Hashem, and that's only a father giving over to a child the chesed that the Eibishter did to him, and ממילא to his son and his grandson at the same time. And that's why it's unique to Avoseinu sipru lanu. You know, it's an interesting thing what Gidon says. Gidon doesn't just say, My father sat and taught me about yetzias Mitzrayim. Rashi quotes the Chazal that says, Yesterday we read in the Hallel, we read in the Hallel that it says, B'tzeis Yisrael miMitzrayim. Why Hallel? Just say simply, in the Haggadah we read, why Hallel? Why does it have to be in the Hallel, B'tzeis Yisrael? What about yetzias Mitzrayim? When he quotes his father in the night of Pesach that taught him about yetzias Mitzrayim, it should have been, My father told me this pshat in yetzias Mitzrayim, this pshat in yetzias Mitzrayim, this Haggadah, that Haggadah. Why does he speak about, My father read for us the Hallel? You know, rabosai, Hallel is said and a miracle happens to the person. You know, there's an interesting Gemara. The Gemara says that when Kriyas Yam Suf took place, the malachim said shirah. So the Gemara says that the Eibishter stopped them. Ma'asei Yadai tovim bayam, atem omrim shirah? You're allowed to say shirah when My people are drowning? I created the...

These Mitzriyim, they're my creations. L'maaseh, we don't say Hallel the whole Pesach for this reason. Because l'maaseh, Yom tovu Yom, atem omrim shirah. So how come the night of Pesach we say Hallel? If on Pesach we don't say Hallel the entire Pesach because atem omrim shirah, why then, on the night of Pesach, can we allow to say Hallel? I have a better question. Why would the Egyptians themselves allow to say Hallel? The Egyptians said Hallel, said, Odu laShem, they said praise. Hashem should have said, Maaseh Yaday tov'im bayam. Why are you saying Hallel? The people are drowning. Ah, it's your enemy, but af al pi kein tismach. You shouldn't be happy when your enemy falls. And the answer is that when the miracle happens to you personally, then you could say Hallel. So why do we say Hallel the night of Pesach? Probably for the same reason. Because since we look at it as a personal, it happened to me, it's a praise to Hashem for the chesed that He did to me. Because Pesach is not just it happened to my forefathers; it happened to me. L'meila I can say Hallel. That's why Gideon is saying, My father said with me Hallel last night. It's not that he told me about Mitzrayim; it's more. We said Hallel. So what does Hallel connotate? It means that it happened to me. It happened to us. So, ayeh kol niflo'osav? So how come now, how can I sit in my house and talk about the niflo'os that You did to the Bnei Yisrael if the Bnei Yisrael are suffering without miracles from You? That's why he picks on the Hallel to complain to the Malach. Because what's he complaining to the Malach? He's telling the Malach, Where are the miracles to Jewish people suffering? So what's the point? Where are the miracles of the Mitzrayim? What do the miracles of Mitzrayim have to do with anything? That was then and this is now. The answer is, but I still say Hallel. I'm still praising Hashem today for the miracles of the past, and that has to be through the chesed of Hashem, that things are tremendously good for the Bnei Yisrael. That's why I believe Gideon picks on the Hallel, per se, but not. Gideon picks on the Hallel because the Hallel implies that the miracles are a chesed till today, to the point that B'tzeis Yisrael miMitzrayim, on the night of Pesach, I could still say as if the miracle, Harei anu v'neinu v'nei vaneinu chayavim l'hodos ul'hallel... that happened to him. So the question is, Ayeh kol niflo'osav? How can I say the Hallel that ki'ilu today I have the chesed of Hashem from all the miracles if Klal Yisrael is suffering? That's why he chose the Hallel, not just B'tzeis Yisrael miMitzrayim. So the Veyadatem ki Ani Hashem Elokeichem is a lesson for us, that you want to have emunah, learn to see the chesed of Hashem in every step of the day, in every step of the way, in everything around you. There's one thing to talk emunah. Philosophically, how Hashem is great. Then there's another thing to talk emunah of the heart. Hashivos el levavecha, what Hashem has done for you, hakaras hatov that you have. That's another v'yadata ki ani Hashem. And that's what the pasuk wants, the v'yadata ki ani Hashem. How long ago did it die? Just now. Sure, just died now? Okay. That's right, because theoretically it was all from me, not the ... and we're around today. Not, we wouldn't be here. So this was all chesed that happened to me. That's the v'yadata ki ani Hashem. Yeah, yeah, we just changed the batteries. There's another hour and a half to go. It's recording.

