Transcript
Okay, I was about to say good morning. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Parsha Perspectives for today. I appreciate everybody's flexibility, as we're having a שיעור *shiur* during a different time this week. And I understand I threw some people for a huge loop. Dinner before, dinner after, early bird, late dinner, 6:30, some of you already were in pajamas, you got dressed to come. It means the world to me. Parsha's שיעור *shiur* is generously sponsored by Becky and Avi Katz and family in memory of David Grossman, דוד ישראל בן מנחם מנוש *David Yisrael ben Menachem Manush*. I'm not helping the image that Boca is a bunch of, we have, there's so many young people here. If the people listening or watching could only see this room, the youthfulness in this room is is unbelievable. Sponsored as well by Cindy and Avi Schryer and family in לעילוי נשמת *l'ilui nishmas* Bernard Sullivan, דב בער בן אהרן הלוי *Dov Bear ben Aaron Halevi* on his ninth יארצייט *yahrzeit*, and of Maxine Sullivan, גיטל מינדל בת אברהם *Gittel Mindel bas Avraham*, Lester Freeman, אליעזר צבי בן אברהם *Eliezer Tzvi ben Avraham*, and Esther Moscowitz, אסתר צילה בת רב גבריאל פנחס *Esther Tzila bas Rav Gavriel Pinchas*. And a continued רפואה שלמה *refuah shlema* for חנה טייבא חוה בת יפה פריידל *Henya Taiba Chava bas Yaffa Fredel*. I also want to dedicate our learning, a young boy from our community had open heart surgery yesterday. Please God should have a speedy and painless and complete רפואה שלמה *refuah shlema*, an amazing young man, איתן זאב בן לאה בינה *Eitan Zev ben Leah Bina*, should bounce back with a if it's even possible, a bigger and a stronger heart than he already has. We're in פרשת בא *Parshas Bo*, page 340 in the Artscroll Stone חומש *Chumash*. ויאמר ה' אל משה בא אל פרעה *Vayomer Hashem el Moshe, Bo el Paro*. ה' *Hashem* says to משה *Moshe*, בא אל פרעה *Bo el Paro*. You know, the challenge with all these פרשיות *parshios* for me is I have my favorite דברי תורה *divrei Torah* on every פרשה *parsha*, so to get to the new ones and not just retell you my favorite, it's so hard, it takes so much discipline. I don't know I have it, but I'm going to try. But why בא *bo*, not לך *lech*, we're not going to give the answer. Why doesn't ה' *Hashem* say to משה *Moshe*, \"Go, go to פרעה *Paro*\"? Why does he say, \"בא *Bo*, come, come to פרעה *Paro*\"? Okay, I'll tell it to you because somebody texted me an interesting question. Only because you insist. Why בא אל פרעה *Bo el Paro*? I mentioned I think last year. בא אל פרעה *Bo el Paro* is because הקדוש ברוך הוא *Hakadosh Baruch Hu* wants us to know that when we have a mission in this world, when we're on a mission, when we have a purpose, He's not sending us. ה' *Hashem* doesn't sit back and watch and say, 'Go for it. Let me know how it goes.' He says, \"נו *Nu*, come, בא *bo*.\" I'm going to be standing right next to you when you go protest, speak truth to power. I'll be standing next to you in the operating room or the boardroom. I'll be standing next to you in the courtroom. I'll be with you wherever, whatever. בא *Bo*, I'm coming with you. You got a mission, you got a purpose, it's not לך *lech*, you go and I'll stay here. It's בא *bo*, come, I'll come. So somebody who listened to last week's, last year's פרשה שיעור *Parsha shiur* yesterday, texted me asking me, if that's the case, if that's the case, why does it say לך לך *lech lecha*? Why does ה' *Hashem* tell אברהם *Avram*, לך לך *lech lecha*? He should have said בא *bo*, נו *nu*, come, come to the land I'll show you. What do you mean לך *lech*? Why does אברהם *Avram* get a לך *lech* and משה *Moshe* gets a בא *bo*? It's a good question. It's a good question, no? I think maybe, בא אל פרעה *bo el Paro* was not a test for משה *Moshe*. משה *Moshe* passed his tests. בא אל פרעה *Bo el Paro* was his mission. Now it's time to execute, carry out what he's meant to do. But לך לך *lech lecha* is a test. And maybe the test of לך לך *lech lecha* for אברהם *Avram* was without a feeling and a sense that ה' *Hashem* is with you. Go. Maybe a feeling on your own. You don't know where. Where is the destination? Where is the journey? What are the coordinates? What's the address? Just לך *lech* and not a sense of בא *bo*. But it's a good question and I welcome your suggestions and your answers. So ה' *Hashem* says to משה *Moshe*, נו *nu*, בא *bo*, let's go. כי אני הכבדתי את לבו ואת לב עבדיו למען שתי אתתי אלה בקרבו *Ki ani hichbadeti es libo v'es lev avadav, l'maan shisi osoisai eileh b'kirbo*. So that I can put these signs of mine in his midst. In other words, if you were flexible, if you were, if you were willing to let your people go, I wouldn't be able to fulfill, I won't be able to finish all these מכות *makkos*. But the מכות *makkos* are a curriculum ה' *Hashem* is trying to communicate something to פרעה *Paro*, to the מצרים *Mitzrim*, and to all of us. And so he needs to harden his heart to hold out a little bit longer so we could continue this curriculum, this education. I want to share with you several תפארת שמואל *Tiferes Shmuel*. Rav Shmuel Berenbaum, תפארת שמואל *Tiferes Shmuel*, the ראש ישיבה *rosh yeshiva* of the Mir. He has incredible insights always, but particularly I found on this פרשה *parsha*. יש להבין מה הכוונה של למען שיתי אותותי אלה בקרבו *Yaysh l'havin ma ha'kavana shel l'maan shisi ososai eileh b'kirbo*. What is ה' *Hashem*'s mission? I'm going to, I harden his heart, why, so I could put these signs, אלה בקרבו *eileh b'kirbo*. לכאורה עיקר להראות לפרעה את האותות והמופתים כדי שיכיר למען תדע כי אני ה' בקרב הארץ *Lichora, ikar l'haros l'Paro es ha'osos v'hamosim, k'dei sheyaker l'maan teida ki ani Hashem b'kerev ha'aretz*. The main goal was show פרעה *Paro* who's boss. Show פרעה *Paro* who's in charge. After all, what was פרעה's *Paro's* reaction when משה *Moshe* and אהרן *Aaron* first go? What is פרעה's *Paro's* reaction? He says, אני לא ידעתי *ani lo yadati*, I don't know a God. Which God, what God, who God? I don't know a God. Mom, go in my office and take some water. Get some privilege because your son's the rabbi. It's okay. פרעה's *Paro's* reaction is, I don't know a God. What God, who God, which God? So he's now on his way to introducing, 'Hi, it's nice to meet you, I'm God. I suspend the rules of nature, I control nature. I'm the one who created the whole world.' What does this mean, בקרבו *b'kirbo*? למען תדע *L'maan teida*. The goal is for פרעה *Paro* to know. Where do you know? Up here in your head. What do you mean בקרבו *b'kirbo*? Inside. יש לומר *Yesh lomer*, says Rav Shmuel Berenbaum, דאחר שאדם לראות הרבה ניסים שעל ידי זה יכיר גדולתו של הקדוש ברוך הוא *d'achar she'adam l'ros harbei nisim she'al yedei zeh yaker gedulaso shel Hakadosh Baruch Hu*, it's possible for a person to see countless miracles to be exposed to the revelation of ה' *Hashem*'s guiding hand, ואף על פי כן הוא ישאר כמו שהיה מקודם *v'af al pi chein hu yishaer k'mo shehaya m'kodem*. You read about the pager miracle. Hezbollah thousands blows up, doesn't injure the people around them. Carried out with such precision over years, impossible. It's a miracle, a miracle. You hear that hundreds of ballistic missiles are launched by Iran, and Israel's safe. You hear that miracle after miracle, and then you remain כמו שהיה מקודם *k'mo shehaya m'kodem*. That's interesting, that's fascinating, that's wild, and my life looks exactly the way it did before. כמו הנס הגדול של קריעת ים סוף שאף על פי ששפחה ראתה גדולים גדולים מה שלא ראה יחזקאל בן בוזי, וכן כל העמים נתפעלו כמו שאנחנו אומרים באז ישיר, שמעו עמים ירגזון, תפול עליהם אימתה ופחד, נמוגו כל יושבי כנען, ועם כל זה לא מצינו שאיש אחד מהם, חוץ מיתרו, יתקרב להקדוש ברוך הוא ולהתגייר *K'mo ha'nes ha'gadol she'Krias Yam Suf, sh'af al pi she'shifcha ra'asa gedulin gedolim ma shelo ra'ah Yechezkel ben Buzi, v'chein kol ha'amim nisp'alu k'mo she'anu omdim b'Az Yashir, shamu amim yirgazun, tipol aleihem eimasa v'fachad, namogu kol yoshvei Knaan, v'im kol zeh lo matzinu she'ish echad mehem, chutz miYisro, yiskarev l'Hakadosh Baruch Hu v'lhisgayer*. The splitting of the sea, headlines, breaking news. That sea, it split. And a whole people walked right on the dry land in front of it. And then it collapsed on their tormentors, their enemies, the oppressors, and they all drowned in it. And you know what the world, other than יתרו *Yisro*, which is what makes him exceptional, we'll read about him in a couple weeks. Other than יתרו *Yisro*, you know what the whole world said? 