There is a mitzva to tell over the story of the Exodus from Egypt.  The Haggada tells us that the more one involves himself in this telling the more praiseworthy he is.  Why is this?  If it is enough to tell over the story why is one who expands praised, and if one needs to do more why is telling it over enough?  Our leaving Egypt was the beginning of our nation.  We were taken out with massive miracles, and a public display of HaShem’s rulership of the world.  Everyone of us has an aspect of the impurity of Egypt.  We all have areas of our lives that need improvement.  Everybody has something that seems insurmountable.  If we can understand that HaShem can save us in an instant and relieve our misery that is wonderful and a mitzva has been fulfilled.  If we can truly make this belief a part of ourselves that is praiseworthy and will make us into better people, and people who will always be happily awaiting deliverance from HaShem.

When Bilaam the wicked sorcerer tried to curse the Jews, HaShem did not allow him to and rather Bilaam ended up blessing the Jews.  In the prophetic blessing Bilaam mentioned the “G-d who takes you out of Egypt” why would he have said this he should have said rather, “took you out of Egypt“.  The times of the Jewish year when holidays happen are not to commemorate events that happened, it is that this time is the best time for this event to happen.  That means that each year on Pesach is the time for us to be redeemed from Egypt.  Since we are not enslaved in Egypt currently it means to free us from the spiritual impurity that has captured us, which is what happened in Egypt. Let us take advantage of the time of Pesach this year, and use it to become freed from the negative influences that have surrounded us and let us pray that this year will be the year of the redemption.

This week is Shabbas HaGadol.  This commemorates the last Shabbas the Jews spent in Egypt around 3500 years ago.  They were commanded to take a sheep, which was the God of the Egyptians, and tie it to their beds to prepare to sacrifice and eat it.  They obeyed the command of HaShem and tied up the sheep.  They were of course very frightened and uncomfortable to do this.  They were slaves of these people and were afraid of vengeance on the part of the Egyptians.  Regardless of their personal feelings on the matter HaShem commanded and they obeyed unquestioningly, and it was because of their compliance that they lived through the final plague.  Let us strive this Shabbas HaGadol to perform the will of HaShem regardless of our fear of what may occur, what people may say or think about us.  Let us try to live our life in the way that HaShem has commanded us through His Torah, and try to be the best Jew that we can possibly be.

The posuk in the Megilla says “The Jews had light, joy & gladness, and treasure” The Gemara tells us that light really means Torah, joy and gladness means bris, and treasure is tefillin.  The obvious question is asked, if that is what it means why doesnt it just say that?  The answer given by the Sfas Emes is that this is the redemption to the Jews, they realized the wonderful mitzvos that they had and reaccepted them.  Previously it had been a faith based acceptance of the Torah and now they felt the Torah within themselves.  This is a much higher level that can be reached only through the first.  Let us try to reach levels upon levels in ourselves, climbing one level at a time.

The posuk in tehillim says: “He gives snow like wool, scatters frost like ashes”.  The simple interpretation of the posuk is that when snow falls it can look like wool on the ground.  Frost too, can look like ash.  However we can learn something deeper, as to how HaShem operates.  Wool is what keeps people warm, ashes come from burning wood.  HaShem only sends the snow when there is enough wool to keep us all warm from the snow, He only sends the frost when there is enough wood to burn to ease the biting cold.  Let us have faith that HaShem will not send us anything that we cannot handle and realize that all the trials and tribulations we face in our lives He sends us to help us grow.

Every korban (sacrifice) that was offered on the mizbayach (alter) was brought with salt.  From this command we can learn an important lesson in how we must behave in our service of HaShem.  Salt has a unique property that it draws out the flavor of the food it is used with.  When used in the correct amounts, it does not have a taste of its own rather simply enhances.  We too, every one of us has our own unique and special talents and gifts that were given to us by HaShem.  We must try to make the most of what we have and “draw out” our own talents and use them in the service of G-d.  We should not try to find someone else’s specialty for ourselves rather use what we have.

In this week’s parsha we learn about the korbanos.  By the mincha (flour) offering the posuk uses the expression “a soul that brings an offering”.  This is the least expensive of all the possible offerings.  We learn that because it is brought by a pauper it is dear to HaShem for it is difficult for him to afford even this and he brings it nonetheless.  From this we can learn a very important lesson to be applied to all aspects of our life.  The more difficult a mitzva is to perform (or an aveira to refrain from performing) the dearer it is to HaShem.  There is a mishna which states, for the effort is the reward.  Let us not be discouraged when things are difficult and rather feel honored that HaShem has given us the opportunity to work for Him and fulfill His commands, and know that when we successfully accomplish that which He wants us to, He will reward us greater than we can possibly imagine.

The posuk says HaShem refering to the Bnai Yisroel “you shall be for MeMy nation, for the entire earth belongs to Me” Why does HaShem need to add in the part that the entire world is His?  Certainly during the millennia when only the Jewish Nation recognizes and accepts HaShem as King, we are His special nation.  Even after when the entire world sees that HaShem truly is G-d and all worship only Him, we will remain His nation.  It is a position for all eternity we are truly blessed to be His.

The king of Aram, Naman, was afflicted with the spiritual skin disease tzoras.  He asked the prophet Elisha to heal him.  Elisha told him to bathe in the Jordan River and he would be healed.  Naman did not believe that G-d runs the world, he felt that although G-d created the world He left it to run on its own since.  Elisha wanted to show Naman that was not the case, but rather HaShem created and controls what we call nature.  Although the rivers in Aram were “better” for healing, only the Jordan would effect the cure. This is because HaShem decided that was what Naman needed to be healed.  Let us try to keep our eyes open and see HaShem’s hand in His creations.

The mishkan came as an atonement for the sin of the golden calf, let us see why they were perfectly matched.  The sin of the calf was that the Jews wanted a physical outlet for their devotion to HaShem.  They felt that they had lost Moshe as their intermediary and needed a replacement.  Their motives were pure, but the Torah unequivocally prohibits any idol.  The mishkan was a test for the Jews.  There were items there that were plated with gold, certainly they would be more respectable items if they were solid gold.  Would they “upgrade” on their own or would they stick to what the Torah commanded?  They passed the test and made the mishkan with its vessels and utensils exactly as HaShem commanded.  We too are faced with similar challenges at times.  We may feel that we have a way of serving G-d that is better, we must try to win these tests and only serve HaShem exactly as He commanded us to do so in His Torah.