5 months ago

Shmot: G-d’s name for suffering?

This week’s reading begins THE ultimate story:
One of the greatest superpowers of all time was destroyed by G-d to release the millions of Jews (the entire Jewish nation) they held in slavery. Thus began the birth of the Jewish people who then received the Torah from G-d at Sinai.
This story has no comparison in world history or even in human imagination. No religion, even those that claim to replace Judaism or author, even of the most surreal fiction, has even come close to duplicating it.
Yet, it was experienced by millions of people and passed down from father to son non-stop for over 3,300 years till this very day, making it the by far the most witnessed and validated event ever to occur in world history.
And it is the most meaningful one as well; namely that G-d is active in His creation, has a plan for it and cares about EACH of His creations; especially humans.
This is the firm foundation and unique message of Judaism to all humanity: G-d cares! And every detail of this story has immense depth and purpose.

But before all this the Torah tells us that when G-d first appeared to Moses (at the burning bush) and told him to lead the Jews out of Egypt Moses asks: (3:13)
“When the people ask Your name what will I tell them?”
And G-d replies Tell them that – “I AM THAT I AM”.

This is a very strange conversation for several reasons.
First, before Moses asked G-d began the conversation by saying ‘I am Gd’. So why did Moses ask? Second, why was Moses so sure the people would ask for G-d’s name in the first place? Even more, G-d used other names many times previously when He spoke to Abraham, Issac and Jacob. And exactly what is so important about knowing G-d’s name?
And finally why did G-d think His answer of ‘I AM THAT I AM’ would satisfy them?

To answer this here is a story.

This story started on a Shabbat a few days before Chanukah in the year 1973 in Brooklyn. The Lubavitcher Rebbe was speaking to a group of almost a thousand Chassidim who were standing crowded on makeshift bleachers of tables and chairs to see him and hear every word of his long, deep and interesting speeches, separated by joyous song and occasional ‘L’Chiams’. Suddenly the Rebbe shouted,
“Glick from London?! Where is Glick from London? Where is he?”
Everyone fell silent and he repeated the call. The Chassidim began looking around, asking each other if they had seen him. Again the Rebbe asked, “Where is Rabbi Avraham Glick?”
But in fact, the Rebbe knew that Rabbi Glick was in Spain, in Majorka far from the Rebbe.
Only a month later it became clear why the Rebbe called his name.

Rabbi Yitzchak Glick had been a successful businessman and his whole life had been devoted to business until he met the Lubavitcher Rebbe. At this first meeting the Rebbe said to him:
“You manufacture light bulbs, correct? A bulb lights only when one turns it on. Similarly, everywhere you happen to be you must illuminate and ‘turn on’ Jewish souls.”
He continued his business but now it became a vehicle for activating Jewish souls; in all his business endeavors he spread Judaism where and whenever possible.
That was ten years before our story. Now back to the story. How did Rabbi Glick get to Majorca and why was the Rebbe calling his name although he wasn’t present?
Three days earlier (just before Chanuka) he had been in Barcelona doing business and his plan was to travel to Madrid and then to Lisbon, Portugal for more business meetings. Majorca had not been in his plans until the phone in his hotel room rang and changed all that.
It was one of the Rebbe’s secretaries from the Rebbe’s headquarters in Brooklyn. The Rebbe wanted him to travel to the isle of Majorca and speak to any Jews he found there.
Because the secretary didn’t say he should go immediately, Rabbi Glick thought that he would go to Majorca after his planned business meetings in Madrid and Portugal. He would fly there from Lisbon – but it wasn’t so.

When he and his wife arrived in the Barcelona airport to fly to Madrid they were told that all the flights to and from Madrid had been cancelled. So, seeing this as a sign from above, they bought two tickets to Majorca and boarded the next flight. So instead of spending Chanukah in Madrid and Portugal as planned they would be in Majorca.
Moments after the plane took off, they began to understand one of the reasons why the Rebbe sent them. The skies suddenly blackened and severe storm winds began tossing the plane back and forth, up and down like a toothpick. The passengers began screaming and weeping hysterically like children and pandemonium reigned.

