Beshalach - The Revelation of Keser

This week's parsha the highlight is Krias Yam Suf. The the Yidden got close to the Yam Suf and didn't know what to do. They came to the end. They came to a dead end. They came to the Yam Suf. Hashem says to them, so Moshe Rabbeinu calls out to Hashem. Hashem says, "Ma titz'ak elai? What are you What are you calling out to me?" Daber el Bnei Yisrael v'yisa'u. The Zohar Hakadosh says on Ma titz'ak elai, Hakadosh Baruch Hu said, "Ba'atika talya milta." Atika has to do with what's called Kesser. So higher hanhaga that Hashem runs with Klal Yisrael. So therefore, Hashem was saying, "Ma titz'ak elai? Don't get involved over here. This is my union. Don't get involved. Don't even daven. Don't even call to me. Just daber el Bnei Yisrael v'yisa'u." One has to understand what this really means. What hanhaga of Hashem with Klal Yisrael was revealed over here? What is this hanhaga of Kesser, ba'atika talya milta, that's revealed over here by Krias Yam Suf? For that, we have to go back cuz here this is the climax. This is the climax of the Yetzi'ah from Mitzrayim. It reached its final stage of Yetzi'ah over here by Krias Yam Suf. So let's go back to the beginning. In Parshas Shmos, Paroh says to the his people, he sees that the Yidden are multiplying and he says, "Hava niskhakma lo." We have to defeat them with chachma. Hava niskhakma lo. We have to defeat them with chachma. Niskhakma lashon chachma. What was Paroh saying? The Klal Chazal say that Paroh was in chachma Paroh was very smart. He was an astrologist. In chachma they were very big. To understand this, the Yerushalmi says in Makos, "Sha'alu l'chachma." They asked wisdom, "What do you do? What's the fate of a nefesh achas Yisrael?" Somebody a Jew that sins, what's his fate? Chachma answered, "It's bad." They asked prophecy nevu'ah, "Bad." They asked Hashem, "The Yid should do teshuvah and we'll get back together." So you see that there is [clears throat] a hanhaga that Hakadosh Baruch Hu has with Yidden that is higher than chachma. Chachma says he sinned, he's had it. Hashem says, "No, no, no, no. There's a higher hanhaga than chachma." And that's the hanhaga that's called Kesser. That hanhaga Hashem is bound with us and we are bound with Klal Yisrael and we have another chance even though we're not doing well, but we still have another chance. Paroh was trying to hide that hanhaga of Kesser. Paroh says, "Let's not go higher than chachma. Hava niskhakma lo. Let's remain with chachma. Let's hide the hanhaga of Kesser. And therefore, if we go along with chachma and we bring the Jews down on level and we cause them to sin, we drag them down to the 49th level of tum'ah, then sha'alu l'chachma, if you ask chachma, what's the fate of the Jews, they'll say, 'That's it. They're done.'" Paroh was trying to hide that hanhaga of chachma. And that's why in Shmos the pasuk says, "Vayikotzu mipnei Bnei Yisrael." And the Bnei Yisrael says vayikotzu is hinting at the koitz of a yud. A yud, the letter yud in a Sefer Torah has a koitz on it and that's called a crown. So Paroh was trying to take away He's trying to hide the crown, which is the Kesser, the koitz, and that's a hidden relationship that we have with Hashem. And we should leave that and we should only go along with the concept of chachma. And that's why in order to take the Jews out of Mitzrayim, Hakadosh This This hanhaga of Kesser had to be revealed. Last week's parsha, in Parshas Bo, we have the last three makos, which are hinted in the word Bo. Beis is Arba'im Chodesh. Alef is Makas Bechoros. The common denominator between Arba'im Chodesh is that they brought darkness onto Mitzrayim. By the locusts, the pasuk says, "Vayichas es ein ha'aretz." "V'lo yuchal liros." You can't see the land. By choshech, for sure you can't see. In other words, there's a secret hanhaga that's about to be revealed, but it has to It's It's a hidden hanhaga. And that's the hanhaga of Kesser. And therefore, Arba'im Chodesh brought darkness. And then the the hanhaga of Kesser is to be revealed and that is Makas Bechoros. You see, Makas Bechoros Chazal say, we we we say this in Haggadah shel Pesach, that Makas Bechoros Hashem said, "Lo al yedei malach." Nobody is interfering with this Makas Bechoros. "Lo al yedei malach, lo al yedei saraf, lo al yedei shaliach, ela Hakadosh Baruch Hu bichvodo u'v'atzmo." The makah of Makas Bechoros represents a higher hanhaga. Something that only Hakadosh Baruch Hu only Hakadosh Baruch Hu can do. And that's why Chazal tell us that a bechor, the halacha is that a bechor the firstborn is kodesh merachem. He's kodesh. He's born holy already. It's got nothing to do with us. We have a mitzvah to be mekadesh, to sanctify a bechor, but a bechor is born holy, which means it's an inherent holiness. That's something that comes from Hashem. So Makas Bechoros only Hakadosh Baruch Hu only Hakadosh Baruch Hu did that. The Arizal writes that the 10 plagues and the 10 dibros, Aseres Hadibros, are paralleled from bottom upwards. Makas Bechoros, says the Arizal, corresponds to the first diber of