28 Dec PARSHAS VAERA

The power of tefillah

Many people wonder why their tefillos should be answered. They know their sins and faults, and it’s hard for them to imagine that Hashem is interested in their tefillah. The following Midrash will encourage them. It is written, (8:16) “Hashem said to Moshe, rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh (to warn him Makkat Arov was coming) …”. Why did Moshe have to go to Pharaoh early in the morning? The Midrash (Shmos Rabba 11:1) explains that Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to Moshe, “Go to Pharaoh before he goes out to pray,” because after Pharaoh prays for a salvation, the plague won’t come. This Midrash shows us that everyone can access power of tefillah. Pharaoh enslaved hundreds of thousands of Yidden; he used to kill Jewish children daily to bathe in their blood; he was a terrible, wicked rasha. Nevertheless, Hashem would have listened to his prayer and withheld the makos, if Moshe hadn’t prevented him from praying. If that’s the case, we can be certain that our tefillos will be accepted by Hashem. As lowly as a person considers himself, he isn’t lowlier than Pharaoh! The Sefer HaIkrim (4:16) teaches the uniqueness of everyone’s tefillah from King Menasheh. Menasheh was a sinner, but when he prayed to Hashem, Hashem accepted his tefillah. The Navi (II Malachim 21) states, “Menasheh did the bad in Hashem’s eyes; the abominations of the nations… He set up altars for the Baal, made an Asheirah…bowed down to all stars in the heaven, and he served them. He made altars for the stars, offered up his son into fire, performed witchcraft… and did many bad things in Hashem’s eyes to anger Him. He placed an idol for the Asheirah in the [Beis HaMikdash]… He also murdered many innocent people…” The Gemara (Sanhedrin 103:) adds some other terrible sins to this long list. Nevertheless, when he was captured by Ashur, and placed in a copper pot over a fire to die an agonizing death (see Sanhedrin 103:), he prayed to Hashem and Hashem saved him. As it states (II Divrei HaYamim 32:12-13) “When he was in trouble, he prayed to Hashem, his G-d, and he humbled himself very much before the G-d of his fathers, and he prayed to Him, and Hashem answered him. Hashem heard his prayers, and returned him to Yerushalayim, to his kingdom.” The Sefer HaIkrim says that we should learn from this that if Menasheh’s tefillos were answered, then anyone can pray and their tefillos will also be answered. Reb Yeshayah Barkdaki zt’l was on a ship, headed to Eretz Yisrael. The ship wrecked not very far from Yafo. He held on to his son and daughter, and started swimming with them ashore. But he felt he didn’t have enough strength, and if he continues to swim with both children, they would all three drown. What should he do? Which child should he save and which one should he leave behind? After a quick review of the halachos, he said to his daughter, with a very broken heart, that he didn’t have strength to take both of them ashore, and according to halachah, the son’s life comes before hers. When she heard this, she started to cry, “Father! Don’t let me drown in the sea! Have mercy on me!” Her heartbreaking calls ripped his heart. Reb Yeshayah Bardaki prayed and felt miraculously rejuvenated. With renewed strength, he swam with both of his children to Eretz Yisrael. Years later, before Reb Yeshayah’s petirah, he reminded his daughter about that time. He said, “Do you remember when your life was in danger, and you called out to me and my compassion was aroused? My daughter, whenever you’re in a difficult situation, call out to Hashem. Say, ‘Father! Save me!’ and you will be answered. I am a human being, my compassion and my strength is limited, but I couldn’t refuse your cries. Certainly then, when you call out to our Father in heaven, whose compassion and whose abilities are limitless, you will be saved…”