'Huh, isn't that interesting? Could you pass the cream cheese? Isn't that fascinating? I'll take another cup of coffee.' And they went on with their lives looking exactly as the way it did before. Something so miraculous and such violation of the rules of nature, so out of the ordinary, and nevertheless, the average person went on as if nothing happened. ובאר הדבר שאף אם האדם מכיר שהקדוש ברוך הוא זהר גרויס *U've'er ha'davar sh'af im ha'adam makir she'Hakadosh Baruch Hu zer groys*, even if a person recognizes that הקדוש ברוך הוא *Hakadosh Baruch Hu* is great, אבל יכול לחשוב, מה זה נוגע אלי *aval yachol lachshov, ma zeh nogea elai*? Yeah, God is great. What does it have to do with me? What does it have to do with my מנין *minyan* attendance? What does it have to do with my לשון הרע *lashon hara*? What does it have to do with how I dress? What does it have to do with how I listen? What does it have to do with how I conduct my business or how I file my taxes? Yeah, God's great. It's true miracles, pagers, ballistic missiles, miracles. What does it have to do with my life and my lifestyle? What do I have to do? מה אני צריך לעשות בשביל זה חוץ מהתפעלות בגדולתו של הקדוש ברוך הוא *Ma ani tzarich laasos bishvil zeh chutz mei'hispaalus b'gedulaso shel Hakadosh Baruch Hu*? All I have to do is recognize it. I heard a דרשה *drasha*, I cried a little, I laughed a little, I said ה' *Hashem* is amazing. Thank you, ה' *Hashem*, and then I moved on, right back to my ordinary life, to my ordinary life. Tomorrow looks like yesterday. How could that be? How could that be? וזהו הכוונה של למען שיתי אותותי אלה בקרבו *V'zehu ha'kavana shel l'maan shisi osoisai eileh b'kirbo*. And that's what הקדוש ברוך הוא *Hakadosh Baruch Hu* says, שהקדוש ברוך הוא רוצה שהאותות יעשו רושם למעשה על פרעה ועמו *she'Hakadosh Baruch Hu rotzeh she'ha'osos yaasu roshem l'maaseh al Paro v'amo*. ה' *Hashem* says, 'I don't want פרעה *Paro* to turn the page. I don't want פרעה *Paro* to say, 'What's next? Turn the channel.' I don't want פרעה *Paro* just to know it upstairs. I want it to seep in, בקרבו *b'kirbo*. I want him to feel there's a God, there's an Almighty, he runs the world, and I can't live the same way.' October 8th, I have to be different than I was on October 6th. How could a Jew look the same today as they looked a year and a half ago? How could it be? Our children and grandchildren are going to look at the picture albums, they're going to ask us about our schedule, they're going to check our credit card statements and they're going to say, 'Did you make a change? Did things look different? Were you transformed? What did you do differently in your life? What did you take different? What did you take more seriously about your life, about your life?' הקדוש ברוך הוא רוצה שהאותות יעשו רושם, בכן שיכירו גדולתו של הקדוש ברוך הוא שהכל יכול, הן צריכים להכנע לעבדיו לקיים ציוויו. והסיבה של המכות לא רק להראות *Hakadosh Baruch Hu rotzeh she'ha'osos yaasu roshem, b'chein shey'akiru gedulaso she'Hakadosh Baruch Hu she'ha'kol yachol, hein tzrichim l'hichanea l'avdav l'kayeim tzivuyav. V'ha'siba shel ha'makkos lo rak l'haros*, ה' *Hashem* is not just flexing. Some now young people know what that means. For those who don't, flexing is when you're, you know, like flexing and, flexing is like you're showing off for no reason. You're showing you're strong, you're showing off, you're flexing. What's exactly the difference between a flex and a T4? That's for another שיעור *shiur*. It's another time. T4 is a therefore. What's it, what's the difference between flex and T4? I don't have it clear myself. It's a שיעור *shiur*, it's a whole, that's a, that's a, that's a שבת שובה דרשה *Shabbos Shuva drasha*. I don't know. But הקדוש ברוך הוא *Hakadosh Baruch Hu* is not just flexing, he's not just showing the world, 'Look at my muscles, look how strong I am, look at how I control everything.' אלא שיכניעו את עצמם לו ולעמו להכניעם בדרך משל ולשחרר את הכלל מלהיות עבדים להם. וזהו מה שכתב, אבל מאז אין אני להניח מפני... רש\"י, להתחנן. זה עיקר הטעם שהקדוש ברוך הוא הראה גדולתו *Ella sheyachni'u es atzmam lo, v'la'amav, lachna'am b'derech hamashal, u'l'shachrer es ha'klal mi'hiyos avadim lahem. V'zehu ma she'kasav, aval m'as ein ani l'hanoch mipnei... Rashi, l'his'chano. Zeh ikar ha'taam she'Hakadosh Baruch Hu hereh gedulaso*. הקדוש ברוך הוא *Hakadosh Baruch Hu* is not flexing, he's not showing off. Why is he displaying his might? Because he wants all of us to say not just 'wow,' but 'wow, I have to make a change. I have to do something different. I have to live my life knowing that there's ה' *Hashem* in the world.' אבל כלל ישראל כשראו את גדולתו הגדול בקריעת ים סוף, קיבלו על עצמם לקיים רצונו של הקדוש ברוך הוא ביתר שאת *Aval Klal Yisrael k'she'ra'u es gadluso ha'gadol b'Krias Yam Suf, kiblu al atzmam l'kayem r'tzono shel Hakadosh Baruch Hu b'yeser se'eis*. How did we react? פרעה *Paro*, it needed to seep down and go בקרבו *b'kirbo*. We at קריעת ים סוף *Krias Yam Suf*, the splitting of the sea, we pointed and we said, 'זה קלי ואנוהו *Zeh Keili v'anveihu*. This is my God and I will glorify him. ואבנה לו בית מקדש *V'evneh lo beis mikdash*, I'm going to build him a house. I'm going to build him a house. I'm going to make room for him in my house. My life and my lifestyle are going to reflect I live it with a God.' Do the people that we interact with, in the store, at work, in our lives, do they know that we are God-fearing? Do we live our lives in such a way that they would say about, 'Oh him, oh her? Oh, she talks about God. Oh, she's disciplined. Oh, she follows morals and ethics. Oh, he lives in a higher level, an awareness, a mindfulness.' זה קלי ואנוהו *Zeh Keili v'anveihu*. Do we point and say this is my God, ואנוהו *v'anveihu*, and I'm going to live a life that reflects, that demonstrates, I'm going to live a life that people will point to and say, 'That's a God-fearing person.' סוד הדבר הוא שכשם שראו את גדולו של הקדוש ברוך הוא, הבינו שהוא נוגע לנו *Sod ha'davar hu she'k'shem she'ra'u es gadlo she'Hakadosh Baruch Hu, he'vinu she'hu nogea lanu*. We can't just say it's for יענעם *yenem*, it's for the other person. That miracle, that amazing thing, that thing that happened, it's for the other person. It's for us. Everything we see, everything we're exposed to, everything we learn about, we should react and we should respond with 'Wow. I can't be the same. I can't be unchanged. I have to be transformed. I have to evaluate my life and what I want to do differently as a result.' You see this as back in פרשת וישלח *Parshas Vayishlach*, he continues. He has a long essay, I'm not even reading you most of it. But he says, יעקב אבינו *Yaakov Avinu* says קטנתי מכל החסדים *katonti mikol hachasadim*. And we ask, הקדוש ברוך הוא עשה ליעקב את כל החסדים שצריכים קודם לכתוב בבית לבן *Hakadosh Baruch Hu osah l'Yaakov es kol hachasadim she'tzrichim k'odem l'chtov b'beis Lavan*. ה' *Hashem* is following through on all the kindness, all the goodness, all the promises he made before יעקב *Yaakov* ever went to the house of לבן *Lavan*. נשמתי לקריאתו וכן שקר שאמר, קטנתי מכל החסדים? הלא כל מידותיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא הן חסד *Nishmatti l'kriasav v'kein shekar she'amar, katonti mikol hachasadim? Halo kol midosav she'Hakadosh Baruch Hu hein chesed*. Can you really empty out the חסד *chesed* bank account of ה' *Hashem*? If ה' *Hashem* made those promises and ה' *Hashem* wants to treat us with kindness, ה' *Hashem* can be good and kind forever. So what is he worried about? And what does it mean מכל האמת *mikol ha'emes*? And I'm worried about all the truth. Why does יעקב *Yaakov* feel קטן *katan* בגלל שהקדוש ברוך הוא דובק באמת, שהוא אמת וחותמו אמת *b'glal she'Hakadosh Baruch Hu doveg b'emes, she'hu emes v'chosamo emes*? So says Rav Shmuel Berenbaum, יעקב *Yaakov* saw the חסד *chesed*, the סיעתא דשמיא *siyata d'shmaya* that ה' *Hashem* did for him. הקדוש ברוך הוא *Hakadosh Baruch Hu* was so kind, כי במקלי עברתי *ki b'makli avarti*, with my staff I crossed, ועתה הייתי לשני מחנות *v'atah hayisi lishnei machanos*, and I was merited great wealth, great health, great longevity, great נחת *nachas*, great success, all הברכות *ha'brachos*. וכן ראית מידת האמת של הקדוש ברוך הוא *V'chein ra'as midas ha'emes she'Hakadosh Baruch Hu*, and you see ה' *Hashem* follows through, ה' *Hashem* fulfilled his promise, ה' *Hashem* was so good to me, and יעקב's *Yaakov's* answer was, I'm so humble, I'm unworthy. So ממילא סבר יעקב שחובה עליו להיות מושפע מראיית כל מידת החסד *So m'meila savar Yaakov she'chova alav l'hiyos mushpa mi're'ias kol midas ha'chesed*. What he meant קטנתי מכל החסדים *katonti mikol hachasadim* was יעקב *Yaakov* is saying to himself, 'I have to be changed. I'm humbled by how good ה' *Hashem* is to me.' That awareness, that recognition, that feeling, when we take stock of our lives and we look and we see what we have, we don't say, 'Well, I deserve it. Well, I'm entitled to it. It's right.' We say, 'Wow, קטנתי *katonti*. I'm humbled. I'm humbled by this incredible life filled with blessing. And how can I demonstrate that humility, that appreciation, that gratitude? What change can I make? What can I do differently? What can I do differently? How can I express it? How can I show it?' He goes on, he has many more things to say. פרק י' ב' *Perek Yud Beis*. פרק י' ב' *Perek Yud Beis*. ולמען תספר באזני בנך ובן בנך את אשר התעללתי במצרים *Ul'maan tesaper b'oznei vincha u'ven vincha es asher hisalalti b'mitzrayim*. ה' *Hashem* says, 'You know why I harden פרעה's *Paro's* heart? Because so that you may relate in the years of your children and your grandchildren that what? אשר התעללתי במצרים *Asher hisalalti b'mitzrayim*. What does the word התעללתי *hisalalti* mean? I made a joke out of the Egyptians. התעללתי *Hisalalti*. Artscroll is kinder, so it writes, I made a mockery out of Egypt. But I'll put it in the vernacular. I turned them into a joke. They're a joke. They're a nothing. They're a nothing. ואת אותתי אשר שמתי בם וידעתם כי אני ה' *V'es ososai asher samti bam, v'yidatem ki ani Hashem*. And you'll know that I am God. Wonders of Rav Shmuel Berenbaum again. מה ענין התעללתי? היכן מצינו ענין לעשות צחוק על בני אדם? *Ma inyan hisalalti? Heichen matzinu inyan laasos tzchok al bnei adam?