16 Jan PARSHAS 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, 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 [verse] 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 [verses] 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 [Exile].”
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
Moshiach. 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 [atonement] 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 blessing to spread Torah and to
increase the honor of Heaven.