Vol 1.24 - Va'eira                                        Spanish French Audio  Video

Hebrew Text:

Page 119   Page120   Page121   Page122   Page123   Page124   Page125   Page126   Page127

Summary:
 

Par.1:      Lesson from the plagues of "Blood  and Frogs" and their order
Par.14:   Since the fifth word of Geulah  which corresponds to the Future Geulah was already stated by Yetzias
               Mitzrayim  - this proves that it already existed , similar to "Fire is due to his arrow" that at the time of
                kindling he was already liable (Fire involves liability on account of the human agency  

                                that brings it about. Tal. Bava Kama 22a)

 

Synopsis:

The Future is Now

The Torah portion of Va’eira contains four expressions of redemption: “I will take you out,” “I will deliver,” “I will redeem,” “I will take you to Me.” These correspond to the redemptions from the Egyptian and three subsequent exiles.

So the expression that follows,9 “and I will bring you” implies a special, superior quality in the era of the future Redemption. Yet since even this fifth expression is mentioned in the context of the redemption from Egypt, it follows that the future Redemption in fact began with the exodus from Egypt.

The Gemara states:10 “R. Yochanan said, ‘Man is liable for his fire, because it is like his arrow.’ ” This means that as soon as one has kindled a fire, he is liable for any resulting damages.

It would seem clear that when a fire causes damage, it is because the person that started it is powerless to intervene. Yet circumstances beyond a person’s control usually mean an exemption from responsibility. Why, then, should one be liable for one’s out-of-control fire?

The liability, however, is for having lit the fire voluntarily in the first place. Liability for any damage that arises from a voluntary act is implied in the act itself.

“The measure of goodness exceeds that of punishment.”11 Since damage is seen to have resulted from the initial kindling of the fire, surely this retroactive quality applies to voluntary goodness as well. Thus, from the very moment that G-d promised “I shall bring you” (which refers to the highest level of the future Redemption), this eventuality must in some way have already come to pass.

It would seem, however, that this premise relates only to human actions and not to G-d, for once fire leaves a person’s hand he can no longer control it. G-d, however, is always in full control.

This being so, one can argue that G-d’s promise “I will bring you,” does not necessarily imply that the result has already been achieved, because as long as the promise has not actually been realized, G-d can seemingly change His mind.

In fact, while G-d has been known to revoke and annul negative decrees, He never repents of good ones.12 Since “I shall bring you” is certainly a good decree, it is irrevocable; analogous to fire that has left a person’s hand.

To be sure, the very idea of compulsion or restriction is altogether inapplicable to G-d. Nevertheless, it was G-d’s own will — i.e. it is entirely voluntary — that He never revoke a good decree.

There is an important lesson here in terms of our spiritual service:

When a person realizes that the loftiest levels of the future Redemption through Moshiach already exist, though merely unrevealed , then the person’s service becomes much easier. The individual can more easily overcome all obstructions and hindrances in this world in general, and during the conclusion of this final exile in particular.

For in reality, all obstructions and hindrances to Torah and mitzvos are ultimately unreal — concealments which serve to arouse man’s latent abilities to serve G-d.

Moreover, as the Redemption can be said to be already upon us, those concealments and obstructions can be treated as if they are unreal; they truly do not exist.

When we realize that we are dealing with mere illusion (and thus are unaffected by it), we will act with vigor and holiness, and such action will remove even the appearance of concealment.

We will then realize how everything that happened, even things that seemed adverse at the time, were for the good, and ultimately even “for the best.”13

(From Chabad.org. Based on Likkutei Sichos, Vol. I, pp. 125-127.
 

FOOTNOTES 
1. .Shmos 7:14. 
2. .Ibid. 
3. .Shmos Rabbah 9:8. See also Midrash Lekach Tov on this verse as well as Shmos Rabbah 13:3, and also Hemshech 5672, Vol. I, p. 505. 
4. II, 153a; Zohar Chadosh, Rus, p. 80a. 
5. See Torah Or, Va’eira, p. 57a; Or HaTorah , Va’eira (Vol. VII) p. 2,606ff. 
6. See Tanya ch. 31. 
7. See Or HaTorah , Bo p. 248. See also Torah Or, p. 89b and at length in Hemshech 5666 p. 321ff. 
8. See Sefer HaMaamarim 5687, p. 8ff.; 5702 p. 8; 5708 p. 4, with regard to the difference between accepting the divine yoke on Rosh HaShanah , as opposed to accepting it during the rest of the year. 
9. Shmos 6:8. 
10. Bava Kamma 22a. 
11. Yoma 76a. 
12. Rambam, Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah 10:4. 
13. See Likkutei Sichos, Vol. II, Sicha for the Torah portion of Savo.


Translation:

The Rebbe says:

1. In this week’s Torah portion Hashem (G-d) tells the Jewish people that they are going to be redeemed from their unbearable exile in Egypt. Hashem first uses four descriptions of how He will redeem them- “I will transport you out”, “I will rescue you”, “I will redeem you”, and “I will take you out”. Hashem then uses a fifth description, “I will bring you to the land about which I have raised My hand to give it to Avraham (Abraham), Yitzchak (Isaac), and Yakov (Jacob)”. 

