Summary

"Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." Amrom's conduct prevented both males and females from being born. Rabbi Eliezer Schach was number eight in his family. King Chezkiah had a prophetic vision that he was going to have a son who would become a wicked sinner. "The One Who provides life provides sustenance." Everything fits into G'd's masterplan but is totally beyond our comprehension. When we take matters into our own hands and refrain from having children, all we accomplish is to interfere with G'd's masterplan. When we celebrate Pesach it is an opportunity to utilize this time to free ourselves from our dependence on the nations of the world and their cultures, and live up to our mission as G'd's chosen people. Our ancestors were freed in the merit of their observance and diligence not to transgress the three sins that pushes away G'd's Divine Spirit.

Be fruitful

In the beginning of the first of this week's two parshios, the Torah teaches the laws of purity and impurity after childbirth. Having children is not just an opportunity, it is the very purpose of creation. Right at the beginning, G'd blessed Adam and Eve and commanded them (Bereishis 1:28): "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." And the Prophet Isaiah (45:18) states: "For so says G'd, Creator of Heaven ... the earth ... He did not create it to be desolate, He formed it to be populated."

Amrom separated from Yocheved

Just last week we celebrated Pesach, commemorating the bondage in Egypt and our exodus from there. In the beginning of Parashas Shemos (1:8-16) the Torah describes how a new Pharaoh rose and tried to break the Jewish people with his decrees. He instructed the Jewish midwives to abort all Jewish males as part of his diabolic plans. Rashi quotes the Talmud (Sotah 12a) that relates that as a result of Pharaoh's decree, Amrom, the leader of the Jewish people, separated from his wife, Yocheved, and everyone followed his example. However, his daughter Miriam challenged her father and said to him that his conduct did more harm to the Jewish people than Pharaoh's decree. For Pharaoh had only decreed to kill the male newborns, whereas Amrom's conduct prevented both males and females from being born. Amrom accepted Miriam's chastisement and started living with Yocheved again. Shortly after that Yocheved gave birth to a baby boy who became known as Moses, and was chosen by G'd to lead the Jewish people out of Egypt.

Eight children

This teaches us how we must follow G'd's commandments even in difficult times, and not try to take things into our own hands. For what seems to be a way to avoid tragedy and problems can be the very cause of more difficulties. The venerated Ponevez Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Eliezer Schach, was the undisputed Torah leader of his generation. Once a woman came to him and asked how many children one should have. He answered with a smile and told her that he himself was number eight in his family.

King Chezkiah

The Talmud (Berachos 10a) relates that King Chezkiah had a prophetic vision that he was going to have a son who would become a wicked sinner. He decided to take the matter into his own hands and did not get married. G'd punished him and made him very sick. As he was lying on his death bed, G'd gave him a last chance to rectify his wrongdoing and instructed the Prophet Isaiah to visit him. When King Chezkiah defended himself and said that he did not want to bring a sinner into the world, the prophet said to him, "Why do you mix into the hidden ways of G'd? You do as you are commanded, and G'd will do what He pleases." King Chezkiah accepted the chastisement and asked Isaiah for the hand of his daughter. They married and had a son, Menashe, who followed his father on the throne. Initially, he was an idol worshipper and did a lot of evil, but eventually he repented and turned into a righteous king.

G'd provides sustenance

Nowadays many couples are worried about the financial challenges of having a large family. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, used to say that every child that is born has his personal account designated in Heaven. There is a similar old saying that "The One Who provides life provides sustenance." Just as G'd has created a world with plenty of oxygen, He has sufficient food in His world to sustain every living being. However, just as some people are well and some are sick, in the same way some are rich and others are poor.

G'd's masterplan

Everything fits into G'd's masterplan but is totally beyond our comprehension. Rabbi Avraham Pam, the Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivta Torah Vodaath in New York, used to say that in his youth he had a lot of ideas and recommendations how G'd should run the world, but when he became older he realized that it would have been a catastrophe had G'd listened to his "advice". When Amrom tried to "help G'd" by separating from his wife, all he accomplished was to delay the birth of the one G'd had designated to lead the Jewish people out of Egypt. In the same way, when we take matters into our own hands and refrain from having children, all we accomplish is to interfere with G'd's masterplan.

G'd's Divine Spirit

G'd lets His Divine Spirit dwell with us to protect us even in our state of impurity (see Vayikra 16:16). However, the Zohar (Shemos 3a-b) enumerates three sins that push the Divine Spirit away from this world: (1) Someone who does not observe the laws of family purity; (2) someone who intermarries; and (3) someone who causes an abortion. These people do not just cause harm to themselves but to everyone around them as well. The question is often asked, where was G'd during the Holocaust? Who knows if we did not push G'd's Divine Spirit away ourselves? And if that is the case, how is our situation today? However, we may never give up or despair. G'd is our merciful Father Who is waiting for us and is always ready to accept our repentance. Obviously, this is not a black or white situation, and everyone can make a difference.

Freedom from dependence

At the time of the exodus from Egypt, G'd freed us from our bondage to our Egyptian masters. Every year when we celebrate Pesach we refer to it as the time of our freedom. This refers to both the freedom from our Egyptian masters and the Egyptian culture. This freedom was a preparation for Shavuous when we received and accepted the Torah. When we celebrate Pesach and count the Omer it is not just to commemorate what happened at the time of the exodus and the following seven weeks. Rather, it is giving us an opportunity to utilize this time to free ourselves from our dependence on the nations of the world and their cultures, and live up to our mission as G'd's chosen people.

Not transgress three sins

The Zohar concludes that our ancestors were freed in the merit of their observance and diligence not to transgress the three sins that pushes away G'd's Divine Spirit. This time of year therefore is the appropriate time for all of us to strengthen ourselves, our children and everyone in our society in these matters, so that we also shall see the end of our exile with the coming of Moshiach. 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