Table of contents · writes, "My grandfather, the Rebbe of Kotzk zt'l said, 'It's easier for a...

Table of contents

Parshas Shemos

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ParshatParshatParshatParshat ShemosShemosShemosShemos

Reviewing the Parashah

ú"åîù is roshei teivos for àø÷î íéðùíåâøú ãçàå.

T he Baal HaTurim on the firstpasukof the parashah teaches the

following lesson fromroshei teivos:

(úåáéú éùàø) ïå÷éøèåð åìà úåáéú 'ìàøùé éðá úåîù äìàå'åíãààøùìãîåäøãñùíéðîàø÷åãçàú,íåâøáìå÷

ðíéòé,øéùéäéçùíéðøúåáàíéëåøìíìåò . "A personwho studies theparashah, thepasuktwiceand Onkelusonce, and he sings it with a

beautiful voice, he will live long..."TorahWellsprings-Shemos

Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 285:2)states, "A person who learns theparashah with Rashi, it is as if helearned it with Targum Onkelus. Ayarei Shamayim should read theparashah with Targum and with

Rashis."

Tzaddikim add that studying theparashah íåâøú ãçàå àø÷î íéðù togetherwith Rashi is mesugal for yiras

Shamayim.

Yiras Shamayim

Miriam and Yocheved worked asmidwives, and Pharaoh commanded them(1:16) åúà ïúéîäå àåä ïá íà, "if the childborn is a male, kill him." They didn’tobey. In fact,íéãìéä úà äðééçúå, they gavewater and food to the children (seeRashi). Pharaoh summoned for them andasked,íéãìéä úà ïééçúå äæä øáãä ïúéùò òåãî,"Why did you do this? Why do sustain

the children?"

They explained that the Jewish womenhave children on their own, without amidwife, and Pharaoh accepted their

response.

In their merit (1:20),ãàî åîöòéå íòä áøéå,"The nation increased and became verygreat," but they weren't rewarded forthat. They were rewarded for theiryirasShamayim. As it states,úåãìééîä åàøé éë éäéåíéúá íäì ùòéå íé÷ìàä úà, "and it was whenthe midwives feared Hashem, Hashem

made for them houses [ofkehunah,leviyah, and malchus – Rashi]." Theywere rewarded thatcohanim, levi'im, andkings came from them, because theyfeared Hashem. It doesn’t state they wererewarded for increasing the numbers of

Klal Yisrael.

Imagine you are at a ceremonycelebrating a hero who saved the lives ofmany people during the war. Saving evenjust one person's life is like saving anentire world (as Chazal tell us). Certainlythen, someone who savedmany livesdeserves immense respect. You areexpecting to hear many stories of hisbravery, and to hear about the lives hesaved. But as you listen to speaker afterspeaker, you become upset, because noone is speaking about his heroic acts andabout the lives he saved. They arediscussing his yiras shamayim! Youdon’t understand. Why are they

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discussing hisyiras shamayim? There isso much more to honor him for! You feelthey are insulting him, because they arediscussing a secondary factor, and they

aren't discussing his primary praise.

But in this week'sparashahwe learn thatthe primary praise is for fearing Hashem.Miriam and Yocheved were rewarded fortheir yiras Shamayim, it doesn’t state that

they were rewarded for saving lives.

Indeed, yiras Shamayim isn't easy tocome by. It is a great undertaking. TheShem MiShmuel (Hoshana Rabbaã"òøú)writes, "My grandfather, the Rebbe ofKotzk zt'l said, 'It's easier for a humanbeing to accept on himself any type ofóåâéñ, affliction, than to accept the burdenof Heaven. There is nothing harder for ahuman body than to be under theKingship of Heaven and to do all his

deeds according to the Torah.'"

Reb Shmuel Wosner zt'l (RachmeiHaRav, Gevurah) writes, "Yocheved andMiryam were extremely righteouswomen. They came from a holy lineage,they were prophets, and they fearedHashem since their youth. Nevertheless,this is the first time it states that theyfeared Hashem. This is because aperson's yiras shamayim isn't proven

until he overcomes his fear of humansto do Hashem's will, or until heovercomes his temptations to serveHashem. Only then does he earn the title

'yiras Hashem.'" 1111

In øîàù êåøá we say,åéàøéì áåè øëù íìùî êåøá,"Bless the One who gives a good rewardto those who fear Him." To explain thesignificance of this phrase, we give ananalogy about a yeshiva that wants toattract very good magidei shiurim(teachers). They advertized that they arepaying double the average wage, toencourage the good teachers to join theiryeshiva. Similarly, we are told that thereis a áåè øëù, a great reward for fearingHashem, so the wise will take advantage

of the offer.2222

Fearing Hashem is not easy. We mustovercome our fear of people and ourdesires for the pleasures of this world, todo Hashem's will. But consider thereward, consider the good you will enjoy,and that will give you strength to follow

the path ofyiras Hashem.

Rebbe Yehoshua of Belzzt'l said thatíéîù úàøé means you are afraid to sin, sothe bounty of heaven won't be withheldfrom coming down.3333 'ä úàøé is when one

1. The Gemara (Pesachim 113.) states, יום בכל הקב"ה עליהן מכריז ,שלשה "There are threepeople Hakadosh Baruch Hu publicizes [to reveal their praise] every day. They are: a

bachur who lives in a city and doesn’t sin; a pauper who returns a lost object; and a wealthyperson who tithes in privacy." Because these deeds are difficult and that shows our devotionto Hashem.2. Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitz zt'l said, "If someone knows Torah but he doesn’t

have yiras shamayim, it is like a talis kattan without tzitzis attached to it.3. שמים can mean bounty. As it states (Devarim 26:15), השמים מן קדשך ממעון השקיפה

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thinks about Hashem's greatness until hefears Hashem. Andàèç úàøé means tofear doing something that isn't befitting

for him.4444

Approximately one hundredbachurimwere learning in Tzanz, listening to theTzanzer Rav's (Rebbe Chaim of Tzanz,zy'a) shiurim, but it wasn't an official

yeshiva.

Someone asked the Divrei Chaim, "Thebachurimare learning here anyway. Whyshouldn’t we make it official, and open

a yeshiva for them?"

The Divrei Chaim answered, "Running ayeshiva is a great responsibility. It meansaccepting accountability for thebachurim's spiritual growth. It meansbeing liable if a bachur falls into theyetzer hara'sclutches. I don’t want to

carry this responsibility."