Now, think that one of the yesodos of emunah, to look for the chesed Hashem, is to try to search in every situation Hashem's guidance. I spoke to you many times that the makkos was Hashem guiding, guiding Klal Yisroel—I'm sorry, guiding Paro—every step of the way. He made this mistake, so Hashem came back with a makkah to try to fix it and send him a message and teach him. The guiding of Hashem, Hashem's love is felt when we tap into the guidance that He guides us on a daily basis, and I'll explain to you through the makkos as well this point and the idea what I'm trying to bring out. You know, makkas choshech. Just to take one of the makkos recently we went through, the first makkos in previous shiurim, past weeks. Let's pick on makkas choshech and delve in and to see the tremendous guidance that Hashem did for Paro, for Klal Yisroel. Choshech is an interesting makkah, interesting makkah. Dark light. Is it possible to have dark and light in the same place? In one spot, could it be dark and light? We find that it was dark for the Mitzrim, light for the Bnei Yisrael. But what happens when the Bnei Yisrael were in the same spot as the Mitzrim? They went into the houses, Chazal tell us, so the light followed them to the houses to show them where the gold was. Okay. How about when the Yid fed the Mitzrim? According to some mefarshim, how did the Mitzrim survive seven days with no food, no drink? It's brought down in the mefarshim that the Yidden went to feed them. Chesed, tremendous chesed that the Yidden did. Rachamim, they had rachmanus, so they went and they fed them. So how was it that the Yid had light and the goy didn't have it? It's in the same spot. Interesting. You could come and say, Well, that's a miracle. Not every miracle we can understand. Listen, that's the whole idea of a miracle, it's beyond our understanding. So maybe, maybe, maybe you can't understand it. You know, we find that when the world was created originally, orech choshech was mishtamshim b'irbuvya. So you see that it's possible to have a mixture of or and choshech. Now, the only thing is Hashem said it should separate. Each one should be separate. So maybe, maybe, when choshech came, Hashem went back, so to speak, on the rules of Briah, and Hashem said, or v'choshech will be mishtamshim b'irbuvya achas. I'd like to discuss what exactly is makas choshech, and this would answer. How it was light and dark at the same time in the same place, mixed together, so to speak. How is it possible? Why makas choshech? Why did Hashem bring choshech? So if you take a look, Rashi brings two reasons. One is that the Jews were dying, and because they died, Hashem didn't want that they should be seen by the Mitzrim, so He made choshech. Another reason: in order for the Jews to search the houses for the gold. Okay, but that's not a lesson of the makah. That's rather a good byproduct of the makah. But what was the point of the lesson that was taught in this makah? So the Medrash brings down, hichshichu eineihem, that they made dark the eyes of the Jewish people. And since they made dark the eyes of the Jewish people, Hashem went and made the Mitzrim dark. Good, but we just finished saying that every makah was threefold. It was also to teach Klal Yisrael a lesson, veyadatem ki ani Hashem. So where is the lesson for Klal Yisrael in choshech? The lesson for the Mitzrim in choshech is you made the Jewish people dark. The toeles of the choshech was, like Rashi says, that the goyim shouldn't see.

