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Weekly Dvar Torah

FROM ERETZ YISRAEL Lighting a Candle in the Dark

BY RABBI BEREL WEIN

If a person lights even a small candle in a dark room, the resultant light in a dark room is instantaneously recognizable. Even the flickering of the smallest candle shines brightly in an enclosed space that is dark. However, if one is to light even a large candle in a room filled with brilliant sunlight or an excess of artificial illumination, the light of that candle is hardly noticeable or recognizable. One can say the same idea regarding miracles. If one views a world full of ever-present miracles, then one, individual miracle, no matter how powerful and supernatural it may be, will, at best, cause only a minor and temporary impression. The very definition of miracles is that these are events that do not often occur, and are not predictable or subject to rational, scientific analysis.

However, when there is a plethora of miraculous events, miracles themselves, no matter how wondrous they may be, begin to lose their impact and power upon human beings. A miracle that happens regularly is no longer a miracle at all, but, rather, is part of what people view as being the natural course of events in the world. Miracles that are repeated often eventually become stale and regular and lose their miraculous status. Just witness today’s great wonders of nature, of medicine, of technology, and of all other fields that border on the miraculous. When the first rocket with a human inside was launched, it was considered miraculous. Today, it is a weekly event and nothing special for the spectator. The more an experience becomes regular and expected, the less any special quality is attached to it. When there is a multiplicity of miracles occurring all at the same time, like the candle lit in a room with floodlights, its brightness is hardly noticeable. The individual miracle has lost its power of influence and is already discounted by human beings.

All of this is a preference to understanding the Jewish people after they experienced the Ten Plagues that delivered them from Egypt, followed by the splitting of the sea that delivered them from the sword of the Pharaoh and his army, followed by the miraculous sweetening of the bitter waters in Marah, followed by the heavenly bread that was given to them for their sustenance. In that floodlit world of miracles, the flame of an individual miracle and its influence waned greatly. This helps us understand the behavior of the Jewish people throughout their forty-year sojourn in the desert of Sinai. Everything was so miraculous that nothing was a miracle any longer. Therefore, the evil instinct of rebellion, arrogance and carnal desires continued to surface over and over throughout the Torah. It is difficult to appreciate and focus upon a miracle that is ongoing, and is always accompanied by other wonders as well.

In our time, the rejuvenation of the Jewish people, the mass study of Torah, the creation and continued growth of the State of Israel in the Land of Israel, are all events that border upon the miraculous and supernatural. Yet they, too, are not treated in that manner, for the recognition of miracles is difficult for human beings to maintain and preserve. For forty years in the desert, the Lord attempted to protect the Jewish people through heavenly intervention, but the Jewish people did not understand or appreciate what was happening, and, therefore, they only complained. Our Rabbis teach “One who is experiencing a miracle does not recognize the miracle that is happening at that moment.” And so it is.

Rabbi Berel Wein is Senior Rabbi of Beit Knesset HaNassi in Jerusalem and Director of the Destiny Foundation.

Beshalach Sidra Summary

“Moshe stretched out his hand over the sea, and G-d moved the sea with a strong east wind all night, and He turned the sea to dry land and the water split” (Shemot: 14:21)

1ST ALIYA (KOHEN) – SHEMOT 13:17-14:8

After Pharaoh sends the Israelites out of Egypt, G-d does not lead them on a straight path through the land of the Pelishtim (Philistines) towards Cana’an (later Israel), but rather towards the Sea of Reeds. Moshe is carrying Yosef’s bones, as Yosef had requested before his death (see Bereishit 50:25). A pillar of cloud guides the Israelites by day, and a pillar of fire lights up their journey at night. G-d tells Moshe to turn back in the direction of Egypt. G-d hardens the heart of Pharaoh, who pursues the Israelites with his armed chariots.

2ND ALIYA (LEVI) – 14:9-14

The Egyptians catch up with the Israelites, who are encamped by the Sea. Seeing the approaching army, the people cry out in prayer, and also ask Moshe why they left Egypt only to die in the desert. Moshe tells them not to fear; they will experience G-d’s salvation.

3RD ALIYA (SHLISHI) – 14:15-25

Moshe raises his staff; an easterly wind blows and the Sea splits. The Israelites walk through the dry channel, the water providing a wall on either side of them. The Egyptians enter the Sea but struggle to move forward.