The man asked, "But hasn’t theChasam Sofer opened a large yeshiva

in Pressburg?"

The Divrei Chaim explained, "How canyou compare me to the Chasam Sofer?Because of the Chasam Sofer's holiness,if he merely looks at abachur when hegives his daily shiur, that bachur willnot be able to sin, even in private. Bymerely looking at abachur, he fills himup with yiras Shamayim. I'm not on that

level, and therefore I'm afraid to takethe responsibility."

ServeServeServeServe HashemHashemHashemHashem inininin ConcealmentConcealmentConcealmentConcealment

A sign that you fear Hashem is if youserve Hashem when nobody sees.

The Gemara (Brachos 5:)tells that RebEliezer was ill and Reb Yochanan cameto visit him. It was dark in the room, soReb Eliezer rolled up his sleeves, and theroom became illuminated by his brilliantbeauty. The question is, his face wasalready revealed. Why didn’t the shine ofhis face illuminate the room? (Bederechtzachus) it's because it is specifically the

concealed deeds that shine the most.

A craftsman was fixing a couch for theHusiataner Rebbezt'l. The Rebbe showedhim that he forgot to mend a tear on the

back of the couch.

"No one looks there" the tailor replied.

The Rebbe said, "We were taught thatwhere no one sees, that's where it must

be the most perfect."

The Shaar Bas Rabim(from Reb ChaimAryeh Leib zt'l of Yadvamba, printed inð"øú) writes, "It states in Tana d'BeiEliyahu (ch.51),øúñá íéîù àøé íãà àäé íìåòìéåìâáå, "A person should always fearHashem, in public and in concealment…'Because even when one is concealed ina room within a room, and no one is

ישראל את עמך את ,וברך "Look down from your holy abode from שמים and bless your nationYisrael…"4. The Gemara (Sanhedrin 37) says, "Everyone is obligated to say, העולם נברא ,בשבילי the

world was created for me." He should recognize his importance, and this will help himsteer clear from sin.


there but Hashem Himself, he shouldfear Hashem over there… As Chazal(Avos2:5) say,íéùðà ïéàù íå÷îá, if you arein a place where nobody is around,ìãúùäùéà úåéäì, try to be anùéà, a tzaddik (arasha isn't an ùéà, rather he's aäîäá).Also it states (Avos2:13), éðôá òùø éäú ìàêîöò, even when you are alone, all byyourself, don’t be a rasha, becauseHashem's honor fills the world, and Hesees the revealed and the concealed. Asit states (Yirmiyahu 23:24), ùéà øúñé íàåðàøà àì éðàå íéøúñîá, 'If a person hides in

a concealed place, won't I see him?'"

A true yirei Shamayimserves Hashem inpublic and in private. There are peoplewho fear Hashem in their homes but theyaren't so righteous when traveling. Forexample, there are those who areembarrassed to wear talis and tefillin ona plane among many goyim. There arealso people who serve Hashem solelyoutdoors, so people will praise them, butin the privacy of their home, they don’tserve Hashem. Therefore, it states inShirHaShirim (4:1) äôé êðä éúéòø äôé êðä, "Youare beautiful, my friend. You arebeautiful…" What is the doubleexpression ofäôé, "beautiful" implying?

The Midrash (Tanchuma 'ä äåöú)explains,äãùá äôé êðä úéáá äôé êðä, "You arebeautiful in your homes; you arebeautiful outdoors."5555 Because we are

beautiful when our fear of Hashempermeates all our deeds.

There is amezuzahon the outside doorof our homes. Whenever we go outdoors,we put our hand on themezuzah, kiss it,and remind ourselves that we should beloyal to Hashem outdoors. There aremezuzoson the doors inside the home,too. Even if someone has a hundredrooms, one after the next, the last roomwill also have a mezuzah. This is toremind us that Hashem is in the privacyof our homes, too, and we should serve

Hashem there, too.

The Targum Yonoson translates thewords (2:25), íé÷ìà òãéå as follows:"Hashem saw theteshuvah they weredoing when no one else knew about

their teshuvah…"

Teshuvah done in concealment isprecious before Hashem. Thisteshuvahbrought about the salvation. Therefore,immediately after it states,íé÷ìà òãéå, theTorah tells the story of the burning bush,and that Hashem told Moshe to redeem

Bnei Yisrael.

GuardGuardGuardGuard YourYourYourYour EyesEyesEyesEyes

While outdoors, one must haveyirasshamayimand be cautious with his eyes.

The Skvere Rebbezt'l would oftenexplain thepasuk (5:7-8), ïåôéñàú àìúúì 6666

íäì åùùå÷å åëìé íä íùìù ìåîúë ïáìì íòì ïáú íäì

5. According to the simple reading of the Midrash, it is referring to the mitzvos that Yiddenperform in their homes and in the field. "You are beautiful in your home with the mitzvah

of mezuzah, and you are beautiful outdoors, where you do the mitzvos of terumah, maasar,leket, shickcha, and peah."6. It seems it should state, תוסיפון ,לא without an .א'


ïáú, "[Pharaoh said] we will no longer givehay to the nation so they can make bricks,as we've given until now. They will nowgo by themselves to gather straw…" Thequestion is, if Pharaoh wanted to make itharder for the Jewish nation, he could havesimply asked them to produce morebricks. But Pharaoh said,íéðáìä úðåëúî úàåíäéìò åîéùú í úåùìù ìåîú íéùåò íä øùà, thatthey must make the same amount of bricksas before, only now it will be harderbecause they must also gather the straw. Itseems he could have continued the processof supplying straw, and the sufferingwould be that they must produce more.7777

The Skvere Rebbe explained thatPharoah's main plan was,åëìé íä, that theYidden should go out and walk aroundMitzrayim gathering straw. He wantedthem to leave the four cubits of theirinsular environment and to see the rest ofMitzrayim, and to get accustomed totheir culture. He wanted to ruin theireyes, because he knew that then he

would be able to rule over them.

It states (Yeshayah27:6), ìàøùé çøôå õéöé.Tzaddikim explain, when a Yid isõéöé,peeks and looks where he shouldn’t,çøôåìàøùé, the holiness of Yisrael that was inhim flies away (seeBeis Aharoníéèå÷éì

õéöé ä"ã).