That the Jews would die. What was the limud? What was the lesson for the Jewish people in Choshech? Abayei say the light and dark of Choshech, was it a physical light and dark? So there's an interesting Ramban, that the Ramban says it was physical. Ramban says that Hashem made it like a bor, like a pit. And he says in a pit you can't light a candle. That's why the Mitzrim weren't even able to light candles, and many want to say that the Ramban means there was no oxygen. Hashem took away the oxygen. Could you light a candle? Then he speaks about the yomesh that had some physical components, which means that it was like wet, like an onan, like from an ocean. Maybe it was wet, and therefore, do you ever try to light a candle in a mist? There's no—it's wet. It can't. So either there was no oxygen or it was wet, physical. I saw Rabbi Kagan in his sefer—he has a sefer, Shivivei Or—and he says that's why lo kamu ish tachtav; they couldn't move. You know why? There was no oxygen. They couldn't move ish tachtav. There was a lack of oxygen. When someone has a lack of air, breathe slowly. So Hashem took away just enough that they should, you know, shouldn't die. They couldn't move. No oxygen. So it was physical. Targumim says it was physical. There was cateracts on the eyes. Cataracts. Couldn't see, physical. I would like to bring from Chazal that it wasn't physical light and dark, dark and light. It was actually spiritual dark and light. Chazal say, where did this darkness come from? It came from the eish shegehenim. Where did the light come from? Says Chazal, or haTorah. It was the light of Torah. The Shach al haTorah explains that the darkness was spiritual and the light was spiritual. The light was the or haganuz that's in the Torah. We know the Torah has an or. It's an or haganuz, a hidden light from the time of Bereishis. We spoke about it in Chanukah time. That or haganuz is what enlightened the Klal Yisrael during makkas choshech. So here we have already an interesting understanding that we don't mean physical; we mean something spiritual. And thus, you can hear how it's possible that it's together, because you're not talking about physical light and dark, right? Light and dark can't be light and dark in the same place. I want to show you even more. The whole idea of Torah, the whole metzius of Torah—that's a better word—the whole metzius of Torah is or b'soch choshech. It's the light in the darkness. That's what Torah is, and I'll show you what I mean, explain to you what I mean. Mitzrayim was dark. There's a Rabbeinu Bechaye that says that by Matan Torah it was even darker than that. Rabbeinu Bechaye says that it says three times the word choshech, that Mitzrayim got choshech to be meramez that there's three types of choshech. There's alta'ah, which happened by Bris Bein HaBesarim. Darkness. Then there's choshech, makas choshech, afeilah. And then there's arafel, extremely dark, arafel, extremely dark. You know, the day of Matan Torah was a very dark day. It wasn't light outside. You know, when a person wants to have a wedding, he chooses the summer. Why? No snow. It can be a nice Sunday morning, light, Sunday afternoon, a nice sunny day. HaKadosh Baruch Hu could have chosen for Matan Torah because He makes up the weather. HaKadosh Baruch Hu makes the weather. So why did He make a beautiful day? Matan Torah was an ugly day. It was dark. Arafel. Sinai was complete, even maybe darker than the choshech in Mitzrayim. So the Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer explains, because Hashem knew that the egel is coming and that the whole Matan Torah wasn't going to last very long. So Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer, Chazal, so He made it dark. I know that it's not going to last. It's a dark day, Matan Torah. It's not a beaming light. I would like to introduce another pshat, and be'emes it's not really my words, but I think it's more or less in the words of the Rambam. The Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim, in chelek beis, perek lamed.

The Rambam says an interesting thing. He says there's a contradiction in the psukim. In Devarim it says Hashem spoke to you mitoch ha'esh, and then it says Hashem spoke to you mitoch ha'arafel, from the darkness. So which one is it? Did He speak from the fire, or did He speak from the darkness? So he says, the Rambam, that the eish that we're referring to is not eish that lights, but eish, the original eish. There's Eretz, adamah, choshech, and eish, the four yesodos, right? So the yesod of eish is not light, says the Rambam, the Moreh Nevuchim. That eish can be dark also. That eish can be dark also. So Hashem spoke mitoch ha'esh, and mitoch ha'darkness is not a contradiction, so it's one and the same. Eish and darkness is