Follow ChabadInfo & Never Miss an Update!

Follow us on Instagram Subscribe to our WhatsApp status and broadcast Follow us on Tiktok Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on Google News Subscribe on YouTube

THE SECRET OF LONGING

BEGIN WITH A GRIN

Two very hungry and thirsty people are walking along the seashore. Suddenly one stops and says to his friend: “Imagine if all this sea were milk.”

The other looks at the sea and wonders: “But where would we find so much corn flakes?!”

A MESSAGE OF HOPE

In this week’s parsha, Parshas Shemos, we read about the first G-dly revelation to Moshe Rabeinu, at the burning bush. Moshe had many questions to ask, and one of them was: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring Bnei Yisrael out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11) Rashi explains that Moshe’s question was divided into two parts. First, “Who am I – what am I worth to speak with kings?” Who am I and what am I? And second, “and that I should bring out Bnei Yisrael” – and even if I am important, what merit do the Jewish people have that You should perform a miracle for them and bring them out of Egypt?” What merit did Bnei Yisrael have for such a wondrous miracle?

G-d’s answer was not long in coming: “And He said, ‘I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you that I have sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you shall serve G-d on this mountain.’” To the first question, G-d answered him, “It is not yours [worth] but Mine” – you are indeed nothing, but I need you for this mission. And to the second question G-d answered him, “And as for what you asked, what merit does Israel have to leave Egypt – I have a great purpose for this exodus, for they are destined to receive the Torah on this mountain at the end of three months after they leave Egypt.” The merit of receiving the Torah is what will stand for the people of Israel in their time of trouble, and therefore they are worthy of being redeemed.

But wait a minute – Am Yisrael had not yet received the Torah; they didn’t even know of its existence, so what kind of “merit” did they have? They still hadn’t done anything, nothing at all! They hadn’t even promised or agreed to receive the Torah, they didn’t even know there was such a thing called “Torah” – what kind of “merit” did they have to be redeemed?

In a wonderful sicha (Likutei Sichos vol. 36 sicha beis), the Rebbe resolves this question while highlighting an interesting chiddush in the words of the early commentators. Every child knows the famous Medrash (brought in the Ran at the end of Pesachim) about the mitzva of counting the Omer: “When Moshe told them ‘you shall serve G-d on this mountain,’ Yisrael said to him: Moshe Rabeinu, when is this service? He said to them: At the end of fifty days. And each one counted for himself. From this the Sages established the counting of the Omer.”

That is, the reason we count the Omer today is as a remembrance of the counting of days that the Jewish people counted upon their exodus from Egypt, out of yearning and anticipation for receiving the Torah. Simply understood, Moshe said this to Am Yisrael at the time of their exodus from Egypt, as implied by the language of the Medrash, that Moshe answered them that they would receive the Torah “at the end of fifty days” – meaning he told them this on the 15th of Nissan, at the time of the exodus from Egypt.

However, according to another version in the Medrash, brought in the “Shibbolei HaLeket” (section 236), the story happened somewhat differently: “When Israel were informed they would leave Egypt, they were informed that they were destined to receive the Torah at the end of fifty days from their exodus, as it says: ‘when you bring the people out of Egypt, you shall serve G-d on this mountain.’ Behold, the nun in ‘taavdun’ (you shall serve) is extra, to tell you that at the end of fifty days you shall serve G-d by receiving the Torah. And Yisrael, out of great love, counted each and every day [saying] behold one day has passed, and a second day, and so on.” According to this version, it implies that Moshe told the Jewish people the good news about receiving the Torah already then, at the time of his first mission. At the very moment he informed them of the approaching Geula, he also promised them the giving of the Torah. This was at least 10 months before the exodus from Egypt, long before the 15th of Nissan.

It goes without saying that this good news spread like wildfire and reached every single Jew. And it’s also obvious that this news aroused a wonderful feeling, a thirst and longing for receiving the Torah, already then, while they were still in Egypt.

