At our Pesach seder and also in the Torah reading on the seventh day of Pesach, we read the pasuk (Shemos 14:31), “and they [the Jewish nation] believed in Hashem and in Moshe,” (after seeing the Egyptians drowning in the Red Sea).
HaGaon R’ Elchonon Wasserman observes that one of the reasons for the Ten Plagues was, “so that you will repeat [it] into the ears of your children and your children’s children … and you will know that I am Hashem (Shemos 10:2).” He questions this statement, as we already learned earlier, before the Ten Plagues, (Shemos 4:31) that “the nation believed.”
In a similar vein, the Torah tells us concerning Avraham Avinu, “he believed in Hashem, and He considered it as righteousness (Bereishis 15:6).” Rashi tells us that it was Hashem who considered Avraham’s belief as an act of righteousness, because he demonstrated his complete faith in Hashem’s promise.
The Ramban however does not subscribe to Rashi’s interpretation. The Ramban asks: How could it be considered a level of righteousness for Avraham to believe what Hashem said when he personally heard it directly from Hashem? This was the same Avraham who was ready immediately when Hashem called upon him to sacrifice his son; Avraham was the greatest of all believers.
The Ramban offers another explanation. Avraham Avinu regarded highly Hashem’s promise; he was a humble righteous individual. However, because of his deep humility, he did not believe that he was worthy of Hashem’s blessing.
Similarly, R’ Elchonon cites the incident at the end of Makkos (24b) when Rabban Gamliel, R’ Elazar ben Azaryah, R’ Yehoshua, and R’ Akiva were walking towards Yerushalayim. As they arrived at the Har HaBayis they saw a fox emerge from the site of the Kodesh Kodoshim. R’ Gamliel, R’ Elazar and R’ Yehoshua began to cry; R’ Akiva, however, laughed. When he was asked why he laughed, he explained that when Hashem revealed the future to the prophet Yeshaya, He took as witnesses Zechariah and Uriah (Yeshayah 8:2). What is their connection? In the prophecy of Uriah it is written “Tzion will be plowed over like a field … will become heaps of rubble … like stone heaps in the forest (Micha 3:12).” In the prophecy to Zechariah Hashem said (8:4), “Old men and old women will once again sit in the streets of Yerushalayim … “R’ Akiva concluded, “Now that I see that the prophecy to Uriah has been fulfilled, I am certain that the prophecy of Zechariah will be realized as well.” The other sages confirmed that they were indeed comforted. R’ Elchonon asks: Surely R’ Akiva believed the words of Hashem!?
R’ Elchonon responds that concerning matters of faith there are no simple yes and no answers. There are many levels of emunah. Contrary to our assumption that if one perceives Hashem’s presence through his senses that would constitute the highest level of recognizing Hashem, our senses can, in fact, deceive us. Sincere and pure emunah is more elevated than experiencing a miracle.
The Torah uses the words “they believed in Hashem,” implying a level of emunah ordinarily unachievable by a common human being. So too, R’ Akiva certainly believed in all the prophecies cited in Tanach. However, when he saw the fox emerge from the Holy of Holies, he reached an even higher level in his emunah.
The lesson is clear. We are all believers. We believe in Hashem and all the Thirteen Principles of Faith. However, we are “a work in progress,” growing our emunah every moment of every day.
One of the strongest manifestations of emunah is when we answer amen to any bracha every day. Our sages tell us that the word amen is an abbreviation for kel melech ne’eman – Hashem is a faithful king. We are expressing our belief in Hashem in that which was stated in the bracha that was made. In fact, the word amen completes the bracha.
Rebbetzin Kanievsky, z”l. told of a young girl who had come to inform her that her mother had passed on and, as a zechus for her mother’s neshama, she had resolved not to eat or drink unless someone was present to answer amen to her bracha. When the rebbetzin repeated this matter to her renowned husband, R’ Chaim, he responded that the girl had accepted upon herself a very difficult kabbalah (resolve).
This young girl later told the rebbetzin that one night she was extremely hungry and very much wanted to take something to eat. All the people in the house were fast asleep. She waited a long time to see if anyone would stir, or wake up, but soon realized that everyone was down for the night. She eventually went to sleep still very hungry.
That night, the girl’s mother appeared to her in a dream and said, “You cannot imagine the effect of your good deed. This display of great stamina and fortitude created a great commotion in Shamayim. You should know that your friend _____, who attends one of your classes, and has become very ill will now merit a refuah sheleima.” With those words, her mother disappeared.
In the morning, the girl awoke in shock. She had not known that her friend was ill. Impulsively, she approached her friend in school and told her about the dream. The friend was stunned because it had been decided that her illness would be kept a secret and absolutely no one had been told that she was ill. The girl confided to her friend that it was her mother who had told her this good news. Her family was thrilled, though, to learn that she would merit a complete recovery, which she did.
Word of this great miracle reached the ears of the great R’ Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman, one of the gedolei hador. He proclaimed that he wanted to establish the custom in his shul that the congregants should come early so that they could answer amen to each other’s brachos. In this way, each bracha would be a complete bracha, and they would merit besuros tovos (good tidings) within Klal Yisrael.