* Where did ה' *Hashem* became a comedian now? Now he's on the comedy circuit? 'I made a joke, I made a mockery out of them.' He's telling jokes? Where do we find ה' *Hashem* is making a joke out of people? ה' *Hashem* takes things seriously. So if in earnest he needs to stop and punish the Egyptians for what they did, good, do that. אשר התעללתי *Asher hisalalti*? Now ה' *Hashem* is flexing over what a mockery and what a joke he made out of מצרים *Mitzrayim*. אדרבה *Adrabba*, after all, we have a פסוק *pasuk* in משלי *Mishlei*, פרק י\"ד *perek yud-daled*, בנפול אויבך אל תשמח *binfol oyvecha al tismach*. We're not supposed to rejoice. פרקי אבות *Pirkei Avos* quotes this פסוק *pasuk*, attributes it to שמואל הקטן *Shmuel HaKatan*. שמואל הקטן *Shmuel HaKatan* said, בנפול אויבך אל תשמח *binfol oyvecha al tismach*. Why שמואל הקטן *Shmuel HaKatan*? Where do you know שמואל הקטן's *Shmuel HaKatan's* name from? He is the author of the 19th ברכה *bracha* of the עמידה *Amida*, the ברכה *bracha* of ולמלשינים *V'la'malshinim*. I read an article a few weeks ago about who I have in mind when I say this ברכה *bracha* of ולמלשינים *V'la'malshinim*, which of the Jews are taking the wrong side, turning us over to the wrong people, falsely accusing, advocating or aligning or or protesting with our enemies. That's who I have in mind when I say ולמלשינים *V'la'malshinim*. שמואל הקטן *Shmuel HaKatan* was the only one who could write that ברכה *bracha* because he had no personal malice, because after all, he's the one who lived, בנפול אויבך אל תשמח *binfol oyvecha al tismach*. He didn't get any, he didn't rejoice, he didn't get a געשמאק *gishmak* out of the downfall of an enemy. So with that sincerity and with that authenticity, he was the only one who could write that ברכה *bracha* of ולמלשינים *V'la'malshinim*, עיין סדר נספח *ayin s'der nesapech* for more on ולמלשינים *V'la'malshinim*. So the אדרבה *Adrabba*, the פסוק *pasuk* says, 'Don't party in the downfall of your enemy.' And now ה' *Hashem* is like, 'I made a joke out of מצרים *Mitzrayim*. אשר התעללתי *Asher hisalalti*. I destroyed Egypt, I made a joke out of Egypt, Egypt is nothing, I took down Egypt.' הקדוש ברוך הוא *Hakadosh Baruch Hu*, this is ה' *Hashem* talking, אשר התעללתי *asher hisalalti*? עוד צריכים להבין, למה יש עניין מיוחד לספר לבנינו באזני בנך *Od tzrichin lahavin, lama yesh inyan meyuchad l'saper l'vaneinu b'oznei bincha*. And this notion that ה' *Hashem* is so proudly celebrating and flexing, 'I made a joke out of Egypt,' where do you have to tell it? 'In the ears of your children.' Whisper it to your אייניקלעך *aineklach*, to your grandchildren, פנחס ובן בנך *Pinchas u'ven bincha*. למה לא יהיה מספיק רק לספר להם מה שאמר בסוף הפסוק, את אותותי אשר שמתי בם *Lama lo yiyeh maspik rak l'saper lahem ma she'amar b'sof ha'pasuk, 'Es ososai asher samti bam*.' Why wouldn't it be enough to say, 'My signs I placed them?' So tell your children and your grandchildren about the 10 plagues. Why that you turned Egypt into a joke? Moreover, why דוקא מכת ארבה *davka makkas arbeh*? Now it says התעללתי *hisalalti* with the מכה *makkah* of ארבה *arbeh*. What's the מכה *makkah* of ארבה *arbeh*? Locusts. What is it about this מכה *makkah*, this plague that ה' *Hashem* says, 'I turned them into a joke?' Good. Says Rav Shmuel Berenbaum, יש לומר דאחר כל מכה שפרעה ועמו קיבלו, כבר באו להכרה שכי אני ה' בקרב הארץ *yesh lomer d'achar kol makkah she'Paro v'amo kiblu, k'var ba'u l'hakara she'ki ani Hashem b'kerev ha'aretz*. We already see a hint and illusion, פרעה *Paro* and the Egyptian people have already said, we now know that there's a God. We've seen his hand. We know he's in charge. וראו שיש בעל הבית לבריאה, ששולט על שמים וארץ ועושה כרצונו *V'ra'u she'yesh baal habayis l'briah, she'sholet al shamayim v'aretz v'oseh ba'kirzono*, who rules over heaven and earth and everything in it. אבל פרעה היה סובר שאף על פי כן אין להכנע לעצמו להקדוש ברוך הוא *Aval Paro haya sover she'af al pi chein ein l'hichanea la'atzmo l'Kadosh Baruch Hu*. But he says to himself, 'Even though I know academically, intellectually, I know that there's a God, I don't have to surrender, I don't have to submit to him.' ואף סובר שיכול להילחם כנגדו *V'af sover she'yachol l'hi'lachem kenegdo*, I can even go to war with him. ויאסור את רכבו *V'yasor es richbo*, we're reading אז ישיר *Az Yashir*, how פרעה *Paro* got his chariot, got his horses, got his weapons, and went to war with God himself. לפיכך אחר שהקדוש ברוך הוא כבר הוכיח לו שהוא הבעל הבית, הוא הבעל היכולת ובעל הכחות כולם, אף על פי כן הוא עומד במרדו *L'fichach achar she'Hakadosh Baruch Hu k'var hocheach lo she'hu ha'baal ha'bayis, hu ha'baal ha'yecholes v'baal ha'kochos kulam, af al pi chein hu omed b'merdo*, פרעה *Paro* remained in his rebellion even after God already displayed his hand. שכבר לא היו לו אף שק כשמי ה' *She'k'var lo hayu lo af shek k'she'Mi Hashem*, פרעה *Paro* is no longer saying, 'Who God? Which God? What God? I never heard of God.' Now he's been introduced to God. He knows God. ה' הצדיק ואני ועמי הרשעים *Hashem ha'tzadik v'ani v'ami ha'r'shaim*. So now הקדוש ברוך הוא *Hakadosh Baruch Hu* says, 'Now I need to להתעלל במצרים *l'his'alel b'mitzrayim*.' כשהוא עומד במרדו לחשוב שהוא מן דאמר *K'she'hu omed b'merdo lachshov she'hu man d'amar*. Now ה' *Hashem* says, 'It's not enough for פרעה *Paro* to acknowledge I exist. I need to turn him into a joke because I need the world to know אין עוד מלבדו *ein od milvado*. אין עוד מלבדו *Ein od milvado*. Hezbollah flexed, and we were worried. Hundreds of thousands of miss missiles stockpiled a year ago, all the political pundits predicted if Hezbollah is drawn into this war, Israel can't fight on two fronts. If Hezbollah is drawn into this war, Iron Dome and the Arrow, they'll be overwhelmed, they can never withstand the missiles. And the pagers made a joke of Hezbollah. Ronen Bergman, an expert on the Mossad, recently spoke here and he said, more than the thousands of injuries, more than sidelining the Hezbollah fighters was humiliating them on the public world stage. Our enemies, our enemies, they don't value life, not their own, not ours. You know what they value? They want respect and honor. And when we make a joke of them, that's what hurts the most. That's what sets them back the farthest. And that pager miracle, which is nothing short of a pager miracle, למען אשר התעללתי במצרים *l'maan, asher hisalalti b'mitzrayim*. הקדוש ברוך הוא *Hakadosh Baruch Hu* made a joke. Because you know they they they acknowledge God. זהו שהקדוש ברוך הוא הראה במכת ארבה, הוא ענין התעללתי. אף על פי הבריאה קלה שלי כמו ארבה יכול לכלות את כל מצרים *Zehu she'Hakadosh Baruch Hu hereh b'makkas arbeh, hu inyan hisalalti. Af al pi ha'briah kalla sheli k'mo arbeh, yachol l'chalos es kol Mitzrayim*. Little locust could bring down all of the mighty Egypt, the mighty Egyptian Empire, the mighty Hezbollah fighters, little pagers sitting on their belt. No Israeli soldier entered to fight Hezbollah at that time. When the little pagers. וזהו התעללתי. הם סוברים שהם גיבורים ויכולים לעשות עמי מלחמה *V'zehu hisalalti. Heim sovrim she'hem giborim v'yecholim laasos imi milchama*. They think they're so great, they're so high, they're so mighty, they can go to war with God himself. הקדוש ברוך הוא *Hakadosh Baruch Hu* says, 'I need to humiliate them. I need to humble them.' How? Not only defeating them physically, but making a mockery of them. You see this as well in גיטין *Gittin*. גמרא גיטין דף נ\"ו *Gemara Gittin daf nun-vav* tells us the story, if אברהם *Avram* is אבינו *Avinu* and משה *Moshe* is רבינו *Rabeinu* and יוסף *Yosef* is הצדיק *HaTzadik* and דוד *David* is המלך *HaMelech*, all of these great people have appellations, they have titles. Whom do we refer to as הרשע *HaRasha*? Who is the wicked one? Our rabbis knew him as הרשע *HaRasha*, the wicked one. None other than טיטוס *Titus*, טיטוס הרשע *Titus HaRasha*. עשו *Eisav* is a רשע *rasha*, we have no end, we have no shortage of רשעים *reshaim*. But טיטוס הרשע *Titus HaRasha*. The