Welcome to the Daily Chizuk. In this week's parasha, Hashem tells Moshe to go to Paro and give him a message: Ko amar Hashem, b'ni bechori Yisrael. So says Hashem, the Jews are my firstborn son. Hashem has such a love for us. So why do the Jewish people have to be subjected to such a hard slavery for 210 years? Whether we understand it or not, the fact will always remain: Kol de'avid Rachmana letav avid. Everything Hashem does is only for our good. It was all out of love. It's all for our well-being.
The Chatam Sofer writes that every single brick that every Jew had to make and build with was calculated by Hashem. There wasn't one extra brick or one extra bit of suffering. Although it looked like we were forgotten and abandoned, the Pasuk (verse) says in Mishpatim that Hashem had the likeness of the same. A sapphire brick by his kisei ha-kavod (Throne of Glory). And the Midrash (rabbinic teaching) tells us it was there during the entire period of slavery to teach us that we were on Hashem's mind, kivyachol (as it were), the whole time. Hashem appeared to Moshe in a thorn bush, and the Midrash asks: Why a thorn bush? Because Hashem was telling us, Imo anochi batzara. I am with you in your time of pain. Hashem says, "I know what you're going through. I'm with you every step of the way. But trust me, it's for your good."
The Pasuk says, And the Gemara Pesachim explains that in the future, we will all recognize that everything Hashem did was all good. But in the meantime, we have to just believe. Perhaps in this world, Hashem wants us to feel people's pain and sympathize with them. So He doesn't show us the inherent good in every situation. If we knew why everything was good, we wouldn't pray for people; we wouldn't try to help them.
In the Sefer Binat Moshe, he brings down that in the days of the Noam Elimelech, there was a harsh decree issued against the Jewish people. And the rabbi was praying with all of his might to try and annul the decree. His rabbi, the Maggid of Mezeritch, came to him in a dream and said, "Didn't I tell you to pray for me to stay alive? So long as I was around, I stopped all the decrees from coming." So the Rabbi Elimelech said back, "Aren't tzaddikim (righteous people) greater after their death than while they were alive? Now you could for sure stop the decree." And the Maggid answered back, "While I was alive and the decrees looked bad, I was able to pray. But now in Olam Ha'emet (world of truth), I see so clearly how this decree is good for you. How could I pray to Hashem to withhold good?"
At the end of the parasha, Moshe Rabbeinu tells Hashem, Lamah hare'ota la'am hazeh, lamah zeh shelachtani. He said, "Hashem, why did you do bad to this nation? Why did you send me?" And the Imrei Emet explains, Moshe was saying, "Hashem, I am able to see how every bit of slavery is good for them. I can't pray for you to take them out." So Lamah zeh shelachtani, why did you send me to do the job? Great tzaddikim, who are privy to see the workings in heaven, know Hashem only does good. But for us now in Olam Ha'emet, our job is to have emunah (faith), that no matter what it looks like on the surface, everything Hashem does is good. We don't have the knowledge to understand Hashem's ways. But everything is done with love. Everything is done with care. Hashem is always with us. We are b'ni bechori Yisrael. We are Hashem's pride and joy. And may Hashem guide us in the right direction to have the proper attitudes always. Shabbat Shalom.