Point to Consider: Why did G-d move the sea with a “strong easterly wind”? (14:21)

4TH ALIYA (REVI’I) – 14:26-15:26

Moshe raises his staff; the Sea closes on the Egyptians, drowning them. The Israelites see the drowned Egyptians on the seashore. Together with Moshe, they sing the Song at the Sea (Shirat HaYam) which celebrates G-d’s miraculous salvation. The nation travels on, experiencing three days in the desert without water. They come to a place called Marah, where the water is too bitter to drink. They complain to Moshe, who is shown a tree by G-d. Moshe throws the tree into the water, thus sweetening it.

5TH ALIYA (CHAMISHI) – 15:27-16:10

The Israelites arrive in the Sin Desert and complain to Moshe that they are hungry. G-d tells Moshe that he will send down a daily portion of ‘bread’ from the heavens. Moshe tells the people they will also get meat in the evening.

6TH ALIYA (SHISHI) – 16:11-36

The heavenly bread – called ‘man’ (manna) – falls between two layers of dew (Rashi). Each household gets a daily portion sufficient for its members. Moshe tells them not to leave any over until the next day. Some people ignore this warning; their manna becomes infested. A double portion falls on Friday. Moshe tells them to use the excess for Shabbat and not to go out to collect any manna on Shabbat. Again, some ignore this instruction. Moshe tells Aharon to preserve some manna in a container, as a reminder to future generations.

7TH ALIYA (SHEVI’I) – 17:1-16

The Israelites travel to Refidim, but again do not find water. G-d tells Moshe to strike a rock with his staff; water emerges from the rock. Amalek attacks the Israelites at Refidim. Yehoshua (Joshua) leads the battle against them, whilst Moshe, Aharon and Chur (Moshe’s nephew) ascend a nearby hill. Whenever Moshe raises his arms, Israel overcomes Amalek. Aharon and Chur support Moshe’s tired arms. Yehoshua is victorious.

HAFTARAH

Devorah was a prophetess and a judge. The haftarah, from the Book of Judges, includes the song that Devorah sang to celebrate the defeat of the evil Ca’ananite general, Sisera. This defeat was facilitated by the bravery of Yael, who attacked and killed Sisera with a tent-peg.

13 JANUARY 2022

TO ADVERTISE CALL 020 3906 8488 Beshalach: Shabbat, a gift from Heaven

BY GAVRIEL COHN

One might think that discussing Shabbat is a subject for next week’s Torah portion, Parshat Yitro, when the Ten Commandments were given to the Jewish People: “The seventh day is a Sabbath to G-d; you shall perform no work… Because in six days G-d made the heaven and the earth… and He rested on the seventh day.”

Yet the commandment of Shabbat also features in our current Torah portion too, Parshat Beshalach. Yet here Shabbat has nothing (explicitly) to do with G-d’s creation of the world and was not given to the People in an otherworldly Divine Revelation. Instead, in our sedra, no reason for Shabbat is given at all. The Jewish People are simply told not to venture out of their tents to collect the manna on Shabbat, that is all. Here, in contrast to the Divine Revelation of Parshat Yitro, Moshe instructed the People while standing amidst the bustling daily life of their national encampment. Upon G-d’s instruction, he simply gave them a series of rules for the seventh day. They would each be given a double-portion on Friday and that, on Saturday, everyone was to remain within their boundaries. Yet no explanation was provided, nor was the Six Days of Creation invoked. Thus, perhaps this offers another, entirely different dimension of Shabbat, the ‘Shabbat of Parshat Beshalach,’ the social, human value of the seventh day of rest, instead of the Divine, theological one, focused upon later in the Ten Commandments.

Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi expanded upon this social, this-worldly aspect of Shabbat in his philosophical work, the Kuzari, written “in defence of the despised faith.” He poignantly told of the benefits Shabbat had for the downtrodden Jews of his time:

“Were it not for these holy days, the lowliness of our spirits due to the incessant exile would create a climate where not one of us would ever wear clean clothing, nor would we have an occasion for gathering together to recall our Torah. Were it not for these days, we would not have even one day of pleasure out of all our days. Now, however, one sixth of our days consists of physical and spiritual relaxation, which is of a quality that not even kings can attain. This is because they do not have peace of mind during their days of respite; if they have to toil and travel on those days, they toil and travel. Their spirits are therefore not completely at rest.” (Sefer HaKuzari, 3:10; see also Guide for the Perplexed, 3:43).