גמרא *Gemara* in גיטין דף נ\"ו *Gittin daf nun-vav* tells us, טיטוס *Titus*, טיטוס הרשע *Titus HaRasha*, the Roman general who came into the קודש הקדשים *Kodesh HaKodashim* and did unspeakable things there, and he pierced the פרוכת *paroches* with a sword, and God made it bleed. And טיטוס *Titus*, טיטוס *Titus* had the gall, the brazenness to say he defeated, he killed the God of the Jews, the Almighty himself. The גמרא *Gemara* there says that ה' *Hashem* chose to stay quiet. We say in our דאווענען *davening*, מי כמוך באלים ה' *mi kamocha ba'eilim Hashem*, who is as great and strong and mighty as you? That גמרא *Gemara* in גיטין *Gittin* says, 'Don't read it מי כמוך באלים *mi kamocha ba'eilim*, read it מי כמוך באלמים *mi kamocha b'ilmim*.' It doesn't take might and strength to yell, to scream, to lash out. You know what takes the greatest strength? To stay quiet. To absorb the blow. Someone can curse you out, scream at you, say whatever they want, and you don't respond. That takes even greater strength than yelling and screaming and fighting back. מן העלובים ואינם עולבים, שומעים חרפתם ואינם משיבים *Min ha'alvin v'einam olvim, shomeim cherpasam v'einam m'shivim*. To be able to absorb an insult and not return it, don't escalate it, just stay quiet. That's what ה' *Hashem* did. But the גמרא *Gemara* there tells us that ה' *Hashem* paid him back later. How? What did he do? A little nat crawled into the ear of טיטוס הרשע *Titus HaRasha* while he was sleeping, and that little nat, that little bug that crawled into his ear, it grew inside his brain, and it rang and it rang and it rang until it drove טיטוס *Titus* crazy, crazy. There's an article in the journal, I don't know if it's the American Journal of Medicine, it's an American, it's in a journal of medicine, I have the actual article, that claims that the condition known as tinnitus is named such because it is named for טיטוס *Titus*. Tinnitus, the endless ringing in the ears, is named for טיטוס הרשע *Titus HaRasha* because of the little nat that crawled into his ear and rang endlessly in his head. And it says when he died, the Romans did an autopsy, and what started as a little nat had grown into this large, large animal inside his brain. And ה' *Hashem* had the last laugh. Because ה' *Hashem*, his people, we are all still here. טיטוס *Titus* was tortured, how? By a בריאה קלה *briah kalla*, by a little nat, by a גאָרנישט *gornisht*, by a little fly, by a nothing. למען התעלל *L'maan his'alel*, again, Parsha Perspectives for today, so far all these דברי תורה *divrei Torah* relate to right now. בקרבו *B'kirbo*, we have to be changed and transformed by the miracles we're seeing. אשר התעללתי *Asher hisalalti*, we have to see the mockery ה' *Hashem* has made of them. They think they're so high and mighty, they can go to war with ה' *Hashem* and his people. ה' *Hashem* is not only enabling us miraculously, for which we are so grateful, בלי עין הרע *bli ayin hara*, to defeat our enemies, he's done it in a way that is a mockery, that is a mockery of them, that is a mockery of them. פרק י\"א פסוק א' *Perek Yud Alef, Pasuk Alef*. Turn the page. We'll come back to תפארת שמואל *Tiferes Shmuel*. פרק י\"א *Perek Yud Alef*. We're making our way through now. Sorry, פרק *perek*, yeah, י\"א *Yud Alef*. We're making our way through the eighth plague, the ninth plague of darkness. Ninth plague of darkness. Is darkness such a plague? You never lived in a blackout? Is it such a plague? So horrible? It's the penultimate plague? So there's all kinds of answers we've spoken about a countless times in the past. I said I wasn't going to repeat דברי תורה *divrei Torah*, but I'll just tell you the חידושי הרי\"ם *Chiddushei Harim*. What was the plague of darkness? לא ראו איש את אחיו *Lo ra'u ish es achiv*. The plague was not the climate, the environment, the darkness in the air. It's a plague when people can't see their brother. When everyone is living such a self-centered, self- selfish, narcissistic, egocentric life that לא ראו איש את אחיו *lo ra'u ish es achiv*. When people are so obsessed and consumed with themselves that you can't even see your brother, your sister, the person next to you, that טאקע *takeh* is a plague on your house. That's a plague. לא ראו איש את אחיו *Lo ra'u ish es achiv*. That was the plague of darkness. The duration of the plague, פרעה's *Paro's* offerings, fine. Then we have פרק י\"א *Perek Yud Alef*, page 346. ויאמר ה' אל משה עוד נגע אחד אביא על פרעה *Vayomer Hashem el Moshe, od nega echad avi al Paro*. One more plague I'm bringing on פרעה *Paro* and on מצרים *Mitzrayim*, on the Egyptians. אחרי כן ישלח אתכם מזה *Acharei chein y'shalach eschem mi'zeh*. After one more plague, God will let you out. כשלחו כלה גרש יגרש אתכם מזה *K'shalcho kallah gareish y'gareish eschem mi'zeh*. It'll be complete, he'll drive you out. Same word, גרש יגרש *gareish y'gareish*, like גירושין *geirushin*. ה' *Hashem*'s פרעה *Paro*, finally, one more plague, he's divorcing you. He's sending you out. It's a divorce, it's over, he's finished with you, he's going to get rid of you, he's done with you. פרק י\"א פסוק א' *Perek Yud Alef, Pasuk Alef*. עוד נגע אחד *Od nega echad*. Rav Soloveitchik writes, I never saw this or thought of this until this year. We have the privilege of knowing the story and then we read it. So we all know, every little child, every little Jewish child who's blessed and privileged to have a Jewish education knows from their youngest of age that how many plagues are there? 10. Everybody knows that. 10 plagues, דם, צפרדע *dam, tzefardeya*. from the little youngest age, they come back to the table to take out the little drops, make sure they're perfect, be able to count them. It's when the props come out, it's when the costumes come out, that's the fun time at the סדר *Seder*. Everybody knows there are 10 plagues. Everybody knows, right? When did פרעה *Paro* know? When did משה *Moshe* and אהרן *Aaron* learn? We have the privilege of hindsight. We know. But how did they know? Maybe as they're going, דם, צפרדע, כינים, ערוב *dam, tzefardeya, kinim, or*, it's going on. Maybe there's going to be 20, 50, 100. How long is this going to last? Writes Rav Soloveitchik, not until after the ninth plague did God reveal to משה *Moshe* that there would be a total of 10. עוד נגע אחד אביא על פרעה *Od nega echad avi al Paro*. One more to go. ה' *Hashem* also did not reveal when יציאת מצרים *Yetzias Mitzrayim* would take place until this point. They also didn't know when they're getting out. Maybe they're going to be destined to stay in. 10 more years, 50 more years. It's only been 210 years and ברית בין הבתרים *Bris Bein Ha'bsarim*, ה' *Hashem* told אברהם *Avram*, how many years were your children be in Egypt for? 400. So they don't know until now. It changes everything. It's a whole new way of reading it, not through our eyes, through theirs. פרעה *Paro*, משה *Moshe* and אהרן *Aaron* and all the people, they didn't know that there's a total of 10 plagues until this moment. עוד נגע אחד *Od nega echad*. One more to go. They didn't know that with the 10th plague, with the final plague, they also didn't know that they'd be going free. This would be it. Similarly, throughout the desert sojourn, כלל ישראל *Klal Yisrael* did not know how often or where they'd be moved. The uncertainty. So wonders Rav Soloveitchik, why? Why the mystery? Why keep it a secret? Everybody wants to know, 'How much longer till we're there yet? When are we leaving? Are we almost home? How many more to go?' Right? Everybody knows. Every kid knows, not only how many מכות *makkos* there are, all of ראש השנה *Rosh Hashanah* and יום כיפור *Yom Kippur* דאווענען *davening*, they also know exactly how many pages are left in the מחזור *machzor*. And then, if they're using Hebrew English, when they realize they could divide by two, it's the best moment of ראש השנה *Rosh Hashanah* and יום כיפור *Yom Kippur*. So, why the mystery here? ה' *Hashem* can't be telling us, there's 10 מכות *makkos*. Before the first say, just want to let you know so you can plan accordingly, there's going to be 10. Just want to let you know, we're going to be taking you out, such and such date. Just want to let you know, we're going to be camped here a few more days, a few more weeks, then we're going. And then we're going to go on the road this length of time, then we're going to camp. What's with all the mystery? Says Rav Soloveitchik in one sentence, 'The uncertainty required כלל ישראל *Klal Yisrael* to develop faith in ה' *Hashem*.' We need to be prepared for lives of uncertainty. We don't get, we don't get the crystal ball. We don't know when, who, where, what. We do our best. We live our lives. We let go, we let God. We surrender, we submit, and we put down all the baggage because we are along for the ride with ה' *Hashem*. And when we feel entitled, and when we demand answers, and we think we're going to get the calendar