So why didn’t they begin counting already then? From the time of the good news?

RENEWED HOPE

The Rebbe resolves this question based on another Medrash also brought in the early commentators. A parable about a person who was thrown into prison and begged the king to release him. The king agreed and even promised to give him his daughter, the princess, as a wife. “That person rejoiced with great joy” and said: Is it not enough that he’s taking me out of this prison, but he’s also going to give me his daughter?! In time, the king took the prisoner out of prison and dressed him in fine clothes. “When that man saw this, that the king had already fulfilled part of his words, he immediately began to count” the time remaining until the wedding. (Quotes from Sefer HaMinhagim by Rav Avrohom of Tirnau).

From the language of this Medrash it implies that the prisoner’s (that is, Am Yisrael) joy began already at the time of the good news about the approaching release, however he began the counting only when “the king had already fulfilled part of his words,” only after he had already left the prison. The exact same thing happened with the Jewish people. They received the good news about the exodus from Egypt close to a year before the exodus; already then they were in a state of constant longing and unquenchable thirst for receiving the Torah, but then it was too early to begin the counting. Only after Hashem began to fulfill His promise and took them out of Egypt on the 15th of Nissan did the counting begin.

And this is the answer to the question we asked: What was the merit by which Israel merited to be redeemed? The merit was the thirst and longing for receiving the Torah. From the first moment they heard about the Geula they heard about receiving the Torah, and already then a strong anticipation and wonderful yearning for the holy Torah was awakened in them. This yearning for receiving the Torah is the merit that stood by Am Yisrael, and by its merit our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt.

“The deeds of the fathers are a sign for the children” – the yearning of Am Yisrael then is the lesson for us today. It is explained in many Medrashim that the Jewish people are destined to be redeemed by virtue of hope and anticipation for the Geula; like the fathers so too the children. This anticipation for Geula must also include anticipation for Torah, for the Torah of Moshiach, for “a new Torah shall go forth from Me.” As the Rambam explains in his Mishneh Torah: “And for this reason all Israel, their prophets and sages, yearned for the days of Moshiach… because in those days knowledge, wisdom and truth will increase” (Hilchos Teshuva 9:1).

The desire of Am Yisrael to be redeemed is not in order to rule over the nations or to be rid of troubles. We are not seeking Geula to get rid of the Palestinians in Gaza or the antisemites in Holland, Sydney, or South Africa. We want the Torah. “Our soul desires” the Torah of Moshiach, exactly like Am Yisrael at the exodus from Egypt. And by virtue of anticipation of “knowledge, wisdom and truth,” by virtue of longing for the Torah of Moshiach, we too will merit the complete Geula.

TO CONCLUDE WITH A STORY

And we’ll end with a story about a special merit that brings yeshuos. This story occurred in 1971. A girl from a family in Brooklyn suddenly became mute overnight. She simply stopped speaking. Family members visited all the experts, renowned specialists, and all reached the same conclusion: the girl doesn’t have the tubes of the vocal system; no medicine or surgery would help. You can’t create what doesn’t exist!

The great wonder in the doctors’ eyes was: How did she speak until now?!

The parents didn’t despair, and they turned to many tzadikkim to receive their blessing, but the girl remained mute.

A family friend referred them to the Rebbe’s secretariat, and miraculously, the secretary enabled them to have a yechidus without a long wait. The mother told the Rebbe the problem and the Rebbe said: The fact that the daughter managed to speak for several years is a complete miracle, and the miracle occurred because they had a special merit. For the daughter to continue speaking, she needs a special merit of her own. If she accepts upon herself to influence her friends to receive a kosher chinuch and observe mitzvos that women are obligated in, then it is guaranteed that this merit will stand for her.

And then the miracle happened – the Rebbe turned a questioning look toward the daughter – and she answered: “I agree!”

It took the parents a long time to recover from the miracle that happened before their eyes and to manage to leave the Rebbe’s room.

Good Shabbos!

59