Ari Goldwag - Shemos - Meriting Redemption

you're listening to the weekly partial podcast recorded with hashem's never ending assistance in R Israel 5776 2016 this week's para is par shos and in this week's paraa the Torah describes the situation of the Jewish people as slaves in Egypt the difficulties that they went through the challenges the the hardships the Torah tells us that God saw the difficulties and the challenges that were going on and God knew and as a result of that God's spoke to Moses he spoke to M and he said to him send the Jewish people out so there's a beautiful medish on this PK on this verse in chapter 2 verse 25 is God saw the children of israelim and God knew what is the idea of this P what is the idea that God sees that God knows what is the implication of this verse so the Manish gives a number of different explanations which seem to be not connected as usual as we have been speaking about many times in MIM but actually the depth of every single one of the ideas that the M presents is at its root the same idea let's let's learn the Mages together inside and we'll see a beautiful idea that we can take a tremendous lesson from this is in the in Al the first section the 36th part of the section the verse says that God saw the children of Israel he knew the first idea that the message presents is what is it that God knew what does it mean that God knew God knew that he had an obligation to redeem them for two reasons says for the sake of his name and because of the Covenant that he made with the forefathers with abrah is and yob with Abraham is and Jacob he promised that he would take the Jewish people into a land a Strange Land they would be strangers there and that afterwards that they would they would be redeemed and released from there the verse also says one verse earlier that God remembered his Covenant so we see that the thing that he's looking at or he's seeing or he's knowing is the Covenant and not only that the second concept the verse says in Ezekiel 20:9 I will do for the sake of my name so God redeems why what is God seeing what is God knowing he's knowing he's seeing the fact that he made a covenant and he's seeing and knowing the fact that he needs to do it for the sake of his name that there shouldn't be a that God's name shouldn't that that his name should be Sanctified and not have him forbid the opposite so that's the first idea the first concept is that God sees God knows Covenant God knows God sees his name he's doing it for his name's sake and we need to understand what does that mean what is God's name's sake what does it mean that God does it for the sake of his Covenant what is the depth of this idea of his name and his Covenant now the me has a different idea different concept seemingly a different completely different concept God says the most amazing thing beautiful thing God saw that in the future the Jewish people would rebel against him at the Sea of reeds right before God was is about to do the miracle of the splitting of the sea the Jewish people were going to to rebel and they were going to say why did you take take us out of Egypt so he saw that he saw the negativity he saw that there was going to be a rebellion but God knew what did God know God knew that they were also going to do something else much greater they were going to say after the miracle they're going to see this is my God and I will glorify him they're going to sing the Praises of God as a result of the miracle that God was going to perform so there's seeing and there's knowing God sees the negativity God knows the good thing that they're going to do what is the idea behind seeing and knowing let's see we're going to see very soon has a different understanding of what did God see and what did God know God saw something negative he saw that in the future they were going to make this golden calf and they were going to say this is your god oh Israel very negative they're going to say a falsehood they're going to say that there's an idolatry that took them out of Egypt but what did God know that spurred him on that sparked the fact that he's going to redeem the Jewish people God knew that the Jewish people were going to do something much deeper much more powerful they were going to say we will do and we will listen when God would offer them the Torah they would first say whatever you say we'll do we'll find out what what that entails afterwards the we're going to see this amazing statement so God redeemed them as a result of their future statement so there are two points here that are important to understand the first is what's the difference between seeing and knowing that's the first question other question is what does it mean that God is going to redeem them or he's thinking about the negativity that they're going to do in the future some negative thing but he redeems them because of some positive thing they're going to do in the future how can I be redeemed for something haven't done yet what does that mean what's the idea behind that what is the m teaching us so the M continues with another explanation another idea the what's the seeing what's the knowing what does it mean that God saw Chua he could see something which was apparent which was that they had done chuva that there were people who they were the sadik and the righteous individuals as a result of the challenges the difficulties that they were going through they repented they came back to God there were also others who had thoughts they didn't act on their thoughts they had thoughts of repentance the sikim acted on their thoughts they did they did actions of repentance but those who were medium type of people those who were not righteous at all those who were actually R they were evil they had they had thoughts of chuva they thought about doing repentance the brings a verse the verse refers to the development and here the mes is understanding that the development iskim in Song of Songs 2:13 the development that's going on here of the Fig is the fruit so that that's the the fruit of chuva of of repenting to God which is open where you see that Kanata that that open blossoming and then the verse continues as the points out and refers to other aspects which are not as open and not as obvious God knew God knew about this things the fact that God knew was something which only God knew God knew that these Bon these middl type people these evil people had had thoughts cuz no one could see this no one could see CU they didn't do any actions of chuva but they had thoughts