I know it's late but...

Parshat Va'eira

(Inspired by Aish.com, Rabbi Aba Wagensberg's article.)

Rabbi Wagensberg begins with a questions: There are four different expressions of redemption mentioned in this week's parsha, 6: 6-7. He goes on to anwser that each expression is another form of redemption that the Jewish people had to go through in order to be fully separated from the Mitzrim, and become Am Yisroel. He quotes one of the Nevitot Shalom's mepharshim regarding this week's parsha:

"The Jewish people in Egypt had fallen to the lowest possible spiritual level. The Midrash (Socher Tov on Psalms 114) compares the enslaved Jewish nation to a fetus within the womb of an impure animal, based on the verse, "...to take for Himself a nation from amidst a nation" (Deut. 4:34). The Jewish people were living "inside" the Egyptians. Their identity was completely meshed with the corruption and immorality of Egyptian society.

According to the Netivot Shalom, since the situation was so severe, the first stage of redemption was for the Jews to be taken out from the darkness and impurity of their surrounding culture. Nevertheless, they were still slaves to their inner drive toward negativity (yetzer hara). The second stage, then, was to be saved from this servitude. The slave mentality cannot be so easily eradicated, however; even after being saved, the Jewish people were still subjugated to the side of negativity. It was this subjugation from which God redeemed the Jews. The final stage of redemption was for God to take the Jews as His nation."

So what does this mean for us personally, as we live amongst the nations and try to attain our identity?

Rabbi Wagensberg continues in his article by explaining the process of separation that the Jewish people went through in order to leave Mitzriam. This process can be applied to our own personal situations.

It must be remebered that we are a people with a unique mission and with many strengths. We have cochout that need to be utilized. The best way to do this is by clinging to HaShem and His mitzvout. As the Nesivat Shalom points out, we need to be SEPARATE! We are not the same as the others. We have to retain out identity as Hakadosh Baruchu's Am!

We should not be confused and try to look and act like the others.

I know that this point is hard for some to swallow, but it is true. There is a reason for tznius and all the mitzvout that we sould be doing the best of our individual abilities. Growth is a must, one should never stay in the same place for too long.

We should all be zochei to grow at the right pace and remain distinct and unique in our speacial way. Hakadosh Baruchu should help us to see clearly how we should act, in order for us to be the best yiddim that we can be.

Have a great shabbat!

~Sarah Rutti.