20 Jan BO: EMBRACE THE CHALLENGES!

Before Beneh Yisrael left
Egypt, Hashem spoke to
Moshe and gave him a
series of instructions that
Beneh Yisrael were to
follow in preparation for the
great moment of Yetziat
Mitzrayim. They were all to prepare an
animal as a sacrifice, and then slaughter it,
place blood on the doorposts, and eat the
meat in their homes as Hashem passed
through Egypt killing the Egyptian
firstborns. Hashem would see the blood
on the doorposts and pass by their homes,
so that the plague would befall only the
Egyptians.
There is a slight but important difference
between the way Hashem presented this
command to Moshe, and the way Moshe
presented this command to the people.
When Hashem spoke to Moshe, He said
that the people should prepare a sacrifice
– “from either sheep or goats.” The people
were given the choice of whether to
sacrifice a sheep or a goat. Moshe,
however, told the people, “To take a
sheep.” He did not give them the option.
Why?
The Egyptians practiced an ancient form
of paganism whereby sheep were
considered sacred. Taking sheep,
earmarking them as a sacrifice, and then
slaughtering them in full view of the
Egyptians was a very bold and daring step
for Beneh Yisrael. They were lowly
slaves, oppressed by the Egyptians.
Sacrificing a sheep would mean doing
something that would anger their masters.
And this is PRECISELY why Moshe told
the people to sacrifice a sheep.
G-d gave the people two options – an
easier option and a more difficult option
– and Moshe wanted the people to choose
the more difficult option. He wanted them
to have this opportunity to step up and do
something difficult – because THIS IS
HOW THEY WOULD GROW.
Beneh Yisrael were being taken out of
Egypt in order to become a great nation.
AND THE WAY WE BECOME GREAT
IS BY EMBRACING CHALLENGES,
NOT BY RUNNING AWAY FROM
THEM. Moshe told the people to take the
more difficult route – because this is the

route to greatness.
All the great figures in Tanach became
great after confronting very challenging
situations:
• Avraham was thrown into a furnace.
• Yitzhak was nearly slaughtered as a
sacrifice.
• Yaakov needed to disguise as his brother
and then live far away from home for 20
years.
• Yosef was sold as a slave as a teenager
and then thrown into jail for a crime he did
not commit.
• Moshe Rabbenu put his life on the line to
rescue a fellow Jew in distress and then
had to flee to distant country to escape
from Pharaoh.
• Dovid had to fight Golyat, a powerful,
armed warrior, with just a slingshot.
There are many other examples, as well.
This is not coincidental. People become
great when they face challenges and work
hard to overcome them.
It occasionally happens that some area of

life suddenly becomes very challenging. It
could be a problem in marriage. It could
be a problem at work. It could be a child
who suddenly has an issue that requires a
great deal of time and causes a great deal
of stress. It could be a medical condition
that demands attention.
When such challenges arise, we should
embrace them. We should not be upset by
them. Challenges are opportunities to
grow, to find strength and capabilities that
we would otherwise never realize we had.
So, the next time we face a challenging
situation, instead of feeling anxious and
frustrated, let’s rejoice, and enthusiastically
embrace the precious opportunity we have
been given to rise to the next level, and
become the truly great people that we are
capable of being.