It states (Yeshayah59:18), êéðéò áéáñ éàùêì åàá åöá÷ð íìåë éàøå. Tzadikim explained,êéðéò áéáñ éàù, if you turn your eyes awayfrom seeing forbidden things,íìåë éàøåêì åàá åöá÷ð, you will see that manymalachim, created by your good deed,are gathered around you to protect you.

We say in Kiddush,äöøå åéúåöîá åðùã÷ øùàåðá, "Who made us holy with His mitzvos

and He desires us…"

It seems it should say,åéúåöîá åðùã÷å åðá äöø,"He desires us, so He made us holy withHis mitzvos." My grandfather, RebbeMoshe Mordechai of Lelovzt'l said thatthe order is accurate and exact, becauseHashem wants us because we make

ourselves holy.

We don’t have much divrei Torah from Rebbe Dovid of Lelov zt'l, all got lost, but the followingis one of the few divrei Torah that remained. Rebbe Dovid Lelover explained that תאסיפון לא

means, "You may not gather." The Jewish nation used to get together in Mitzrayim to discussemunah. Pharaoh feared these gatherings, and he decreed תאסיפון ,לא that they aren'tpermitted to gather together.Rebbe Dovid Lelover said he is certain that when Moshiach comes, Moshe Rabbeinu willthank him for explaining correctly the reason there's an extra א' in תאסיפון .לא7. Rebbe Yitzchak Vorker zt'l answers that Pharaoh wanted to destroy their peace of mind.

Working extra hours, but knowing what's expected from him, is easier than to dosomething you've never done before. By this time, the Yidden knew how to make bricks.Forcing them to make more would certainly be hard, but it wouldn’t ruin their peace of mind,because they knew the process. But they didn't have experience gathering straw. They didn'tknow where to go, or how to begin. Such matters destroy one's peace of mind, which wasPharaoh's goal.


Don't Lose Hope

The Arizal teaches that the Jewish nationstooped to the 49th gate of impurity, andthey couldn’t remain in Mitzrayimanother moment. One more second inMitzrayim, they would have fallen to the50th gate of impurity, from where thereis no return. Therefore,yetzias Mitzrayim

was ïåæôçá, rushed.

The question remains, why was itnecessary to wait for the last second?They could have been freed well before,and then they wouldn't need to rush out.

It was to tell us that even when one is atthe lowest possible level, he can rise upfrom there and reach the highest level.Just as the Yidden who left Mitzrayim

left the lowest level possible, and in fiftydays were able to receive the Torah, wecan also reach high levels, regardless of

which level we are at the present.

In this week'sparashah it states (1:6),íéøöîá äéä óñåéå, "Yosef was in Mitzrayim,"and in parashas Lech Lechait states(Bereishis 12:6), õøàá æà éðòðëäå, "TheCanaanites were then in the land." Thesepesukimtell us that one can be living inMitzrayim, and be like Yosef HaTzaddik,and one can live in Eretz Yisrael and belike a Canaanite. It isn't the place thatmakes the person, but his determinationto serve Hashem with all his strength,

and under all circumstances.

Lashon Hara

Rashi (2:14) writes, "[Moshe said], 'Ialways wondered: What did Bnei Yisraelsin worse than the seventy nations, thatthey should be punished withêøô úãåáò,extremely difficult labor. But now I seethat they deserve it." Moshe discoveredthat the suffering came because theyspoke lashon hara, slander, and had

sinas chinam.

Later, when Hashem told Moshe that hewants to save Klal Yisrael. Moshe wassurprised that they should deserve to befreed. He said, (Rashi 3:11), ìàøùé åëæ äîíéøöîî íàéöåàå ñð íäì äùòéù, "What meritdoes the Jewish nation have that amiracle will occur, and I will take them

out of Mitzrayim?"

Notice the irony: At first (Rashi 3:2)

Moshe couldn’t understand why theywere being punished. And now (Rashi3:11) Moshe doesn’t understand why

they should be saved.

The Sfas Emes (5641) explains that thisshows us the severity oflashon haraandsinas chinam. As the Sfas Emes writes,"This is letting us know that one loses allhis merits by the sin oflashon hara…"

The Kli Yakar (3:2) says that theburning bush representssinas chinam,vain hatred. äðñ comes from the wordäàðù, hatred. The fire burning in thebush represents thetzaros of galus,which are the result ofsinas chinamand

lashon hara.

The Kli Yakar writes, "And this is theprimary reason Yidden are ingalus. It


is all because of hatred and jealousythat is between them — more than itexists by other nations… ThereforeHashem's fire [of punishment and anger]

burns in them…"

The pasuk concludes, ìëåà äððéà äðñäå,"the bush wasn't consumed." The KliYakar writes, "This implies that despiteall the hardships and strife,sinaschinam continues in every generation. It

is never consumed."8888

The Egyptian culture encouragedlashonhara. As the Zera Kodesh writes, "Theavodah zarah of Mitzrayim is called(Shemos14:2), úåøéçä éô, [literally, "freemouth"] because the Egyptians spokewhatever they wanted, without restraint.As if they were free to speak whatever

they desire. As it states (Tehillim 12:5),åðì ïåãà éî åðúà åðéúôù øéáâð åððåùìì åøîà 'Theysaid: …Our lips are ours. Who rules overus…' Hashem told Bnei Yisrael (14:2),úåøéçä éô éðôì åðçéå åáùéå. … åáåùé means theyshould doteshuvahand be cautious with

their words…"

The Pri Megadim (end ofsiman 685)teaches that during Shovavim wecomplete our exodus from Mitzrayim.Although we were redeemed, some ofthe impurity of Mitzrayim remained withus. We cleanse ourselves from it duringShovavim. One way we do that is by

being cautious fromlashon hara.