Torah

One method to attain tranquility is to study Torah, because Torah brings joy and happiness to its students. Moshe told Bnei Yisrael that Hashem said He will redeem them from Mitzrayim ‘but they didn’t listen to Moshe because of their short breath and because of the hard work.’” (6:6-9). This means that they were so oppressed, they didn’t have the peace of mind to even listen to the good news of the imminent redemption. The Or HaChaim HaKadosh zt’l writes, “Perhaps this was because they weren’t bnei torah, (they didn’t study Torah) and therefore they weren’t able to [have peace of mind and] listen. They were therefore called short tempered, for the Torah broadens a man’s heart.” The Divrei Shmuel (of Slonim) zy’a said, “When I’m concerned about something, I study for an hour, and the worry goes away. If I have greater concerns, I study for two hours, and then I am not worried anymore. And if I am going through extremely difficult times, I study for three hours straight, and then nothing can disturb me. This is the meaning of the Mishnah “v’meishiv libo b’talmudo” (Avos 6:6). One attains tranquility through learning Torah.” A former student of the Tchebiner Yeshiva sent his son to learn in Tchebin. He wanted his son to start off the zman well, so he asked his former rebbe, Reb Avraham Genichovsky zt’l, to speak with his son, to encourage him to study Torah diligently. Reb Avraham told the bachur the following mashal: There was a king taking a stroll in the forest near his palace, together with his aide and three ministers. The king became very thirsty, and the aide immediately went to fetch water. The aide returned to the palace, filled a large, crystal cup with water, placed it on a diamond-studded tray, and headed back to the forest. As he was rushing through the forest, he tripped, the water spilled, and the tray fell into a pit. The aide quickly went back to bring another cup of water. After the king quenched his thirst, and thanked his aide for his diligence, he sought the counsel of his ministers. What can be done to retrieve the precious tray from the pit? The pit was narrow, so climbing inside wasn’t an option. The first minister said, “We can widen the pit and then climb inside and take the tray out.” The second adviser didn’t agree. He said, “We may break the tray while digging. It’s also possible that the tray will fall deeper into the pit. I suggest we dig another pit, next to it. Then we can burrow through, and get to the tray…” The third advisor said, “That’s a costly venture, not to mention time-consuming. I recommend pouring water into the pit. The tray will float, and we can then take it out easily.” Reb Avraham Genichovsky explained to the bachur that everyone suffers from something in this world. It’s impossible to pass through this world without problems. There are methods that help overcome the stresses of life, and to attain peace of mind. But often, these techniques can cause more problems than good. And even when the attempts do work, the effort is tremendous. But there is one foolproof way to acquire tranquility in this world. That is to learn Torah. Torah is compared to water. When one is immersed in Torah, nothing will disturb him. One can pass through all tests, unscathed, as he will be immersed in the joyous study of Torah. The Gemara teaches, “Whoever speaks and interrupts his learning, [his punishment will be that he] is fed hot coals.” The Maharil Diskin zt’l explained: When one eats hot coals, in addition to the pain, it also ruins his taste buds. Even if he eats good foods afterwards, it will taste foul. So too, when one interrupts his studies and speaks idly, this causes him not to feel the good taste and joy of Torah. The Beis Yisrael zt’l taught that “sometimes a person thinks he uprooted a certain temptation, but he really just covered it up. Years later, perhaps even in his older years, this temptation may come back again. I say that the way to totally uproot bad temptations is by learning Torah without interruption.” The Chazon Ish (Igros 1:3) teaches, “The main study of Torah is when it’s constant, without stopping. Learning without stopping brings holiness. It’s recommended that you find tricks and techniques which will help you acquire hasmadah. And, one should always pray for hasmadah. “ The Ponevezher Rav zt’l, HaRav Kahaneman, learned in the Kollel Kodshim that the Chofetz Chaim founded. His chavrusah was Reb Elchanan Wasserman zt’l, hy’d. They would study from eight in the morning until two in the afternoon; six hours every day. (They took no breaks in between.) One day while they were learning, the Ponevezher Rav received a telegram that said his wife was in labor (maksheh leiled). He showed the telegram to the Chofetz Chaim, who told him to stay in the beis medrash and continue studying Torah. Soon, he received another telegram that said his wife had a boy. He put on his detchekel (cap) said the brachah ‘HaTov VeHameitiv,’ and continued learning until two o’clock (like every day). At two o’clock, he showed the Chofetz Chaim the second telegram, while stating his plans to attend the bris. “Are you the mohel?” the Chofetz Chaim asked, and the Ponevezher Rav remained in yeshiva. The Ponevezher Rav told this story to the Beis Yisrael of Gur zy’a, who was very impressed. “This story is fitting for chassidim,” he said. This story serves as a demonstration of the hasmadah of not too many years ago, and we should try to recapture it, to the best of our abilities. Torah should become the primary focus of our life. By doing so, our life will be uplifted and joyous.