Parshas Vaera 5786
- Torah Tavlin
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
והוצאתי אתכם מתחת סבלת מצרים והצלתי אתכם מעבדתם ... (ו-ו)
Chazal say that the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt in the merit that they did not change their attire, language and names throughout their sojourn there. Yet we find in Rashi (Shemos 3:13) that they merited to be redeemed because of their future acceptance of the Torah at Har Sinai. Which one was it?
The truth is that both these things are one and the same. R’ Shimshon Pincus zt”l points out that one will not find it written anywhere in Shulchan Aruch that it’s forbidden to use a non-Jewish name or speak in a gentile tongue, nor will he find it spelled out that it is forbidden to dress in the latest styles. Nevertheless, a yid must know that it is not enough for one to keep just the dry letter of the law; rather, one must also be “Jewish” - to speak Jewish, to dress Jewish, and to be called a Jewish name, as only then does he show how his performance of the mitzvos is done out of love for Hashem and His people. And it is this mesiras nefesh to retain their Jewishness that gave the Jewish people the merit to leave Mitzrayim. Indeed, the Rebbe, R’ Henoch of Aleksander zt”l would explain the posuk (Shemos 6:6): "והוצאתי אתכם מתחת סבלת מצרים" to mean that Hashem took the Jewish people out from getting used to and being able to tolerate (סובל) all the tumah and shmutz they found themselves in while in Mitzrayim. According to the above, this was measure for measure, a reward for their tenacity in retaining their Jewishness.
Thus, when it says in Shemos (3:13) that Bnei Yisroel were redeemed in the merit of "תעבדון את האלקים על ההר הזה", it doesn’t say outright that they merited redemption because of their accepting the Torah at Har Sinai, but rather that it will be in the merit of “serving Hakadosh Baruch Hu” on Har Sinai. In other words, it is not the Torah and mitzvos in and of themselves that took them out, but the fact that through them we serve Hashem as His Nation - that was the merit that allowed for Yetzias Mitzrayim. And it is our separation from the gentiles and their ways and our identification with the Jewish people that will bring us the final geulah as well, בב"א!