20 Jan BO: PLEASE TAKE THE GOLD AND SILVER!

In this week’s parsha,
Moshe Rabbeinu is
told by G-d, “Please
speak into the ears of
the people and a man
shall ask from his
neighbor and a women
shall ask from her
neighbor utensils of silver and gold” [Shemos
11:2]. Rash”i (based on the Talmud in Brochos
9a) quotes a very famous Chaza”l that G-d
asked Moshe using the word “nah” — I request
of you — “PLEASE ask the people to request
these silver and golden vessels”.
The Beis Yisroel, authored by the Gerrer
Rebbe, raises an interesting question. We
understand why it is necessary to use the word
“Please” if we are asking someone to perform
a difficult task. But when has it ever been
necessary to ask someone to “Please go take
money”? People line up to take money! They
do not need to be convinced to ask for it. Why
over here did G-d need to stress “Please take
the gold and silver”?
The answer is that Klal Yisroel [The Jews]
knew that there is something very difficult
about taking money. This was the first
encounter that the newly freed slaves had with
the age-old problem of money. They
instinctively knew that the challenge which
wealth poses is a tremendous temptation. The

Gerrer Rebbe explains that G-d had to say,
“PLEASE take the money” because the Jews
knew that this gift was fraught with danger.
The Gerrer Rebbe also explains that this is also

why G-d specifically used the word “v’Yish-
alu” (they should borrow). G-d felt that if the

Jews viewed material possessions in this world
as some type of a borrowed item, they would
be much better off.
A person can rent a car. It may have all the
luxuries — bucket seats; AM/FM radio, etc.,
all of the options. But a person’s excitement
about such a car will be muted by the fact that
the car is rented. In a day or two the car will be
returned. That, the pasuk tells us, is how a
person should approach materialism — as
something that has been “borrowed”, as
something that a person should not get too
“carried away” about.
Rav Elye Sveye, shlit”a, once commented on
the pasukim in Ha’Azinu which describe the
history of the Jewish people [Devorim Chapter
32]. Rash”i describes the times in history when
we were subject to this tremendous affluence.
But then the pasuk says, “Israel waxed fat and
rebelled….” [32:15]. The Seforno interprets
“You, my dear Nation, you who understand the
Torah, you have turned towards physical
pleasures — towards materialism and
affluence. This has caused you to turn away.
The pasuk then continues, “And G-d will see

and be provoked…” [32:19]. What will be
their end? The pasukim [32:20-26] describe
the punishment that would befall them. The
Seforno summarizes the pasukim as follows:
“What was the antidote for a people that did
not know how to cope with affluence? The
antidote was Galus.”
Rav Elye explained that we have had many
long and bitter Exiles. However, there was a
common thread throughout the Exile. That
common thread was poverty. There have been
pockets of affluence and there have been
individual Jews that have had wealth. But the
over-riding common denominator of all Exiles
was poverty, trying to eke out a living. You can
look at pictures of pre-world war Europe and
see how the Jews lived. You can go to museums
and see the poverty that the Jews had to endure.
It is not coincidental. This is the answer of
Exile. This is how G-d wanted to correct us,
because we didn’t know how to cope with
wealth.
Rav Elye posed a powerful question: Here we
are in America, which Reb Chaim Volozhin
predicted would be the last stop before the
coming of the Messiah. This is the last Exile,
but we find something that is totally out of
character with our other Exile experiences —
we are wealthy in America. Some may be a
little more rich and some a little less rich, but
any poverty that exists is relative poverty. Do

we hear of people giving
shoes to their children for
Pesach, as if receiving
shoes were a big deal?
Why is the Exile of America different? Is it not
essential for Galus to include poverty?
Rav Elye suggested as follows: It must be that
the last destruction — the Holocaust in Europe
— must have been the final atonement for the
sin of ‘And Israel waxed fat’. We have served
our time. We have paid our dues. We have
finally received kapparah for the sin of spiritual
rebellion resulting from wealth. And now once
again we can have affluence and luxury and
material wealth. This is our second chance.
The Exile of America is our opportunity to
experience wealth again and see if we will not
stumble to its temptation. It is as if G-d told us,
“Fine, you blew it once, but I will give you
another chance.” This is the challenge of the
American Exile. To have “houses filled with all
good things”, to have “and Israel waxed fat”,
to have bountiful income and beautiful homes
and beautiful cars — but not to rebel. To deal
with it the right way!
We have paid a terrible price. Now is the time
to look back and say, “We won’t do it again!”
We will accept “VaYishman Yeshurun”, but we
will not rebel or stumble from that wealth,
rather we will use those blessings to spread
Torah and to increase the honor of Heaven.