Parshas B'shalach

"BOKER TOV"

The first thing we are told in this week parsha is when Pharaoh let us go.

Is that Hashem did not lead us in the 'normal' way. ie. 'the shortest, or the most logical from our stand point', and that we were armed, 'with what'? And that Moshe took the bones of Yosef HaTzaddik. And that Hashem was leading us night and day. literally, we saw visually, the pillar fire and cloud. His ovious and overt leading of us night and day.

Ok so?

Then we are made privy to an personal conversation.

"Hashem spoke to Moshe", "Speak to the children of Israel; and tell them exactly whats going to happen next, no surprises here right; 'Boker tov', Pharaoh is going to come after you and I'm going finish him off and the Egyptian's once and for all.

And so this is exactly what happens and Israel panics, Why? What are we missing here, Nu? Were we not told exactly what was going to happen next? And if that is not enough we were armed? The key is right here in the next pasuk.

"The children of Israel raised there eyes, and they were very frightened; then they cried out to Hashem, (Ah there is something here), then they said to Moshe "Were there no graves in Egypt so that you took us out to die in the wilderness? 'COMPLAINTS!!!'... "Is this not what we said to you while we were still in Egypt when you came to take us out... "Lets us be and we will serve Egypt"... 'better to be slaves than to disrupt your daily lives, I always say, we like the suffering'.

What happen from the time of the miracles of the Geula til now? What's problem? How is it that we fell from the level of our Emunah (sharei Nun minus one) that we experienced on the night of Pesach? Seeing the open manifestation of Hashem's ratzon, His Divine Provodence.

From this we raised our eyes, we wanted to believe again in determinism (derek hateva) the seemingly natrual events of this world. So we chose to close our eyes to ratzon Hashem and opened them to our own determinism in short we over estimated our abilities, then realized we could not handle it and started to doubt all over again. Then the mixed multitude which looked up to us saw we were waivering and they started to complain. We did not guard our eyes we began to look around at the world and as soon as we did we fell from our Emunah. We are told to guard our eyes!

This is what we are told we did not desvre to go out from Egypt on our own merit so in fulfillment of the promise to our fore fathers Hashem added to our Daat to increase our Emunah so we we could leave. A free undesevred gift. Hazal tells us 'that a prisinor can not free himself on his own, he must have assitance from without', but as soon as we went out we lost our lofty Daat. Now we were going to have earn it through guarding our faith in Hashem.

We can not and must not trust what we see. Especially in the media! And what we hear in the news! "What lies!" To have Emuanh is to not look at this world our its happenings.

In the She'ma we are told in the third perek "They shall be to you as Tzitzit, and you shall look at them (big hint) and remember all the commandments of Hashem and to fulfill them and not to follow after your heart and after your eyes by which you go astray..." We are told to specifically not use out sekel or to trust our eyes! WHY? Becuase we start to think, our own hagasot in our chochmah, fallen chochmah then we start to look into how we can go about doing it with out Hashem. This is what 'Adom HaRishon' did he thought he could fix the 'shevat hakelim' all by himself. You see every time we think we can do it on our own we have fallen into self generated heresy. We make ourselves into g-d's and try and remove Hashem from the throne. It is much easier to just listen and do than to try to be a king.

The Tzaddik tells us next what we need to do. "Moshe said to 'the people' "Do not fear! Stand fast and 'see' the the salvation of Hashem that He will preform for you today;"... Why is not 'children of Israel' but 'people'? Is it because something has happened? Or is it that here, He is speaking to someone else? The answer is both we got out of your troubles and said thanks for the help we can take from here we'll call you if we need you. Oh ok, let's see how you do? This seems to be a reoccurring theme in our national history.

A person who believes that Hashem sustains everything through His ratzon and that all life-force comes from Him, is he himself filled with vitally and life! He recognizes the Hand of Hashem even in the inevitable trials and tribulation that living life brings his way, and knows that what ever the compassionate one does is for one's benefit (Berakhot 60b). This was how it was for us on the night of Pesach, expanded Daat.

