Vaeyra: It’s Not About Me

Dear friends, welcome to this week's virtual Josha. This week we have the incredible paras. And with this para, we are introduced to the narrative of the makos, the plagues. And it's interesting to note how much time the Torah spends on the plagues. Torah could have just told us there were 10 plagues, right? Or there were punishments against the Egyptians that the Torah chooses to go through each of the plagues one by one with a fair amount of description for each, some more, some less. But we emerge from the para with a very real understanding of these makos which then leads the mafia and the commentaries to understand that these makos these plagues were much more than simple punitive retribution for 210 years of barbaric treatment of the Jewish people. These makos were much more than just punishments. But embedded in these punishments, embedded in these punitive measures was a message was a lesson. And in fact, mafarian bring down the commentaries explain that these makos really had two messages. Each Makkah each plague had a message for the Egyptians and each Makkah also had a message for the fledgling Jewish nation. So when we go through each Makkah, which we're not going to do, when you go through each Makkah, there are these two side byside lessons. Punitive, yes. Punishment, yes. Because at the end of the day, it was also important for Egypt. And for the Jewish people to see that there is din and there's a dion, there is judgment. There is a judge. There is retribution for when you mistreat or when you hurt people. It was important for the Jewish people to see this. It was important for Egypt to see this. But as you begin to go through the macos, you see something amazing. So for example, the metric brings down that the first two makos of dama blood and frogs interestingly enough both centered on the Nile. And so amazingly enough the medish brings down the medish explains that the Egyptians worship the Nile. In fact, again the magish writes. Now it's interesting is the Egyptians worshiped the Nile because it was the Nile that ultimately provided all of the water for irrigation. So as such it was it really was the Egyptian life source. So turning the Nile into blood and then afterwards bringing frogs out from the Nile Kashbar was demonstrating his dominion over their deity. Dominion over their deity. who are asserting out of the gate religious, theological, spiritual superiority over the Egyptian god. Incredible. But it begs the question. I understand why you need to give a message about denial. That's blood. That's dam. By transforming water into blood, that by definition demonstrates that spiritual superiority. But why the need for frogs? Again, I understand also dominion over the Nile because remember the frogs came out from the Nile. But there must be an additional message that's embedded in the Maka of the Maka of frogs that is something additional in in addition to the Makkah of Dam. Because remember again, if it's just about asserting spiritual superiority over the deity of Egypt, you accomplish that. You did that with Dam. What's the message of the frogs? What's the message of the And I want to share with you something amazing. You know in Peric Shira which is a beautiful composition written about the idea that all of nature sinks to all the entire natural world is necessary and purposeful and the entire natural world every every animal every species every part of nature sings its own song to the shalom. In fact, I remember as a as a child that my mother told me that my grandmother used to say that, you know, when it's windy and the trees are going back and forth, she my grandmother tell my mother live and be well that that was the trees dabing to everything Davins, everything praises, everything sings to soak goes through the v different pieces of the animal kingdom telling us what what everybody sings. So listen to this. So in the in the introduction to parak there is a fascinating exchange. Listen to this. When finished composing which of course is a is a monumental a monumental accomplishment. So was feeling very proud of himself. So David says so David says something pretty amazing. He says God I would venture to say that there is no creation in your entire world who sings to you who composes such beautiful ods and songs like I do. Is there anything else in this world that sings to you like I do? So and said is most magical and beautiful and incredible and overwhelming and holy composition. So is not gloating. He's not being arrogant. He's saying I think I might be the creature in this world who sings to you more than anything or anyone else. Listen to what the says. Excuse me. The introduction in that moment the frog jumped over. frog came over don't get so this is the frog talking to whatever this means and the frog says David don't get so carried away with yourself I say greater I sing greater songs I say greater praise to God than you incredible [snorts] so the frog says calm down calm down don't get so full of yourself I'm greater than I I sing more than you. I do more than you. Not only that, he goes on. He says, the frog says, you should just know I do something even greater than singing to God. What's greater than singing to God? This is a mitzvah that I'm always engaged in. You know, there's a particular species, a sea, a sea creature that feeds on other animals in the sea. But when this sea creature can't find anything to else to eat in the sea and is hungry and is in danger of expiring I the frog make myself available at the seashore and this creature comes out eats me and so is sustained zitzvah this is the primary mitzvah that I am engaged in a dramatic mish it's not even a maj introduction to parak all excited about it The frog sang two things. Number one, I sing more than you. I sing greater songs than you. But in addition to that, I do even a greater mitzvah. Sea creature when it gets hungry can't find anything to eat in the scene comes and eats me. What's what's the So obviously what does this mean? What what what is it that's trying to be conveyed to us? So it's interesting by the way about frogs. Frogs occupy, you know, an import an important place in the food chain. On