Indeed, many of the greatest Sages spoke of how the mitzvot can be purposeful and positive. For the newly emancipated Israelites roaming the desert in Biblical times, these rules of Shabbat were in fact heaven-sent, a way of creating a special, family-focused occasion, that otherwise may never had taken place due to the people’s pressures to collect much-needed sustenance in the desert (it was this very pressure for food in the desert that led to their strife and restlessness). For the poor, ridiculed medieval Jews discussed in the Kuzari above Shabbat allowed them respite, and to feel like nobleman, at least once a week.

In our modern age too, the regulations of Shabbat allow us to rest and spend time with our loved ones. The dictates of Shabbat make us get dressed in smart suits and elegant dresses, to spread a white tablecloth over our tables, setting it with fine sliver cutlery, and to gather our families together and dine in an atmosphere of festivity. Without this day set aside, such may only transpire on those rarest of occasions.

Shabbat certainly marks G-d’s Creation but, like the Jews of the desert, it also allows us to simply stay in our tents and enjoy the gifts rained down upon us from the heavens.

For the newly emancipated Israelites roaming the desert in Biblical times, these rules of Shabbat were in fact heaven-sent, a way of creating a special, family-focused occasion…

Beshalach

RABBI DR RAYMOND APPLE

ONLY ONE SHIRAH

The central feature of Beshalach is the Song of the Sea (Ex. 15), sung triumphantly by Moses, Miriam and the Children of Israel and now included in the daily morning prayers.

The Song of the Sea is not the only song which Israel sang during the course of Biblical history.

The record of great songs is preserved in the Mechilta. The Israelites sang in Egypt on the night they departed. They sang when a well of water sprang up in the wilderness. Moses sang a song of comfort before he died.

Joshua sang when he won a great victory. Deborah and Barak sang when they vanquished Sisera. David sang when he was saved from his enemies. Solomon sang when the Temple was dedicated. King Yehoshafat sang when he went into battle.

Despite all these songs, there was only one Shirah, which Hertz called “probably the oldest song of national triumph still extant”.

People hum, sing and chant on countless occasions. Sometimes the occasions are days of communal celebration like the Seder. Sometimes they are the emotional outpourings of the soul, like Kol Nidrei. But there is a special quality to a song that a redeemed nation sings on a unique occasion of historic significance.

THE WATERS STOOD UPRIGHT

One of the more puzzling statements in the Song of the Sea is the assertion that when the Israelites crossed the Sea, the waters stood upright (Ex. 15:8). We can understand how this made two columns between which the people could cross on dry land.

But the Tanya (Sha’ar HaYichud) wonders whether such a miraculous event is feasible and could recur. Clearly it was the work of G-d, but like all Biblical miracles it is hard to fit it into the physical universe.

The Tanya compares it to all the Divine miracles. If this was a miracle, says the Tanya, “how much more so is the creation of something ex nihilo – out of nothing – which transcends Nature and is far more miraculous than the splitting of the Red Sea, so that with the withdrawal of the power of the Creator from the thing created, G-d forbid, it would revert to nothingness and total non-existence. Surely the activating force of the Creator must continuously be in the thing created”.

THE ROYAL EXAMPLE

The royal dignity seems to be at stake.

How can the Torah say of the king of Egypt, “And he harnessed his chariot, and he took his people with him” (Ex. 14:6)? Kings don’t harness their own chariots. For such things they have servants.

Maybe Ibn Ezra is right that it is like the verse, “Solomon built the house and finished it” (I Kings 6:14). Others did the menial work but the king received the credit.

The Midrashic sages however use a different approach. The Egyptians, they said, had had more than enough. The Israelites had been a source of trouble for so long and the Egyptian people had suffered so much because of them, even to the extent of losing their first-born sons in a plague imposed by the Israelite God, that they wanted nothing more to do with Israel. It went so far as to lead to a mutiny in the palace.

Pharaoh told his servants to harness his chariot but they refused. Maybe he said, using Alice in Wonderland terms, “Off with their heads!” Maybe they eventually gave in and obeyed the royal master.

The king was so determined to pursue the Israelites that he forced his servants’ hands and declared that he would harness his own chariot if he had to. Eventually the people as a whole relented and gave the king the support he wanted.

There is another case in the sidra of a leader tasking personal steps to carry out a policy: Ex. 13:19, which says, “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him”.

The sages ask why the Children of Israel did not carry out this pious act on Moses’ behalf.

Maybe the people were so concerned with getting out of Egypt and taking some assets with them that they had no time for spiritual duties.

Another possibility is that the mitzvah of tending to Joseph’s remains was so important to Moses that he had to do it himself and didn’t even ask for help.