within them of chuva of repentance and so as a result of this because they had Hur chuva some had thoughts of repentance some did indeed repent as a result of this this was the the Merit that they had that God was willing to redeem them now the measure says it's true that they did do chuva they did repent but that wasn't enough that wouldn't have been enough for God to redeem them chuva even though they did chuva and some thought about doing chuva or some had you know they were inspired to chuva they felt it in their hearts me says they were not they would not have been able to leave there if not for the Merit of their forefathers because the attribute of divine Justice was speaking up and saying something negative because again of something that they were going to do in the future they were going to make that calf that golden calf so in a certain sense they were going to lose the chuva the repentance they were going to lose that so they needed to still have he needed to still have the Merit of Abraham Isaac and Jacob so here I want to understand something I want to ask a question and that is that what does it mean that the the con what is the concept of I'm going to be redeemed because of something my forefathers did because of a merit of my great great great great grandfather what is the idea behind that I don't have the Merit myself there's something bad I'm going to do or I have done even though I've done chuva or I've thought about doing Chua I've thought of repenting I've done I have repented that's not enough cuz I'm going to do something bad I'm going to lose that level so what is the idea that my my great great grandfather has done something good and that's going to help me how does that help me what is the idea and it goes back to what we spoke about at the very beginning because we said that Hashem why was he redeeming them he was redeeming them for his name's sake he was redeeming them because of the Covenant there it's even more difficult to understand God made a covenant with the forefathers okay he made a promise God is to keep his promise but it doesn't even sound like there's anything that the the forefathers had done it doesn't sound like there was anything any any Merit even in the first section of the BR of the medish doesn't sound like there's any good thing that the forefathers had done was just because God was doing it for his name's sake because he made a promise but there's no merit per se that the for even of the forefathers and certainly not of the Jewish people themselves at that time so the three sections of this medish seem to be contradictory because on one hand it seems to be talking about a merit they did have a merit they were going to receive the Torah they're going to do something good they're going to do something positive they're going to say God Z this is my God and I will glorify him after they went through the yamu but on the other hand it's not enough they need something else maybe it was because of the chuva there was repentance they repented maybe that's going to help them no that's not enough we need the Merit of the forefathers no that's not even enough we need the promise of God what's the idea what's going on here why is the m what what is the resolution you know whenever we have MIM whenever we have three different possibilities or opinions they're all different aspects different ways of looking at the same idea at its depth that's what we always try to do here in in these partial podcast we try to understand that that there's a root there's a concept here that's being taught and it's being taught at different levels in different ways but at its root it's the same idea so there's one more piece in the medish which seems to be a continuation of what we're saying here and but it it has a real depth here that's very important for us to understand this idea bishos you know in it in its completeness so let's see this Z about this the PK says the verse tells us that when the Jews are about to leave Egypt so God commanded them that they should take a bundle a bundle of sticks and they should dip it into the blood of the Pascal lamb and they should place that blood on the mash on the doorpost on the top and on the sides amazing thing that this corresponds what's the idea of the a what's the idea of Dipping this this Branch into the blood it's because they had lowered themselves down just like when we dip we lower down the branch in they had lowered themselves down they had they had been M themselves they had diminish themselves in order to do chuva in order to repent and as a result of that that was the that was the very Merit why they were leaving says the verse you shall dip it into the blood which is inside of this this Bas what does it represent it represents the Torah in the Merit of the Torah that they're going to receive in the future because it says about this in regards to it speaks about the blood there's a concept there there's a connection between the the blood which is the the life force the life essence of the human being that corresponds to the Torah which is the life Essence on a spiritual level of the human being so then the verse says that you should take that blood and place it on the doorposts what does this represent who are the doorposts who are the ones who the door posts are where you walk into the home who are the ones who are established the home the three there are three parts here right there's the top and there's the two sides the Mas the top is ofin is Abraham he was the great one he was the great one who was the first of those who became a proelite who came under the under the divine presence and just like the top of the door is the highest Abraham was the greatest of of the a of the Patriarchs what the two the two side the two sides of the door the door posts in the Merit of Isaac and Jacob it was in the Merit of the forefathers the Patriarchs that the Jewish people were able to leave so we see here again this idea that there's a merit somehow that stands for us hey we have to remind ourselves we're going to also accept the Torah here right we're dipping it in the blood we're putting it on the Mas we we're doing this whole mixture is it the of me because I'm going to receive the Torah in the future how does the future help me again that question but somehow it is going to help me cuz I'm going to do that I'm going to receive this I'm going to say nma I will hear and I will listen I'm going to I'm going to accept upon myself that relationship but it's also in the Merit of the