Rabbi
Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi,
Kehillat New Hempstead
Social
Worker, Yeshiva Bais Hachinuch/Ashar
STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
VA’ERA 5773
“HAIL
THE RAIN”
Rabbi Avigdor Miller zt’l was a
respected and revered leader in the Torah world. He was legendary for his lectures
in which he animatedly expounded upon the beauty of the world, the gift of each
moment of life, and how close one can feel to G-d if he takes the time to
contemplate that beauty and blessing.
One day, Rabbi Miller’s son-in-law
entered his father-in-law’s house and was greeted by a most peculiar sight.
Rabbi Miller had plugged up the sink and had filled the sink with water. He
proceeded to immerse his head completely in the water for a few seconds until
he could no longer hold his breath. Then, he would quickly pull his head out and
gasp for air. After a few moments he repeated the procedure a second time, and
then a third time and a fourth time.
After Rabbi Miller completed this strange
ritual his baffled son-in-law asked him for an explanation. Rabbi Miller
explained that earlier that day he had been on a train and someone had blurted
out that the air smelled badly. Rabbi Miller continued, “When I heard the
comment I concurred that indeed the air was indeed foul-smelling. Afterwards, I
was annoyed with myself for failing to appreciate the gift of air. I decided to
remind myself of its preciousness by depriving myself of air by keeping my head
under water until I was about to pass out. Then, when I picked my head up and air
filled my lungs, I was able to remember what a great gift air is and that I
should never complain about it.”
Six plagues ravaged Egypt
G-d commanded Moshe to appear before
Pharaoh to warn him of the impending plague of hail. “You are still oppressing
My people, by not sending them out. Behold, at this time tomorrow I shall rain
a very heavy hail, such as there has never been in Egypt
Rain is always preceded by the
formation of clouds which darken the skies. If so, how was it possible for the sun
to be out at the moment the hail began without any prior cloud cover? How could
Moshe use the sun as a marker for the precise moment when the hail would begin?
Rav Shimshon Pinkus zt’l[2]
offered the following explanation: What is the point of a mechitza (‘divider’)?
Although prima facie, it appears to be a separator, in truth a mechitza serves
to allow disparate commodities to come as close as possible.
For example, the halacha is that men and
women may not sit together while praying so that they can maintain
concentration on their prayers. However, we want to ensure that every Jew has
the ability to pray in shul. How can we accomplish that if men and women cannot
be together? The solution is to erect a mechitza. If there is a proper mechitza
then the men and women can sit within a few inches of each other and pray because
there is a sufficient division between them.
Similarly, when Klal Yisroel gathered
at the foot of Mount Sinai for the awesome
revelation that would transpire, there was a problem. G-d was about to reveal
His Presence in this world in an unprecedented manner. How would the world be
able to withstand such a revelation? The only possibility was to create strong
mechitzos/divisions that would obscure some of G-d’s Greatness, as it were.
That was the purpose of the three layers of
intense darkness that enveloped the mountain at the time of Kabbolas HaTorah.
Just as sunglasses shade a person from the blinding light of the sun, so did
that intense darkness allow Klal Yisroel to be exposed to such a potent
revelation of G-d’s Presence.
A number of years ago, while Chani and
I were vacationing in Florida we spent a day
in the Everglades . The Everglades
are a swampy area where alligators live in their natural habitat. At one point we
found ourselves less than a foot away from a full-size twelve foot slumbering
alligator. The reason we were not alarmed by our close encounter was that there
was a concrete barrier six inches thick separating us from the massive reptile.
The secure barrier actually allowed us to get far closer to an alligator than
we would have otherwise dared.
When it rains the world is being
revitalized and replenished. Without constant flow of water eventually all life
in the world would cease to exist. For such an intense outpouring of divine
blessing to descend into this world there must be a mechitza to allow such
intense blessing to descend into this world. The darkening clouds before rain
serve as the mechitza to allow G-d’s bounty to come so close to us.