Gav is an informal educator at Immanuel College, teaching Kodesh to Sixth Formers. Questions? gavcohn@gmail.com.

Rabbi Raymond Apple was for many years Australia’s highest profile rabbi and the leading spokesman on Judaism. After serving congregations in London, Rabbi Apple was chief minister of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, for 32 years. He also held many public roles, particularly in the fields of chaplaincy, interfaith dialogue and Freemasonry, and is the recipient of several national and civic honours. Now retired, he lives in Jerusalem and blogs at http://www.oztorah.com

36 JUDAISM

TO ADVERTISE CALL 020 3906 8488 The Power of Perception: Creating Your Reality

BY RABBI SHMUEL REICHMAN

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Before judging whether or not you like what you see, first think about what you see. How do you see yourself? How do you identify yourself?

Often, when we look at great people, we wonder, “were they always this way?”. When I was younger, I became fascinated by a simple question: How does a normal, regular person start to journey from “average” towards the extraordinary? How do we begin dreaming bigger and striving for a greater purpose in life? One of the most fundamental components, as simple as it sounds, is a single word: identity.

SELF-PERCEPTION

In our previous column, we discussed the power of perception. We all wear conceptual glasses that provide the lenses and paradigms through which we understand and experience the world around us. This includes our perception of Hashem, Torah, and mitzvos. However, there is an even more fundamental subject of our lenses and paradigms: our self; namely, the lens through which we perceive ourselves. Our identity is the way we perceive, define, and experience our “self.” So again, when you look in the mirror, what do you see? Who do you see? How do you think about yourself? Is the voice inside your head always giving you positive feedback and inspiring you to strive for your greatness? Or is there a negative voice that seems to always focus on what’s going wrong?

The most important characteristic of our identity its growing and adaptive nature; it is not static or set. Many people struggle with the same problems and the same internal battles for most of their lives because they have created a static identity. They have come to believe that “this is simply who I am.” Yet, the moment we realize that our identity can be molded and developed, that we are never static, we can fuel our growth and begin the journey of self-transformation.

DISCOVERING OR CREATING YOUR IDENTITY?

Let’s assume we’re at the point that we want to create a more empowering identity and positive self-perception. How do we begin? The first step is realizing that we aren’t supposed to “create” our identity, we’re supposed to discover it. As the Gemara in Niddah 30b explains, we each have the ability to achieve our own unique greatness. When we were born into this world, we were given the ability, and responsibility, to discover our unique potential and purpose, and work throughout our lives to achieve our greatness. Rather than trying to artificially create ourselves, we need to spend time getting to know ourselves, our unique talents, what we are drawn to in life, and begin molding and developing ourselves into our true form. We need to resist the tendency and temptation to look around and try to achieve greatness by copying other people. Role models are important, but instead of trying to imitate them, we should be inspired by them to discover the unique greatness that we can find and develop in ourselves.

Michelangelo was once asked: “How is it that you create such wondrous sculptures and works of art? How can something so innovative and ingenious emanate from mere mortal hands?” Without skipping a beat, Michelangelo responded: “Before I even begin my work, the sculpture is already complete within the marble block. My job is simply to discover it, and then chisel away the superfluous material.”

What if we realized that, much like Michelangelo’s sculptures, we too are already perfectly formed beneath the surface. Our job in life isn’t to take a slab of stone and change it into something beautiful; our job is to discover who we truly are, who we already are, and to then “chisel away the superfluous material”, expressing our inner self. Growth isn’t about becoming great, it’s about becoming you; learning isn’t about discovery, it’s about self-discovery. You are a masterpiece covered with stone; your job in this world is to uncover and express yourself, your true self.

MOVING OUTSIDE OURSELVES

The first and most fundamental requirement for developing a strong identity is self-awareness. To become and achieve the extraordinary, we first need to understand who we are – our values, how we think, what drives us, how we work, etc. Each of us is unique; we see the world differently, think differently, learn differently, and grow differently. To optimally grow and learn, you first need to understand how you grow and learn best. This requires self-awareness – taking the time to get in touch with who you are and how you work.

