Parshas Va’eira
At the beginning of this week’s sidra, Hashem commands Moshe Rabbeinu to approach Pharaoh and demand the unconditional release of the Jewish people. Worried that Pharaoh would flatly refuse to consider his request, Moshe employed a kal vachomer, arguing that the mission possessed little chance of success. Moshe contended that if B’nei Yisroel, who should have eagerly accepted the news of their imminent redemption, had been unable to believe his words, certainly Pharaoh, for whom the news would obviously prove unwelcome, would not accept the message.
Yet even a perfunctory glance at the relevant pesukim would seem to entirely uproot the basis for Moshe’s argument. The Torah explicitly states that B’nei Yisroel were unable to listen to Moshe’s message due to the back-breaking labor to which they were subjected by the Mitzriyim. Pharaoh, however, was certainly not being subjected to any labor and Moshe’s kal vachomer, therefore, easily disintegrates.
Based on the Seforno, Rav Leib Chasman, zt”l, explains that anybody can hear words spoken to them. However, when the words are those which prod towards major lifestyle modifications, one requires something deeper than merely listening. One is unable to enact major changes in his life without a deep hisbonenus, a deep contemplation, upon the matter in question. In fact, it would not be irrational to suggest lack of hisbonenus as one of the main obstacles preventing one’s entertainment of life changes and major shifts in worldview.
Attempting to re-instate Moshe Rabbeinu’s argument, Rav Chasman writes that without a deep hisbonenus, the human psyche does not permit deliberation upon matters as significant as attempting to rebel against one’s master of over two hundred years. Similarly, Pharaoh would certainly have required a thorough contemplation before psychologically achieving the ability to free millions of slaves. In light of this, the kal vachomer is perfectly logical. If the burden of labor succeeded in blocking B’nei Yisroel’s ability to be misbonein and accept Moshe’s words with the Emunah expected of the ma’aminim b’nei ma’aminim, certainly Pharaoh would not find the ability to contemplate the release of B’nei Yisroel – a matter which stood in perfect contradiction to his entire life of apikorsus. For years, Pharaoh had endeavored not simply to eradicate his own belief in Hakadosh Baruch Hu, but to even promote himself as a god. Moshe argued that the chance of Pharaoh even considering the existence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, not to mention the chance of him actually agreeing to free Hashem’s nation, were next to none.
Rav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi, shlit”a, cautions us from conducting ourselves in the manner of Pharaoh. We must not allow our false self-images to remove our ability to honestly contemplate upon Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Although it would appear safe to suggest that most human beings do not view themselves as a god, people are still plagued with every manner of conceit. We must stop ourselves from the constant pursuit of personal kavod which so fully succeeds in blocking our ability to comprehend the actual reality of our lives – that Hashem runs this world and we must attempt to perform our every action in line with His desire. Our brains do not possess room for two G-ds. The degree a person builds up a false self-image is the degree a person plays down the existence of G-d in his life. We must not allow ga’avah and kavod to block our ability to be misbonein on Hashem’s desires.
Yet, in reality, there exist many less direct barriers in the pursuit of hisbonenus. Indeed, every problem one encounters in life can distract him and remove his ability to contemplate on his avodas Hashem with the clear head necessary for such an important endeavor. Whether a person becomes overly-involved with his parnassa, whether a person becomes obsessed with politics, whether, through no fault of his own, a person becomes overwhelmed by illness, rachmana litzlan – the trials of life can serve to entirely distract a person from true hisbonenus upon his deeds. The Mesillas Yesharim writes that this was atzas mitzrayim. Pharaoh wished for the Jews to become so preoccupied with their work that they would be unable to contemplate thoughts of avodas Hashem and escape. And his plan succeeded for a time. In fact, the Mesillas Yesharim writes that we are still plagued by atzas mitzrayim. We still allow ourselves to become so distracted that we cannot find the time and ability to be misbonein.
The Mesillas Yesharim states that, to combat the inevitable distractions life presents, one must establish daily times dedicated specifically for contemplation of his deeds. Aside from the constant obligation to weigh every action, prior to its performance, with regard to whether it proves in alignment with the will of G-d, there exists an absolute obligation to perform relentless cheshbon hanefesh. Yeshivos institute mussar sedarim for precisely this purpose. A person must attempt to truly discover whether any act which he performed was at all flawed and must try to devise methods of eradicating every sinful aspect of even otherwise proper actions.
Rav Yerucham Levovitz, zt”l, would try to structure his shmuessen in a manner which would force people to be misbonein on his words. Rav Shlomo Volbe, zt”l, related that a single shmuess which he had attended gave him enough koach to survive the Holocaust and even to strengthen others during the war. Indeed, every drop of hisbonenus can prove extraordinarily far-reaching.
May we be zoche to push aside the distractions of olam hazeh and thereby discover the ability to truly be misbonein on our ma’asim.