The פרשה begins with the unfolding of the bitter enslavement of כלל ישראל in מצרים and the appointment of משה רבינו as Hashem’s שליח, to lead כלל ישראל out of the מצרים. Many מפרשים grapple with a fundamental question, why is it that כלל ישראל had to go through this terrible suffering? We could have been led out of מצרים immediately following the passing of the שבטים, and given the תורה without the entire enslavement period?
The רמח”ל in ספר דעת תבונות, elaborates on the purpose of creation. Each person has a נשמה that was taken from the loftiest places in שמים. And yet, Hashem takes the נשמה and places it in a human body in this world. As the רמח”ל explains, without the struggles of this world, the נשמה cannot feel content. It’s through the struggles it endures in עולם הזה, and hopefully successfully overcomes, that it can feel truly at peace.
This idea sheds a new light on the outlook we’re meant to have. Life is not about enjoyment and relaxation, but rather about struggle and hard work. The challenges we face are for the purpose of making us become better and stronger people.
This can be compared to a gym workout. If the exercise does not cause pain and stress, it won’t lead to any muscle growth. It’s only when there is struggle and resistance that the muscles will grow stronger. Similarly, when exercising our endurance muscles and overcoming the various challenges we face in life, we become better versions of ourselves, having acquired newfound strengths that were until now laying dormant.
This concept is applicable to all the challenges of life, נסיונות of רוחניות, as well as challenges pertaining to success in wordly matters: with no pain, comes no gain. Only through toil and hard work can we exercise our true abilities.
We can now understand the purpose of שעבוד מצרים. Before emerging as Hashem’s Nation, He wanted us to be strengthened and fortified, such that we could fullfill our historic mission of being an עם סגולה, a unique people, different and more elevated than all the other nations. That “thick skin” was acquired through the backbreaking enslavement of מצרים, during which we remained strong and connected to the רבש”ע, never wavering in our faith that one day we would be redeemed. And it’s that same strength of spirit that has carried, and continues to carry, כלל ישראל through the long and bitter גלות.
We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. Rabbi Yehuda Simes was a popular and beloved Rebbe in Ottawa, Canada, where he lived with his family. In June 2010, Rabbi Simes was involved in a tragic car accident, which left him paralyzed from the neck down. His wife later related an episode from that period.
” I was invited to attend a Shiur on the topic of “growing through challenges.” Having been transformed, literally overnight, into a full time caregiver for my husband, I was skeptical about acquiring any real חיזוק in my difficult predicament. Nontheless I chose to attend the lecture. The speaker quoted a חז”ל: Before descending into this world, each נשמה is shown the trajectory of how his life in this world will evolve. And each נשמה subsequently says “הנני”, I’m willing to sign up for this, and will go down to earth.” ” I left the lecture thinking, I did NOT sign up for this! Being the primary caregiver for my husband and sole breadwinner for our large family is simply too much.
“Time went on. My husband continued being a beacon of חיזוק to the entire community in spite of his handicap. And I gradually adapted to my new role in life.” Rabbi Simes lived for another six years, with his family and community embracing him with endless love and support.
Following his passing, his wife wrote about his story, in her book “Rolling Rabbi.” Concludes Mrs. Simes: “After reflecting on this entire period, today I can say with utmost conviction: I DID sign up for this!
Indeed, what won’t break you, will make you.
Weekly Parsha Shiur 