Earn It on Your Own

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עיה"ק ירושלים תובב"א מכון 'המאור שבתורה' שע"י מוסדות טאלנאל כל הזכויות שמורות © This Dvar Torah has been translated and adapted from a 'שיחות קודש'

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Earn It on Your Own Adapted from a shiur given by the Tolner Rebbe shlita, Shevi’i Shel Pesach 5768

ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. ז"ל בת הרב נטע אריה שרה ע"ה האשה החשובה מרת חוה חיה נ"לע In the Shirah that Klal Yisrael sang after they crossed the Yam Suf and witnessed the final downfall of their

Egyptian tormenters, the possuk says, (שמות טו, א) “ אז ישיר משה ובני ישראל את השירה הזאת לה' ויאמרו לאמר

And then Moshe and Bnei Yisrael sang this song to Hashem, and they ,אשירה לה' כי גאה גאה סוס ורכבו רמה בים

spoke, saying, ‘I will sing to Hashem for He is very exalted, horse and rider he cast into the sea.”

Rashi comments, “ ירה, מלמד שהיו )פסוק ד(השליך. ומדרש אגדה, כתוב אחד אומר רמה, וכתוב אחד אומר -רמה

, מלמעלה למטה)איוב לח, ו(עולין לרום ויורדין לתהום, כמו מי ירה אבן פנתה , He cast – threw [down]. And in the

Midrash Agadah [it says], one possuk says, “רמה,” [which implies lifting up], and another possuk says, “ירה,”

[which implies throwing down], teaching us that they were lifted up high and then cast down.”

Additional Miracle We learn from Rashi that aside from the great miracle of the splitting of the sea to allow Klal Yisrael to pass

through, and its returning to its strength to drown the Egyptians, there was another miracle that took place;

notably that before the Egyptians plummeted into the depths of the sea they were first flung up high into the

air. As Hashem does not work miracles without proper cause, and ostensibly the Egyptians could have just

been drowned immediately, one must ask, why was this whole added step necessary?Q1

ואנגף ורפ Additionally, the possuk says, (ישעיה יט, כב) “ ואאת מצרים נגף ורפ 'ונגף ה , and Hashem struck Egypt a blow and a

healing,” which the Zohar Hakadosh (.ח"ב לו) explains as, “ לישראלנגוף למצרים ורפוא , a blow for Egypt and a

healing for Yisrael.” This means that every blow that the Egyptians were afflicted with directly healed Klal

Yisrael of an aspect of their suffering. According to this principle, one must also ask, what was the element of

healing in the fact that the Egyptians were not merely drowned, but rather cast into the water from a great

height?Q2

Yochani and Mamre The Egyptians being raised up to great heights is also discussed in the Midrash (ילקוט שמעוני בשלח רלה), which

recounts that there were two Egyptian soldiers, Yochani and Mamre, who excelled in כישוף, witchcraft, and in

an attempt to save themselves they used their black magic to create wings for themselves, with which they

flew to a very great height, until Hashem sent the Malach Michael who grabbed them by their hair and hurled

them down into the water. As there was no real chance that these two sorcerers would be able to use their

witchcraft to escape the calamity that was befalling the rest of the Egyptians, as no one can escape Hashem’s

judgement and retribution, why did Hashem allow them to fly so high before sending the Malach Michael to

intercept them?Q3

Back Into Subjugation The Sfas Emes (פסח תרל"א ד"ה דבר) writes a fascinating Chidush, which, at first glance, is very difficult to

understand. The possuk says, (שמות יד, ב) “ דבר אל בני ישראל וישבו ויחנו לפני פי החירת בין מגדל ובין הים לפני בעל

Speak to Bnei Yisrael, and let them turn back [in the direction of Egypt] and encamp ,צפן נכחו תחנו על הים

before Pi Hachiros, between Migdol and the sea, before Ba’al Tzefon, across from it you shall encamp next to

the sea.” The Sfas Emes explains that the reason why Klal Yisrael were instructed to return in the direction of

Egypt, even though this would endanger them, was because by putting them back within the grasp of the

Egyptians they would in essence be returning to their previous subjugation, which would enable them to exit

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Egyptian subjugation a second time, this time in their own merit. He explains that this was necessary because

the first time that Klal Yisrael had been emancipated from their subjugation, it had been a Divine gift given to

them due to the promise that Hashem had made to their forefathers.