The best way to begin developing your self-awareness is to look at yourself from an outside perspective – by moving outside of yourself, you can get a clearer sense of who you truly are. Sit down in a room by yourself and try to get outside of your internal perspective, outside of your own head; try to look at yourself objectively, from the outside. By default, we live inside ourselves: we think, feel, and experience all of life internally. However, many people are stuck in that perspective, trapped inside of themselves, unable to move outside and see how they’re really doing. Genuine growth begins with genuine self-awareness – the ability to clearly see who we are, to honestly evaluate our strengths and weaknesses, and assess our progress and shortcomings. It’s where we sit down, move outside of ourselves, and begin asking important questions, such as: Who have I become and what have I accomplished with my life? Where are I going in life? What drives me and why do I do what I do? What am I talented or skilled at? What value can I offer the people around me and what can I contribute to the world?

Once we can move outside ourselves and take an objective external view, we can analyze and redirect; we can see where are and where we need to go in order to achieve our goals. Just like a GPS tells us where we are, where we need to go, and how to get there, self-awareness does the same. Once we become aware of who we are, where we need to go, and how we need to get there, we can move back inside of ourselves and begin the journey.

GROWTH MINDSET

Being an eved Hashem needs to be our absolute core identity. We need to view ourselves as someone who devotes our entire life towards Hashem, connecting to a higher purpose and truth. However, there are also subcategories of our identity, such as being a talmid chacham, a professional, or an entrepreneur. We also have many roles within our relationships, such as being a husband or wife, a sibling, a friend, and so on. As an essential component – or subcategory – of our identity, we need to have a growth-mindset, the unstoppable and unquenchable desire to grow, learn, and expand.

This is the fundamental difference between humans and animals. Animals are created finished and complete. Animals don’t develop their mind, will, or character; they are what they are. The moment a sheep is born, it begins to walk; when a horse leaves the womb, it begins to gallop. An animal begins life complete, and it never changes or evolves. Angels as well are created complete and perfect, with no room to grow or improve. Humans are unique; we grow, adapt, and evolve through a lifelong journey of growth and self-development. This is why Esav was born hairy. As Chazal note, the word “Esav” shares a root with the word Asuy, meaning complete. From the moment he was born, Esav corrupted the ideal purpose of man, claiming to be perfect and fully formed. The true form of man is a grower, where we live with a growth-mindset and strive to become great.

There is a tendency and allure to saying “I’m perfect the way I am. I don’t need to change.” Not only does this mindset inhibit growth, but it also contradicts our entire purpose in life. As human beings, our entire mission and purpose is to become perfect. The desire to act as though we are already perfect does have an element of truth to it though: at our very root, in the spiritual world, we are already perfect (Niddah 30b). However, as the Vilna Gaon explains, we were born into this world to achieve and actualize that perfection, to become and earn what we already are at root.

THE NATURE OF A GROWTH-MINDSET

The most important component of a growth-mindset is the belief that we can learn and accomplish anything. Nothing is impossible and nothing is unreachable. With the right mindset, effort, persistence, and the help of Hashem, we can do anything we set our minds to. The moment we adopt a growth mindset, an adaptability mentality, we can embrace any new challenge Hashem sends our way, because we now live with the realization that we can meet any obstacle and solve any problem.

Even once we’ve adopted a growth mindset, will there still be uncertainty, struggle, and failure along the way? Certainly! But with a growth and adaptability mindset, we can embrace the challenges and uncertainty of life, and ride the difficult waves that Hashem sends our way. That’s not to say this is easy. It’s not. Figuring it out can be grueling and tiresome. But that’s the greatness of being human: we are uniquely able to embrace struggle and push through, growing each step of the way.

When we fall in love with growth, when we learn to appreciate the journey of self-development, we not only find the energy and willpower to pursue our dreams and greatness, but we actually fall in love with the process itself. Of course, it takes time and it’s difficult. But when we realize that we can learn anything and become anything, we stop focusing on the reasons we should give up and we start striving after our greatness; we begin asking ourselves not whether something is possible, but whether it’s necessary.

I love teaching my clients how to develop a “not-yet” mindset. When one of my clients tells me that they have a limitation, I immediately qualify their statement with a “not-yet,” helping them see their limitation as a temporary challenge instead of a permanent problem. If they tell me their relationship isn’t working, I’ll quickly add, “it’s not working yet.” If they tell me their company isn’t succeeding, I’ll add, “it’s not succeeding yet.” This completely transforms the way we view our problems and struggles. It turns everything into a momentary situation, so instead of viewing our problems as fixed realities, it trains us to view them as fixable and solvable. The “not-yet” mindset is the foundation of our growth-mindset.

If you enjoyed this article and want more, then visit my website (ShmuelReichman. com) and learn more about Self-Mastery Academy, my online course. Join our vibrant community of hundreds of people striving to become their greatest selves.