I would like to share another thought from the Sefer of Rabbi Dovid Soloveitchik, who passed away not long ago. He discusses Yetziat Mitzrayim, and points out that the pesukim stress a point that we might not have picked up on.
When we talk about why the Egyptians were punished, the simple reason is that it’s because they made life difficult for the Jewish people. Therefore, they are being punished because of the suffering they caused us.
But if we read the pesukim carefully, it sounds like the main complaint against the Egyptians and Paroah was the fact that they did not recognize G-d, and His control of the world. Paroah says, מי ה אשר אשמע בקולו
I don’t know who G-d is...
This is the complaint against him.
If you read the pesukim, when the plagues come, it says that Hashem says, “And they’ll know that I am the G-d when I stretch my hand out...
למען תדע-
that they should know that I am Hashem..
Hashem says that Paroah was kept alive so that he should know.
The pasuk continues on and say, “When I take my Jewish people out..Mitzrayim will know that I am Hashem.”
Why is this point being stressed? Rav Dovid says that it’s because the Torah wants to teach us that main complaint against a person is not his actions, it’s his lack of emunah and knowledge that Hashem is controlling the world, and that the world is not ownerless.
This was Paroah’s problem, and that is why he got punished. It doesn’t say he got punished because of what he did. Of course, he was punished for that. But why did he do what he did? Because he didn’t know that G-d is in control of the world.
The first thing brought down in the Ramah on Shulchan Aruch is the pasuk in tehilim, שויתי ה לנגדי תמיד
“Place Hashem in front of you at all times because that is a כלל גדול בתורה
a fundamental principle of the Torah.”
He quotes from Rambam’s Moreh Nevuchim:
The all-inclusive foundation of the Torah, which makes Sadikim into Sadikim, is the fact that when a person sits, moves and acts when he’s alone in his house is not the same as when he sits, moves, or acts when he’s in front of a king- especially when he realizes he’s in front of the King of kings- Hashem.
That’s the secret to what makes people great- what we call Emunah Peshutah, the simple belief that the word has a Controller, that G-d sees what is happening, and that if we live our lives this way, not just externally, but with a deep feeling in our hearts, a person would not come to sin. All the great Sadikim became Sadikim because of that.
He says that it’s a Mishnah in Pirkei Avot.
“Look at three things and you won’t come to sin: Know where you came from, Know where you are going to,And know who you are being judged in front of- Hashem, King of kings.. And then, you won’t come to sin.
A question is asked- why not just say that we will be judged in the end? Why does it have to say, “Know where you came from?”
He says that the Rishonim point out that it says, “Know where you came from,” because you weren’t always here. You are a creation. You came from nothing. That breaks a person’s middah of Ga’avah/ arrogance.
He says that it’s arrogance that causes a person not to realize the fundamental that Hashem is controlling the world.
David HaMelech says in Tehilim, “the nations should know that they are humans.” Is it a Hiddush to know you’re human?
The answer is yes- they are humans, they aren’t in control, and they have no power. A person can actually think that he’s in control. Rav Wolbe once said, from Rav Dessler, that the definition of arrogance is “I want to take G-d off of His throne, and I want to sit down there.”
That sounds like a very extreme statement, but how often do we think we would do things differently, or that we have a better way of doing the things. That’s us basically saying, “G-d, let me run the world. I have a better ideas of how to control the world.”
He says that is why, when we read about what happens in the times of Mashiach, it talks about the goyim coming and bowing down to Hashem. In Alenu Leshabe’ach, it says that everyone will bow down to Hashem. Why is the that the ultimate Tikkun Olam/perfection of the world?
He explains that bowing means, I humble myself. Bowing means, I am not in control. That is what the entire world is all about.
I recently saw in the Hovot HaLevavot Shaar Avodat Elokim, where it discusses the famous question of Yediah vs Bechira-
How can it be that G-d knows everything, if we have freedom of choice? He says it is a very difficult question, and he doesn’t really give an answer. But he says that you have to live your life as if you have freedom of choice, even though you do really don’t. It is a quandary. We have to make believe that we have freedom of choice, because we are going to get rewarded and punished for everything that we do, even though we really don’t do anything. Hashem does everything. This is a difficult pill for us to swallow.
Paroah said, “The Nile is mine, and I made myself.”
The Rambam says that Paroah symbolizes the Yetzer Hara. Deep down inside of every body, we have that bug that says,”I’m in control,” and that is the source of all downfall, evil and punishment.
Hashem brought the plagues upon the Mitzrim so that we should learn from them; so it shouldn’t happen to us, has v’shalom.
We are supposed to learn from them, that man is not in charge. That is the fundamental of fundamentals.
This entire lesson, almost verbatim, is from Rav Dovid Soloveitchik ah.