Parasha Thoughts
By Rabbi David Shasho
×•Ö·×™Ö·Ö¼Ö¨×¨Ö°× ×™Ö´×©Ö°×‚×¨Ö¸×ֵ֜ל ×ֶת־הַיָּ֣ד הַגְּדֹלָ֗ה ×ֲשֶ×֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה ×™×™ ×‘Ö°Ö¼×žÖ´×¦Ö°×¨Ö·Ö”×™Ö´× ×•Ö·×™Ö´Ö¼Ö½×™×¨Ö°×֥וּ ×”Ö¸×¢Ö¸Ö–× ×ֶת־יי וַיַּֽ×Ö²×žÖ´Ö™×™× ×•Ö¼Ö™ ביי וּבְמֹשֶ×Ö–×” עַבְדּֽוֹ׃ (פ
“And when Israel saw the wondrous power which G-d had wielded against the Egyptians, the people feared G-d; they had faith in G-d and His servant Moses.â€
The Mechilta writes that only after all the Egyptians drowned in the sea did the Jews fear and believe in G-d. Until now they were not sure and it could have been the hand of Moshe doing magic or having special powers. When they saw each Egyptian being punished exactly according to what they deserved, the Jews knew it was the hand of G-d and Moshe was his servant.
We have many opportunities in our lives to see the hand of Hashem. The Jewish people who came out of Egypt got to see it clearly with open miracles. We have to look a little closer and we can see the hand of Hashem in everything around us. When blessed with so much good in our lives we have to realize where it all comes from. Whether it’s health, wealth, or something simple like being able to bite into a delicious apple with your teeth.
Rabbi Avigdor Miller writes that man gains immensely from every grain of awareness of the kindliness of Hashem. Therefore, while a man is still in this world and as long as he’s still breathing, he must utilize every opportunity available to achieve more of this awareness. It’s not an accident that this world is so full of complicated creations, with endless variety of things to see. It’s all Hashem calling out to you and prodding you along towards this perfection of awareness of His overwhelming kindness. Every fruit, drink, and piece of bread that you put in your mouth, is reminding you about Hashem’s kindness. And it’s all for the purpose of bestiring within you the genuine and heartfelt feelings of gratitude towards Him. Because that’s your career in this world – to be thanking Hashem always.
Let us look at all the blessings we have in our lives, big or small. Realize it all comes from Hashem and thank him. Through that we can strengthen our belief and relationship with Hashem. Shabbat Shalom.