They were therefore given the significant nisayon of being sent back towards Egypt so that they would be able

to earn the right to be redeemed in the merit of their Emunah if they would have the fortitude to put aside

their fears and follow the Divine commandment to return to Egypt. He adds that at this point, after having

witnessed the supernatural Makkos in Egypt, it would be possible for them to attain the necessary level of

Emunah required to withstand this test, something which would not have been possible initially. He adds that

this is why Klal Yisrael were so afraid, as they feared that they would not succeed in the nisayon, and would

not merit leaving Mitzrayim in their own zechus.

נהמא דכיסופאThe Sfas Emes does not explain why it was necessary for Klal Yisrael to leave Egypt in their own merit, leaving

it up to us to determine why leaving in the merit of Zechus Avos alone would not have been adequate. Many

of the Seforim Hakedoshim ( חיים פר' לך לך, ועוד הרבה מיםמאור עיניים פר' לך לך, ישמח משה פר' תולדות, באר ) discuss how

important it is for a person to earn the rewards that he is given. They explain, based on the Zohar, that the

reason why Hashem sends people into this world even though it is full of nisyonos and impurity, is in order to

enable them to earn the reward that they will ultimately be given in Olam Habah, because if Hashem were to

simply leave our neshamos in Shamayim to bask in His Holy Radiance without first earning that closeness

through hard work in this world, then there would be a level of shame that one would feel, as the reward

would be ‘נהמא דכיסופא,’ literally, bread of embarrassment, as the Yerushalmi (ערלה א, ג) says, “ דאכיל מן חבריה

הבהית מסתכל בי , one who eats from his friend, is uncomfortable to look him in the face.” It is therefore

necessary to earn one’s reward in Olam Habah through toil in this world, so that the ultimate reward will be

justified, as opposed to being a handout.

Very Dangerous Wager In the case of Yetzias Mitzrayim however, it would be very surprising that this would have been the only reason

that Klal Yisrael would have been tested with such a difficult and dangerous nisayon, because their subjugation

in Egypt had not been merely a physical one, as they had also been spiritually subjugated to the tumah of

Mitzrayim to the extent that they had sunken to the forty ninth level of tumah, and as Chazal tell us, if they

would have remained in Egypt for a moment longer, it would no longer have been possible to rescue them, as

they would have succumbed entirely to the forces of impurity. In such dire circumstances, to return them into

such a dangerous situation so soon after they had been rescued, for the sole purpose of giving them the

opportunity to leave again in their own merit, seems comparable to rescuing a person who was drowning in a

raging river only to throw him back in again to give him the opportunity to climb back out with his own

strength! How could the benefits of such a move justify the dangers involved?Q4

One’s Own Avodah The answer to this question lies in a profound and fundamental lesson that is relevant both regarding Avodas

Hashem as well as worldly matters. By sending Klal Yisrael back into the grip of the Mitzriyim, Hashem taught

us a very powerful lesson, that Zechus Avos cannot replace one’s own Avodah. Anything that a person is given

as a gift, whether it is the Midos Tovos that he was born with, or great wealth that he has inherited, will not

remain with that person long term unless they invest their own hard work in order to earn it as well. It may

happen immediately, or it may take time, but if a person does not work to attain something then he will be


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lacking the necessary tools and the strength necessary to handle such a gift appropriately and will therefore

not be able to successfully hold on to it.

For example, if a pauper were to suddenly be crowned as a king, if he did not quickly learn how to behave in

a way appropriate for a king, he would not be able to function as one. If he continued to dig through the

garbage and act in the lowly fashion that he used to before he became king, he would most likely be deposed

without delay for bringing shame to the kingdom and in the event that this did not happen, his lack of training

in how to run a kingdom properly would cause the entire kingdom to collapse as a result Even if his ministers

attempted to train him and assist him in his duties, it would not be possible for them to do all the work that

he would be required to do himself and it would require the pauper to realize the importance of investing all

his energies in a crash-course in ruling a monarchy in order for him to stand a chance of succeeding.

The same holds true for Ruchniyus. If a person who is not shomer Torah and Mitzvos were to suddenly receive

a Divine gift of inspiration and take upon himself to change his entire life in a moment and suddenly live the

life of a frum Jew, it would not take long before he would collapse from the sudden burden and leave it all.

