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Vaera 5786
Shmos 5786
Vayechi 5786
Vayigash 5786
Miketz-Chanukah 5786

Vaera 5786

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This week's YouParsha Vaera http://youtu.be/lh-ipX3H5JM Moses Had Sealed Lips

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This week, we read Parshas Vaera, Exodus 6:1 - 9:35. Seven of the ten plagues that afflicted Egypt are discussed. One of the plagues that always intrigued me is the plague of boils. The Torah describes the plague as follows, "They (Moshe and Aharon) took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharoah. Moshe threw it heavenward and it became boils and blisters, erupting on man and beast."

Rabeinu B'chaya enumerates many miracles that happened during this plague. Moshe was able to hold four handfuls of soot with one hand. The soot was enough to cover the entire Egypt and from simple dust, a serious plague could occur. This plague has always reminded me of germ warfare.

Shach, a student of the Arizal, writes that Moshe's dominant trait was fire while Aharon's dominant trait was water. The plagued occurred only when both Moshe and Aharon participated. That is why the boils were dry and crusty on the outside and moist on the inside. The Alter Rebbe, first Lubavitcher Rebbe, describes the Cohanim as being derived from G'ds trait of kindness, as the verse states, "Aharon, the man of kindness." Water is an expression of kindness. Water allows growth and life. People are naturally drawn to water. Moshe was a Levy. The Levites are derived from the Divine trait of Severity. Severity is not necessarily a bad thing. The attribute of severity creates separation. The second day of creation was an expression of Divine severity. On it, space was created. Nothing could exist if there was no space. Fire is also an expression of Divine severity. Things that are burned in fire separate into their basic parts, leaving only ash. People naturally run from fire.

The plague of boils expressed the unification of Divine kindness and severity. The object of the plague was to quiet Pharaoh's magicians as it states in the verse, "The magicians could not stand before Pharoah because of the boils." The magicians were able to copy many of the previous plagues allowing Pharaoh an excuse to refuse Moshe's request for the Jews to leave Egypt. The magicians were the purveyors of Egyptian culture and were their source for evil. The Talmud relates that ten portions of black magic were given to the world. Egypt took nine of them. By rooting out the source of evil, Hashem was able to deal directly with Pharaoh. It was only after this plague that it says, "Hashem hardened Pharaoh's heart." Pharaoh, not having his power base, was no match for Hashem. Left on his own, Pharaoh would not have been able to endure the last four plagues. Hashem gave him the strength to be able to make a rational decision not to allow the Jews to leave. This allowed Hashem's greatness to be appreciated in a much more magnanimous manner.

There is a parallel between the Egyptian exile and our present exile. Moshe came to Pharaoh at the end of the Egyptian exile and demanded that the Jews be allowed to leave Egypt, accept the Torah and go to Israel. We are now at the end of our exile. We can demand only of the Almighty (there is no Pharaoh) that we be redeemed and be allowed to go back to Israel with Moshiach, NOW!

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A woman once came to the Alter Rebbe to request a blessing on behalf of her daughter who was in the travails of labor. The Alter Rebbe was not there, but one of his top students, Schmuel Munkes asked the woman what she needed. The woman had never met the Rebbe and thought that Reb Schmuel was him. She cried that her daughter was in desperate needs of a blessing. The labor had been heavy for more than a day and the situation was quite serious. Schmuel Munkes told her to tell her son-in-law to whisper in her daughter's ear, "Zogt yizkor - say yizkor," the memorial prayer for the dead. The woman ran home immediately and gave her son-in-law the "Rebbe's" instructions. In a short time, the baby was born. Mother and child were healthy.

The new father was ecstatic with joy. When things finally calmed down, he ran back to the Rebbe to announce the good news. By now, the Alter Rebbe had returned. The man thanked the Rebbe profusely saying that it was the wonderful saintly insight of the Rebbe that had allowed his wife to give birth. The Alter Rebbe, of course, had no idea to what the man was referring. He quizzed the man to describe exactly what he had done. The man told him about the saying yizkor part. With that, the Rebbe smiled and wished the man mazel tov.

At their next encounter, the Alter Rebbe quizzed Reb Schmuel about this "Blessing". Reb Schmuel said with a smile, "Rebbe, everyone knows that before yizkor is said the gabbai bangs on the table and says, "Zogt yizkor." With that announcement, all the children leave!"

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