He writes that this is hinted at in thebeginning ofparashas Shemos, úåîù äìàåìàøùé éðá. He explains that äìà is roshei

8. A cup is broken under the chuppah to represent the luchos, which were broken byMattan Torah (as many customs of a chasunah symbolize Mattan Torah). The Satmar

Rebbe said that it is very important to remember the broken luchos at a chasunah, becauseChazal tell us that forgetting comes from the broken luchos, and forgetting is very importantfor the success of a marriage. Because many times you must forget the wrongs your spousedid to you, so there will be shalom bayis.A mother-in-law once insulted her son-in-law and rebuked him harshly just a couple of weeksafter their chasunah. The young man went to his mentor, Reb Elyah Roth zt'l and told himwhat happened.Reb Elyah asked him, "Does anyone know about this?""No one knows. It just happened, and no one heard…""Then forget about it. Pretend it didn’t happen."A couple of weeks afterwards, the mother-in-law asked forgiveness for her outburst. Hereplied, "What are you referring to? Nothing happened. It must have been a dream. I don'tremember anything."She tried to remind him what happened and he replied, "If that happened, everyone wouldhave known about it, and there would be a lot of trouble. But no one knows about it, soapparently it never happened."The mother-in-law allowed herself to be talked into it, and peace was restored. Today, thatyoung man has close to twenty children, and many grandchildren. This all came because ofhis ability to forget and to move on.


teivos òøä ïåùì ÷áà, the dust [even thesmallest type of]lashon hara, which wemust be cautious from. Andìàøùé éðá úåîùíéàáä is roshei teivosäéáù, captivity (asthe Baal HaTurim writes). Because webecome free from the captivity andinfluence of Mitzrayim when we are

cautious with our speech.

BenefitsBenefitsBenefitsBenefits ofofofof CautiousCautiousCautiousCautious SpeechSpeechSpeechSpeech

The Trisker Maggid zt'l (MagenAvraham, beginning of Lech Lecha)teaches that lashon hara and otherforms of forbidden speech contaminatesthe air and is the root of diseases,

rachmana litzlan.

It states (Bamidbar 9:20), ìòå åðçé 'ä éô ìòåòñé 'ä éô. This can be translated,éô ìò, dueto the mouth,åðçé 'ä, Hashem will dwellwith you. And éô ìò, because of hismouth, åòñé 'ä, Hashem departs. It all

depends on how one uses his speech.

One should also avoidíéìèá íéøáã, idletalk (when it doesn’t serve a goodpurpose) because it takes away so much

precious time fromavodas Hashem.

On the pasuk (Vayikra 23:10), úà íúàáäåíëøéö÷ úéùàø øîåò the Noam Elimelechwrites, "øîåò is like øîåà, speech…íúàáäåøîåò úà means one must fix hisdevarimbeteilim and elevate them to holiness…Idle talk is called, íëøéö÷ úéùàø becausethey result in íéøåöé÷, shortcomings [inavodas Hashem]. They are úéùàø, the

beginning of the shortcomings."

Some people brought akvittel to the Beis

Yisrael zt'l, and asked him to daven forthe wife of Reb Avraham Schreiber of

London, who was ill.

The Beis Yisrael didn’t even look at thekvittel. He said, "Someone like RebAvraham, who guards his eyes and hismouth, can takekvittelachon his own."When this was repeated to RebbeYankele of Pshvorskzt'l, he said, "TheBeis Yisrael just revealed the secret ofbeing a Rebbe. Because how does onehave the ability to readkvittelachand tobring yeshuosto Yidden? It is dependenton being cautious with your eyes and

with your mouth."

Rebbe Uri of Strelisk zt'l said thatholding back from forbidden orunnecessary talk is equivalent to fasting84 days. Rebbe Aharon of Belzzt'ladded, "And I say,êàð ïåà êàð ïåà êàð ïåà (itis even more than 84 fast days)."It is for our own benefit to be cautiouswith our speech. It saves us frommachlokes, shame, and so much more.As the wise saying goes, "Before youspeak, you rule over your words. Afteryou speak, your words rule over you;" itis too late to take back what you said.

As Reb Shmuel Wosnerzt'l once said,"Everyone agrees, that if everything youspoke this year — in public and inprivate, by day and at night — wasrecorded and read to you during the daysof teshuvah, you would hide fromshame." So for many reasons, it is wise

to be cautious with your speech.9999

9. A cold donkey (as Chazal say, a donkey is cold even in the summertime) found theskins of a lion, so it put it on himself to warm up. The animals of the forest saw the


ProperProperProperProper SpeechSpeechSpeechSpeech

The Midrash Tanchumah (Vayeitzei)teaches:

Binyamin knew theshevatimsold Yosef,but he didn’t tell Yaakov, because hedidn’t want to speaklashon haraon hisbrothers. Because of Binyamin's silence,his name is engraved on theäôùé stone ofthe choshen. äôùé spellsäô åì ùé, "He has

a mouth – and he remains quiet…"

We wonder, doesn’täô åì ùé "He has amouth" sound like he speaks a lot? Whyshould it imply that he is quiet? Theanswer is, being cautious with speechdoesn’t mean that we become silent. Itmeans speaking when we should andwhat we should. withäô åì ùé means hecontrols what he says. He rules over hismouth. He says what he should, and heis silent when that's the right thing to do.

The ä÷ãö ìéòî (í"ùúú) writes, "There is atzedakah that is easy to do, and thereward is immense. Thistzedakahis tobe generous with your words, so you canpacify the poor, bring joy to those whoare worried, and to increase peace. Allthese can be accomplished by speaking alot."The Meil Tzedakah adds, "Once,

someone who was going through veryhard times contemplated on committingsuicide. He spoke with me about hisproblems. I spoke with him for a longtime, and I consoled him and encouragedhim. Some days later he told me that ifI hadn't spoken with him, he would havecommitted suicide. Therefore, begenerous with your words when youencounter a poor person or anyone goingthrough difficult times. Don’t be stingywith your words. Appease him withmany words. Even if you are sufferingworries of your own, that shouldn’tprevent you from encouraging andconsoling the poor, the worried, and

those who are brokenhearted."

The Yeitav Lev zt'l says that MosheRabbeinu was (4:10) aïåùì ãáëå äô ãáë,and the Targum writesììîî ø÷é éøà. Thiscan mean that speech wasø÷é, preciousto him. Moshe meritednevuah and hishigh levels because he understood thepriceless value of words, how muchgood words can accomplish, and howmuch havoc words can cause when

used haphazardly.

