B"H

Friday, Tevet 27, 5776 / January 8, 2016 – HAKHEL YEAR

In this week's Parsha, Va'eira, G-d commands Moshe to tell the children of Israel, "I am the L-rd and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgment; and I will take you to me for a people and I will be to you a G-d and you shall know that I am the L-rd your G-d who brought you out from the burdens of the Egyptians..."

But when Moshe spoke to the children of Israel, the Torah tells us that, “they didn't listen to Moshe due to impatience of spirit and cruel bondage.”

Then G-d said to Moshe, “Go speak to Pharaoh, King of Egypt that he shall send away the children of Israel from his land."

Q.What is the connection between the fact that, "The children of Israel didn't listen to Moshe due to impatience of spirit,” and that G-d immediately orders Moshe to command Pharaoh to free them?

A.We can understand this with the following story about Rabbi Schneur Zalmen, the first Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch (1745-1813), whose Yartzeit was this week on the the 24th of Tevet, may his memory be a of blessing to us all.

Rabbi Schneur Zalmen had a Chassid who was a wealthy wine merchant. Once he was notified that 200 wagons of wine were confiscated by Russian officials at the border. Hearing this he fainted. He had invested everything he owned in this transport and now it was in danger of being lost.  Each time the merchant regained his senses, he remembered his misfortune and fainted again.

When Rabbi Schneur Zalmen heard this, he said, "Tell the merchant not to worry. His wine is safe."  This cured the merchant.  Indeed, when Chassidim went to look for the wagons, they found them safe at the side of the road near the border.

The Chassidim then said to the Rebbe, "You claim that you don't perform any miracles, yet we see that you knew that the merchant's wine was safe!"

The Rebbe answered, "This is no miracle!  Our sages tell us that G-d never gives a person more pain than he can handle. When I heard that his suffering was beyond his endurance, I knew that it was a mistake and that his wine must be safe!"

The same was with the Jewish people in Egypt. When G-d saw that their pain and suffering was so great and beyond tolerance, that they didn't even listen to Moshe, who came to tell them about their redemption, He told Moshe to immediately go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people out of Egypt!

SHABBAT SHALOM

Montrealcandle lighting time: 4:10 / Shabbat ends: 5:19