Two weeks ago in Parshas Yisro we read that Yisro’s life changed forever when he “heard” of the massive miracles that occurred for the Jewish people as they left Egypt. At our Pesach Seder, we remember these miracles – the ten plagues, the splitting of the sea, etc. But there was one dimension of the story that made the biggest impression on Yisro. Rashi explains (Shemos 18:9), “But above them all…no slave was able to escape from Egypt for the borders of the land were sealed, but the Jewish people left 600,000 strong.” Bnei Yisrael just walked out in broad daylight. In recent history, we experienced the closed walls of the Iron Curtain. Yet, even from within those walls there were individuals who escaped and there were those who were able to leave after many difficult years of perseverance. Not so with Egypt, whose borders were “hermetically” sealed.
We might be able to better understand the magnitude of what occurred in Egypt if we could project a parallel to our troubled times today. The civilized world has been placed in a state of fear by the ISIS Muslim terrorists. Imagine if ISIS seized a city and forbade anyone to leave under penalty of death. Then, one day, in broad daylight, the people of the town just walk out. Imagine if all of a sudden, ISIS and all the world’s terrorists would put their arms down. Surely, the entire world would be struck with profound ecstasy.
Egypt, in many ways, was another ISIS. Rashi (Shemos 18:4) relates that Pharaoh tried to behead Moshe Rabbeinu. There is a midrash that says that every morning and every evening Pharaoh would have Jewish infants slaughtered and bathe himself in their blood. The Midrash also says that the Egyptians celebrated as the Jews suffered. And then one day, Egypt laid down its arms, opened its doors, removed its Iron Curtain, and Bnei Yisrael made their exit. The miracle was astounding. Our rabbis teach that the story of the Exodus made its way around the world – even without today’s instant media.
And yet, the world did not react. Only one man was stirred by the awesomeness of what transpired to come forward. Didn’t anyone else see what Yisro saw?
In last week’s parsha, Mishpatim, the Torah tells us that Bnei Yisrael’s response to Hashem’s offer to present them with the Torah was, “naaseh v’nishma, we will act and we will hear.” We stated our commitment to observe the Torah even before hearing what that entails. The Talmud (Shabbos 88a) lavishes praise on our ancestors for uttering these words. “A heavenly voice emanated and said to them, ‘Who revealed to My children this secret which the ministering angels use?’”
Rabbi Nison Alpert zt”l wonders why the order in which we stated our commitment warrants so much praise. Either way, we would still be observing the Torah. He answers with a magnificent insight that defines not only “naaseh v’nishma,” but also how we live every aspect of our daily lives. Without naaseh there can be no nishma. Naaseh, Rabbi Alpert argues, is the commitment to grow, to perceive that every moment in life must be filled with an ever-present desire to change, to improve. A person who says that today I am different then I was yesterday, today I must grow, is a naaseh person. And when that naaseh person sees miracles occur before his very eyes, he will respond with a refreshing new level of growth. Yisro “heard” what happened with Bnei Yisrael and then he moved forward to join them and to hear the words of Torah. His life was forever changed. That is because before he heard, he was ready for naaseh. The rest of the world heard and saw what he did but was not ready. The greatest miracles in the universe might occur before someone’s very eyes, but when that person is not pre-committed to grow, he will not be in touch with what is really happening. He will remain blind and deaf.