an ongoing relationship

The Midrash opens our parsha:

וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה – הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב: כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם תּוֹרָתִי אַל תַּעֲזֹבוּ (משלי ד׳:ב׳), אַל תַּעֲזֹבוּ אֶת הַמִּקָּח שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לָכֶם, יֵשׁ לְךָ אָדָם שֶׁלּוֹקֵחַ מִקָּח, יֵשׁ בּוֹ זָהָב אֵין בּוֹ כֶסֶף, יֵשׁ בּוֹ כֶסֶף אֵין בּוֹ זָהָב, אֲבָל הַמִּקָּח שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לָכֶם יֵשׁ בּוֹ כֶסֶף, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אִמְרוֹת ה׳ אֲמָרוֹת טְהֹרוֹת כֶּסֶף צָרוּף (תהלים י״ב:ז׳). יֵשׁ בּוֹ זָהָב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: הַנֶּחֱמָדִים מִזָּהָב וּמִפָּז רָב (תהלים י״ט:י״א). יֵשׁ אָדָם לוֹקֵחַ שָׂדוֹת אֲבָל לֹא כְרָמִים, כְּרָמִים וְלֹא שָׂדוֹת, אֲבָל הַמִּקָּח הַזֶּה יֵשׁ בּוֹ שָׂדוֹת וְיֵשׁ בּוֹ כְּרָמִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: שְׁלָחַיִךְ פַּרְדֵּס רִמּוֹנִים (שיר השירים ד׳:י״ג). יֵשׁ לְךָ אָדָם לוֹקֵחַ מִקָּח וּבְנֵי אָדָם אֵינָן יוֹדְעִין מַהוּ, אֲבָל מִשְּׂכַר הַסַּרְסוּר נִתְוַדַּע מַה לָּקַח. כָּךְ הַתּוֹרָה אֵין אָדָם יוֹדֵעַ מַה הִיא, אֶלָּא מִשָּׂכָר שֶׁלָּקַח משֶׁה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וּמשֶׁה לֹא יָדַע כִּי קָרַן עוֹר פָּנָיו בְּדַבְּרוֹ אִתּוֹ (שמות ל״ד:כ״ט). וְיֵשׁ לְךָ מִקָּח שֶׁמִּי שֶׁמְּכָרוֹ נִמְכָּר עִמּוֹ, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, מָכַרְתִּי לָכֶם תּוֹרָתִי, כִּבְיָכוֹל נִמְכַּרְתִּי עִמָּהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה, מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ בַּת יְחִידָה, בָּא אֶחָד מִן הַמְּלָכִים וּנְטָלָהּ, בִּקֵּשׁ לֵילֵךְ לוֹ לְאַרְצוֹ וְלִטֹּל לְאִשְׁתּוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ: בִּתִּי שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לְךָ יְחִידִית הִיא, לִפְרשׁ מִמֶּנָּה אֵינִי יָכוֹל, לוֹמַר לְךָ אַל תִּטְלָהּ אֵינִי יָכוֹל לְפִי שֶׁהִיא אִשְׁתֶּךָ, אֶלָּא, זוֹ טוֹבָה עֲשֵׂה לִי, שֶׁכָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁאַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ קִיטוֹן אֶחָד עֲשֵׂה לִי, שֶׁאָדוּר אֶצְלְכֶם, שֶׁאֵינִי יָכוֹל לְהַנִּיחַ אֶת בִּתִּי. כָּךְ אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, לִפְרשׁ הֵימֶנָּה אֵינִי יָכוֹל, לוֹמַר לָכֶם אַל תִּטְלוּהָ אֵינִי יָכוֹל, אֶלָּא בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁאַתֶּם הוֹלְכִים בַּיִת אֶחָד עֲשׂוּ לִי שֶׁאָדוּר בְּתוֹכוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ (שמות כ״ה:ח׳).

The Midrash understands כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם תּוֹרָתִי אַל תַּעֲזֹבוּ not simply as a warning not to forget the Torah, but as a warning not to forget the sale, the exchange, the mekach, of the Torah that took place between G-d and Bn"Y.  It's not what was given which is paramount, but it's the relationship forged by the exchange.  This is what the Mishkan was designed to perpetuate.  Ramban in many places writes that the Mishkan was modelled after Har Sinai.  It had an inner section that was off limits just like Har Sinai itself was off limits except to Moshe; Hashem revealed himself and spoke to Moshe from between the keruvim just as he had revealed himself and spoke to Moshe at Sinai.  The mekach is ongoing, not a one time event.