On the other hand, when a person attributes all the happenings to the laws of nature, and of natural occurrences, his life is no life. He lacks vitality and life-force, and if beset by any of life's difficulties has no where to turn for consolation. Just like we where at the sea, it seemed like there was no where to turn, cliffs on one side wilderness on the other the sea infront and the Eygptian's to the rear, constricted Daat.

The manifestation of Hashem's will reveals what the purpose to all of one's suffering and that in the end he will be rewarded for the affliction he has to endured.

Rashi tells us. Shemos 14:14-16. Hashem will do battle on your behalf. Hashem said speak the the children and let them journey, there is nothing left to do but to travel, for the sea is not a barrier before them... The merit of their forefathers, and of themselves, and the faith they 'had' in Me when they went out of Eygpt are sufficient to split the sea for them. "So we see it was only 'their lack of Emunah that caused their distress'! "Rebbe Nachman teaches us that the only reason one must travel is to to repair his Emunah" (likutey Eitzot).

In the parasha it says they will sing, in future tense So as we come to Shabbos Shirah may take it to heart that the only obestacle is our own lack of faith and may it be His will that we this shabbos in joy fulfill the pasuk and sing out loud of Hashem praises. two of the ten songs are in this week the haftorah contains 'Devorah's Naviah song' there are ten songs all together they are; they are a segula for the geula.

1) Song of Creation, (Bereishis 1:1-2:3), 2) Song at the Sea, (Shemos15:1-26), 3)Miram's Song... 4)Song of the well (Bamidbar 21:17-20), 5)Parshas Haazinu (Devarim 32:1-43), 6)Devorah's Song (Shoftim 5:1-31), 7)Hannah's Song (I samuel 2:1-11), 8)David's Song (II Samuel 22:1-51)
9)Hezekiah's Song (Ysaiahu 38:9-20), 10) Song of Songs (Shir hashirim 1:1-8:14)

Gut shabbos

"And they believed in Hashem and in His servant
Moshe" (Shmos 14:31).

The midrash tells us: "whoever believes in Hashem is as if he believes in the true shepherd Moshe, and whoever believes in the true shepherd is as if he believes in Hashem, Creator of the world" (Mechilta, Beshalach).

The Talmud teaches: The Torah is acquired by means of 48 qualities. One of these is emunas chachamim, "faith in the tzaddikim" (Avot 6:6)

The vast majority of these qualities focus on one's diligence and efforts in pursuing Torah study and rectifying bad character traits. However right in the middle of all of these 48 is faith in the tzaddikim. The Tzaddikim are the ones who transmit the Torah to us, so without faith in their teachings we will never be able to acquire the Torah. That being the case, of what value is intellectual pursuit and diligent study?

An integral part of achieving faith in Hashem is by having faith in the tzaddik. After all, how can we with our defective sechal (intellect) and lack of Daat (knowledge, but knowledge of truth) in this ever confusing and changing world ever hope to come to choosing right from wrong, what is correct? How do we chose from pure and tamei (impure), kosher from traif (non-kosher)? For leading us through the confusion we have to rely on the Tzaddik.

These righteous individuals they who have risen above the mundane and physical restraints and limitations of the defective human sechal (intellect), they know. We can rely on them in much the same way as a child relies on a parent, to whom he look up as all knowing.

"Most sea men are Chassidim" (Talmud Kiddushin 82a). "This is because they are in constant danger and are always turning to Hashem" (Rashi) We can relate this to the crossing of the sea of reeds. The Jews believed in Moshe and followed him across. The sea was split like walls raising between the tribes, symbolic of the "sea of Knowledge" too dangerous to navigate across without the proper tools and navigational aides- these are the advice of the Tzaddik who guides us on the proper course.

Pharaoh on the other hand did not have any belief, he felt that he had the tools with which to cross on his own. As is the case today, with Artscroll and the many translations and incredible volume of holy seforim (Torah books), we have a ready access to the deep Ocean of the Torah. Yet we have to be even more careful than before as we sit at home without a Rav to teach us (with the rav was the only way until recent generations).

We must be aware that we are not properly equipped, and turn to those who are. Otherwise G-d forbid, like Pharaoh being ill trained and ill equipped to handle the turbulent sea, the walls came crashing down upon him and the Mitzrim [Egyptians] (Likutey Halakhot, Netilat Yadayim Li'seudah 6:39).