one and the same, says the Rambam. And he says, I'll prove it to you, because if darkness would have to do with eish, then you would walk around the middle of the streets at night and everything would be light, because the darkness brings out eish, fire. That's not what happens. Okay. So it seems to be that Hashem talks from the darkness, mitoch ha'arafel. Why is Hashem talking from darkness? Why should it be that way? Why would Hashem talk from darkness? You would think Hashem talks from tremendous light. Why darkness? So let's discuss this. Let's discuss this for a second. There's a tremendous, tremendous Yerushalmi, Daf Tezvav amud beis in Dafi HaBavli. The original Torah was given eish levanah al gabei eish shechorah. That's in the first Gemara. The Gemara says fire of white with fire of black. Now which one was the black and which was the white? Were the osiyos, the letters white and the letters black? So it's a machlokes in the Rishonim. The Pnei Moshe on the side brings two pshatim, but his first pshat is that the letters were white fire, and the parchment that it was written on was black. Why was it that way? Why is it white fire, black fire, and the letters on the white fire and the black fire? What is that all about? And the answer is because the words of Torah is the light in the darkness. You know how you make the white? It has to be in the background of black, right? In order to make the osiyos white, it has to be in the background of black, otherwise you couldn't see anything. Our Sifrei Torah, says the Pnei Moshe, are written black on top of white. Why? Because it's written for the hamon am. It's written simple. Simply, it is black on white. You can't see otherwise. But the or haTorah is actually the other way around. It's the white within the dark, within the black. Torah means or, light. That is Torah. Light within the darkness is Torah. Talmud Yerushalmi, pili ploy, pili ploy. I think that's the pshat, the Yerushalmi, l'haniach daati b'ezras Hashem yisbarach. The white—something very new, okay—that the white, the letters. So why do you need black? Just write, and the answer is because that is Torah. The words of Torah is the light engraved through the black, in the black. It says, Hashem ori. Hashem is my light. We've spoken many times that the Or HaGanuz is Hashem in the Torah. In the Torah, Hashem speaks to Klal Yisrael through the words of the Torah. That's called Or HaGanuz, the hidden light that speaks through the words of the Torah. That's the light, Hashem ori. Hashem is the light. We've spoken about this in the past. I want to show you something interesting. Hashem speaks in this darkness. Does anybody know Hashem speaking in darkness, what's it called? Let me know what it's called. I'll tell you what it's called. The word chashmal, people use for a light bulb. Maybe we shouldn't even use the word chashmal for a light bulb. You know why?

Because it's a very spiritual, holy thing, the word chashmal. Yechezkel, in his marah, and when he sees the vision of Hashem, he sees the chashmal. What is chashmal? It's Hashem. Refers to the Ribono Shel Olam. Says the Gemara Chagigah, daf yud-gimmel amud beis, what is the chashmal? Chashmal: quiet and speaking. The Gemara says it means quiet, silent, speak. Sefarim talk about the Ribono Shel Olam speaks. It's silent, but it's speaking. And that's the light. That's the guiding light of HaKadosh Baruch Hu, which is chashmal. It silently speaks. It speaks volumes. It speaks very loud, but it's quiet in this world. Through the Torah you hear, if you listen carefully, you hear the chashmal. You hear the Ribono Shel Olam's light guiding, talking to us. He's talking to the heart. It enters the ear. The Ribono Shel Olam talks to the lev. You know, there's a pasuk, Kasvem al luach libecha. The Torah has to be written where? On the lev. You know, give me an example. There's a lot of bands, waves. You need a special radio to pick up special bands. You want to pick up the language of chashmal that the Ribono Shel Olam talks, you need a certain radio. You know what that radio is? The lev. It's the heart. That's what you need. Otherwise, Hashem could be talking everywhere, all over. The Ribono Shel Olam could be talking, but you're not picking it up. The lev, the heart becomes the, so to speak, the vehicle that picks up the chashmal, picks up that wave, that band. Chashmal. Chashmal means the Ribono Shel Olam's chashmal; He talks silent. It's a frequency that only the lev picks up. Kasvei, write the Torah al luach libecha. That's the parchment that's able to pick up the Torah. This, rabboisai, was makas choshech. Ulechol Bnei Yisrael haya or bemoshvosam. It was light for Klal Yisrael. It was the or haTorah. Klal Yisrael was getting a glimpse how in darkness there