Rav Bakshi Doron points out that in the entire discussion of the building of the mishkan it seems ikar chaseir min ha'sefer.  What are we supposed to do with it?  Where is the instructions about avodah, korbanos, etc.?  Yes, we will get to it all in Sefer VaYikra, but how can we go through these parshiyos witout even a passing reference to any of that?  

If we look back to maamad Har Sinai as our model, there too Moshe was told early on in Shmos that  בְּהוֹצִֽיאֲךָ֤ אֶת־הָעָם֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם תַּֽעַבְדוּן֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֱלֹקים עַ֖ל הָהָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃ (3:12)  No mention is made of kabbalas haTorah, just "avodah."  Again, it seems ikar chaseir min ha'sefer.  What could be more important than kabbalas haTorah; what "avodah" did we actually do at Sinai apart from receiving the Torah?

The answer is that we forged a relationship.

When a chassan gives his kallah a ring, hopefully it's not the ring itself which the kallah is happy to get, but it's the relationship the ring represents that she is happy about.  Korbanos, ketores, all that good stuff will come later in VaYikra.  What our parsha is about is  וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם, about the relationship.  The "avodah" of Sinai was our forging a bond with Hashem, a mekach, that is ongoing.

a mussar haskel from the super bowl

When you are about to close your gemara, what if instead  of doing that you push yourself for just one more minute of learning?  Just 60 more seconds?  I know what you're thinking -- what difference can one minute make?  What's one more minute of Torah worth?

Just before maariv tonight I heard someone mention that sponsors pay a million dollars for a minute of super bowl advertising.  The truth is that this person was off by a lot -- a million dollar ad would be a bargain.  Most ads this year cost in the range of six to seven million dollars.

It dawned on me afterwards that this is a tremendous mussar haskel for us.  What is a minute of time really worth?  You know how many minutes I personally waste on a daily basis?  Yet here we have companies willing to give up 7 million dollars just for one minute of our time, just to try to take a shot in that one minute of getting us to buy another beer or bag of chips or something like that.

If a minute of time to get us to buy a beer is worth seven million dollars, what do you think that one minute of Torah is worth?   

both sides of the equation

 וַיִּשְׁמַ֞ע יִתְר֨וֹ כֹהֵ֤ן מִדְיָן֙ חֹתֵ֣ן מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֵת֩ כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה אֱלֹקים֙ לְמֹשֶׁ֔ה וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַמּ֑וֹ כִּֽי־הוֹצִ֧יא הֹ׳ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃

What did Yisro hear?  The pasuk seems to repeat itself:

1) אֵת֩ כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה אֱלֹקים֙ לְמֹשֶׁ֔ה וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַמּ֑וֹ 

2)  כִּֽי־הוֹצִ֧יא הֹ׳ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מִמִּצְרָֽיִם

Sefas Emes (in the likkutim) explains that יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל at the end of the pasuk refers to "Yisrael sabba."  Hashem released the Jewish nation, יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַמּ֑וֹ, from the Egyptian bondage, but this it was also a release of the Jewish identity, the Jewish spiritual character and essence, that had been forged by Yaakov Avinu.  

Last week we read about the war Bn"Y fought against Amalek.  Moshe designated Yehoshua, from sheivet Ephraim, to lead the people in that battle.  The gemara in Baba Basra writes that we have a tradition that Amalek will fall only at the hands of decedents of Yosef.  Why should this be so?  Once upon a time I suggested that Amalek did not take issue with G-d's power to perform miracles.  The world had heard about the exodus from Egypt and the splitting of the sea.  The Midrash connects "Az Yashir Moshe" with the establishment of G-d's kisa, throne, "Nachon kisa'acha mei'AZ."  The word "AZ" is spelled with a zayin=7, like the seven days of the week, the normal routine cycle, but there is also an aleph=1.  There is a +1, there is something that transcends the routine, the normal cycle of events.  Amalek is OK with that.  G-d can have his throne in Heaven, in the world of miracles.  But if that's all there is, then "ain ha'kisei shaleim," Hashem's throne is not really complete.  Most of life is just the 7 of routine, not the +1 part.  Miracles are few and far between.  Most of life is day to day mundane drudgery and there is no supernatural cavalry on the way to help with the challenges.  Amalek's position is that G-d has nothing to do with that part of life.  Nature runs its course and we don't really see the yad Hashem.  The antidote to Amalek is Yosef, who dressed like an Egyptian, spoke like an Egyptian, managed to rise to the heights of Egyptian society, but behind that façade remained Yosef hatzaddik.  Nature too is just a façade.  Just because you don't see the yad Hashem on the surface doesn't mean it's not there.

