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To sufficiently comprehend the evolution of the enslavement of B’nai Yisrael in Mitzriyim, it would seem that one needs to comprehend the closed nature of the two preceding Parshiyot; the concluding posuk of Vayigash;
And Yisrael dwelt in the land of Mitzriyim in the land of Goshen, and they acquired property in it and… multiplied greatly
and the first posuk of Vayechi;
And Yaakov lived in the land of Mitzrayim for seventeen years…
And we need to understand the gist of the Kli Yekar; that the Sh’vatim, the Am, knowing that they were to be in Mitzriyim for a definite period of time beyond their lifetimes thus perceived a permanence. Therefore, they adapted themselves to living in Mitzriyim long-term and were thus vulnerable to Mitzri “encouragement” to melt, to assimilate into Mitzri society, to work for the nation, etc. The B’nai Yisrael accumulated land, assets, wealth. With the passage of time and with Yaakov and the brothers — the tribal heads all passing from the scene, the Am forgot about their true home in Canaan, in Eretz Yisrael, and became complacent in Mitzriyim. And with the passing of heads of B’nai Yisrael, the Am no longer retained an elevated status in the eyes of the Mitzriyim who quickly forgot how Yosef saved them from famine.
The Midrash Says, by Rabbi Moshe Weissman, as rendered in it’s forward on Sefer Shemos, gives an explanation of the evolution of the Jewish slavery in Mitzrayim as a purifying force in forging the uniqueness of the Jewish nation.
“Their stay in Mitzrayim served to mold our people into a unique nation. The Torah, for this reason, terms Mitzrayim the ‘iron melting pot” since in that land the members of Yaakov’s family were forged into a people unequaled by any other on earth. They became a nation which excelled in doing chesed with one another, which maintained flawless moral standards in the face of unrestrained corruption, and which deserved to be termed distinguished since they retained their distinctive Jewish character traits. Notwithstanding these praises, the Jews at large were steeped in the idolatrous cult of Mitzrayim; and as a result, most of them did not live to experience Yitziyat Mitzrayim. Those who did survive, however, possessed the necessary greatness to be elevated to the highest spiritual levels and were worthy of receiving the Torah.” (Forward, The Midrash Says — Sefer Shemos, Rabbi Moshe Weissman)
From the complacency of B’nai Yisrael evolved the bitter enslavement and, which as Shem Mishmuel explains, brought about an interference in spiritual communication which caused the disconnect between the heart and neshama and the spoken word.
The complacency and the intensity of enslavement were such that the vast majority of the Am perished in the plague of darkness for lack of taking the Korban Pesach, for lack of emunah that we would be redeemed, that Hashem would deliver us from Mitzriyim.
There is an evolving fear that in our time, we are experiencing a similar evolution of spiritual disconnect.
Both Levi Chazen, the Director of the English Division of Yeshivat HaRa’ayon HaYehudi in Jerusalem and author Naomi Ragen both seem to be commenting on the this similar modern-day evolution of spiritual disconnect.
Chazen writes citing both Midrash and the Vilna Gaon;
The Midrash teaches us: “Pakod yifkod – HaShem will surely visit you” – Jacob informed them of two visits. The first time referred to the time of Moses, the second time, to that of the Messianic king. The last exile and its Redemption will be like the first one from Egypt. Just as in Egypt, when the time of reckoning came, G-d did not allow Israel to remain in the exile, the same will be true of the Final Redemption. And just as in the time of the redemption of the Jewish people from Egypt, all of the ones who tried to remain in Egypt were killed by the hand of G-d in the plague of darkness, so, too, in the Final Redemption no Jew will remain in the exile.
The Vilna Gaon (the GRA) writes in Kol HaTor: “It says, ‘In Mount Zion and Jerusalem there shall be those who escape… and among the remnant those whom the L-rd shall call.’ (Joel 3:5) According to the Midrash, the word Zion is equated with Mashiach ben Joseph, for whatever happened to Joseph happens to Zion.” Our master, the GRA, hinted at this also through the words “among the remnant,” which is equal in numerical value to the name Joseph, for according to the GRA, the ingathering of the exiles will occur though him. There will also be an increase in Divine prosecution of those who do not support the ingathering of the exiles (i.e., those who do not come) since the Redemption will start through it, for then there will be survivors in Zion and Jerusalem and from the remnant. The GRA worried about this greatly.
Ragen writes more contemporarily citing the contrast between the period of the Entebbe rescue when the IDF would plan, strategize and journey thousands of miles to save endangered Jewish lives, and today
when the current government confronted with daily rockets and mortars launched against Sderot and the southern communities “can’t seem to muster the energy to do the simplest and most understandable of actions to… take over the area from which the rockets are being launched and keep it rocket free,” despite an IDF “stronger and incomparably better equipped then ever.”
Ragen continues;
There is only one reason that we, the same people who did not hesitate to launch planes to invade another continent despite the risks of international condemnation, are now too afraid to launch the necessary military strike that is called for to protect our backyards: a loss of faith in the rightness of our cause.
Years of international propaganda in the form of CNN and BBC broadcasts aimed at our living rooms have somehow convinced -at least our leadership- that the Jews of Israel must live with terror; must not make waves…
Both commentaries strongly indicate to this author that they speak to the modern-day spiritual disconnect and resultant loss of emunah. Naomi Ragen’s reference to international propaganda via msm (mainstream media) also brings to mind what this author has repeated time and again in the 2 1/2 years since the expulsion.
The expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif and the Shomron towns was originally to have taken place just after Pesach 5765. It was postponed and re-scheduled during for the 3 week period before Tisha B’av. It was postponed again until just after Tisha B’av.
The regime actually carried out the eviction of Jews from their homes, neighborhoods and from Jewish land during Bein Hazmanim, during Chofesh (the Israeli vacation season in mid-August). Potentially, during the vacation season, the opposition to the expulsion could have been a maximized had the Am shown the necessary emunah and thus collectively forgone their vacations to help and protect their fellow Jews and not treated the period as “business as usual.”
But behold, the masses didn’t flock to Gush Katif and the Shomron to protect their brethren. The stores did not close and life went on through the rest of Israel as if nothing was going on, as if nothing happened.
B’Ezrat Hashem that the masses of the Am wake up, see the light and put themselves on the line V’Ahavta, L’Rei’echa, Kamocha for their fellow Jews and for our Eretz Kedusha lest the GRA’s worst nightmare be actualized.
May we be zocha in this coming year that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently settled and be made totally whole, that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard and the 3 captive Chayalim and the other MIAs be liberated and returned to us and that we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nai Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Yom Hashem V’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bim hay v’yameinu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
Good Shabbos!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of the Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
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