Summary

Why did the new generation that was born in Egypt have to suffer? Since the purpose of creation is that G'd wants to bestow good upon us, G'd gives us more than one opportunity to reach our potential, if we need it. The Jews who suffered in Egypt had the souls of earlier generations that had sinned at the flood, at the tower of Babel, and in Sodom. G'd brings suffering and difficult situations on individuals and communities in order to bring us to pray. The Jews at the Red Sea were in a very perilous situation, pursued by their enemies, bounded by the sea and surrounded by wild animals. A king that during his travels heard a princess who cried out: "Please save me. I am being robbed." Prayer creates a special closeness and bond between G'd and the Jewish nation, as described in Shir HaShirim. Each prayer connects us to the One and Only that has the ability to solve our problems and save us from our enemies.

Suffering in Egypt

In last week's Torah Attitude we quoted the five reasons why righteous people suffer, enumerated by Rabbeinu Bechayei in Chovos Halevovos. None of these reasons fit in with the suffering our ancestors endured during the exile in Egypt. The Talmud (Sotah 32a) mentions that our Patriarch Abraham was punished with his descendants having to go into exile. And the Zohar Chadash explains that the exile was an outcome of the animosity between Joseph and his brothers. However, that would explain why Joseph and his brothers would suffer. In reality, the Midrash Rabbah (Shemos 7:8) relates that the hardships of the exile only started after the seventy members of Jacob's family, who had come down to Egypt, passed away. We mentioned last week that the Prophet Ezekiel (18:20) states very clearly: "A son shall not carry the sin of the father." So why did the new generation that was born in Egypt have to suffer? They had not sinned and it is unlikely that the whole generation suffered just to gain added reward in the World to Come. This reward G'd reserves only for special individuals who excel in their righteousness.

G'd answers Moses

The question of why good people suffer was already brought up by Moses. In Parashas Ki Sisa (Shemos 33:13) Moses says to G'd: "Please let me know Your way." The Talmud (Berachos 7a) explains that Moses asked G'd why some righteous people have a good life and other righteous people have a difficult life. Similarly, some evildoers have a good life and some have a difficult one. G'd answered, says the Talmud, that the righteous ones who have a good life are children of righteous parents, whereas the righteous people who have a hard life are children of parents who did evil. The evildoers who have a good life are children of righteous parents, and the evildoers who have a hard life have parents who also did evil. The Talmud elaborates on this and explains that there are other factors that play a role. The Zohar (Bereishis 180b) also points out that this is not sufficient to answer the question, for we find righteous people who are children of righteous parents who suffer.

Previous life

The Vilna Gaon explains that when our sages say that the righteousness or the evilness of the previous generation affects the lives of their offspring, it does not refer to the biological parents but the people themselves. Since the purpose of creation is that G'd wants to bestow good upon us, G'd gives us more than one opportunity to reach our potential, if we need it. According to this, says the Vilna Gaon, the deeper meaning of a righteous son of an evildoer means a person who is righteous in his present life but did evil in his previous life. This person suffers now for the evil he did in his previous life. The righteous son of a righteous person means that he was righteous also in his previous life and is given an opportunity to reach even higher. In the same way, the evil person who is a son of an evildoer means that he was evil in his previous life too, and being a son of a righteous person means that he was righteous in his previous life and benefits from it in his present life, although he does evil.

Souls of earlier generations

With this amazing insight, we can understand what was the deeper reason for our ancestors suffering in Egypt. The Arizal explains that the Jews who suffered in Egypt had the souls of earlier generations that had sinned at the flood, at the tower of Babel, and in Sodom. These evildoers and sinners were given another chance to rectify their past. Twenty percent of these souls succeeded. The left Egypt and merited to stand at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. The rest perished during the plague of darkness, as Rashi explains in the beginning of this week's parasha (Shemos 13:18). Only G'd knows if and when they have had, or will have, another opportunity to rectify the evil of their past.