Rashi comments וישמע יתרו – קריעת ים סוף ומלחמת עמלק.  The Berdichiver explains that Yisro saw both sides of the equation.  He witnessed the splitting of Yam Suf, the miraculous, the supernatural, the overt yad Hashem, but he also heard of the battle against Amalek, the idea that G-d is present, albeit in a concealed way, in every day life as well.   וַיִּ֣חַדְּ יִתְר֔וֹ עַ֚ל כׇּל־הַטּוֹבָ֔ה -- the word וַיִּ֣חַדְּ, says the Berdichiver, is like we say "l'shem yichud..."  The G-d of miracles is one and the same as G-d hiding behind the scenes in every day life.  

So maybe there is nothing extraneous in that opening pasuk in the parsha, and in fact, maybe it's this doubling which, based on the Berdichiver's reading, Rashi is helping resolve.  כִּֽי־הוֹצִ֧יא הֹ׳ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מִמִּצְרָֽיִם -- Yisro heard about the open miracles that were revealed (as we read in parshas Va'Eira) through the shem Havaya in yetzi'as Mitzrayim, but he also heard about  כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה אֱלֹקים֙, that G-d was immanent in nature (Elokim = gematriya of teva), in the mundane and day to day, as well.

2. I'll throw this out there, but it's admittedly a stretch, so consider it al derech derush: the difficulty with Rashi, וישמע יתרו – קריעת ים סוף ומלחמת עמלק, is that the pasuk seems to require no explanation of what Yisro heard since it tells us the answer - כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה אֱלֹקים֙ לְמֹשֶׁ֔ה וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַמּ֑וֹ.  What is Rashi explaining here?

There is a Gur Aryeh that the Shev Shmaytza discusses in his hakdama (letter cheis, tes) which says that the din of ger she'nisgayeir k'katan she'nolad only applies when there is a choice whether to convert or not.  However, at maamad Har Sinai there was no choice.  The gemara says that Hashem held the mountain over the heads of Bn"Y -- it was accept the Torah or be crushed.  Therefore, relationships and the issurei arayos that stem from those relationships remained intact.

Perhaps what was bothering Rashi is that Yisro here is called חֹתֵ֣ן מֹשֶׁ֔ה.  Yisro converted and get she'nisgayeir k'katan she'nolad, so how can he still be called חֹתֵ֣ן מֹשֶׁ֔ה?  The answer is that an event makes such an impression on a person that they are forced to react in some way.  The gemara writes that in the days of Shlomo they would not accept converts.  People would see the greatness of Shlomo's kingdom and want to convert, but it was not a real kabbalas ha'mitzvos.  What kind of event could elicit such a reaction?  Rashi answerrs --  קריעת ים סוף ומלחמת עמלק.  Yisro saw the greatness of yad Hashem in those events and it hit home in his heart and it forced him to react, it coerced him to react no less than as if a mountain were held over his head.  That's why he is still called חֹתֵ֣ן מֹשֶׁ֔ה.  

bitter waters

1. The WSJ reports that certain "rabbis" have decided they can no longer say the tefilah l'shlom ha'Medinah because they refuse to pray for the success of the new Israeli government.  The article goes on to discuss praying for the secular governments those of us in the diaspora live under.  When Obama y'mach shemo was President, and now continuing under Biden, I thought it best to have them in mind in our prayers every day, not just once a week -- "v'lamalshinim al t'hi tikvah v'kol ha'risha k'rega toveid..."  

2. A well known Rabbi put out a list of halachos pertaining to cruises, some of them specifically aimed at situations that come up on a non-kosher cruise, like whether you can eat food heated in a treif oven, etc.  I think he may have missed an important din that may render all the other questions moot:

 והענין: כי התורה הזהירה בעריות ובמאכלים האסורים, ותתיר הביאה איש ואשתוג ואכילת הבשר והיין, ואם כן ימצא בעל התאוה מקום להיות שטוף בזמת אשתו או נשיו הרבות, ולהיות בסובאי יין בזוללי בשר למו, וידבר כרצונו בכל הנבלות, שלא הוזכר איסור זה בתורה, והנה יהיה נבל ברשות התורה. לפיכך בא הכתוב הזה אחרי שפרט האיסורים שאסר אותם לגמרי, וצוה בדבר כללי, שנהיה פרושים מן המותרות.

