“Say to the Children of Israel: I am Hashem, and I shall take you out from under the burdens of Egypt; I shall save you ….” (Shemos 6:6).
In this parsha the Powerful Hand of Hashem that rules over all of nature is revealed through the supernatural plagues that Hashem brought upon the land of Egypt. The Jewish People were also told that they would be redeemed from their suffering, a seemingly unimaginable feat. Yet, such miracles are not performed regularly. If they were, it would affect man’s free choice. If everyone could undeniably identify Hashem’s presence, and recognize that there is no one other than Hashem, man’s free choice would no longer be relevant.
Chacham Ovadiah Yosef states that, even without miracles, we do need to believe that Hashem has the power to deliver us from our suffering and challenges that we encounter on a daily basis. Such salvation is achieved through prayer, as we learn regarding Chizkiyahu (Melachim II:20).
King Chizkiyahu became deathly ill, and the Prophet Yeshaya told him that it had already been decreed that he was going to die. The Talmud elaborates (Brachos 10a) that Chizkiyahu then told Yeshaya that he has a tradition from his ancestors that even if a sharp sword is resting on one’s neck, i.e. the situation seems hopeless, he should not stop praying. Indeed, the pasuk tells us that Chizkiyahu “turned his face to the wall and prayed to Hashem … and he cried bitterly … and Hashem added another fifteen years to his life.”
The Sefer Yafa Mareh (a commentary on Yerushalmi) explains that the tradition Chizkiyahu referenced was from Yehoshafat (Melachim I:22). We learn there that Achav, the king of Israel and Yehoshafat, the king of Yehuda, joined forces in battle against Aram. They agreed that Achav would disguise himself as a regular soldier so that he was not recognized as the king of Israel – Aram’s sworn enemy – and Yehoshafat wore his royal clothing on the battlefield. He was initially mistaken for Achav and he was going to be attacked. The pasuk tells us (22:32), “Yehoshafat cried out” and he was saved. The commentaries explain that he prayed to Hashem, and he was not killed by Aram’s men.
How powerful is prayer that has the ability to reverse an ostensibly doomed situation. One should be galvanized and inspired to plead to the Omnipotent Hashem to be saved from any challenge in any situation. One should never despair of begging for kindness and compassion from the All Merciful.
Our sages tell us that one should not despair because of his suffering, because Hashem’s mercy is far-reaching, as it says (Yeshayahu 59:1), “Surely, the hand of Hashem is not too short to save …” and the Medrash (Megillas Esther) tells us that the salvation of Hashem comes in the blink of an eye, no matter its magnitude.
In the year 5600 (about 185 years ago) there was a blood libel on the Jews of Damascus. The rav of Damascus, R’ Yaakov Entebbe, was imprisoned in chains and tortured. The king then ordered the guard to draw his sword and place it on the neck of the Rav. However, the Rav sensed that the dull side of the blade had been placed against his neck, and he reflected on the observation of the sages (ibid.) who spoke of a “sharp” sword threatening one’s life. In his case, with the dull side of the sword against his neck, surely he should not despair and he should continue to pray for his life. R’ Yaakov was, in fact, miraculously saved from death.
R’ Elimelech Eliach related the following:
A student learning in yeshiva, Chaim, had difficulty mastering his Torah studies and was not seeing any success in his learning. When Chaim’s mother noted this, she decided to take him out of yeshiva so that he could at the very least supplement the income of the household as she was living in poverty with her son.
As she walked towards the yeshiva, she encountered R’ Simcha Zissel Shapiro of Yeshivas Chevron, walking directly towards her, accompanied by his rebbetzin. Rebbetzin Shapiro inquired after her welfare and asked where she was heading.
“I am going to take my son Chaim out of yeshiva,” she told the rebbetzin.
The rebbetzin began to tremble and she said, “It is a shame to take him out of yeshiva.”
Chaim’s mother explained that it didn’t really matter much, as her son was not flourishing in yeshiva. “This way he will be able to work and earn money to contribute to the household.”
“I believe you’re misjudging the situation,” argued the rebbetzin. “As long as he hears divrei Torah the words will eventually make a powerful impression on his heart.” She cited the Kotzker Rebbe on (Devarim 6:6), “And these words that I command you today shall be upon your heart,” who said that these “words” are always found on the heart. One day, though, the heart opens up and the words enter into the heart. “Any holy matters that a person experiences,” she continued, “will eventually enter the heart.”
The rebbetzin spoke to Chaim’s mother for about half an hour on the street, pleading with her to reconsider her decision. Ultimately, she was able to convince her, and Chaim’s mother decided to allow Chaim to remain in yeshiva.
Chaim continued to learn studiously. He grew in yiras Shamayim, and within a matter of time he became known as the masmid (diligent student) of the yeshiva. He later went on to the Mir Yeshiva, and the rosh yeshiva arranged for him to study with a young student who had come from the States. Chaim progressed, and ascended higher levels in Torah and mitzvos. All the students in Mir knew that if had any questions or clarification on the Talmud they could speak with Chaim.
Who was Chaim, whose mother wanted to take him out of yeshiva? HaGaon R’ Chaim Kamil. The young student from the States with whom he learned was R’ Nosson Tzvi Finkel, the rosh yeshiva who grew the Mir Yeshiva into one of the leading institutions in the Torah world that it is today.
See what a half hour of discussion on the streets of Yerushalayim was able to accomplish. Such is the power of every word. Moreover, we learn the significance and results of never giving up, which was critical in the development of a great leader in the Torah world.