But he and his wife were calm. They were sure that if the Rebbe sent them, there was ABSOLUTELY nothing to worry about, and their calmness was the only thing that kept everyone sane and able to follow orders.
When they miraculously landed in Majorca the stewardesses, passengers and even the pilots could not thank the Glicks enough and it was there they found out why all Madrid flights had been cancelled; the Prime Minister of Spain had been assassinated by terrorists, Madrid had been closed off and the country was in an upheaval.
Once in their hotel room they received another call from the Rebbe’s office. It was Rabbi Leibel Groner, the Rebbe’s secretary, on the other end. The Rebbe had just finished writing two very long ‘general letters’ to be read or distributed by his Chassidim to as many Jews as possible. He wanted Rabbi Glick to copy them, have both translated into Spanish and then read them on Shabbat evening to all the Jews in the Hotel he was staying.
Rabbi Glick knew that this would be no small task. First of all, he was very tired from his trying journey and, it would take a long time to properly copy the letters from dictation over the phone (these were the days before fax machines). Secondly, who knows if he could find a translator who would be willing and able to do the job and then actually translate such a thing? Thirdly, who knows if the people in the hotel were Jews? And even so, if they would be willing to listen to such a long religious letter from an unknown Rabbi in New York!

But a Chassid follows orders joyously! That night Rabbi Glick didn’t sleep. He copied the letters from over the phone, found a translator and early the next morning it was ready.
That evening was Shabbat Chanukah. After the meal in the hotel dining room, Rabbi Glick, who had discovered that most of the guests were Jewish (!) and many of them had been on that flight with him, stood on one of the chairs, yelled out a cheerful “Good Shabbos everyone!” made a L’chiam and announced, in broken Spanish, that he had stayed up the entire previous night preparing a special treat for everyone – a letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe!! And now he wanted to read it to them…. In Spanish.
To his pleasant surprise the people were interested, especially those that had been on that flight from Barcelona and the word got around that he was a different sort of Rabbi.
He handed out the letters and then sat with the guests for several hours reading and discussing each idea late into the Shabbat night. The impression it made on them was awesome! Many announced they would begin to do commandments and some actually began to dance and sing with joy (with Rabbi Glick’s impetus).

That Shabbat made the rest of the week’s work easy. The news of that miraculous Shabbat went before them and when he and his wife contacted other Jews in Majorca from a list that they were given, everyone responded favorably. Jews that had become almost completely estranged from Judaism suddenly became interested.
Even the wealthiest Jew (and perhaps most assimilated) on the island took on himself to begin to put on Tefillin daily and actually ordered a huge Chanukah Menorah to be immediately installed on the top of his penthouse where the entire island would see it burn for the remaining nights of the holiday!
Several weeks later, after they returned home, Rabbi Glick and his wife received a long letter of thanks from the Lubavitcher Rebbe in English (so as to advertise it more widely) that promised; “This success will serve as an inspiration and encouragement for even greater successes in the future!”

Then, shortly thereafter, Rabbi Hodokov the Rebbe’s personal secretary called him, informed him that the Rebbe had strangely called his name that Shabbat that he was in Majorca and explained.
“The Rebbe told me to call you now and tell you that he knew you weren’t in the room when he called your name. He just wanted to give you powers to succeed in your Chanukah mission in Europe. The Rebbe was with you all the time.”

This answers our questions about Moses asking G-d for his name.

G-d’s names are important because they relate to His various aspects: One name relates to His kindness, another for His Severity, another, to His Mercy etc. By knowing G-d’s names we realize that G-d, in addition to being infinitely distant from even the spiritual worlds, also cares and is connected to every detail of creation as well: He is infinitely close.
This was what worried Moses. He was apprehensive that the Jews would ask him;

“We know a lot of G-d’s names and the aspects they represent. G-d used them to speak to the Forefathers. We also know that G-d’s main name is that of Mercy. What we want to know is …what is the name….. the aspect of G-d that allowed his children to suffer in Egyptian bondage for two hundred and ten years!!!”
“When they ask me that …… what will I tell them??
To this G-d answered “I AM that I AM”.
“Just as they suffer, SO I SUFFER WITH THEM!!! And it is that same infinite “I AM” that will miraculously take them out when the proper time has come, AND NOW THE PROPER TIME HAS COME!!!
They only have to WANT to leave; to follow you out.
(This is a summary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s explanation; Shabbos Parshat Shmot 5744)
Something like how the Rebbe called Rabbi Glick on the endangered plane and in the miraculous events that came thereafter.

This is very very relevant to each of us today.

For almost two thousand years we Jews have been suffering in a terrible exile; spread throughout the world at the mercy of our enemies; yearning, praying and doing everything possible to bring Moshiach. Because (like only Moses could take them from Egypt) ONLY Moshiach can free us from this exile.
But now, in our generation, the Lubavitcher Rebbe announced time and time again that the awaited redemption has arrived. The Jewish people (and, so to speak, HaShem with them!) have suffered enough!!
Moshiach is here! All the work has been completed and the generation is ready. All we need to do is to learn about Moshiach and really WANT REDEMPTION NOW.
Now it could be that even one more good deed, word or even thought can tilt the scale and bring…. Moshiach NOW!

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