This Dvar Torah is taken from my father’s writings.
And Moses said to the people:
“Fear not, stand still and see the salvation of God, which He will show you
this day, for the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see them no more
forever. God shall fight for you, and you – hold your peace.” Then God said to
Moses: “Why do you cry to me? Speak to the Children of Israel that they go
forward.” [Exodus 14:13-15]
Moses addressed the
people, the ordinary Israelites, and his message was simply “stand still,” do
not retreat, “for the beginning of defeat is in retreat.” [Maimonides: Laws of
Kings and Their Wars 7:5] However, God delivered a message to “the Children of
Israel,” for those of a higher status it is not sufficient to stand in place,
they must demonstrate initiative and go forward.
God performs
miracles for Israel when we do our utmost, as the verse [Deuteronomy 15:18]
says “and the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do,” which our Sages
[Midrash Sifrei] understand to mean that God provides His blessing only
when man acts. This concept is conveyed in our Sages’ tradition that the Red
Sea parted only when Naḥshon, the
tribal prince of Judah, jumped into the sea.
Indeed, thus writes Rabbi Hayyim of Volozhin, the greatest student of the
Gaon of Vilna: “God said to Moses, it is dependent upon the Israelites, if they
are steadfast in their faith and trust and will move forward to the sea, this
will cause a heavenly arousal which will bring the miracle, and the sea will
split before them.”
No comments:
Post a Comment