The Gemara (Bava Basra9) says, "Thosewho give tzedakah to the poor areblessed with sixbrachos. Those who say

donkey dressed in the lion's hide and couldn’t figure out what it was. The animal was largerthan a lion, but it looked like a lion. Even the lions of the jungle were afraid of this strangecreature. The animals called an emergency meeting to see what they could do.The fox said he has a solution. With a slingshot, the fox threw some stones at the 'lion.' Thelion brayed like a donkey, and then they all knew it was a donkey. When the donkey wassilent, the animals were afraid of him. But when he opened its mouth, they knew he is justa donkey.The nimshal is easily understood. As long as one is quiet, you might think he is wise. Butwhen he opens his mouth, you discover who he really is.


kind words to the poor are blessed witheleven brachos." The Maharal explainsthat when one gives food to the poor, thebenefits last for a short while. After thefood is consumed, the enjoyment is over,and the pauper is hungry again. Butwhen one says kind words to the poor,the words can replay in his mind andthey give him encouragement for a verylong time. Consequently, saying kind

words is a greater kind of charity.10101010

ThinkThinkThinkThink BeforeBeforeBeforeBefore YouYouYouYou SpeakSpeakSpeakSpeak

We are in the days of Shovavim. In thepast these were days of many fasts, topurify ourselves from all impurities. Inour generation fasts aren't recommended,but there are other solutions. One is to

be cautious with our speech:

The Mishnah Berurah (571:2) writes,"When one wants to fast, it is better to

fast from speech than from food, becausethis will not harm his body, nor his soul,and it won't make him weak. The VilnaGaon writes in a letter, 'A person mustafflict himself. But not with fasting andsigufim, rather by controlling one's

mouth and one's temptations.'"

In our generation, to refrain totally fromspeaking doesn’t work out well forpeople, for several reasons. However,there is something people can do, andwith Hashem's help will be beneficial. Irecommend that on each day ofShovavim, for one hour, think before youspeak and decide whether the words youdesire to say are beneficial and permitted.This practice will develop into beingcautious with one's speech the entire day.

It states inTehillim (45:3), êéúôùá ïç ÷öåä,"Your lips are soaked withchein." 11111111

10. When kind words are accompanied with a shining countenance, the benefits are evengreater, as the following true story illustrates:

A father invested a lot of money, paying for mechanchim and experts, to help bring his sonback to Yiddishkeit. Eventually, the child returned.The father asked him, "Which dollar brought you back?" Meaning, "I paid a lot of money formechanchim and tutors. Which one had the greatest influence on you? Which one broughtyou back?"The bachur replied, "It wasn't the mechanchim you hired. But once a rav of a beis medreshgreeted me with a happy countenance. I told him, 'Do you know who you just greeted?' andI told him all about my sins."The rav replied, 'It doesn’t make a difference. Hashem loves you regardless.'"I told him about even graver sins I was committing, and the rav replied, 'Even so, Hashemis your Father, waiting for your return.' I had this conversation with the rav just at the righttime, because I was about to commit a very severe sin, but due to this conversation, Iresfrained, and I returned to my Father in heaven..."11. According to Rashi, this chapter of Tehillim is praising the Torah scholar. All of his

words are soaked with chein and charm. The Metzudas David and the Radak say thischapter is referring to the praises of Moshiach.


The Sfas Emes asks, why arespecifically the lips mentioned in thispasuk? The letters,ä"òçà come from thethroat, ÷"ëéâ are said with the palate,ú"ðìèã are expressed with the tongue, thesounds of õ"øùñæ come from the teeth,and with the lips one says the lettersô"îåá. So why does thepasuksingle out

the chein that come from the lips?

The Sfas Emes answers that thepasukishinting to the chein of someone who

closes his lips and he doesn’t speakunnecessary words.

Rebbe Yechezkel of Kozmirzy'a said tosomeone who was talking a lot: "Why doyou speak so much? You can think allthese thoughts, too. It must be you arespeaking because you want to benefit theother person with your wisdom. But thenyou should ask them whether they areinterested. It could be they don’t want to

hear what you want to say."12121212

Emunah

On one of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizensk'szt'l travels, he overheard his hostess say,"How long will we be eating kasha(buckwheat)? When will we finally eatlokshen (noodles)?" Rebbe Elimelechturned her words into a prayer. "Howlong will Yidden haveàéù÷, questions inemunah? When will it finally be ïéù÷àìY ïéù÷ àì, no questions, andemunahwill

be clear and certain to them?"

Our goal is to attain perfectemunah,to believe without certainty, without

any doubts.

Pharaoh said (1:10),äáøé ïô, "Lest theyincrease…" and Hashem replied, (1:12)ïë

äáøé, "So shall they increase."

ïô also means "maybe" and representsdoubts. The Imrei Chaim of Viznitzzt'lexplains that Pharaoh wantedäáøé ïô ,that

uncertainties and doubts inemunahshould increase among the Jewish nation.Hashem repliedäáøé ïë. This means weshould say with conviction andconfidence ïë, "Definitely there'sHashem! Unquestionably the world isrun with hashgachah pratis!" etc. We

shouldn’t have any doubts at all.13131313

It states (Devarim 29:17), ùøù íëá ùé ïôäðòìå ùàø äøô. Tzaddikim explainedùé ïôíëá, the doubts and uncertainties that youhave, äðòìå ùàø äøô ùøù, are the root and

the source of youryetzer hara.

As the Chovas HaLevavos (ShaarYichud HaMaasehch.5) writes, "Theyetzer hara's strongest approach is tohave you doubt those matters you are

certain about…"

In contrast, definite, clear, and certain

12. In Poland people would say about someone who speaks a lot, non-stop, that he hasa hole in his head, and all the words in his head are tumbling out.

The problem is that his constant rambling creates a hole in other people's heads, too.13. These ideas apply for bitachon too. The shidduch, parnassah, and all other matters

people worry about, train yourself in the path of ירבה .כן Say "Yes! Hashem will help,and everything will be well."


emunahis the source of all goodmiddosand for success inavodas Hashem.

Therefore, we should strengthenourselves in emunah, and believe in

Hashem without any doubts at all.

One of Hashem's names iséàãå, as itstates,åúìäú ïë åîù éàãå, "Hashem's nameis éàãå…" The Arizal said that this nameis hinted by, 'é úà ãåã êøáéå because theroshei teivosof these words spelléàãå.Similarly, it states (Tehillim 34:5), éúùøãéððòå 'é úà, "I beseeched Hashem and Heanswered me." These words are also

roshei teivoséàãå (Yosef Tehillos).

éàãå means certain, and the message ofthis name is to believe in Hashem with

certainty, without any doubts.

