Can you imagine going from abject slavery and poverty to total freedom and epic wealth?
For most of us it would be hard to imagine.
The three hostages who came back to Israel at the beginning of this week may be feeling that way. They were held for 471 days in captivity by their terrorist captors. We thank G-d for their return, and continue to pray for the safe release of all of our hostages now.
How long can we expect feelings of euphoria and gratitude associated with major rescue and salvation last?
I daresay that as humans we have a very short memory when it comes to appreciating good things and our subsequent appreciation and gratitude.
The Torah teaches us that it is unacceptable to be an ingrate. And sometimes forgetting where you came from and the realizations you gained from the experience can be downright dangerous.
Here is what amazes me about the 180-degree turnaround during the short time that elapsed from our harsh slavery to our exodus from Egypt.
While we were enslaved, we were at the bottom of the pit in body and in spirit. To the extent, that in this week’s parsha Vaera when Moshe came to relay the Divine message that redemption was on its way, the people were not even capable of hearing and receiving Moshe’s message.
To quote (Kehot interpolated translation): Moses related God's message via Aaron to the Israelites, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their anguish of spirit evinced by their shortness of breath, which had made them despair of being redeemed, and because of the harsh labor, which had made them skeptical of Moses' promises.
It is to be expected that when one is so demoralized, it is hard to even hear the message of freedom and redemption.
Shortly thereafter things changed drastically. The 10 plagues began rolling out against Pharaoh and his Egyptian willing cohorts. While the Jews were not yet freed, the active oppression and slavery ceased immediately.
The Jews were now free to live and relax in Egypt with no oppression.
This continued for ten months.
At the end of ten months Moshe led the Jewish people out of Egypt.
What is remarkable is that only ten months later, the Jews needed to be FOCRIBLY DRIVEN out of Egypt. They didn’t leave willingly. As if they hadn’t spent eighty some year being tortured by the Egyptians.
As the verse says (Shemot 6:1)
G-d said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: that because of My strong hand he will send them forth, and indeed, he will forcibly drive them out of his land.”
Why in the world would Hashem need to have Pharaoh force the Jews out of Egypt.
I am imagining that at the first moments of the plagues, when they were finally able to breathe and absorb that Moshe was delivering on the promise of redemption by G-d, they were ready to escape Egypt without hesitation.
Yet it seems that after ten months of not being enslaved by the Egyptians, the familiarity of Egyptian life was tempting. They were scared to go out and face the unknown in the desert led by Moshe.
True, they were delighted to be free. But that didn’t mean they had to ‘overreact’ and run away from Egypt. They were happy to stay in Egypt and enjoy the lifestyle that the cosmopolitan Egypt provided. To use the common saying, they preferred to settle for the ‘one bird in the hand’ rather than venture out to try and get ‘two birds in the bush’. The known felt safer to them than the vulnerability of the unknown.
But after ten months of adaptation to their newfound comforts, they were no longer so keen on moving out of their familiar state. Even though it promised them a totally new and transformative reality.
Hashem didn’t allow them time to vacillate or pause. The nation was told in no uncertain terms by Pharaoh that they had to vacate Egypt ASAP.
The way the Torah words it (Shemot 13:17) Pharaoh SENT the Jews out of Egypt. Here the Torah alludes to the fact that it was not at all a given that the Jews were going to voluntarily leave the land they had become familiar with for 210 years.
(The parallels to contemporary history are a topic you may want to further develop yourself).
When times are excruciatingly difficult (as they our since the October 7th war has been thrust upon us and with it the opening of the floodgates of worldwide Jew hatred) we yearn, dream, pray and demand the coming of Mashiach because we want peace and safety. But we must make sure we don’t make peace with staying in our modern day ‘Egypt’ = ‘exile’.
Please G-d times will get better.
It is conceivable that even before Mashiach comes, some form of sensible pragmatic globally peaceful outcome will be arrived at. The hatred and violence, the killings and taking hostages, the war and terrorist attacks will cease. Jews will be safe and secure wherever they live. This could all technically happen even before Mashiach comes. And we pray that it happens immediately.
Yet, even barring threats and dangers, we dare not be lulled into the false sense of complacency that we are happy and content in our modern day ‘Egypt’. In the contemporary existence of ‘exile’ where G-d’s presence is concealed.
Our generation, which by and large enjoys affluence and freedoms unprecedented in Jewish history, is uniquely blessed. The Rebbe came to teach our generation-of-plenty to keep our eyes on the ball.
To focus on the endgame and not get distracted by secondary goals.
To aim for the ultimate redemption and not settle for temporary fixes.
Albeit past history should remind us that even during times of relative peace, that there are no guarantees that things will stay stable and prosperous. The Jews in Spain enjoyed a golden age but ultimately that ended in torment and expulsion. The Jewish life in Poland spanning a thousand years had some stable and good times.
Yet, even taking into account future instability, escaping danger and tragedy is not the ultimate and most authentic reason for wanting Mashiach.
Mashiach is about complete liberation and transformation of everything. To settle for anything less would be a tragic omission.
It would be as if the Jewish people would have stayed in Egypt and lived a complacent cushy and comfortable life?
If we would have stayed in Egypt as free people, we would not have become the ‘Chosen People’. The G-dly revelation at Sinai where Hashem gave us the Torah and chose us to be his special nation, to be ‘a light unto the nations’ to be holy people, all of that would not have come to be.
The quantum leap and total transformation of our nation from being a natural nation with an incredibly illustrious pedigree of our forefather and foremothers, to being a supernatural and divine nation could not have happened without the exodus from Egypt.
We needed to carry out Hashems plan for us all the way. This required the leap of faith of following G-d into the desert and totally surrendering our doubts and insecurities, replacing them with faith and trust in G-d.
We needed to stand at the foot of the mountain in the desert of Sinai and say ‘We will do’ whatever You say to Almighty G-d.
Similarly, taught the Rebbe, we need to realize that Mashiach’s coming in our time will be totally transformative.
It will transform the jungle of this world to a ‘garden of G-d.
The concealment of G-d in this world will be transformed to a revelation of G-d.
Which means that while now during ‘exile’ times, there are many decoys in this world that point away from G-d, at the time of the redemption all of the aspects and details of the world will all point towards G-d.
Wanting Mashiach even during times of peace and plenty is the most authentic Messianic aspiration. It means that one clearly grasps that Mashiachs coming will be a total gamechanger.
The media, social media, traditional media and any other form of media will be announcing MASHIACH IS HERE!
May it be now. And may we keep our eyes on the END GOAL of MASHIACH.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Yosef Kantor
PS one of the blessings of technology are things like ‘google photos’ that push pictures from the past into your screen. Please G-d you have had happy times over the years. Often you have pictures of those occasions. Having them show up in your phone or computer gives you a chance to be grateful once more to Hashem who provided them and to the loved ones who participated. I have never seen anyone get upset if you write them a note of gratitude. Even if it’s for something that happened years ago.
THANK YOU HASHEM.