one hand, frogs are incredibly important as they consume certain harmful insects. But on the other hand, frogs are also the primary source of nutrition for many birds, snakes, and other animals. So the frog is a source of sustenance for so many. So perhaps what's happening over here is as follows that the frog is saying to David, David, you're getting very you're you're you're happy. You're proud of yourself with your beautiful accomplishment which is exceptional and that is incredible. There's nothing safer to tell him. But the frog is saying David I do something greater than singing. I do something greater than your safet. And that's what that's enabling others to be great as well. The frog's teaching that sometimes the metric of success in life is not what you do for yourself but it's what you do for someone else. See, we so often measure accomplishment through what I'm able to do. How accomplished am I? And by the way, I don't mean in an arrogant way. I just mean in general. What have I been able to do with my life? How could I impact? How could I self-actualize? What can I do? But it's very centered on me and my accomplishments. And that's what David Amal was focusing on. Look at what I've done. And it comes along the frog. And the frog says, you know, I'm engaged in the biggest mids in the world. Now granted, this is a bit dramatic. giving himself over to the sea creature as a source of nourishment. But it's a lesson that sometimes the greatest thing you do in life is not what you do for yourself, but it's the growth that you enable in other people. And perhaps this was the message of that's the message of the frog that whereas whereas the dam whereas blood is there to teach us so to assert spiritual and theological superiority of over the deities of Egypt, frogs was something else. The Maka of Sard was there to teach the fledgling Jewish nation that life is not about what you could do for yourself, but rather the greatest accomplishment in life is what you could do for the other. And understand how important this lesson was. Cloud was going to was going to experience shortly emancipation. And it would be normal to think that a slave, what does a slave want to do when he's when he or she is emancipated? They want to eat, they want to be secure, they want to have themselves. It could easily become a very selfcentered and egocentric life an existence because after all for 210 years we were oppressed. For 210 years no one looked out for me. For 210 years I was all on my own. Now I'm finally free I have to take care of me. Now that I'm free I have to take care of me. And so the so Makkah number one is to assert the fact that reigns supreme and his his his theological monarchial identity is not challenged by anyone or anything. But lesson number two lesson number two don't live life for yourself. The greatest things you accomplish not the things you do for yourself. It's what you it's the greatness and the goodness and the beauty that you bring out in others. But the truth is we've already been taught this lesson even a little bit earlier. You know in last week's parishop we were introduced to Shiffra and Tua who Rashi tells us were in fact Yave and Miriam was Y and Miriam that why not use their names Yed and Miriam. So Rashi points out that Shifra says they were midwives and when the baby would come out so Shiffra would sorry so right so shifra so so so y would clean up the baby that's not of she would beautify the baby and Miriam was pua what's pua she would coup with the baby to make the baby happy to make the baby gble to make the baby giggle so these were their names they're descriptive and as a very simple question and right y and miriam were their birth names Shifra and Pua were their descriptive names. Why doesn't the Torah introduce us to these two great matriarchs with their actual birth names? Why introduce them to us with their descriptive names with their midwife names? In other words, tell us there's Yan and Miriam and then by the way, they were also known as Shifra and Pua. Tell us that why using their non- primary names and only ultimately using their midwife descriptive names. And the Reb says something so beautiful because sometimes the greatest name that you acquire for yourself in life is not the one you're given at birth but it's the name that you earn through doing for others. You see Miriam and Yav and Miriam mother and daughter those are the names that they were given by their parents for whatever the reasons and that's beautiful and that's incredible and it contains the name contains so much holiness. But Shifra and Pua those are the names [clears throat] that represent what they did for someone else. Those are the names what they what that represent what they did for these newborns for these mothers and especially after the after the decree of parro throw all the babies throw all the boys into the Nile these women refused to bow they refused to give in they refused to cave and they kept on helping those births taking care of those newborns taking care of those new mothers shifra and pua represent what they did for others and sometimes what you do for someone else That's what solidifies and concretizes your identity. Your birth name is very nice. Someone else gave that to you and obviously it's powerful and it's holy and it contains much kadusha. But your real identity that's forged in what you're willing to do for the other that's forged in the greatness that you enable in the other. And so we see something amazing and Miriam Shiff Rau the frogs all teaching us this core and central lesson that sometimes the greatest accomplishments in life are not what you do for yourself but it's the growth the greatness that you are able to enable in the other. Sometimes the greatest things in life are not their own personalistic accomplishments but rather again it's what we're able to do for someone else. we have to accomplish as individuals. But as much as we want to become personalist personalistically great, we must always be a shifa. We must always be at and look how we can do for others and how we can bring out the greatness in others as well. Wishing everyone a good night of Shabas and a beautiful Shabas Kesh.