a of the of the forefathers and it's also in the Merit of what I'm doing right now my chuva my repentance right now so which one is it is it all of them is it one of them is this a contradiction is it in the Merit of of God's name of his promise and the answer of course is yes the answer of course is that all of these these are true that these are all different facets as we said of the same idea and the depth of the idea is is explained by the AOS one of the MIM here on one of the questions that we asked earlier we asked what is the difference between seeing and knowing what is the difference between seeing Hashem saw the the people of Israel he saw the sins of the people of Israel says the M but he knew he knew about the good things that they were going to do they're going to receive the Torah he knew that they were going to uh say Z this is my God and I will glorify him what's the difference between seeing and knowing so the depth here as acph explains is that when I see something when I look at something all I see is the surface all I can see is the outside I don't know the depth of what a person is thinking I don't know the depth of of what's really going on behind the surface I just see what I see so that is idea Hashem Sees God sees this that that when they did an a when do something wrong that's just the surface that's not who they really are says the what does God know God knows about the fact that they're going to receive the Torah God knows about the fact that they're going to say this is my God and I will glorify him God knows about the fact that they are the children of Abraham Isaac and Jacob that's the depth of who they are that's the true essence of the Jew is who they really are is that good thing that they're going to do that recognition of God that they're going to have and the and the AA the the golden cat that they're going to that that's just superficial that's not who they really are that's the depth of what this men is saying amazingly beautifully and so but what's amazing what comes out of this is that the depth of the Jew the depth of who he is is he's a son of Abraham Isaac and Jacob the Jew is at his Essence when when he does what he's supposed to do is called chuva he's returning he's repenting the word Chua to repent means to return he's returning to his Ence he's returning to who he really is when Abraham Isaac and Jacob made a covenant with God when God made a covenant with them God was saying this is who you are you are connected to me that's my promise to you Le man shim for his name's sake shim the the name of a person and the name of God speaks about the essence of who they are God's name says what is the idea of God's name as we speak about it with for his name's sake with love God's name is love God's name our God is one the word in Hebrew is the same gam is the same numerical value as the word a which means love the essence of reality is God's name is God's love God's love for us his connection to us means I'm taking out the Jewish people because of my love for the for for the Jewish people because of my promise to them that they would be the ones the forefathers the Patriarchs represented the manifestation of my of God's you know God was saying of my of my presence in the world of my love in the world Abraham is the is the greatest of them because he was the B he was the one who did kindness which is the essence of who God is is kindness and the Jewish people when they did Chua when they did acts of returning to the to God they were returning to who they are they returning to that relationship and that's what it's about you know when when they are going to do something the future how does it help them now how does it help them now the answer is because what they're going to do in the future is indicative of who they really are even now who they are their Essence that's something in the past which is from the from the Patriarchs that's something in the in the in the in the Beyond Time in the deepest depths of the past which is sh which is God's name that love that promise that no matter what he's going to take them out that no matter what there's going to be a relationship that's true at their Essence no matter how far they've gone that's just a that's just something that we see superficially that's just something that that you happen to you happen to have done that's the language that the it happens to be that at this moment because of the the circumstance they've done something wrong but that's not who they are the idea go God knows who they really are that they're going to in the future sing God's praises and that helps me now because that's who I really am that's who I really am and even if I'm just thinking about that the the Hur Chua the thoughts of the bonim and the r that has value God sees said yod that's that's what God knows that's who they really are those thoughts are indicative even if they haven't acted on those thoughts those thoughts are indicative of the essence of who they are and they can always get there they can always return to there because that's who they are it's ingrained in them it's the spiritual DNA which is given to them from the Patriarchs which is given to them by Hashem by God himself as a result of his promise to the Patriarchs I want to bless you and please bless me back has should help us that we should be able to see indeed who we are at our Essence who the true Jew is who we really are all those things that we do which are not in line with how we know we should be that don't truly bring us close to God we should recognize has should help us see see that is just superficial we should see with our eyes that it's just the outside and Hashem should help us to know the essence of who we are and connect to that and to not just think about you not just think about repenting and coming back to God but actually act be like the sadik and help usem believe be like the sadik like the righteous ones who do chuva who act upon those thoughts and indeed Hashem should help us that as a result of this as a result of connecting to the essence of who we are connecting to the Patriarchs connecting to that spiritual DNA connecting to God's name to God's promise sh should bring in that Merit the Final Redemption the G shalma the complete Redemption speedily and in our days thank you so much for listening have a wonderful shabas this podcast was made possible through the gracious donations of listeners like you for more podcasts like this please visit www.wag.com or search on iTunes Ari goldwag