The gematriya of ÷ìîò is 240, which isthe same gematriya as ÷ôñ, doubt,because Amalek fights against clearemunah. As it states,êø÷ øùà, Amalekcools off emunah. Amalek doesn’t wantus to know that everything happens withhashgachah pratis, and that no one cantake anything away from another unlessit was decreed Above, and thatparnassah is determined on RoshHashanah, and that even the place awhere one blade of hay falls is alsodestined and planned by Hashem, etc.

We destroy Amalek when we know thatHashem is always with us. And evenwhen it seems that Hashem is far away,

He is watching over us, leading us withcare and compassion.

It states, ÷åçøî åúåçà áöúúå, "His sisterstood from the distance." Thepasuk ispraising Miriam, the prophetess, becausewhen her brother was put into the NileRiver, and it seemed that Hashemconcealed His face and was÷åçøî, faraway from us, åúåçà áöúúå, she stoodfirmly with her belief that Hashem was

with them.

Actually (Yirmiyahu 31:2), äàøð 'ä ÷åçøîéì, "From the distance, Hashem appearedto me" because when Hashem seems tobe from the distance, that's when

Hashem is closest.

The Gemara often states the phrase,ïàîàéä àúùáùî àîìã àéä àúöøúîã àîéð (see forexample Shabbos 121:).14141414 The ImreiChaim of Viznitz zt'l said that ïàî is

roshei teivosfor ïîàð êìî ì"à.

àîéð ïàî refers to someone who alwayssays ïîàð êìî ì"à, and he believes thateverything occurs by Hashem's decree.àéä àúöøúî, this person has answers to

everything that comes up in his life.

When one is always sayingàîìã, perhaps,because he has doubts in hisemunah,àéä àúùáùî, nothing makes sense to him,

and he is always asking questions.

The Imrei Chaim said thisvort inGrussvardein, Romania, to students ofhis yeshiva who were discussing the

14. Literally, it means, "How do we know the braysa was repeated correctly? Perhapsthere's an error in the wording."


tragedies of the Holocaust. He wasteaching them that emunah thateverything is from Hashem answers all

their questions.

As Rebbe Moshe of Kobrinzt'l taught,íéùòîä ìë ìò ïåãà ì"à, "G-d, the master overeverything" is the answer to all

questions.

Someone told the Yesod HaAvodah thathe has many questions inemunah. TheYesod HaAvodah replied, "You aren't thefirst person to ask questions. Pharaohalso had many questions. He said (5:2),åìå÷á òîùà øùà 'ä éî, 'Who is Hashem thatI should listen to Him?' And for eachquestion, he received aäëî, a plaguefrom Above. And then he learned that

everything is from Hashem."

Rebbe Shimon Yarisloverzt'l lived to theripe old age of 91 (a rarity in that era).People asked him the secret of hislongevity. He said: When people askquestions on Hashem, Hashem bringshim up to heaven, because over there allquestions are answered. I never askedquestions. I always believed withoutdoubt that everything is just and good.Therefore, it wasn't necessary to rush meupstairs to answer my questions. That's

the secret of my longevity…"

Someone asked the Imrei Emeszt'linformation about a bachur for ashidduch. The Imrei Emes replied, "But

he is aç÷ô, wise."

The man didn’t know whether the ImreiEmes was saying a quality andencouraging theshidduchor a characterfailing, and was discouraging it. He

asked the Imrei Emes's brother, RebMoshe Betzalelzy'a hy'd, to explain to

him what the Rebbe said.

Reb Moshe Betzalel replied, "It states(4:11), øåò åà ç÷ô åà ùøç åà ,íìéà íåùé éî,"Who makes the mute, the death, theç÷ô,the blind…" In this phrase, ç÷ô istogether with a list of tragedies. It seemsthat being a ç÷ô isn't a good thing."Because one shouldn’t be too wise,seeking to understand everything. Ratherone should believe with emunahpeshutahthat everything is exactly as it

should be.

MethodsMethodsMethodsMethods totototo AttainAttainAttainAttain EmunahEmunahEmunahEmunah

The Lechovitzer Rav zt'l taught(Tehillim 116:10), øáãà éë éúðîàä, "Ibelieve because I speak." Speaking

about emunahbrings emunah.

Rebbe Moshe of Kobrinzt'l said that itis even good to discuss levels ofemunahthat are beyond us. For example, if aperson doesn’t believe that everything isfor the good, he should still say it. As itstates (Tamid 28.), äøéúé äðåîàá ÷éæçé, takethe path of speaking about levels of

emunahthat are beyond you.

Generally one shouldn’t be involved inlevels that are beyond him, but when itcomes to emunah it is permitted andrecommended to talk about levels that arebeyond you. Rebbe Moshe of Kobrinwould therefore speak with his studentsabout very high levels ofemunah, becauseall levels ofemunahare for everyone, andspeaking about it helps us acquire them.

Another counsel for attainingemunahisto pray for it.


The Baal Shem Tov perceived with hisruach hakodeshthat one of his studentsneedschizuk in emunah, so he traveledto him in the middle of the night and toldhim, "Also for emunahone should praya lot to attain it" and then the Baal Shem

Tov returned home.

This student later said that the Baal ShemTov came just at the right time. He washaving questions inemunah, and hefollowed the Baal Shem Tov's counsel anddavened foremunah, and then he was able

to return to his high levels inemunah.

Finally, the path for attainingemunahissimply to try to live one's life by thefundamentals ofemunah, because when

one tries, Hashem helps.

It states in this week'sparashah(3:4) thatMoshe was úåàøì øñ, "he turned tounderstand the vision of the bush" andthen Hashem called to him, and spokewith him. The Seforno writes that this isalways the pattern: a person tries, and thenHashem is revealed to him. As Chazal say(Shabbos104.),åúåà ïéòééñî øäèì àáä, "When

one wants to be pure, he is helped."

Therefore, when one strives to live withemunah, Hashem will help him attain it.

It states (1:8),àì øùà íéøöî ìò ùãç êìî í÷éåóñåé úà òãé, "A new king arose in

Mitzrayim, who didn’t know Yosef."

Rashi writes: "Rav and Shmuel [themeaning of thispasukis debated by Ravand Shmuel]. One said that he was a newking, literally. The other said that he

changed his decrees."

Often, when there is amachlokes

regarding drush (the stories of theTorah), there aren't any halachicconsequences. But the Toras Chaim(Eiruvin 53.) says that thismachlokeshas

halachic ramifications.

