SHEMOS 1985

In the Torah portion we learn how G-d chose Moshe to lead the Jewish people out of Egypt.  Moshe, at first, refuses.  He does not understand how the Jewish people would accept him.  After all, he never experienced slavery.  He lived always as a free man.  He did not share their troubles.  He was more an Egyptian than a Jew.  In fact, when he came to Midian and saved Jethro's daughters from the shepherds who would not let them water their sheep, they returned to their father and they said an Egyptian man saved them from the hands of the shepherds.  Moshe gave them the impression that he was an Egyptian, not a Jew.  

The rabbis say that Moshe was punished for this by not being permitted to be buried in the Land of Israel.  He was buried in Moab instead.  Moshe also had married a Midianite girl and, according to the Medrash, even raised his oldest son, Gershon, as an idol worshipper.  He did not feel fit to lead the Jewish people.  G-d, though, has chosen him and he eventually agrees to lead the Jewish people out.  He, though, was troubled by how the Jewish people would accept him.  How will they know that G-d has sent him?  He asks G-d to give him an answer when the Jewish people will ask him, "What is the name of the G-d of our fathers Who has sent you?"  G-d tells Moshe that he should tell the people, "A Asher Aya" which is usually translated "I am Who I am," sent me, but this is incorrect.  The Hebrew realy means "I will be Who I will be." G-d also has given him a sign in his hand.  What is the sign?  The sign is that when G-d will bring you out from Egypt you will worship G-d on this mountain, Mount Sinai.  

What kind of sign is that?  It is only the kind of sign that will take place after the people are out of Egypt.  How will that convince the people that they should follow Moshe, and why will the people be convinced when Moshe will says, "I will be Who I will be?"  I will be" asks about the future.  G-d it telling the people here never to give up hope, that what can be will be and should be.  They do not have to be slaves.  He has given them a prescription of how to obtain freedom, not to accept the present but look toward the future.  

The rabbis all ask the question, how come this Torah portion starts off again by telling us the names of Jacob's sons?  After all, all the people who came down to Egypt were enumerated in the Torah portion Vayigash.  Why do we have to mention them here again?  What purpose did it serve?  Once again it mentions that Joseph was in Egypt and it mentions that Joseph died and his brothers and all that generation.  That is already mentioned in the last Torah portion.  The rabbis tell us that the slavery began after the death of Jacob, but how could this be when we learn from this Torah portion that the slavery did not begin until after the death of Joseph?  There are really two different types of slavery: spiritual slavery and actual physical slavery.  The spiritual slavery began after the death of Jacob, but the physical slavery did not begin until after the death of Joseph.  What makes a person spiritually enslaved?  

There are really three different factors.  A person has to have inner confidence, confidence that he can do things and achieve things.  A person also has to have confidence in his group, in the nation in which he lives.  He must feel that his society can accomplish great things, that he gets approval from a society and that society can approve him.  Finally, there is the approval of others outside your society, outside your group.  The United States is the most admired nation in the world.  Everybody wants to learn English.  We here do not feel any need to learn a foreign language.  When the Jews first went to Egypt they had inner self-confidence.  That's why it says, "Ish Uvaso" "Each man in his household came."  They also had confidence in each other.  That's why all their names are mentioned.  Finally, they had the approval of the Egyptians.  Joseph was the Viceroy of Egypt.  After Jacob died they no longer had confidence in each other.  They were afraid of Joseph, that maybe he would turn on them.  After Joseph died they lost the confidence and good will of the Egyptians, and finally when they were enslaved they lost confidence in themselves.  They thought they deserved to be slaves, that they should be slaves.  That's why they were affected by Moshe's message of hope, "I will be Who I will be." They felt now they were worthy.  They could go out of Egypt.  They could worship G-d at Mount Sinai.  He was restoring their inner confidence.  He was telling them that they should not give up hope, that they did not have to be downtrodden.  They were all filled with enthusiasm and the Torah says that after Moshe made his presentation the people believed.  However, when Moshe and Aaron went to Pharaoh they appeared before Pharaoh alone.  

The rabbis ask, what happened to the elders?  Why didn't they come along with Moshe and Aaron?  The answer is that they did start out with Moshe and Aaron, but one by one they dropped off until only Moshe and Aaron appeared before Pharaoh.  The rest of them did not have the necessary confidence in themselves or each other to proceed.  It is absolutely necessary in order to accomplish great things, to have the inner confidence that you can do them.  That's, too, why Pharaoh did not just double the number of bricks that the Jewish people were to make rather than not give them straw.  When he saw that Moshe and Aaron were having an impact on the Jewish people he did not just double their quota of bricks, but he wanted to cause consternation among them, disunity among them, lack of confidence among them.  That's why he refused to give them straw.  They would have to compete for the straw.  

That's why also when it says, "Lo Sosephon" "You will not continue to give straw" the word "continue" is actually spelled wrong.  It is spelled with an Aleph which does not belong there.  When the word is spelled with an Aleph it means "to gather together." They would no longer be allowed to gather together.  There would be no unity among them.  His aim was to cause them to lose confidence in each other so they could not achieve unified action.  The most important thing is to have hope, to have confidence in yourself and in your colleagues so that you can achieve great things.  Without this confidence you can achieve nothing.  Eventually you will get the confidence and consent and admiration of others outside your group, but that is not essential.  The essential thing is to have confidence in yourself and your colleagues and then you can achieve great things.  If a person does not have any hope and he gives way to despair then he is lost.  

That's why the rabbis say that the greatest sin is despair.  No one should ever give up.  We should always remember that G-d will always be what He will be and that G-d's goals will be achieved and that we can be a part in achieving these goals.  There is hope in the world.  We must always attack our problems with confidence.  We should never succumb to despair.  Many people think that the most important thing is technical know-how, connections, etc., but this is not so.  The most important thing is self-confidence and the feeling that you can accomplish things.  

I am reminded of the story of the pilot and co-pilot who were landing an airplane.  The co-pilot said to the pilot, "Flaps down, rudder adjusted, etc." Everything was done just the proper way and the plane came in for a landing.  The pilot had to bring the plane to a screeching halt.  He yelled out, "Boy, this is the shortest runway I have ever seen," to which the co-pilot added, "And the widest." Sometimes we do things backwards.  We do not realize that the important thing is positive attitudes and hope.  It is more important even than technical know-how.