Bring us to pray

We further find that G'd brings suffering and difficult situations on individuals and communities in order to bring us to pray. As the Midrash explains, our Matriarchs had no children until late in life. Part of the Divine plan for this was to encourage them to pour out their hearts in prayer. The Jews in Egypt were brought to pray through the hardship of their labour. As it says (Shemos 2:23), "And the children of Israel groaned because of their work, and they cried out. G'd heard their moaning, and G'd remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob."

Perilous situation

In this week's parasha, when the Jews arrived at the Red Sea and the Egyptians pursued them, it says (Shemos 14:10), "And Pharaoh approached and the Children of Israel raised their eyes and saw how the Egyptians were chasing after them and they were frightened. And the Children of Israel cried out to G'd." The Jews at that point were in a very perilous situation, pursued by their enemies, bounded by the sea and surrounded by wild animals. It was a hopeless situation. However, they poured out their hearts and prayed to G'd.

Princess cries to the king

The Midrash asks why did G'd do this? Why did He again put them in such a difficult situation? Had they not suffered enough in Egypt? The Midrash answers that G'd wanted to bring them to pray. The Midrash compares it to a king that during his travels heard a princess who cried out: "Please save me. I am being robbed." The king promptly saved her. Later, the king wanted to marry this princess, but she did not even want to talk to him. The king hired some robbers to catch her so that she would cry out once more. As the robbers pursued her she started crying out to the king. Said the king, "This is what I was waiting for." So, says the Midrash, the Jews in Egypt cried out to G'd from their hardship. G'd came and saved them. However, after the exodus the Jews stopped praying; therefore, G'd sent the Egyptians after them. In this way, the Jews remembered G'd and prayed to Him.

Special closeness and bond

King Solomon describes these events in Shir HaShirim (2:14): "Oh my dove, trapped in the clefts of the rock, in the concealment of the step. Show Me your countenance; let Me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet and your countenance comely." This teaches us that prayer is not just a way to get out of peril. On the contrary, the peril and suffering comes to bring us to pray. For prayer creates a special closeness and bond between G'd and the Jewish nation, as described in Shir HaShirim. When we are slack in our prayer, G'd may inflict a difficult situation to bring us back to connect with Him through our prayer. If we focus more on our prayers when everything is fine, and we remember on our own that we must ask G'd for all our needs and thank Him for all our blessings, who knows how many difficulties and calamities we could avoid for ourselves, and for the Jewish people in general? The Jews in Egypt were saved when they prayed to get out of Egypt. They were saved again when they were trapped by the sea. And so throughout our history, the Jewish people again and again have been in so many difficult situations. And always we have rebounded and turned to G'd who answered our prayers.

Master of peace

We experience plenty of suffering, both as a nation and as individuals. G'd wants to hear our voice and that we re-establish a close relationship with Him. At the Song by the Sea, the Jews referred to G'd as the "Master of War". In our prayers we refer to Him as the "Master of Peace". We all know the famous prayer "oseh shalom bimromav" that we say at the end of the Amidah Prayer: "He who makes peace in the heights, He will make peace for us and all of Israel." No war can be won without the Master of War. No peace can be achieved without the Master of Peace.

Strong bond with G'd

We have to realize that only through re-establishing a strong bond with G'd through prayer and adhering to His commandments can we succeed. We never know how many prayers are needed, but no prayer is in vain. For each prayer connects us to the One and Only that has the ability to solve our problems and save us from our enemies. The real danger is when we move away from G'd and forget about His commandments. We must continuously pour out our hearts to our merciful Father in Heaven. Then, no doubt, He will hear our voices. In His great mercy, He will put a stop to all suffering. And in due time, He will save and redeem us and bring peace to the Jewish people and the whole world. Amen.

These words were based on a talk given by Rabbi Avraham Kahn, the Rosh Yeshiva and Founder of Yeshivas Keser Torah in Toronto.

These words were based on a talk given by Rabbi Avraham Kahn, the Rosh Yeshiva and Founder of Yeshivas Keser Torah in Toronto.

Shalom. Michael Deverett