and the schedule, we're going to get the itinerary, we're going to get the agenda, we're going to get the stops and how long, we're going to, no, no, no, no. We do the best we can, we set out, and our lives are designed by definition with uncertainty, why? Because that helps us develop a relationship and faith in ה' *Hashem*. פרק י\"א פסוק ג' *Perek Yud Alef, Pasuk Gimmel*. ויתן ה' את חן העם בעיני מצרים, גם האיש משה גדול מאד בארץ מצרים, בעיני עבדי פרעה ובעיני העם *Vayitein Hashem es chein ha'am b'einei Mitzrayim, gam ha'ish Moshe gadol me'od b'eretz Mitzrayim, b'einei avdei Paro, u'v'einei ha'am*. ה' *Hashem* granted the people favor in the eyes of Egypt, and moreover, האיש משה *ha'ish Moshe*, משה *Moshe* is גדול מאד בארץ מצרים *gadol me'od b'eretz Mitzrayim*. He's a big man in Egypt. He's a big man on campus, בעיני עבדי פרעה *b'einei avdei Paro*, ובעיני העם *u'v'einei ha'am*. Everywhere, in all of Egypt, everyone knows משה *Moshe*, and the servants of פרעה *Paro* know משה *Moshe*, and the people know משה *Moshe*. Everybody knows, everybody knows משה *Moshe*. Everybody knows משה *Moshe*. Now, wonders of Rav Shmuel Berenbaum. בשלמא שהיה גדול מאד בעיני כלל ישראל מובן *Be'shloma she'haya gadol me'od b'einei Klal Yisrael muvan*. I understand why he's the biggest celebrity and the biggest influencer among the Jewish people. I got it. Why? He's the liberator. He's the hero. He's taking them out. Of course, he's a big man. He's a גדול שבגדולים *gadol she'b'gedolim*. He's our hero. However, דהיה בייתר שמשה ישראל ופרט שכל זמן המכות לא היו עובדים עבודת פרך *da'yehu b'yoter she'Moshe she'Yisrael v'prat shekol zman ha'makkos lo hayu ovdim avodas perech*. All the time of the מכות *makkos*, there was some relief. there was some reprieve when each מכה *makka* was carried out, כלל ישראל *Klal Yisrael* got to take a deep breath. And who's the one who warned and cautioned and brought the מכה *makka*? משה *Moshe*. So משה *Moshe* is איש גדול *ish gadol*, גדול מאד *gadol me'od*, I get it among the Jewish people. והאיש משה גדול בעיני עבדי פרעה *V'haish Moshe gadol b'einei avdei Paroh*, אינו מובן *einam muvan*. שהרי, הם לקו על ידו בגופם ובממונם *Sha'arei, heim laku al yado b'gufam u'v'mamonam*. The Egyptians think that משה *Moshe* is the man? The main man, the man with the plan, the big man on campus? He's איש גדול מאד *ish gadol me'od*? The Egyptians? What do you mean? He's the villain. He's the enemy. He's the one who destroyed your property. He's the one who made you lose your house, your livestock. He's the one who brought these plagues on your home, literally. אדרבה, היה להיות האדם שהוא שנוא ביותר במצרים *Adrabba, hayah l'hiyos ha'adam she'hu sanu biyoser b'Mitzrayim*. וכאן, לא רק שלא שונאו אותו, היה בעיניהם גדול מאד *V'kaan, lo rak shelo son'u oso, hayah b'eineihem gadol me'od*. Not only do the Egyptians and does the cabinet of Paro not hate משה *Moshe*, they are impressed with משה *Moshe*. They admire משה *Moshe*. To them, משה *Moshe* is גדול מאד *gadol me'od*. It's an anomaly. It doesn't make sense. It's a great question. I love learning דברי תורה *divrei Torah* that ask a question that after it's asked, it's obvious. And you find yourself wondering, how come I never asked it before? And now, I need an answer. ומבואר מכאן שהמצרים ראו במשה את עניוותתו הגדולה *U'mivuar mi'kaan d'haMitzrim ra'u b'Moshe es anivuso ha'gedolah*. ושממילא כל מה שעשה היה אך בשליחות הקדוש ברוך הוא *U'she'mi'meila kol ma she'asah hayah ach b'shlichus HaKadosh Baruch Hu*. והוא היה משה עבד השם *V'hu hayah Moshe eved Hashem*. Do you know what impressed? Do you know what inspired? Do you know what they admired about משה *Moshe*? That משה *Moshe* never made it about him. He wasn't the celebrity or influencer who was building his brand. משה *Moshe* always represented the Almighty. He defined himself, his calling card said, משה *Moshe*, didn't say CEO, founder, president, makka-bringer, plague-slayer. What did it say? משה *Moshe*. What was his title underneath on his card? עבד השם *Eved Hashem*. Nice to meet you. I'm משה *Moshe*, I'll be bringing the next plague. Here's my card, עבד השם *Eved Hashem*. ולכן לא היה להם שום טענה עליו *V'lachein lo hayah lahem shum ta'anah alav*. כי הרגישו ממש שהוא שליחא דרחמנא *Ki hirgishu mamash she'hu shliach d'Rachmana*. So even the very people that were being struck by the very plague that he was bringing never held it against him. Why? Because they understood it wasn't from him and it wasn't about him. He was just the agent, the ambassador of השם *Hashem*. ולא זו בלבד *V'lo zu bilvad*. מזה היו מכבדים אותו, כי ידעו במעשיו שאינו עושה כלום מלבו, אך ורק על דעת בוראו *Mi'zeh hayah kibdu oso, ki yar'u b'ma'asav she'eino oseh klum mi'libo, ach v'rak al da'as Bor'o*. They didn't hold it against him. Everything he did wasn't of his own will or volition. It all was as an agent of השם *Hashem*. אף בתחילה כשבא משה רבינו הוא עשה געלעכטער מאחרי החרטומים *Af b'thchila k'sheba Moshe Rabbeinu hu asah gelechter me'achar haChartumim*. He made צחוק *tzchok*. He made a joke. אף על פי כן אחר כך באו להכיר שאינו מכוון כלל טובת עצמו *Af al pi chein acharei kach ba'u l'hakar she'eino mechaven klal tovas atzmo*. והוא עושה שליחותו של הקדוש ברוך הוא בלבד *V'hu oseh shlichuso shel HaKadosh Baruch Hu bilvad*. You know, there are two types of people online. There are those who make it about themselves. It's always about them, their brand, their name, their face, where they are, what they just ate, what they're doing, who they met, who they're with, where they've been invited to speak, what they were. And then there are the people that's all השם *Hashem*. השם *Hashem* is the brand. השם *Hashem* is the mission. What's השם's *Hashem's* message? What's השם's *Hashem's* vision? How can we help prepare and redeem in the world in השם's *Hashem's* image? It's השם *Hashem*. And that's who we should respect and admire. That's who's גדול מאד *gadol me'od*. ולומדים מזה יסוד גדול *U'l'meidim mi'zeh yesod gadol*. Says the ראש ישיבה *Rosh Yeshiva*, דמי שעושה רצון השם בלי נגיעות, לא יהיו לאחרים שום טענות על מעשיו *d'mi she'oseh r'tzon Hashem bli negius, lo yihyu l'acheirim shum tainos al ma'asav*. When a person carries themselves with humility as an agent of השם *Hashem*, not about them, then others will not hold it against them, even when they become the victim of that decision. כיוון שמכירים שאינו עושה הכל על דעת עצמו, אלא עושה את רצון השם בלבד *Keivan she'makirim she'eino oseh kol al daas atzmo, ela oseh es r'tzon Hashem bilvad*. מה שאין כן אם נראה על מעשיו שיש לו נגיעות, אז יהיו לאנשים טענות עליו *Ma she'ein kein im nir'eh al ma'asav she'yeish lo negius, az yihyu l'anashim tainos alav*. כיוון שלא כל מעשיו הם בגדר שליחא דרחמנא *Keivan she'lo kol ma'asav hem b'geder shliach d'Rachmana*. It's true in a work setting. You know, if a boss has to give constructive criticism, sometimes even let someone go, but if it's not personal, and if it's not about them, it's not about their ego, it's about the good of the company, maybe even about the good of the person that's being let go, then it's not held against them. It's not held against them. That's why משה *Moshe* earned the admiration and the respect even of the מצרים *Mitzrim* and even of the עבדי פרעה *avdei Paroh*. It's who we are and how we're meant to carry ourselves also to leave that impression on all that we are agents of השם *Hashem*. It's not of our own volition. We're not looking to be influencers, we're looking to have influence on השם's *Hashem's* world in השם's *Hashem's* image. פרק י\"א, פסוק ה' *Perek Yud Aleph, Pasuk Hey*. Flying right along. ויאמר משה כה אמר השם כחצות הלילה אני יוצא בתוך מצרים *Vayomer Moshe, koh amar Hashem, k'chatzos halayla ani yotzei b'soch Mitzrayim*. משה *Moshe* tells, I'm that tells the Paro and the people, השם's *Hashem's* coming for you. You know what time? You can set your clock to it. You know when he's coming? At about midnight. That's not what השם *Hashem* said. השם *Hashem* didn't say I'm coming כחצות *k'chatzos*, at about midnight. What did השם *Hashem* say? He's coming when? בחצות *B'chatzos*. Midnight. Set your clock to it. I'm coming for you. So why did משה *Moshe* change it to כחצות *k'chatzos*? First of all, it's the humility of משה *Moshe*. Human beings by definition are imprecise. No matter what kind of, what do they call those clocks? Atomic. No matter how fine-tuned your atomic clock, we can never be precise to be able to say definitively, בחצות *b'chatzos*, at midnight. It is the humility to say כחצות *k'chatzos*, approximately, at about. Moreover, רש\"י *Rashi* quotes, why did he say כחצות *k'chatzos*? Because what was going to happen? If the Egyptian, forget משה's *Moshe's* clock, it was going to be precise. What if the Egyptian clocks were off? And all of a sudden now, מכת בכורות *makkas b'choros* has happened at 11:59 and 59 seconds, at 12:00 and three seconds. You know what they'd say? Wasn't God. Wasn't him. All the מפרשים *meforshim* jump on this and ask, we may have spent this in the past. Really? You're telling me after nine plagues, this 10th extraordinary event happens that simultaneously all firstborn across all of Egypt drop dead, and because it seems to be a millisecond off, someone's going to say it wasn't God? And the answer is, yeah, that's exactly what we all do. We find any excuse, any reason, any rationale to say, it was nature, it wasn't God. It doesn't have to mean anything for me. I don't have to change anything in my life. We act just like that, finding any even irrational reason to ascribe it to not being God. But anyway, ומת כל בכור בארץ מצרים מבכר פרעה הישב על כסאו עד בכור השפחה אשר אחר הרחים *V'meis kol b'chor b'eretz Mitzrayim mi'b'chor Paroh hayosheiv al kis'o ad b'chor hashifcha asher achar harechayim*. Every firstborn in Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Paro sitting on his throne until the firstborn of the lowly maidservant, וכל בכור בהמה *v'chol b'chor beheima*. Even the firstborn of, of the animal. Even the firstborn of the animal. Says the שם משמואל *Shem MiShmuel*. We're going to get to other insights. But says Rav Shmuel Berenbaum. Quotes רש\"י *Rashi*. כל הפחותין מבכור פרעה והחשובים מבכור השפחה היו בכלל *Kol hap'chusin mi'b'chor Paroh v'chashuvin mi'b'chor hashifcha hayah b'chlal*. All firstborns were included. How do we depict the range of firstborns? From the firstborn of Paro, aristocracy, royalty, wealth, to the firstborn of the lowly שפחה *shifcha*. ולמה לקו בני השפחות *B'lama laku bnei hashfachos*? שאף הם היו משעבדים בהם ושמחים בצרתם *She'af heim hayu m'shabdim bahem u'smeichim b'tzarasam*. So you'll say, I understand, I don't understand, but I understand why the firstborn of Paro were punished. But why the firstborn of the lowly שפחה *shifcha*? What did the maidservant, what did the housekeeper do wrong? What did she do wrong? She's an employee, she's working. He's working. Why were their children struck as well? רש\"י *Rashi* answers, you know why? שאף הם היו משעבדים בהם ושמחים בצרתם *she'af heim hayu m'shabdim bahem u'smeichim b'tzarasam*. What was their crime? And in what way were they accomplices? Because when the maidservant overheard their Egyptian master torturing and oppressing the Jew, they had a little smile on their face. They got a little joy, a little gishmak. And that egged on, that urged on the Mitzri to further oppress and further persecute, and for that they're an accomplice. Says Rav Shmuel Berenbaum, דוש, למה כל הבכורים נענשו, כי המה שהיו משעבדים כלל ישראל בעבודת פרך *Dush, lama kol ha'b'chorim ne'enshu, ki hamea she'hayu m'shabdim Klal Yisrael b'avodas parech*. לפיכך ראויים היו לחייב מיתה, אבל בכור השבי, שהיו שמחים בצרתם *L'fi kach ra'uyim hayu l'chayev misa, aval b'chor hash'vi, she'hayu s'meichim b'tzarasam*. אף פי שודאי מדה רעה לשמוח בצרת אחרים, אף פי שהוא אויב שלו, בנפל אויבך אל תשמח *Af pi shevadai midah ra'ah lismoach b'tzar acherim... af pi she'hu oyev shelo... b'nefol oyvecha al tismach*. זהו סיבה שיתחייב למות בזה *Zeh hu sibah she'yitchayev lamos b'zeh*? I don't understand. Even those who were held captive, Egypt was an empire that tortured not only the Jew. Egypt was the strongest empire on the globe. And they also captured other peoples, and they had in their prisons other peoples. And those people, their בכור *b'chor* died too. So says Rav Shmuel Berenbaum, what did they do wrong? ויש לומר, שטבע האדם הוא כשעושה מעשה רשעות, ובפרט רשעות הגדולה שהמצרים היו עושים, היו מענים ומשעבדים את ישראל *V'yesh lomar, d'tevah ha'adam hu k'she'oseh ma'aseh rish'us, u'vifrat rish'us ha'gedolah sheha'Mitzrim hayu osim... hayu ma'anim u'm'shabdim es Yisrael*. כשיש בני אדם שעומד ורואה מעשיהם ועומד שם ומחייך להם, הרי בזה הוא מחזק את מעשיהם *k'sheyesh bnei adam she'omed v'ro'eh ma'aseihem v'omed sham u'mechayech lahem, harei b'zeh hu mechazek es ma'aseihem*. When a person is doing evil, when a person is perpetrating, perpetrating evil, and someone gives them a smile of approval, someone protests in their favor, someone eggs them on, urges them, somebody posts a יישר כח *yasher koach* to them, בזה הוא מחזק את מעשיהם *b'zeh hu mechazek es ma'aseihem*. הוא נותן כח וחיזוק לעושי הרע להוסיף עוד ברשעותם *hu nosein koach v'chizuk l'osei ha'ra l'hosif od b'rish'osam*. ולפיכך יש להם חלק כמו שעשו הם בעצמם *u'l'fikach yesh lahem chelek k'mo she'asu hem b'atzmam*. Those campus protests that are aligning and accompanying and urging חמאס *Hamas* and חזבאללה *Hezbollah* and the Houthis and all seven fronts that Israel's fighting, you'll say, what did they do? They didn't pick up a weapon, they didn't attack a Jew. What did they do that's so wrong? Those supposed Jewish organizations that are supposed pro-Israel that are also calling what Israel did in Gaza genocide, what did they do? They didn't take any Jewish hostages, they didn't kill any Jewish, any Jewish soldiers. The answer is, whether they're posting online or offline, when you smile at, when you encourage, when you egg on, when you urge evil, you become an accomplice to evil, you are accountable for that evil, and you make it onto my ולמלשינים *V'lamalshinim* list. When you vote to not sanction the ICC, somehow, you're not protecting your people, should be honest about your name, you're a shoemaker, and you are belonging on the ולמלשינים *V'lamalshinim* list, because you abandon a people, when you smile and you urge and you egg on our enemies by using their language, by using their language, genocide, criminal court, wanting to hold the prime minister of Israel, whatever you think about his politics, to call him a criminal who's guilty of genocide, you're an accomplice to those enemies and you're accountable, and you're accountable, says Rav Shmuel Berenbaum. And that's why the בכור *b'chor* even of the שפחה *shifcha*, the בכור *b'chor* even of those in שבי *shevi*, they smiled. They egged on, they urged, they voted with, they used the language with, they protested with, they held up the banners with, they wore the flag or the pin of, and they urged on that evil, they're accomplice to that evil, and they're accountable too, even if they're not guilty of perpetrating the exact act itself. י\"ב *Yud Beis*, I'm not speaking about anybody or anything specific. י\"ב, י\"ג *Yud Beis, Yud Gimmel*. פרק י\"ב, פסוק ג' *Perek Yud Beis, Pasuk Gimmel*. Page 348. ויאמר השם אל משה ואל אהרן בארץ מצרים לאמר *Vayomer Hashem el Moshe v'el Aharon b'eretz Mitzrayim leimor*. Hashem says to Moshe, here we interrupt our story to bring to you the first מצוה *mitzvah* in the תורה *Torah*. The מצוה *mitzvah* of החודש הזה לכם *Hachodesh hazeh lachem*. Bizarre, abrupt interruption of the narrative and the story, and all of a sudden we have the gift of החודש הזה לכם *Hachodesh hazeh lachem*. החודש הזה לכם ראש חדשים *Hachodesh hazeh lachem rosh chodoshim*. Hashem gives us this first mitzvah that רש\"י *Rashi* at the very beginning of בראשית *Bereishis* says, really we should have started from here. Why did we start from God created heaven and earth? He rested on the seventh day. אברהם, יצחק, יעקב *Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov*, skip right to פרשת בא *Parshas Bo*. Direct beeline, right to פרשת בא *Parshas Bo*. Why didn't we? In order to communicate our right to our land. That we have, I wrote about this past week, America is going to celebrate its 250th anniversary. We had its 60th inauguration. You think you're here forever? It's גוייש *goy-nish*. Israel's connection, Jewish people's connection to Israel is 16 times longer, 4,000 years old. That's what בראשית *Bereishis* is all about, to tell us he created the world and everything in it. He gave us that land and it's ours, and forget the אומות העולם *umos ha'olam*, because that's not going to convince anyone at the UN, no matter how good the new ambassador may be, but rather it's to convince us, as we see, if our own people don't believe it, if our own people don't proclaim it, if our own people don't stand by it, then we can't expect anyone else to either. That's why we had all ספר בראשית *Sefer Bereishis*. So we should have started from now. החודש הזה לכם *Hachodesh hazeh lachem*. Why do we abruptly interrupt? Why is it here? And why do we call this the first מצוה *mitzvah*? We already had מילה *milah* and פרו ורבו *pru u'rvu*, we had other מצוות *mitzvos*. And why now in מצרים *Mitzrayim*? If I were going to say to you, this slave nation, 210 years, taking them out. What mitzvah should we give them? How should we get them started on a path, on a life of holiness and happiness? What would you suggest? שבת *Shabbos*, כשרות *kashrus*, טהרת המשפחה *taharas hamishpacha*. Probably wouldn't have suggested sanctify the new moon and set the calendar. So why is that the first מצוה *mitzvah*? We're not going to give the answer because you should have come to the יום כיפור קטן *Yom Kippur Katan*. We spoke about it there. Three answers to that question. Why החודש