לֹא־תֹאכַ֤ל עָלָיו֙ חָמֵ֔ץ שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֛ים תֹּֽאכַל־עָלָ֥יו מַצּ֖וֹת לֶ֣חֶם עֹ֑נִי כִּ֣י בְחִפָּז֗וֹן יָצָ֙אתָ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לְמַ֣עַן תִּזְכֹּ֗ר אֶת־י֤וֹם צֵֽאתְךָ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֥י חַיֶּֽיךָ
(Deuteronomy 16:3)
We know that so many of the commandments we perform relate to the Exodus. Teffilin, Krias Shma, Kidush, Yom Tov.. . Everywhere we turn in Judaism we find ourselves remembering Egypt and our redemption. Why is this theme so critical? Why are so many of the commandments we do focused on our redemption from Egypt? The Ramban famously writes at the end of Parshas Bo, that the Jews leaving Egypt is THE event that carries our Faith. By remembering and internalizing the redemption we develop the Emunah that we need to serve G-d. However I would like to share another perspective, one that I heard from the great, Rabbi Sruli Bornstein. It is an idea that can be a game changer in our journey towards greatness and one that is very timely as we begin the Yom Tov of Pesach.
Rav Tzadok Hakohen in Parshas Veesachanan speaks about the power of repentance and he says that we all make mistakes which come with a great danger. There isn't a righteous man who does good and does not sin." When we fall we instantly feel very distant from G-d. That distance can then easily lead us to a place of hopelessness, where we can actually believe G-d forbid that our spiritual efforts are not worth anything. These feelings can lead to even more negative thoughts and before we know it we are on a downward spiral into spiritual despair. Explains Rav Tzadok that this is a complete lie. In truth, it doesn’t matter how far we fall because at the end of the day we can always do Teshuva. A person can turn his life around instantly in a moment. Each of us has the ability to wake up in the morning and decide that today we are a new person. We have the gift of Teshuva that allows us to hit delete and start over again. But what is the source how do we know this is this is really possible? How do we know this is within our reach no matter how far we have fallen? Says Rav Tzadok we know this to be true from the Exodus. When the Jews were in Egypt they were at the 49th level of impurity. They were at such a lowly state that when they arrived at the sea the angels questioned why they deserved to be saved. The Jews were indistinguishable from the very Egyptians who were chasing them. Yet in a second, G-d took them out of Egypt and in 49 days they were at the height of spiritual greatness, standing at Mount Sinai to hear "I am the Lord Hashem" from none other than G-d Himself. The experience of leaving Egypt is THE paradigm picture for us that no matter how low we fall we can pick ourselves up and rise higher. We must remember the Exodus every single day to keep this vital message in our hearts at all time.
In the Parsha of Ben Soreh Umoreh, the wayward child, there is a strange requirement that the parents must bring him to court and say the words "This son of ours is a wayward child." In fact the Gemara in Sanhedren teaches that if the parents don’t verbalize these words the child can not officially become a Ben Soreh Umoreh. The obvious question is why is this necessary? If we can look at this child now and know that he is on a path towards destruction, why does it matter whether his parents say these words or not? In order to spare him from destroying his Olam Habba why can't Bes Din save him from this terrible fate even without this verbal confession? Answers the Shem Mishmuel an idea that is mind blowing. The only reason that we know this child has no hope is because the parents brought the child gave him over to the Court. By stating that there son is a wayward child the parents are in fact testifying that their child is out of control and they have given up hope. As long as the parents don’t bring their son to court and utter these words, hope is not lost. These very words reveal that this child's fate is sealed, nothing more can be done. That is why the statement itself is so critical. When the parents themselves give up hope on their child, and verbalize their despair, only then is hope really lost.
G-d knows how dangerous despair is to our spiritual growth. It's the Evil Inclination's greatest tool. He never stops highlighting our mistakes, trying to convince us that we are our failures, and that growth and closeness to G-d is impossible. He knows that once we have given up hope the game is over. To protect us from this danger G-d infused the power of hope into our daily life across many levels. By constantly remembering our Exodus out of Egypt we internalize this vital message and etch it into our hearts. We must keep reminding ourselves that no matter how far we fall we can always get back up. Remembering the Exodus is not just a Mitzvah it is our greatest protection against hopelessness and despair and the secret to helping us reach our greatness.
Rabbi Yisroel Reisman used to tell his students, "if you learn only one thing from my class, then it should be the following. No matter what you do, no matter how many times you slip up and make mistakes, pick yourself back up. The challenges from the outside world are not to be believed. We all make mistakes; it doesn’t take away from who you are. The Evil Inclination wants us to feel unworthy and thereby knocks us down more, getting us to lose hope in ourselves. Falling is a step closer to greatness. You can only become great BECAUSE you fell. G-d loves you and believes in you no matter what!! You can do it, have faith in yourself because Hashem always has faith in you."
The next time you make a mistake or fall, remember our Exodus from Egypt, remember to never lose hope. Use your failures to grow higher. You are great even with your faults and G-d always believes in you.
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