This is all true in regards to normal
natural rain. However, the plagues that ravaged Egypt Egypt
The beauty of Rav Pinkus’ penetrating
thought - aside from being logical - is that it reinforces to us how great of a
blessing rain is though we often take it for granted. If we began with Rabbi
Avigdor Miller, the ‘quintessential appreciator’ who taught us not to take anything
for granted, than it is only apropos to conclude with another vignette from his
life.
In his book, ‘Walking with Rabbi
Miller’, Rabbi Mordechai Dolinsky, a devoted disciple of Rabbi Miller, relates
the following: “In my memory I am walking with the Rebbe, and dark,
‘threatening’ clouds in the distance are closing in on us. Before you know it
we feel actual precipitation, intermittent and gentle at first, then turning
into a very wet downpour. All this is marked by an increase of action on the
street, people running helter-skelter and being very vocal with their
complaints. We continue walking together, and the Rebbe changes the topic and
addresses the subject of the raindrops. He focuses on the vegetation, the
colorful, flavorful fruits that we enjoy and indulge in, and explains that they
are actually “coming down” right now in the form of raindrops. Then he
continues to enumerate other gifts of Hashem, including the wonderful world of
sefarim that are in the making at this moment, as they are printed on paper
that grows in the forest. He then points out that “people” are falling; all the
new babies, our own children and grandchildren – Klal Yisroel, the tzaddikim!
“Now to see the Rebbe’s face – the
joy, the excitement and ecstasy… It is one thing to sit in a dry, comfortable
home, lecturing about the wonderful blessings of rain, repeatedly verbalizing
this concept. But to be in the wetness of the rain pouring down, and then to be
in a state of ecstasy, certainly reflects one’s true feelings.”
Rabbi Avigdor Miller lived every moment of
his ninety plus years with joy and serenity. He saw the same world we see and the
same events that we witness, but he perceived them differently. When Rabbi
Miller saw rain and clouds he saw divine love, even as the rain soaked him!
When one lives with such an attitude the
world, all of its pain and suffering not withstanding, is a very beautiful and joyful
place.
“Behold, at this time tomorrow… a very
heavy hail”
“Behold I am coming to you in the thickness
of the cloud”
_______________________________________________
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Vaera, Erev Rosh Chodesh Shevat
29 Teves 5773/January 11, 2013
As we were preparing for our shul Chanukah Chagigah in our home a few weeks ago, I went into the garage to find a rather heavy table that we keep there. Despite the bulkiness and heaviness of the table I have carried it up and down the steps myself numerous times, and I was confident that this time would be no different. I’m not sure if it was the added fatigue of the holiday or the extra latkes weighing me down, but as I turned to head up the windy staircase from our basement the table headed in the opposite direction. It went right through the wall with a terrific thud.
Aside for my ego, I thankfully was not hurt. Now it appears that we are extra stringent in the law which requires that one have a ‘zecher l’churban’ in his home.
There are times in life when we feel like we can handle things. We tell others that we have the situation under control and they need not be concerned about us; we can handle the pressure and everyone should stop making a fuss. But then without warning we can find ourselves overwhelmed, as pressure brings us to our knees.
It is at those times that one really needs the support of his/her friends and family. It is those who will rush to your aid in your lowest and most vulnerable moments that are your real friends.
I once saw a beautiful quote about friendship: “A friend is someone who really knows you, and likes you anyway…” Oprah Winfrey once quipped that “anyone will ride with you in the limousine, but only a real friend will walk with you in the pouring rain.”
A real friend will help you lift the table after you’ve unwittingly dropped it. Then they’ll open the table and sit next to you.
We know Hashem doesn’t test challenge a person with any test he can’t handle. Sometimes the ability to handle a situation may include his social supports.
The ultimate marriage is when spouses achieve that level of dedication and devotion for each other. During sheva berachos we describe the choson and kallah as rayim ha’ahuvim – beloved friends. We pray that throughout their lives they will support each other so that neither ever feels alone, that they carry their table together so that they can sit beside it together.
Mazal Tov Joe and Danielle!
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
Good Chodesh,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum
720 Union Road • New Hempstead, NY 10977 • (845) 362-2425
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