Miller's Musings Parshas Vo'eroh: Know Your Place

בס''ד

                            

Sunk deep within the most devastating enslavement and subjugation, the Jewish people surely required no reminder of their plight.  Yet it seems that Hashem uses every opportunity to remind the Jewish people of the circumstances from which they will be redeemed.  Why is Moshe instructed to tell them that Hashem “has heard the wail of…whom Egypt enslaves”, “will take you out from under the burden” and “rescue you from your servitude”?  Would not the notice of salvation alone have sufficed without mention of their terrible predicament?

Redemption will finally arrive we are told in the blink of an eye, but the process leading up to the advent of the Moshiach will be a more painstaking one with all requisite conditions to be fulfilled before it can be revealed.  This was so of all the deliverances that Hashem brought for us, including that of the exodus from Egypt.  The Chidushei HaRim explains “the burden” that Hashem will take the Jewish out from as being a prerequisite to their being released from bondage.  As hard as it may be for us to fathom given our knowledge of the persecution the Jewish people endured in Egypt, the miracles that would lead to their emancipation could only begin once the Jews recognised the burden that they were carrying and the disgust for the exile they had been placed in.  Mentioning the appalling state of affairs was not to provide context for the salvation, which was known only too well, but to provide the condition that allowed it to occur.

There have been times in our history when Jews have felt the exile with every fibre of their being, when they were faced with the starkest reminders every moment of every day how far they were from the state of perfection that is intended for us.  We live in times where we are fortunate to enjoy all the luxuries of life in an environment of religious freedom and general acceptance.  It is all too easy for us to therefore forget how far we truly are from where we are meant to be.  But for our redemption to take place we need that understanding and appreciation of that which is lacking and how much we are missing.  This must be an essential part of our service to G-d and requires us to consciously try to recognise how much we are missing despite all the blessings Hashem has showered us with.  If we truly long for redemption, we must start with a sincere belief in our need to be redeemed. 

*May the inspiration of Shabbos bring us one step closer to Moshiach*

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לרפואה שלימה:  שרה יעל בת ברכה אסתר