3. Ibn Ezra (14:13) famously asks why the 600,000+ of Bn"Y were afraid of the small number of Mitzrim chasing after them.  

 יש לתמוה: איך יירא מחנה גדול משש מאות אלף איש מן הרודפים אחריהם, ולמה לא ילחמו על נפשם ועל בניהם. התשובה: כי המצרים היו אדונים לישראל, וזה הדור היוצא ממצרים למד מנעוריו לסבול עול מצרים ונפשו שפלה, ואיך יוכל עתה להלחם עם אדוניו.

He answers that psychologically, Bn"Y were unable to bring themselves to fight because the years of servitude had conditioned them to respect the Egyptians as their masters.

This explains why Bn"Y had no trouble going to war against Amalek at the end of the parsha.  It was not fear of battle which tied their hands, but fear specifically of the Egyptians, who had held them as slaves.

I noticed that the Seforno does not agree.  He writes (14:8)

ובני ישראל יצאים ביד רמה – כענין ״ידנו רמה״ (דברים ל״ב:כ״ז), היו מתאמצים לנצח את פרעה וחילו שלא היו רבים במספר כמותם. ובזה הודיע שלא היו יודעין ענין המלחמה, כי אמנם היה ראוי לירא מאותם המעטים מלומדי מלחמה יותר ממה שהיה ראוי לירא מכל המון מצרים הנוסע אחריהם אחר כך

He understands that there were two groups of Egyptians, וַיִּקַּ֗ח שֵׁשׁ־מֵא֥וֹת רֶ֙כֶב֙ בָּח֔וּר וְכֹ֖ל רֶ֣כֶב מִצְרָ֑יִם, six hundred crack troops led by Pharoah + a mass multitude of other soldiers.  Bn"Y charged ahead  וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יֹצְאִ֖ים בְּיָ֥ד רָמָֽה with reckless abandon, with no fear of engaging these crack troops in battle.  Had Bn"Y been more experienced in the art of war, they would and *should* have been more afraid, since 600 seasoned troops can put up a fight even if greatly outnumbered.

4. Right after the shiras ha'yam we have the episode of the bitter waters.  Bn"Y went from being surrounded by water to not having a drop to drink.  Moshe responded:

 וַיִּצְעַ֣ק אֶל־ה׳ וַיּוֹרֵ֤הוּ ה׳ עֵ֔ץ וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ֙ אֶל־הַמַּ֔יִם וַֽיִּמְתְּק֖וּ הַמָּ֑יִם שָׁ֣ם שָׂ֥ם ל֛וֹ חֹ֥ק וּמִשְׁפָּ֖ט וְשָׁ֥ם נִסָּֽהוּ׃

The word וַיּוֹרֵ֤הוּ suggests that Moshe was taught a lesson here.  Targum Onkelus translates it as וְאַלְּפֵיהּ; Ramban writes לא מצאתי לשון מורה אלא בענין למוד.  Was this simply a botany lesson, that that particular tree could make the water potable?  Ramban writes that there was more to it than that.  He siggests that the tree was bitter, but it miraculously transformed the bitter water to sweet.  It would be like adding salt to salty sea water to make it drinkable.  Rav Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi explains that the lesson Moshe was giving over here is that there is no direct connection between the means and the end.  Your going to work is not the cause of your getting enough money to take home a salary and have a nice home and be able to go on a cruise.  Your spending hours working on a sugya is not the cause of it going into your brain.  Just like adding salt to salty sea water obviously is not the cause of it becoming sweet -- it's has to be a gift from Hashem -- so too with everything else in life.  We put in effort because we have a chuyuv to do so, but the result ultimately comes from Hashem. 

There is a lot to say on this parsha of the bitter waters, much more than I have time to write about.  Why did Hashem deprive them of water to begin with?  When Hashem responded, why did he not give them potable water right away -- why give them bitter water that then has to be sweetened?  Chazal tell us that water represents Torah.  Bn"Y went from experiencing nevuah, singing shirah, so having what seemed to be no connection.  The Ishbitzer writes that there are moments in life when we experience gadlus ha'mochin, when we feel really connected and spiritually uplifted, but then there are moments when we sink and feel that we have nothing, that we are nothing.  Hashem wanted to show Bn"Y this the down moments are also part of the bigger plan.  There are moments in life filled with "bitter waters," but those too can be sweetened.