הזה לכם *Hachodesh hazeh lachem*? Maybe I'll post it. I recorded it what I said there. The divrei hisorirus for our Yom Kippur Katan. Tonight is ראש חודש *rosh chodesh*. The new month. החודש הזה, החידוש הזה *Hachodesh hazeh, ha'chiddush hazeh* should bring newness and freshness and a new beginning. It should bring a בשורות טובות *b'soros tovos* and good tidings. So, Pasuk Gimmel. דברו אל כל עדת ישראל לאמר בעשור לחדש הזה *Dabru el kol adas Yisrael leimor b'asor lachodesh hazeh*. On the 10th of this month, this new month, what month was it? Nissan. The Jewish calendar starts from Nissan. The non-Jewish calendar from, non-Jewish kings count from Tishrei. They follow the sun, we follow the moon. They are subjects of nature, and we are under the providence of the Almighty. So, speak to the Jewish people and tell them on the 10th of this month, ויקחו להם איש שה לבית אבות, שה לבית *v'yikchu lahem ish seh l'veis avos, seh labayis*. On the 10th of this month, take for themselves each man a lamb or a kid for each father's house, a lamb or a kid for their household. This is a word that's going to repeat itself often here. The אמרי תורה *Imrei Torah*, the a heilege Rachmastrivka points out a beautiful idea from the אוהב ישראל *Ohev Yisrael*, the אפטער רב *Apter Rav*. ויקחו להם איש שה לבית אבות, שה לבית *V'yikchu lahem take, ish seh l'veis avos, seh labayis*. The מדרש *Medrash* says, הדא הוא דכתיב, אלקים יראה לו השה לעולה בני *hadu d'ksiv, Elokim yir'eh lo haseh l'olah b'ni*. This word שה *seh* should be reminiscent. When did we see the word שה *seh*? The עקידה *akeida*. At the end of the עקידה *akeida*, when Avraham and Yitzchak on top of the mountain and he's ready to slaughter him, he passes the test of עקידת יצחק *akeidas Yitzchak*. When they call it off, what does it say? אלקים יראה לו השה לעולה בני *Elokim yir'eh lo haseh l'olah b'ni*. Before they ever get there, when יצחק *Yitzchak* says, how old is יצחק *Yitzchak* that day? We have this image, this picture of a little ינגעלע *yingele*, a little boy. How old is he? He's 37 years old. He's a grown man. He's a grown man. And he turns to his father and he says, tell me again what we're going? Tell me again what we're going to do? One second, where where's the animal? אלקים יראה לו השה לעולה בני *Elokim yir'eh lo haseh l'olah b'ni*. What's the connection? The מדרש *medrash* connects, ויקחו להם איש שה לבית אבות, שה לבית *V'yikchu lahem ish seh l'veis avos seh labayis* to אלקים יראה לו השה לעולה בני *Elokim yir'eh lo haseh l'olah b'ni*. זאגט *Zogt* the אוהב ישראל *Ohev Yisrael*, the אפטער רב *Apter Rav*, מבאר דיני חשיבות כל מצוה ומצוה שעושים ישראל, תלוי לפי ערך המחשבה והרצון בשעת קיום המצוה *m'varer dinei chashivus kol mitzvah u'mitzvah she'osim Yisrael talui l'fi erech hamachshava v'haratzon b'shas ki'um hamitzvah*. The significance of every mitzvah we do depends on the mindfulness and the intention that we bring to the mitzvah. וכל כמה שהאדם מקיים המצוה ביותר רצון הלב ומסירות נפש, ושמחה, ואהבת השם יתברך *V'chol kama she'ha'adam mekayem hamitzvah b'yoser ratzon ha'leiv, u'mesiras nefesh, v'simcha, v'ahavas Hashem Yisbarach*. And the more a person does a mitzvah with all their heart, a מסירות נפש *mesiras nefesh* and their selflessness, a שמחה *simcha* and with joy, the אהבת השם יתברך *ahavas Hashem Yisbarach* with love for Hashem, כך מתעלה יותר ערך חשיבות המצוה *kach misaleh yoser erech chashivus hamitzvah*. So the, this mitzvah now is elevated. The mitzvah gets elevated with what we bring to it. It's not just an empty act. We don't just put a checkmark next to it. What do we bring to the mitzvah? Ourselves. ולעומת זה, עושי המצוות כלאחר יד, מצות אנשים מלומדה *V'l'umah zeh, osei hamitzvos k'loivar mitzvos anashim melumada*. And therefore, if a person just mails it in, if we get away with the bare minimum, if we just go through the motions of the mitzvah, אף שמקיים ויוצא בזה ידי חובתו, אין זה מדרך הישר *Af she'mekayem v'yotzei b'zeh yedei chovaso, ein zeh miderech hayashar*. But that's not right. That's not right. בני ישראל במצרים היה להם מסירות נפש לקיים המצוות *Bnei Yisrael b'Mitzrayim hayah lahem mesiras nefesh l'kayem hamitzvos*. The Jewish people right now are being asked, dig deep. Dig deep. It's hard. They're tired. They're exhausted. They're physically, emotionally, spiritually spent. The courage to dedicate an animal, tie it to the bedpost, slaughter it in front of your enemy. That takes מסירות נפש *mesiras nefesh*. הרי לקחו השה שהוא אלהיהם של מצרים, קשור לכרעי המטה, להקריב הקרבן להשם *Harei lach'u haseh shehu eloheihem shel Mitzrayim, kashur la'kar ha'mita, l'hakriv ha'korban l'Hashem*. Not one day, not one hour, four days. היה זה סכנה גדולה מהמצרים *Hayah zeh sakanah gedolah mei'haMitzrim*. It's a dangerous, dangerous mission. ואף על פי כן לא התעצלו בני ישראל מלקיים מצות השם *V'af al pi chein lo his'atzlu Bnei Yisrael mi'lekayem mitzvos Hashem*. But they didn't hesitate. They weren't reluctant. They said, \"What's the mission? We're ready. We're ready to take the risk. We're ready to fulfill the mission.\" זהו הדרך הראוי לגשת אל המצוות *Zeh hu haderech ha'ra'uy lageshes el hamitzvos*. That's the Jewish attitude to whatever our mission is. If the mission is a mitzvah, if the mission is protecting Israel on its borders, whatever our mission, we have that capacity for מסירות נפש *mesiras nefesh*. Where do we get that from? Where do we get that ability, the strength, the courage, the conviction, the tenacity, the resolve to dig deep? Where do we get the strength in that moment when we're tired, when we're spent, when we want to give up, when we want to surrender? Where do we get that strength and that resolve and that resilience that's in our very DNA, that's baked into who we are as a people? That's what the מדרש *medrash* is saying. ויקחו להם איש שה לבית אבות שה לבית, אלקים יראה לו השה לעולה בני *V'yikchu lahem ish seh l'veis avos seh labayis, Elokim yir'eh lo haseh l'olah b'ni*. להורות שבני ישראל בשעה שלקחו השה לקרבן, תפסו מסירות נפש של האבות *L'horos she'Bnei Yisrael b'sha'ah she'lakchu haseh l'korban... tafsu mesiras nefesh shel ha'avos*. לעשות לקיים מצות השם באופן הראוי *la'asos l'kayem mitzvos Hashem b'ofen harauy*. Just like Avraham dug deep and he overcame the inertia and he displayed the courage and the resolve to get it done, he gave all of us that capacity. He put that in us. We're never too tired. Never give up. Never surrender. Never fail. Failure is not an option for a Jew. We can dig deep and we can מוסר נפש *moser nefesh* and we'll get it done and we can get it done. What word is used in these פסוקים *psukim* over and over and over again? What word is used in these פסוקים *psukim* over and over again? We've mentioned in the past. The word בית *bayis*. Bayis. How many times does it appear in this narrative in this section? No less than, if you say the number, then I won't repeat the dvar Torah. If you don't know the number, then I know we should chazer. שכויח, בעל חסד *Shkoyach, you ba'al chesed*. 14 times. 14 times in this section, the word בית *bayis* appears. You think there's a connection between the home and this קרבן *korban*? Indeed, the home and the family play a crucial central role with this קרבן *korban*. בני ישראל *Bnei Yisrael* were commanded לבית אבות, שה לבית *l'veis avos, seh labayis*. And they were commanded, לא תצאו איש מפתח ביתו עד בקר *lo seitzu ish mi'pesach beiso ad boker*. Nobody leaves the house until the morning. We spoke about this last year, I'm not going to repeat what we said then. I want to share a different insight and idea. What is the connection? Bayis, 14 times and this korban? When we consider the way the korban Pesach was performed on this night of Yetzias Mitzrayim, you see the home is treated like a בית המקדש *Beis HaMikdash*. The blood was placed on the doorpost. That parallels the זריקת הדם *zrikas hadam*, the sprinkling of the blood in the קרבן *korban* on the altar. And whereas normally קרבנות *karbanos* have to be eaten in the בית המקדש *Beis HaMikdash* and the walls of ירושלים *Yerushalayim*, the meat of the קרבן פסח *korban Pesach* was to be eaten where? Inside the home. The home has the status of בית המקדש, ירושלים *Beis HaMikdash, Yerushalayim*. This mitzvah to turn the home into a בית המקדש *Beis HaMikdash* was given to בני ישראל *Bnei Yisrael* when? From our very beginning, at our outset. We weren't yet in the holy land, we weren't yet in ירושלים *Yerushalayim*, we didn't yet have a בית המקדש *Beis HaMikdash*, so we brought the בית המקדש *Beis HaMikdash* to us. That's by the way the פשט *pshat* in ואביא אתכם אלי על כנפי נשרים *v'yavi eschem elai al kanfei nesharim*. Even while we were in מצרים *Mitzrayim*, we virtually went to ירושלים *Yerushalayim*. You see that a Jew can be in Boca. It's not the same. Don't write me emails, should make עליה *aliyah*, we have to be there and go there, the קדושה *kedusha* is not the same. I know it's not the same. But until we're there, ואביא