I imagine that when Moshe first appeared on the scene in Mitzrayim, not everyone bought into the message. Not only was there no letup from the labor, but we know that after Moshe spoke with Pharoah the work was increased. Sure, there were probably a few people that believed, maybe a few even started adding a special prayer to their davening speaking about "reishes tzemichas ge'ulasainu." But you had many more who not only could point to the burden now placed upon them to gather straw to make bricks, something they never had to do before, but could also point to the mesorah they had from their forefathers that redemption would come only after 400 years of exile (see Sefas Emes Pesach 5642). Redemption now? That's apikorsus -- against the mesorah. And redemption for whom? For people that are barely distinguishable from their idolatrous neighbors? G-d did miracles for Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, but how can you think he would do the same for people who are barely one notch above ovdei avodah zarah?
"Ki'mei tzescha m'Mitzrayim arenu niflaos."
"Omdos ha'yu ragleinu b'sha'arayich Yerushalayim." (Teh 122:2)
"Omdos" means that is what helps us be "machzik maamad," what helps us stand on our two feet. The Malbi"m points out that it's not the Beis haMikdash, it's not even the city of Yerushalayim that the pasuk refers to -- it's the gates of Yerushalayim. Just getting to the doorway gives us chizuk.
Let's not kid ourselves -- the geulah didn't happen on 5 Iyar. We clearly have a ways to go to get there. But I think it is fair to say that we are standing in the doorway, on the threshold. That alone helps us stand a little taller, in a way that we have not been able to for 2000 years.
Yom ha'Atzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim are mechayeiv those of us in chu"l to do more than eat a blue and white cookie, put out our flag, and maybe say hallel. It's up to us, if we cannot get to Eretz Yisrael ourselves, for whatever reason (home, job, kids in school, etc are all formidable obstacles), to encourage our children who do not have those same obstacles to move there. That's where the future of Judaism, of Klal Yisrael is.
-- "could point to the burden now placed upon them to gather straw to make bricks"
ReplyDeletewith David's purchase of the threshing floor for the House, the people could now point to the rejection of straw/chaff: their own State construction project would use stones thank you...
-- "the gates of Yerushalayim"
btw, shouldn't the gates of Yerushalayim go without mezuzos? like a Beis haKnesses, >His< house, goes without a mezuzah, so too His gates (ir'cha, >Your< city, in the Amidah/'Omdos', in bensching,)?
-- "chu"l...Eretz Yisrael"
ma-la'teben es-ha'bar? (Yirmiyahu 23:28), 'ma?' ask the final letters of shalom and shalva, 122:7, mem hei;
"all formidable obstacles" -- bnei bnei Anak, no doubt about it...(or straw men?)