could be light. I said over an interesting story that I heard from my zeide, zichrono livracha, a beautiful story, that the Kapishnitzer Rebbe was at Auschwitz during the Holocaust, was forced by the Nazis to clean the floor, the street, to clean the street. They wanted to make him into a janitor; it was to embarrass him, it was to humiliate him. As he was doing it, he was singing. Chassidishe Rebbes love to sing. So they asked the Rebbe, You're singing? You seem to be so happy. How could you be happy? So he says, They think that they're humiliating me. They think that I'm cleaning the floors of Germany. Little do they know, I'm putzing, I'm polishing. The Rabbeinu Shlolem shined a lichtige velt, His beautiful light, the light of lichtik. The Kapishnitzer Rebbe was able to be in the darkness and yet see the Rabbeinu Shlolem. It's the Rabbeinu Shlolem's world, and when you see it's the Rabbeinu Shlolem's world, it's oiri, it's light in dark. Klal Yisroel was being taught that Mitzrayim was dark, yet a person could find light wherever he goes, even in b'moshvos, even in the house of the Mitzri. If he goes with Hashem, Hashem oiri. If he goes with the ohr haTorah, you go with the ohr haTorah, it becomes light even in the biggest darkness. That was the lesson, the makkas choshech for Klal Yisroel. Kapishnitzer Rebbe is able to, in the darkness, in the darkness. You know, Chazal tell us that why did HaKadosh Baruch Hu bring makkas choshech? Because it was a punishment to the Mitzri, and who took a candle, put it on the head of the Yid, and made the Yid not move, and if he moved... So I always ask the question: You want to punish with fire, so fire, punish with fire, don't punish with darkness.

What's pshat in the Medrash is the not moving part? Light, and they weren't able to move. The Yidden wasn't allowed to move, so choshech was that you weren't allowed to move. But then it could have been light and not be able to move. Hashem wanted He could make fire around you and you can't move. I mean, why do you have to make dark? And the answer is, it's deep. Either we could come and say you misuse light, so you won't have light. You take light and you misuse it. Or we could say one step further, right? Either you misuse the light, so I'll take away light, and therefore you can't, you'll have makas choshech, like someone who cuts a corner of a beged. Dovid HaMelech cut the corner of the beged, and lo heicham lo. You didn't. Here too, you misuse the light. I mean, l'havdil, of course I'm not comparing Dovid HaMelech, but you misuse the light, therefore you don't have light. Oy dilma, or we could come and say that they made darkness with light. They took Hashem's ohr, Hashem made light, they used it for black. They used it in a world to make darkness, to be misnaheg in a way that is choshech. So what does Hashem say? It's meant for ohr. I'll give you choshech, and I'll show you what light is. I'll show you that Klal Yisroel will have ohr mitoch hachoshech, ohr mitoch hachoshech. We must learn to listen to the ohr in the choshech. The ohr guides us. Hashem oiri, Hashem is chashmal, He talks to us mitoch hachoshech. And when we see that, we'll realize Hashem's tremendous chesed in every step of the way, in every turn that we take. And when we see that chesed, veyadatam ki Ani Hashem, we'll appreciate the nisim and the niflaos. Like the Rambam says, mitoch hanisim hagdolim atah ba l'hakir. You come to recognize the small miracles. What are the small miracles? What are big and small? And the answer is: big when it's out in the open. Small is from the story itself, from within. Hashem is guiding you in His chashmal, chashmal, in His quiet, silent way. Hashem is guiding. Hashem is protecting. So from those nisim, a person comes to be makir, veyadatem ki Ani Hashem, and he thanks the Eibishter. And that is l'maan tesaper; that must be taught to the children. A father must teach his child. A father must teach his child to be makir. We're not trained in this. We don't train our children kinderlach, heart, appreciate. Start to recognize Hashem's chesed in everything that happens, and the chesed in everything around you. Had we taught this emunah, he would have veyadatem ki Ani Hashem. That's the true way of teaching emunah. And this is the mitzvah of Pesach night, v'higadta l'vincha, v'hayah shivisi l'negdecha, like it says from the Alter from Kelm. It's not enough veyadata; it has to be taught in a way of a hashivosa, that it should enter the heart. It's taka bezoiche to take out the lessons of the makos, and for us it should enter in us the chesed of HaKadosh Baruch Hu and the nisim and the niflaos, and we should be zoiche to the geulah shleimah. You've just experienced another Torah class, brought to you by TorahAnytime.com.