Someone tells his fellow man, "If yougive me a million dollars, I will sell youa new house." The man is interested, andgives the million dollars. The seller gives

him an old house.

The buyer says, "This isn't what weagreed on. You said you will give me anew house."The seller says, "But it's like new,because it is completely renovated, newlyfurnished, etc. And its value is a million

dollars… "

The debate between Rav and Shmuel onthe definition ofùãç, new, applies here.

According to the opinion that "new" isliteral, the seller didn’t keep his word. Hesaid he will give him a new house andhe didn’t. But according to the opinionthat new can also be something that isrenewed, the sale is valid, because hesold him something that was refurbished

and was "like new".

The lesson that we can take from this isthat when a person improves his wayshe became new. He isn't the same person

as before.

Therefore, when a person turns over anew leaf, and lives his life withemunah,we can consider him an entirely newperson, because he is now living a new

and improved life.


Tefillah

The Yismach Yisrael (Shemos 2,quoting his father, Rebbe Yechiel ofAlexander zt'l) writes, "In Mitzrayim,they weren't able to speak. All theycould do is shout 'Oy vay! 15151515... Thosemoans went up to heaven, and werevery precious in heaven. Thisencourages every Yid. There are peoplewho are almost unable to pray toHakadosh Baruch Hu because of theirtzaros… Nevertheless, don’t lose hope.Call out to Hashem the best you can.Even if your tefillah will only produceone shout to Hashem from the depthsof your heart, Hashem will take intoaccount your poverty, hardships, lowlystate, your place, your situation, andwith His immense mercy, He will listento that one moan and He will save you."

When the Yidden were at the Yam Sufthey also weren’t able to daven, only toshout, as it states (Shemos14:10), å÷òöéå'ä ìà ìàøùé éðá, "Bnei Yisrael shouted to

Hashem" and Hashem saved them.

The Chidushei HaRimzt'l writes, "It waspurposely planned that they won't be ableto daven at this time, so for allgenerations, even when they don’t havestrength to pray, they should shout toHashem and Hashem will save them. Asit states (14:14),ïåùéøçú íúàå íëì íçìé 'ä,and the Mechilta explains that even when

Yidden are silent (ïåùéøçú) because theyaren't able to pray,íëì íçìé 'ä, Hashem

will battle their wars for them."

Sometimes, prayer in the form of a shoutis the preferred kind oftefillah. TheMaor Veshamosh(Shemosíéîéá éäéå ä"ã)writes, "We can ask, why does it state(2:23) å÷òæéå, they shouted to Hashem?Why doesn’t is stateåììôúéå, they prayedto Hashem…? The explanation is…thereare times there are mekatrigim(prosecuting malachim) who create aniron wall, preventing thetefillos fromgoing up… The solution is (Zohar vol.2p.63:), 'To shout from the depths of hisheart and with all hiskavanah.' It is justa sound, without words. This is calledä÷òæ The mekatrigimaren't aware of thisprayer, only Hakadosh Baruch HuHimself. Hashem Himself turns to theseshouts…and He answers those who callto him. It is a far more specialtefillahthan tefillos said with words, which themalachim understand and can prevent.Only Hashem knows his thoughts andrequests that are being expressed throughhis shouts, and Hashem fulfills them…"

We should yearn and strive to prayproperly. As the Zera Kodesh (ä"ã àøàåäùî øáãéå) writes, "[In Mitarayim]Hakadosh Baruch Hu heard the yearning

15. As it states (2:23), שועתם ותעל ויזעקו ... ישראל... בני ויאנחו "The Yidden moaned… theyshouted…their shouts went up to Hashem." And it states (3:9), ישראל בני צעקת הנה ועתה

אלי ,באה "And now, the shouts of Bnei Yisrael have come up to Me…" They shouted andmoaned, but they weren't able to pray.


of Bnei Yisrael, how they wanted to prayproperly before Him. They prayed andthey davened that they should be able topray. As it states,'ä ìà ìàøùé éðá å÷òöéå, theyshouted a prayer to Hashem,äãåáòä ïî,because theirtefillah (which is calledäãåáò) wasn't as it should be…" But untilwe are able to daven well, we areencouraged with the concept that ourshouts are heard, understood, andanswered, and thereby all our needs can

be fulfilled.

TheTheTheThe ImportanceImportanceImportanceImportance ofofofof TefillahTefillahTefillahTefillah

Moshe Rabbeinu told Hashem that heisn't fitting to speak with Pharaoh(4:10), éëðà ïåùì ãáëå äô ãáë éë "becauseI have a speech impediment." Thequestion is, if that's the problem,

Hashem could heal Moshe.

The Ramban offers some answers:

One is: Hashem wanted that Mosheshould have a speech impediment andmiraculously speak well before Pharaoh.As the Midrash states: "Hashem said:Don’t worry about your speechimpediment… If I wanted to create youwith the ability to speak well, I wouldhave made you that way. But I want tomake a miracle through you, that whenyou speak I will help you and you willspeak well. As it states (4:12),êì äúòåøáãú øùà êéúéøåäå êéô íò äéäà éëðàå, 'Now go,

and I will be with your mouth, and I willteach you what you should say.'"

As the Ramban writes, "Hashem didn’twant to take away Moshe's speechimpediment, because he wanted a miracleshould occur when he speaks withPharaoh [that suddenly, Moshe wouldspeak well, without any handicaps]."The Ramban's next explanation is asfollows:"Hashem told Moshe…I have the abilityto heal you, but since you don’t want tobe healed, and you didn’t daven to behealed, go and do what I command you,and I will help you…" According to thisexplanation, Moshe wasn't healedbecause he didn’t pray for it. Becausewith tefillah one can attain anything andeverything, but it is up to the person to

pray, and then he will receive.

Consider the followingmashal:

A king gave permission to one of hissubjects to take anything he wants fromthe king's treasury room, and he can takeas much as he wants. The man stands infront of the treasury room, but he doesn’t

have the key to go inside.

The keys representtefillah. With tefillah,Hashem's treasury opens up for us, andall our hearts' desires can be fulfilled.But without tefillah, we lack the keys

that open the doors.16161616

16. A family once received the dreaded phone call from the nursing home that their mother(grandmother, etc.) was niftar. They came to the levayah, sat shivah, said Kaddish,

everything according to halachah.And then, shockingly, one of the daughters received a phone call from her mother, whomthey thought was niftar, and whom they thought they had just buried! The mother asked,"Why doesn’t the family visit me anymore? It's been a week since anyone came."


