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1) Why the Detour? Rav Soloveitchik on Jewish History's Roundabout Routes
Why does the Torah emphasize that Hashem led Bnei Yisrael “vayasev” — in a roundabout way — through the desert? The Midrash (Shemos Rabbah) makes a connection: from this word “vayasev” we derive the mitzvah of haseibah, reclining at the Seder. But what's the relationship between God's circuitous desert route and our obligation to recline on Pesach?
Rav Soloveitchik explains that reclining demonstrates genuine freedom — and, specifically, freedom despite difficulty. Even a poor person entirely dependent on others for his Seder meal must recline. It's obviously hard for someone in that position to perform this mitzvah, yet he must feel free despite his dependency. That very difficulty is the point: Real freedom isn't contingent on ideal circumstances.
This, says the Rav, mirrors the vayasev — God's roundabout route for His people. The seventh day of Pesach celebrates the splitting of the Yam Suf, yet forty years pass from this point before Bnei Yisrael entered Eretz Yisrael; complete geulah still hasn't arrived. Throughout our historical path, we demonstrate faith and trust while waiting for fulfillment of His promise: "and even though he may tarry, we still wait for [his] arrival." The Jews have suffered oppression and expulsion through many eras, yet we recline at the Seder night, reenacting our redemption even while experiencing the imperative of ongoing galus. Though we may experience poverty or hardship, though God still leads His people in a roundabout manner, we strengthen ourselves with trust that the promise will be realized.
Jewish history is characterized by "deviations from the straight course" — the correct route, not the shortest route, is our destiny. We approach it slowly but surely, then suddenly get deflected, thrust aside, forced in the opposite direction. Positions achieved are abandoned, accomplishments wiped away, entire settlements annihilated — and we start again. Just as surely, geulah beckons repeatedly, inspiring new hopes and movements. This zig-zagging pattern violates the geometric rule that "the shortest distance between two points is a straight line." Other nations move in a straight course from inception to eminence to decline. But our historical detours — the circuitous path itself — build the emunah necessary for ultimate redemption. (Moadei Harav, pp. 153-154; Reflections 1:109-110; you can see the quoted portion in Masores HaRav Chumash here.)
2) Taking Out Yosef's Bones
This week, as Beshalach opens with Moshe personally carrying Yosef's bones out of Egypt, we watched IDF soldiers painstakingly excavate a cemetery in Gaza to recover the remains of Ran Givili hy"d, the last hostage. The juxtaposition is striking – there really is no way to ignore it.
The Torah tells us explicitly: "U'moshe lakach es atzmot Yosef imo", Moshe takes the bones (or remains) of Yosef with him at the time of Yetzias Mitzrayim, literally. This fulfills Yosef's request of Bnei Yisrael, by which he had them swear: "please bring up my bones from here with you." Moshe is the one who takes upon himself the responsibility to fulfill this request.
Here’s the question: Why does the Torah emphasize that Moshe did this? And why is this pasuk positioned exactly where it is? The Torah tells us: "And Bnei Yisrael were chamushim when they went up from the land of Egypt. And Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him." Rashi interprets chamushim to mean "armed" – when Bnei Yisrael left Egypt, they were prepared with the weaponry necessary to confront the contingency of war.
What relationship was there between Moshe removing Yosef's bones and Bnei Yisrael arming themselves upon leaving Egypt?
Harav Boruch Sorotzkin zt"l suggests that Bnei Yisrael and Moshe were actually both arming themselves. The feature which distinguished one from the other was their sense of priorities. Moshe was Divinely inspired to make sure that Bnei Yisrael would cross the Yam Suf in the merit of Yosef. The Midrash states, "the sea saw and fled" (Tehillim 114). What did the sea notice that caused it to flee? It saw the aron of Yosef. Moshe understood that triumph in battle is not contingent upon physical prowess or advanced weaponry. Success in every area of life's endeavor is a product of one's spiritual efforts or one's individual merit.
We gravitate toward easy mitzvos, the ones that fit conveniently into our lives. But Moshe actively sought out the difficult, spiritually significant task that everyone else was too busy to undertake. This week, the world watched soldiers digging through a cemetery with extraordinary effort to bring home a Jewish soul. That same imperative – the recognition that some mitzvos are worth the hardest work – animated Moshe Rabbeinu at Yetzias Mitzrayim. The wise heart doesn't wait for mitzvos to present themselves easily; it acquires them, pursues them, even when – especially when – they require everything we have to give.
Parperet: Snow! I Bet You Never Saw It This Way.
While much of the country is covered in snow (and, yes, ice as well), we're all reciting the same words in Shacharis: "Hanosen sheleg katzamer" – He gives snow like wool (Tehillim 147:16). We say this pasuk every single day in Pesukei D'Zimra, but have we ever stopped to wonder – what does "like wool" actually mean? Why compare snow to wool at all?
The Imrei Emes offers a terrific interpretation: Hashem gives snow only according to the wool we have. In other words, the snow falls in proportion to our ability to protect ourselves from it – our wool, our warm clothing, our shelter, our resources. The comparison is precise! Hashem calibrates the challenges He sends us to match exactly what we can handle. Never more than that.
Every hardship, every test, every "storm" in our lives arrives measured against our capacity to weather it. When we feel overwhelmed, this pasuk is a reassurance: the snow matches the wool. You have what you need—perhaps not what you want, but what you need—to endure this moment. The One who sends the snow is the same One who provided the wool. Thanks to chaver R’ Akiva Males for pointing this out!
See Last Year’s Chomer Here.
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