Anochi Hashem Elokecha. What type of diber is Anochi Hashem Elokecha? It's not a command. It's a fact. Anochi Hashem Elokecha. I am your God. It's a fact. We have a hidden relationship with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Anochi begins with the letter alef. Alef spells the letters peleh. Peleh is wondrous. That's Kesser. So Parshas Bo, the beis is Arba'im Chodesh. The alef, which is peleh, spells the letters peleh, that's Makas Bechoros. And there this hidden hanhaga of Kesser was revealed and with that we left Mitzrayim. That's why it says in Haggadah shel Pesach that the Tanna'im went to Rebbe Akiva for leil seder. He was the mara d'asra d'Rov u'Bnei Brak. And even though Rebbe Akiva was a talmid of some of those Tanna'im that came to him, nevertheless they all came to Rebbe Akiva because for mitzvas sippur Yetzi'as Mitzrayim, for being able to understand the full scope of Yetzi'as Mitzrayim, you need to hear this from Rebbe Akiva. Why? Why Rebbe Akiva? But the answer is the Gemara says in Menachos that Rebbe Akiva knew to darshan the crowns on the letters. He knew how to darshan the crowns on the letters in the Sefer Torah. Rebbe Akiva's doresh kesarim, say Chazal, which means Rebbe Akiva understands the hanhaga of Kesser. He understands the hanhaga that that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is bound to us at all times. That's why he laughs when he sees a fox leaving the the place of the Kodesh Kodashim after the churban cuz there's a hidden kesher with which we have with Hakadosh Baruch Hu that we're inseparable with Hashem. So that's why if Rebbe Akiva knows how to darshan the crowns, then he knows how to darshan Yetzi'as Mitzrayim as well cuz Yetzi'as Mitzrayim is where the Kesser is where the crowns was was was revealed. So ameilah, therefore, that's why when it came to Krias Yam Suf, which is the climax, and here there was a kitchrug at the Yam. There was a terrible kitchrug against Klal Yisrael. "Halalu ovdei avodah zarah, halalu ovdei avodah zarah." Why is the sea going to split for the Jews and not for the Egyptians? They're both ovdei avodah zarah. It's true. Chachma tells you, "Halalu u'halalu, they're both the same." That's chachma. But here by Yetzi'as Mitzrayim is revealed a higher hanhaga, which is a hanhaga of Kesser, which is beyond chachma. Just like the crown is perched on the king's head. Chachma is inside and the crown is above. The crown is a hanhaga. That's the hanhaga of Atika Atika. And therefore, that's what That's what Krias Yam Suf came about. If the beginning of Mitzrayim was vayikotzu, when Paroh hid this hanhaga and says, "Let's not go higher than chachma." Over here, the hanhaga of higher than chachma is coming out in its full glory. So Hakadosh Baruch Hu says to Moshe Rabbeinu, "Don't interfere. Hanhaga of Kesser is me. Lo al yedei malach, lo al yedei saraf. Don't interfere. Don't even daven to me. Don't even cry to me. Don't even call out to me. Daber el Bnei Yisrael v'yisa'u. You'll see that there's a certain hanhaga that we have with Hashem." And this is the hanhaga that Kabbalists say that in Parshas Shmos, when Hashem said to Moshe Rabbeinu, the name Ekeh Ekeh Asher Ekeh. And Rashi there says, "I will be with them in this exile. I'll be with them in all future exiles." That's the hanhaga of Kesser, Chazal say. Ekeh is the name of Kesser. Hakadosh Baruch Hu every Yid in wherever he is and whatever matzav he is, there is a certain hanhaga There is a certain relationship that we have with Hashem that defies all logic. The more we moser nefesh for our avodas Hashem, the more we show sacrifice, which also defies logic, the more we awaken the hanhaga of Hakadosh Baruch Hu with us that is higher than chachma, that defies logic. That's why before Makas Bechoros, Hashem gave us the mitzvah of milah. Milah is like mesirus nefesh. We spill blood. Mesirus nefesh defies logic. The mitzvah of Korban Pesach, the Jews went and took a lamb in front of the Egyptians. It was a mesirus nefesh. And the Egyptians asked us, "What are you doing with this?" "Oh, we're going to slaughter your god." This is defies logic. Mesirus nefesh. The more we show that our connection to Hakadosh Baruch Hu also defies logic, is also higher than chachma, the more we awaken the hanhaga that Hakadosh Baruch Hu with us, that's for the hanhaga of Kesser that's also higher than chachma. And with that, Hakadosh Baruch Hu calls out to every Jew. It doesn't matter what what matzav he's in. Hashem calls out to all Jews, "Do teshuvah. Shuvu banim." Come back to me. We're in the weeks now of Shuva Ve'im. The pasuk says, "Shuvu banim shoivavim." In other words, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is calling out to us especially in a Parshas Beshalach. And even if there's a kitchrug chashasham of "Halalu v'halalu," nevertheless, if a Yid gets close to Hashem and sacrifices for Hashem and does teshuvah, he's then will be zocheh es Hashem to the Geulah Hashleimah and to the full revelation of the hanhaga of Ekeh Asher Ekeh bimheirah b'yameinu, omein v'omein. A gut eruv Shabbos.