This would not be because he does not recognize the spiritual wealth that he experienced, but rather it is

because he is unprepared for it and has yet to create the emotional and spiritual ‘כלים, vessels,’ needed to

properly contain and hold on to it. This can only be done through hard work, learning and accepting upon

oneself the mitzvos, step by step, in a systematic way, and with the proper guidance, so that he will be able to

actualize his spiritual aspirations.

This is true for everyone, not only for Baalei Teshuvah. According to the efforts that a person invests after his

initial inspiration, he will grow and attain his goals, and if he relies on inspiration alone then he will be left with

nothing in the end.

Who Are You?! The previous Tolner Rebbe, the Rebbe Reb Yochanan was once in the presence of the Beis Yisrael of Gur,

together with another person who was of very impressive Chassidishe Yichus. After that person went into

great length in elaborating on his parentage, first on his father’s side, and then on his mother’s side, the Beis

Yisrael, who was not overly impressed with the person’s pedigree, grabbed him by his coat and said, “ א גרויסע

a big Yichus, but who are YOU?!” The Rebbe was trying to impart on this person who ,יחוס, אבער ווער ביסטו

seemed to be content to rest on his laurels, that without personal investment he would not achieve anything

based on his lineage alone.

Imperative For this reason it was not only worth the risk of sending Klal Yisrael back into the grip of Mitzrayim, but

absolutely imperative that it should happen, because if they would have left Mitzrayim without withstanding

their own nisayon in Emunah, then they would not have made a true ‘קנין, acquisition’ of their freedom. As a

result, even if they would have technically been out of Mitzrayim, they would never have succeeded in

uprooting all of the impurity that they had been contaminated with, and eventually, they would have returned

to the spiritually destitute behavior that they had become accustomed to during their subjugation, making the

entire exodus pointless from a spiritual point of view!A4

Vivid Detail When Klal Yisrael saw the Egyptians fly up into the air only to crash down and plummet into the briny depths

it showed them, in vivid detail, what happens when a person rises up too quickly, without the proper


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foundations to support him. At that point, Klal Yisrael understood just how important it had been that they

took charge of their spiritual growth and made the decision to rely on Hashem even when it was terrifying for

them to do so, as this was what gave permanence to their gain, and it would enable them to stay out of the

spiritual captivity of Egypt in a permanent way.A1

According to this we can also explain that the reason why Hashem allowed the two sorcerers to seemingly

succeed in escaping Hashem’s vengeance on the Mitzriyim was to further emphasize this point. The Egyptians

were known to have been steeped in כישוף, and it was necessary to illustrate for the Yidden the futility and

fallacy of כישוף, which is the epitome of the quick-fix, as a magician simply utters a magic spell invoking the

forces of impurity and garners instant results. As the sorcerers crashed down and drowned together with the

rest of the Egyptians it brought out the point that there are truly no shortcuts, and the only way to achieve

something with lasting results is through hard work.A3

This lesson was the, ‘רפוא, healing,’ that came together with the blow that was dealt to Egypt, as this added

miracle emphasized the need for slow and steady advancement that is earned as opposed to relying on instant,

soaring bursts of inspiration alone.A2

Pesach This is a fundamental theme of this Yom Tov, culminating in Shevi’i Shel Pesach, and in truth, all of the mitzvos

of Pesach are geared to help us incorporate this lesson into our lives. In order to properly fulfill the mitzvah of

Matzah one must go through great efforts and expenses to attain wheat that was guarded from when it was

harvested, that was properly ground into flour, and was then baked with the utmost care and stringencies, in

order to render it worthy of being eaten on Pesach. The same is true for the mitzvos of הגעלת כלים, as well as

the numerous other tasks that go into preparing the house for Pesach.

This continues with the mitzvah of Sefiras Haomer, which the Maharal of Prague (באר הגולה כב) explains is a time

in which one must invest energy and effort in order to acquire the Torah through the forty eight ‘קניני התורה’

that are listed in the last perek of Pirkei Avos.

Shevi’i Shel Pesach It is important to remember, that on Shevi’i Shel Pesach, the catalyst for our becoming permanently freed

from Egyptian bondage was the act of strengthening ourselves in Emunah and Bitachon in Hashem and

committing ourselves to follow His commandments even when it was scary for us. Through strengthening

ourselves in these Midos, and committing ourselves to work hard in order to build ourselves up in our Avodah,

may we merit reaching true Emunah in Hashem and receiving and retaining all of His blessings, amen, KY”R.


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