BS”D
Redemption–The Main Thing
Rabbi Yeheskel Lebovic
What’s the Main Thrust?
In this week’s Parsha of Bo (Ex. 12:12) G-d states: : “I will pass (across Egypt) and I will strike every first-born” “. Rashi (ibid) states: “like a king who passes from place to place, and in one swoop and one instant, all of them (the first-born) will be struck”. We have to understand what prompts Rashi to offer this explanation and what is elucidated by it. Now there is another expression (Ex. 11:4) wherein Moshe quotes G-d : “I will go out into Egypt and every first-born will die” . We see that it is only in reference of the last plague that we find such special expressions as “I will pass” and “I will go out”. This implies that there must have been special endearment displayed during the last plague– as it would result in the actual exodus from Egypt. Accordingly, the expression “and every first-born will die” makes sense, as it implies that the stress in mainly on the Jewish salvation resulting from “every first-born will die”. But how are we to understand the expression “and I will strike every first-born”, which seems to imply that the main purpose of “I will pass (across Egypt)” is first to strike them and then having salvation result from it. This is that which is bothering Rashi: which of the two is the main element? One verse implies that the main element is the plague, resulting then into the salvation, while the other verse implies that the thrust and “going out” is on the salvation and the plague is secondary to the main purpose?
Now, in an earlier verse ((Ex.3:8) G-d says: : “I have come down (to Egypt) to save them”. This verse points out the special endearment that G-d displays towards the Jewish people during all the 10 plagues, in protecting them and bringing about their salvation . The thrust is thus definitely more on the salvation effect resulting from the plagues. And this is why one verse says “and all first-born will die” (vs. “I will strike them”), implying that the main action and attention is directed at the salvation of the Jews and that the plague of the first-born is secondary to that special attention and salvation. However, upon reaching the verse quoted above “I will pass across Egypt and I will strike every first-born”, Rashi questions that implication: doesn’t this verse imply just the opposite, i.e. that the main thrust of the action of “passing across” is one of punishing the first-born ?
Salvation Is the Main Thrust
To answer this, Rashi states that it is comparable to a king traveling from place to place: in this example of a travel trip it’s obvious that the main purpose is the trip and travel. And, by the way, as the king is traveling, certain incidental issues crop up in the places which he visits and stops at. Likewise, at the time of the Exodus, G-d did take special action in regards to the salvation of the Jewish people and that is the main purpose of his “travel” and “passing and going out into Egypt”. Whatever else happened, including the striking of the first-born, is incidental to this main purpose: i.e. the display of special endearment towards the Jewish people in terms of their salvation. This is even more pronounced in Rashi’s comment on the verse “and there shall be no destructive force” (in Egypt, at the time of the Exodus) (Ex.12:13) which, he explains, is addressing the case of an individual Jew finding himself in an Egyptian home at the time of that very first Seder in Egypt. One might think that in this extreme case, the Jew who, after the “whole nine yards” of the preceding nine plagues, would dare step foot in an Egyptian home, instead of joining his brothers at the Seder being celebrated in all Jewish dwellings at the night of the Exodus and brazenly ignoring G-d’s prohibition not to leave the Seder site “until morning”– well, such a Jew would be “asking for it” and might not be “passed over”. To offset such a notion, the verse adds this phrase (“there shall be no destructive force”) to teach that even such a Jew, though having stooped to such a low level, would still be “passed over” and redeemed. Here we have a case of even one lone individual who is granted special hashacha pratis/Divine Providence and “passed over”.
Hashgacha Pratis and Special Endearment
Chassidus speaks of the extreme endearment which G-d displays towards each and every individual Jew. This endearment is described in Tanya chap. 46: “G-d left the upper and lower realms, not choosing any of them, but only his people Israel, taking them out of Egypt…Himself..in order to bring them close to Him in a true closeness and unity”. The example that Tanya gives is of one lowly individual who is lifted from the mire by a loving king who brings him into his inner chambers. Now, it is well known that according to Chassidus, as taught by the Baal Shem Tov, Hashgacha Pratis (detailed Divine Providence) applies to every detail of Creation, down to the inanimate Domem. According to other opinions, such as the Rambam’s, Hashgacha Pratis applies only to man and not to the rest of Creation. The question then which arises is this: while according to the Rambam, the advantage of man over the rest of Creation and the endearment that G-d professes towards man is thus evident, how is that kind of endearment indicated according to Chassidic teachings, inasmuch that every part of Creation is supervised by Hashgacha Pratis? This leads us to the conclusion that even according to the Baal Shem Tov’s understanding of Hashgacha pratis, there are varying gradations and levels, the highest reserved for man in general and the Jew in particular, as indicated by the details of the last plague as explained above. For it’s not that there had to be a tenth plague and that, in turn, some passing over was required in order to spare the Jewish first-born– but just the opposite: the main thrust throughout is the special attention and endearment, the special quality of Hashgacha Pratis which G-d displayed towards the Jewish people during all ten plagues, starting from the moment that G-d said “I will go down to save them”. Whatever else had to take place for that to occur came “in passing, in one swoop”. The fine details of Hashgacha Pratis were thus reserved for the benefit of the Jewish people, while the secondary and incidental elements deserved only “cursory” Hashgacha Pratis.
…..And So It will Be Again
As we reach the blessed time of the Geula Shleima/Complete Redemption through Moshiach–similar in many ways to the Exodus from Mitzrayim– we again shall be recipient to G-d’s display of endearment, with every single Jew being shlepped out of this Golus and brought to a state of Geula. And, incidentally, “by the way”, whatever has to take place vis-à-vis our enemies, will occur in one neat swoop!
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