And if a person prayed and he didn’t getwhat he wanted, he should pray again.

The main thing is not to lose hope.

A great talmid chachamof Yerushalayimfell ill and his friends and studentsprayed a lot for him. Theirtefillos wereanswered. He said, "The greatest miracleisn't that Hashem answered thetefillos,because that's obvious. Hashem alwayslistens to the tefillos of the Jewishnation. The primary miracle is thatpeople didn’t lose hope and theycontinued davening for me, despite the

doctors' discouraging prognosis..."

The Radak (Yonah2:2) teaches that twomiracles happened to Yonah HaNaviwhen he was thrown into the ocean andwas swallowed by the large fish: "A greatmiracle occurred, because he was threedays and three nights in the fish's stomachand he survived. A second miracle wasthat he didn’t go into shock [and lose hopeand his ability to pray]. Rather he kept his

mind andsecheland hedavened."

It states (3:15),íäøáà é÷ìà íëéúåáà é÷ìà 'äíëéìà éðçìù á÷òé é÷ìàå ÷çöé é÷åìà, "Hashemthe G-d of your fathers, Avraham,Yitzchak, and Yaakov sent me to you [toredeem you]." The Ramban writes,"Hashem never forgets His covenant

with the avos. In all generations, whenthey say [in davening],÷çöé íäøáà é÷ìàá÷òéå, Hashem will listen to their prayers

and answer them."

We shouldn’t solely mention theavos.We should remember their righteousness,and rejoice with the privilege that we are

their descendants and children.

This reminds me of a story thathappened with abachur who wanted tospeak with the Beis Yisrael of Gurzt'l.Before going in to the Rebbe, he askedthe gabbai, Reb Chanina Schiff, to tell

the Rebbe hisyichus.

The gabbai told him, "It's not done thatway, over here."

But the bachur insisted that it wasimportant for him, so Reb Chaninaintroduced him to the Rebbe, saying,"This bachur wanted the Rebbe to know

that he is a descendant of…"

The Rebbe replied, "Why shouldI know?He has to know!" In other words, heshould live up to the standard of hisancestors. Similarly, when we mentiontheavosin tefillah, it isn't just to mentionit, but to recognize where we come from,to emulate their ways, and with that

awareness pray before Hashem.

They found out that the nursing home called up the wrong family. It was another womanwho was niftar. Their mother was fine and well.The nursing home contacted the son of the real nifteres, told him the sad news, andapologized for the error that occurred. When the nursing home told him that a different familysat shivah for her, etc., he exclaimed in wonder, "My mother always spoke about how shewants a minyan at her levayah, that someone should say Kaddish for her, and sit shivah,and she prayed for this a lot. I wasn't planning on giving this to her because I'm not religious,but I see her tefillos were answered."


AAAA HighHighHighHigh formformformform ofofofof PrayerPrayerPrayerPrayer

The Rabbeinu b'Chaya (2:23) writes, "Itstates,äãåáòä ïî íé÷ìàä ìà íúòåù ìòúå, 'Theirshouts went up to Hashem from theirslave-labor.' It was time for theirsalvation, but they weren't worthy of theredemption anymore. But since theyprayed a lot to Hashem, theirtefilloswere answered. In thispasuk it statestwice that they prayed,äãåáòä ïî, "fromtheir slave-labor."17171717 This is to teach usthat the most perfecttefillah is thetefillah that comes forth from distressand suffering. It is more accepted, and itgoes up before Hashem. This alsohappened to the Navi Yonah. As it states(Yonah 2:8), éðúøëæ 'ä úà éùôð éìò óèòúäáêùã÷ ìëéä ìà éúìôú êéìà àáúå, 'When I wasin distress, I remembered to pray toHashem, and mytefillos came beforeYou…' The Torah is teaching us how tobe redeemed from our presentgalus. Ourredemption is dependent onteshuvahandtefillah, just as the redemption fromMitzrayim neededteshuvahand tefillahbefore Hashem Who answers at a time ofdistress…. Because the redemption is

dependent onteshuvahand tefillah."

The Or HaChaim (2:23) writes, "It states(Tehillim 118), ïîáçøîá éððò ä"é éúàø÷ øöîää"é, 'When I call to Hashem from adistressful place, Hashem answers me…'Because one of thetefillos that areanswered istefillos said amidst distress.As it states (Yonah2), äøöî éúàø÷' I called

from my distress.'"

Moshe was born on the 7th of Adar.

(2:2) íéçøé äùìù åäðôöúå, "They hid[Moshe] for three months"ãåò äìëé àìåóåñá íùúå ...åðéôöä, "They couldn’t hidehim anymore…and they placed Moshein an ark, on a swamp." The Rabbeinub'Chaya makes the exact calculation,and discovers that this happened on the6th of Sivan, the day Moshe will in thefuture go up on Har Sinai to receive

the Torah.

The Rabbeinu b'Chaya (2:2) writes,"Moshe was born on the 7th of Adar.The Egpytians were waiting for the ninthmonth, as this is the way of the world.The nine months concluded on the 6th ofSivan… The pasuk mentions íéçøé,moons, and it doesn’t stateíéùãç, months,because these were moon months, whichare two monthsøñç (of 29 days) and onemonth àìî (of 30 days). 2 x 29 + 30 =88 days, which is exactly the sixth ofSivan – the day of Mattan Torah. Thatwas the day Moshe was placed into theswamp on the banks of the Nile River.The pasukis teaching us that on the dayMoshe hadtzaar, distress, from the Nile,on that day [years later] he went up toheaven and received the Torah on HarSinai. This is as Dovid HaMelech said(Tehillim 138:3), éðáéäøú éððòúå éúàø÷ íåéáæò éùôðá, "On the day that I called to you[from distress] You answered me andYou made me great, and You

strengthened my soul."

Because, as we explained, atefillah saidfrom distress is a powerfultefillah, and

is answered.

17. As it states (2:23), ותעל ויזעקו העבודה מן ישראל בני ויאנחו מצרים מלך וימת ההם הרבים בימים ויהי

העבודה מן האלקים אל .שוועתם

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