2. The Rebbe now discusses the four descriptions of redemption, and the additional fifth:

It is well known that the four descriptions of redemption correspond to the four redemptions that the Jewish people had throughout history, beginning with our redemption from Egypt. Bearing this in mind we can understand that the fifth description corresponds to the final and complete redemption when Moshiach (the Messiah) will come and take us out of this exile with the third and final Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple).
The Rebbe says:

1. In this week’s Torah portion Hashem (G-d) tells the Jewish people that they are going to be redeemed from their unbearable exile in Egypt. Hashem first uses four descriptions of how He will redeem them- “I will transport you out”, “I will rescue you”, “I will redeem you”, and “I will take you out”. Hashem then uses a fifth description, “I will bring you to the land about which I have raised My hand to give it to Avraham (Abraham), Yitzchak (Isaac), and Yakov (Jacob)”.

2. The Rebbe now discusses the four descriptions of redemption, and the additional fifth:

It is well known that the four descriptions of redemption correspond to the four redemptions that the Jewish people had throughout history, beginning with our redemption from Egypt. Bearing this in mind we can understand that the fifth description corresponds to the final and complete redemption when Moshiach (the Messiah) will come and take us out of this exile with the third and final Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple). 

Furthermore, since Hashem gave this promise when He took us out Egypt, the final redemption must have already started at our exodus from Egypt. As the Previous Rebbe said, “From our Exodus out of Egypt and on we are traveling to the final redemption”.

3. The Rebbe now proves this idea of something starting and considered done earlier on:

The Talmud records that Reb Yochanan holds that one is liable for the damage wrought by his fire on account of the fire being deemed his property. In other words, Reb Yochanan holds that right away when one lights a fire he is responsible for and obligated to pay for all damages which were caused by this later.

Now, we know that “the measure of good is greater then the measure of bad”. Therefore, if by a negative thing (a damaging fire) we say that it is already considered done earlier on, we would surely say that if Hashem promised to take us to the land which He promised to our forefathers Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yakov, that it is already considered done.

4. The Rebbe now questions Reb Yochanan:

In a different discussion Reb Yochanan states that if it was up to him he would have set the day of mourning and fasting for the Beis Hamikdash’s (the Holy Temple’s) destruction on the Tenth of Av and not on the Ninth of Av because the Beis Hamikdash only started burning on the Ninth of Av however it finished burning on the Tenth of Av.

Question: If Reb Yochanan holds that we follow the time of commencement, why would he hold that the Tenth of Av should commemorate the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash which is the time of its completion? According to him especially, we should go by the commencement of the burning- the Ninth of Av!?

5. The Rebbe now answers the question:

We must say that the case of a person lighting a fire or shooting an arrow and indirectly damaging something is different than Hashem causing things to happen, for example the Beis Hamikdash being destroyed, and that’s why Reb Yochanan has two seemingly conflicting opinions.

The obvious difference is that in the case of an arrow or a fire, once it is released from a person’s hands he has no control over where it goes; however Hashem surely always has control of what is going on.

Therefore, when a person shoots an arrow or lights a fire and has no control over what’s going to happen, Reb Yochanan obligates him right away. However since Hashem is constantly in control of everything and could change His mind at any moment, Reb Yochanan holds that we cannot be sure that the Beis Hamikdash would be destroyed until it was actually totally destroyed and therefore we should have set up the day of mourning on the Tenth of Av when the Beis Hamikdash was definitely destroyed.

6. The Rebbe now questions his earlier statement based on this explanation:

If Hashem can change His mind at any time, how can we be so sure that he will redeem us and take us out of exile just because he said so at the time of our Exodus from Egypt?

7. The Rebbe now answers the question:

The Rambam writes that Hashem regrets bad decrees and takes them back, however He never regrets good decrees and never takes them back. Therefore, in our case, since Hashem promised to take us out of exile with the ultimate redemption, he is like a person who already released an arrow from their hands or started a fire and has no control over it and Hashem must (so to speak) take us out of exile.

(On the other hand, in the case of the Beis Hamikdash, since it was a bad decree, Reb Yochanan held that until it was over Hashem could take it back).

We do not mean to say that Hashem is G-d Forbid forced to do something. We mean that since He decided that once he decides on a good decree He will not take it back, He has forced Himself (so to speak) to keep to it.

8. The Rebbe now tells us the lesson we can learn from this:

When we know that the redemption, and not just any redemption but the ultimate and final redemption, is already here, and all that we are waiting for is for it to be revealed, this makes it a lot easier to withstand concealments of G-dliness that is prevalent in this physical world, during exile, and especially in the last generations before Moshiach. We will be able to recognize obstacles that get in our way in our service to Hashem for what they truly are- a test to bring out our inner strength, and break through them.

When we do this, the concealments will be removed and we will be able to see clearly with our physical eyes that all that Hashem does is for the best.

Translated and adapted by Shalom Goldberg. Taken from Likutei Sichos volume one, second Sicha.

 

Links:


www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/92282/jewish/Vaeira.htm
www.lchaimweekly.org/lchaim/5758/503.htm
www.lchaim-weekly.com/lchaim/5756/402.htm
www.lchaim-weekly.org/lchaim/5769/1055
www.crownheights.info/index.php

http://www.4shared.com/file/199537622/1b46466d/023_LS1_Vaeira-1_P_119.html (Audio) chabadofsharon.com

http://www.4shared.com/file/199534989/6f929fbc/025_LS1_Vaeira-2_P_124.html (Audio)

 

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