אתכם אלי *v'avi eschem elai* a Jew can virtually, where do you live and where are you? I'm in ירושלים *Yerushalayim*. That's where I always am. That's where I live. That's where my soul, that's where my heart is. That's what פסח *Pesach* is all about, that no matter where geographically or physically you are, you're always in ירושלים *Yerushalayim*. To be in that ירושלים *Yerushalayim*. The center of our religious life. What is the center of religious life and loyalty? The home. The home. That is the home. That's where we are, and that's where we live, and that's where we belong. Rav Weinfeld, Rav Gotzga Weinfeld who was just here a few weeks ago, points out that we believe the opposite of Stalin. Stalin? Where'd that come from? In the 1930s, Stalin smashed the mold of Russian society in a fashion the world had never seen before and would not see again. He set out to build a new universe in which the loyalty to family, friends, colleagues was extinguished, and Stalin created a culture and a country in which that loyalty was replaced how? With a fealty to what? The people. Of whose interest he was the sole arbiter. He encouraged turning on people who weren't loyal to the party. Children should snitch on their parents, parents turn in their children, brothers turn on their sisters, turn in your neighbors. His strategy was to convince all of Russia that the good of the nation depended on getting rid of all the connection a person has naturally and surrendering to the good of the people. And that's exactly what the Torah is seeing the opposite. You know where our loyalty is? Family. שה לבית אבות, שה לבית *Seh l'veis avos, seh labayis*. Where does our religious journey begin? Not leave home, say goodbye to your family and go to shul, go to another טיש *tish*, go to another פארברענגען *farbrengen*, go to another get-together. No. There's room for that and it's wonderful. But first, in the home. It begins in the home, turning our home into a center of religious life. That's where it begins. Rav Weinfeld homiletically points out, אין בכלל אלא מה שבפרט *Ein b'chlal ela ma she'b'prat*. In one of the, one of the hermeneutical laws that we derive Torah, אין בכלל אלא מה שבפרט *Ein b'chlal ela ma she'b'prat*. The כלל *klal* can only be as strong and healthy if it consists of the פרט *prat*, the smaller units of the family, of real people. That's what we have to, that's how we have to live. Rav Hirsch writes, there'd come a time when the nation oppressed and tortured by Paro would lie on the ground seemingly easy prey for the vultures of history. But then at Hashem's call, the nation would rise up again to eternal life. At that time, Hashem would begin the upbuilding of his people, not from the rooftop, not from the leadership or the highest echelon, not from the party or the people, from the rock-lock foundation of the home. שה לבית אבות, שה לבית *Seh l'veis avos, seh labayis*. That's where גאולה *geulah* begins. At home. Don't run away from your home to find it. Find it and bring it and inspire it and ignite it in the home. It's the heart and soul of the Jewish people is the family. The family ties, the family bond. שה לבית אבות, שה לבית *Seh l'veis avos, seh labayis*. 14 times in this section because that is the significance and that is the importance. פרק י\"ב, פסוק י\"ג *Perek Yud Beis, Pasuk Yud Gimmel*. ועתה אני יוצא בתוך מצרים, והיה הדם לכם לאות על הבתים *V'hayah hadam lachem l'os al habatim*. God says, the blood will be a sign for you on all the houses. וראיתי את הדם ופסחתי עליכם *V'raisi es hadam u'fasachti aleichem*. When I see the blood, I will skip over them. Skip over them. It's a very funny thing. We're not going to get into it right now. What do we call the holiday on the 15th of Nissan? But it shouldn't be called פסח *Pesach*. When was פסח *Pesach*? The 14th of Nissan. אשר פסחתי *Ashir pasachti*. If it's called פסח *Pesach* because God skipped over the houses, when did he skip over the houses that we marked with blood? On the, on the 14th. So the 14th, ערב פסח *erev Pesach*, that quasi יום טוב *yom tov* of ערב פסח *erev Pesach* should be פסח *Pesach*, and then that night, the next day should be חג המצות *chag hamatzos*. Why do we call the next day פסח *Pesach*, even אשר פסחתי *ashir pasachti* was on the 14th, not the 15th? It's a great question, and we are not going to answer it. The מדרש *Medrash* says, I passed and I saw you wallowing in your blood. A פסוק *pasuk* from יחזקאל *Yechezkel*. This is the blood of the korban Pesach and the blood of ברית מילה *Bris Milah*. The two מצוות *mitzvos* we had in מצרים *Mitzrayim* were מילה *milah*, קרבן פסח *korban Pesach*. Rav Soloveitchik. The slave hates physical pain. He suffers enough from the baton of the taskmaster and is not prepared to endure pain because of a commandment which will not increase his portion of meat from the fleshpot. The slave is a coward. He quakes before his owner and his brutal, of his brutal taskmaster. After all, a slave does not understand the idea of self-sacrifice, of fighting for a principle or an ideal. Therefore, חז\"ל *Chazal* say a slave does not make a worthy witness. Cowardly as he is, he will often not tell the truth. Moshe came and told the people, undergo physical pain. Circumcise yourself. No uncircumcised male, no ערל *aral*, can partake of the קרבן פסח *korban Pesach*. And offer the lamb, which is deified by the Egyptians. When the Egyptians notice, they will certainly blame the Jews for profaning their religion. But that's what, nevertheless, the slaves took upon themselves both the suffering and the commandment of the korban Pesach with love. They weren't frightened. They were ready to pay with blood of suffering and for fear and fear for the privilege of performing God's command. גבורה *Gevurah*, courage or heroism is a foundation of יהדות *Yiddishkeit*. קידוש השם *Kiddush Hashem*, the sanctification of the divine name manifests itself in courage. This courage was shown by Jews on the night of פסח *Pesach*, on that night. And Kadosh Baruch Hu passed over. God wants to see your sacrifice, your transformation, your wondrous courage, your willingness to conquer your fear and suffering. You have learned to distinguish between the sacred and the profane. You have displayed גבורה *gevurah* in conquering your fear and your will. Therefore, God will distinguish between you and the Egyptians and will reveal his trait of גבורה *gevurah* or restraint. That is the story of this last year and a half, my friends. The גבורה *gevurah*. This is not a war of October 7th, a war of a defenseless people whose border was penetrated, of people who were slaughtered and kidnapped. The enduring lesson and message of this year and a half is the גבורה *gevurah* of our people, the sacrifices, the courage, the response with which they stepped up and answered the call. I saw a video my family shared with me today of a woman who was four months pregnant when her husband paid the ultimate price, was killed in Gaza fighting. And the baby that was born today. And her message about her husband who wasn't here to see and to experience it. It's a גבורה *gevurah*. There was a might, there's a might, these incredible Hadassah Lowenstern, if you haven't heard our conversation on Behind the Bima, I don't even want to single anyone out, because it's everyone, the גבורה *gevurah*, the גבורה *gevurah* of these soldiers who don't hesitate, who go fight with גבורה *gevurah*. And the family that they leave behind, and please God, will come home to. This is the גבורה *gevurah*, the courage or heroism that the Rav is writing is a foundation of יהדות *Yiddishkeit*. That Moshe turns to the people while yet in Mitzrayim and he says, you're not some passive people. And don't look for comfort and convenience, and it's not going to be spoon-fed to you or handed to you on a silver platter. It's going to demand heroism. גבורה *gevurah*, might. That's what it's going to take to be this people, to endure this history, to be this people of this destiny. That's what it will take. And that's what I think this story is. וראיתי את הדם ופסחתי עליכם *V'ra'isi es hadam ufasachti aleichem*. The blood of the קרבן פסח *korban Pesach* and the blood of the ברית מילה *bris milah* and the blood of our people. What do we say at every bris? בדמייך חיי *B'damayich chayi*. בדמייך חיי *B'damayich chayi*. We quote the פסוק *pasuk* in יחזקאל *Yechezkel*. בדמייך חיי *B'damayich chayi*. It's with that courage and it's with that heroism that we are here and that we can never forget and never stop saying thank you and thank you for it.Okay, it turns out even at night an hour goes by pretty quickly. Look at that. Same 60 minutes, even at night as the morning. Who knew? There was a lot more I wanted to share, but we'll leave it there. Thank you again for coming in this off hour. Should be a night of בשורות טובות ישועות ונחמות *besoros tovos yeshuos v'nechamos*. May we hear