Rebbe Nachman said, From me you can begin to get a glimpse of the greatness of Hashem" (Tzaddik #284).

The Tzaddik is one who has attained Torah and has acquired Ruach HaKodesh (divine inspiration/insight). With faith in the Tzaddikim, they can help us achieve greatness in spirituality and closeness to Hashem.

"Even mentioning their names helps us draw from their Holiness." (Likutey Halakhot, Netilat Yadayim li'Seudah 4:6)

Photo: The Breslev Tzadik of Meah Shearim, my rav and teacher, HaRav Shalom Arush, shlita, author of the Garden of Emunah, dancing at the bar mitzvah of My son in Jerusalem.

39 The Settlers Psalm

Suffering makes a man aware of human frailty and transience.
39 is the number of m'laachot forbidden on Shabbos and what we are to fill the week with. this is a man's avodah in this world not the nine to five distraction that has been taught in the west this no more than the salvery of Egypt

Lamnaztecha l'ydusun, Mismor l'Dovid: Techillim 39

This is a psalm to be given to the leader of the levitical choir; also the name of and instrument. midrash says this refers to דתות decrees, which have befallen Israel Rashi.

"I said, I will guard my ways from sinning with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, even while the wicked one stands before me. I became mute with stillness, I was silent even from good, though my pain was intense. Hot grew my heart within me, in my contemplations blazed a fire; then I spoke out with my tongue: 'let me know, O Hashem, my end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that i may know when I will cease. Behold, like the handbreaths have you made my days, and my lifetime is naught before; all is but total futility all human existence, shelah Only in shadowy darkness make his way dose man; it is but futility for which they are in toil; He amasses riches, but he knows not who will harvest them. and now, for what do i hope, O Lord? My longing is to you. from all my transgressions rescue me; a disgrace before the degenerate do not make me! I am mute, I do open my mouth, because it is you who has done it remove from me your plague; from the attack of your hand I am devastated. with rebukes for my iniquity you have chastened man, you have worn away like a moth his precious health. but futility is all mankind, selah. Hear my payer Hashem; to my outcry give ear; to my tears be not mute; for a sojourner am I with you, A Settler Like all my Forefathers. Turn your punishment from me that I may recover my strength, before i depart and I am no more."

We should learn to be silent in the presents of others when we are suffering and not comment and surely not complain. Rebbeun taught that we should only speak all this to Hashem in personal prayer, and that only for one hour a day. The rest of the 23 hours we must be smayach. This is espeacalily when we suffer as we in our pain might slip a word of complaint G-d forbid. Cry out and ask when the suffering will end so that even if we must suffer we can know and rejoice in the fact that it will end! Measure me with a micrometer, for if we judge our selves the heavenly courts can't there is no double jeopardy... Grant me relief if for no other reason but to keep the unbelievers from mocking you! Understand that these sufferings come to remind us that we are only passing through. Every time a man gets comfortable he falls. In our arrogance we presume we are permanent yet death has always exposed this to be a lie. If one chooses to live his live as a SETTLER, a visitor, his awareness to his temporality will help him to abandon his sins and help him to fill his life with Torah only then Will he be a righteous settler like his forefathers in the world to come. toldos Aharon.
Please turn your punishment away so that I may have the strength to serve you. radak
Please do this before I depart as I can only earn merit in this world as the world to come is only to receive the rewards of the deeds one has done in this earthly life. radak
One should earnestly pray and cry for the ability to devote oneself to Torah and Mitzvos. as this is the way of the Tzaddik
Come cry at Tel Shilo from rosh chodesh nissan til shuvos so we can over turn these decrees.
May Hashem help us all. Form the very hill where the miskan stood for almost 400 years, it's a very Kadosh place to cry and to pray. its 45 minutes north of Jeruslaem on bus #148 Egged at 10.80 shekels the drivers Yitzak Yossi, and Ofer are my friends and students bomb them with love bombs from rebbenu, they'll know where to drop you tell Reb Nati sent you.

reb nati