Parshas Vaeira: A Torah Perspective on Redemption

Rabbi Yissochar Dov Merling

In the Parsha, Hashem admonishes Moshe Rabeinu for complaining about the increased suffering of the Jews. How can we understand Hashem’s response? What can we learn from here for our personal situation in our present day exile? We would have all hoped that the most peaceful way to bring about redemption would be for the nations among whom we reside to peacefully encourage us to go to Eretz Yisroel. However, we see by the redemption from Egypt that Hashem did not want us merely to physically leave. He wanted us to become His people through the Redemption and to be spiritually and emotionally, as well as physically, disconnected from Egypt. Had the Jewish people left at Pharaoh's behest, we would have remained emotionally and spiritually beholden to him. So Hashem orchestrated a drawn-out process. Pharaoh refused time and time again, and even made efforts to increase the servitude. This way, when the Jewish people left, it was clearly not as a result of Pharaoh's kindness or even reluctant permission, but rather it was the hand of Hashem. This is what we needed to learn. The goal of redemption is to become beholden only to Hashem, and not have to make decisions based on others’ preferences. Even when we do kindness to one another and love each other, it should be because that is the will of Hashem. We are the nation of Hashem, not only the nation of Yisroel.

So too now, we can learn from the first redemption to our imminent redemption. The goal here is not to have the world willingly free us from responsibility to their doctrines and their control. Rather, the goal is that we as the Jewish people, and really the entire world, should recognize that Hashem is truly in charge and in control of everything that happens from the beginning of creation until the end, and that only His word counts.

I often say we do not want Israel to win the war; we want Hashem to win the war. If we see antisemitism increasing it is because we have relied on the nations to be our saviors and helpers. The Prophets are full of admonishment for this sentiment, imploring the Jewish people to rely only on Hashem. As the Mishna says at the end of tractate Sotah, the final stage of exile is meant to bring us to the recognition that the only One we have to rely on is our Father in Heaven. May we all merit to see the redemption through our joining together and proclaiming Hashem is G-d and there is no one else.