Don’t Mind Your Own Business

Shemos FRIDAY, JANUARY 1 20 TEVET, 5776 ב"ה וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם לָמָּה משֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן תַּפְרִיעוּ אֶת הָעָם מִמַּעֲשָׂיו לְכוּ לְסִבְלֹתֵיכֶם (שמות ה, ד) And the king of Egypt said to them, "Why, Moshe and Aharon, do you disturb the people from their work? Go to your own labors." (Shemos 5:4)   Don't Mind Your Own Business When Moshe and Aharon asked Pharaoh to allow Bnei Yisrael to leave Egypt and worship G-d in the wilderness, Pharaoh dismissed them saying, "Why do you disturb the people from their work? Go back to your own labor!" The commentaries note that Pharaoh told Moshe and Aharon to return to their own labor, indicating that their work was unlike the rest of the nation's (Rashi). As the Ramban explains, Pharaoh recognized the need for a nation to have spiritual leaders. He therefore exempted the tribe of Levi from slave labor, and allowed them to be the scholars and teachers of Bnei Yisrael. Accordingly, Pharaoh told Moshe and Aharon to be thankful that they themselves were free to study and teach Torah, and not to interfere with the rest of the nation's enslavement. Moreover, said Pharaoh, practically speaking—as well as by Divine decree that they be slaves for four hundred years—Bnei Yisrael are incapable of escaping Egyptian servitude at this time. "Don't waste your time trying to change the reality," he argued. Moshe and Aharon, however, ignored Pharaoh's warnings. They were not content with being free to study on their own, or even to occasionally teach Bnei Yisrael. Instead, despite the odds against them, they campaigned for the entire nation to be set free, ultimately saving them in the nick of time. For as the Arizal taught, if Bnei Yisrael had remained in Egypt for even one moment longer, they could never have been redeemed from the spiritual abyss to which they would have plunged. From Moshe and Aharon's debate with Pharaoh, we learn that to concern yourself exclusively with your own Torah study and observance is an attitude that stems from Pharaoh. A Jew, by contrast, strives to ensure that his fellow Jews as well can serve G-d by studying and observing His Torah—no matter how unlikely it seems for him to succeed at this mission. And when there are lives to save from Pharaoh or from the spiritual Pharaohs of the time, every chance is worth taking, and no moment is too soon. —Likkutei Sichos, vol. 16, pp. 29-31 Sponsor a Lightpoints email       A project of Or Hachassidus ביוזמת ולזכות הרה״ח הרה״ת ר' ישעי' זושא ווילהעלם שליט״א להצלחה רבה לו ולכל משפחתו בגו״ר

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