»
Rabbi Avi Weiss
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
“Where is God?” asked Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, one of the great
chassidic masters. “Everywhere,” replied his students. “No, my
children,” he responded, “God is not everywhere but only where you let
Him enter.”
The Kotzker’s answer reinforces a distinction Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik makes between two terms of redemption, both of which relate to being saved – hatzalah and yeshuah. Hatzalah requires no action on the part of the person being saved; yeshuah, on the other hand, is the process whereby the recipient of salvation participates in helping him or herself.
In the portions read during the last few weeks, the Torah describes how the Jewish people, emerging from Egypt, experienced the process of hatzalah. Note God’s words – “vehitzalti etchem” (Exodus 6:6). God and God alone took us out of Egypt. Just as a newborn is protected by her or his parents, so were the newly born Jewish people protected by God.
Much like a child who grows up, the Jewish people, having left Egypt, were expected to assume responsibilities. While Moshe thought the process of hatzalah would be extended into the future, God does not concur; the sea will split but you will be saved only if you do your share and try to cross on your own (Rashi on Exodus 14:15). As the Jews stand by the sea, the Torah suddenly shifts from the language of hatzalah to that of yeshuah as it states “vayosha Hashem” (Exodus 14:30).
I remember my son Dov, as a small child at the Seder table, asking: “Why do we have to open the door for Eliyahu? He has so much power! Couldn’t he squeeze through the cracks?”
At the Seder table, in addition to re-enacting the redemption from Egypt we also stress the hope for future redemption. This part of the Seder experience begins with the welcoming of Eliyahu, who will be the harbinger of the Messianic period. But for the Messiah to come, says Rav Kook, we must do our share and so we open the door and welcome him in. Sitting on our hands and waiting is not enough.
I often asked my parents where their generation was when our people were being destroyed. Although many stood up, not enough made their voices heard. Let us bless each other today that when our children and grandchildren ask us similar questions, such as “Where were you when Jews were mercilessly murdered in Israel.” we will be able to answer that we did stand up and we did our best to make a difference.
Let us pray that we will have done our share and opened the door to let God in. We must recognize that we can’t only ask for hatzalah, where God alone intervenes, but must also do our share to bring about a new era, one of genuine partnership between heaven and earth – a true yeshuah.
About the Author: Rabbi Avi Weiss is founder and president of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and senior rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale.
Partnership Between Heaven And Earth
Rabbi Avi Weiss
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
The Kotzker’s answer reinforces a distinction Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik makes between two terms of redemption, both of which relate to being saved – hatzalah and yeshuah. Hatzalah requires no action on the part of the person being saved; yeshuah, on the other hand, is the process whereby the recipient of salvation participates in helping him or herself.
In the portions read during the last few weeks, the Torah describes how the Jewish people, emerging from Egypt, experienced the process of hatzalah. Note God’s words – “vehitzalti etchem” (Exodus 6:6). God and God alone took us out of Egypt. Just as a newborn is protected by her or his parents, so were the newly born Jewish people protected by God.
Much like a child who grows up, the Jewish people, having left Egypt, were expected to assume responsibilities. While Moshe thought the process of hatzalah would be extended into the future, God does not concur; the sea will split but you will be saved only if you do your share and try to cross on your own (Rashi on Exodus 14:15). As the Jews stand by the sea, the Torah suddenly shifts from the language of hatzalah to that of yeshuah as it states “vayosha Hashem” (Exodus 14:30).
I remember my son Dov, as a small child at the Seder table, asking: “Why do we have to open the door for Eliyahu? He has so much power! Couldn’t he squeeze through the cracks?”
At the Seder table, in addition to re-enacting the redemption from Egypt we also stress the hope for future redemption. This part of the Seder experience begins with the welcoming of Eliyahu, who will be the harbinger of the Messianic period. But for the Messiah to come, says Rav Kook, we must do our share and so we open the door and welcome him in. Sitting on our hands and waiting is not enough.
I often asked my parents where their generation was when our people were being destroyed. Although many stood up, not enough made their voices heard. Let us bless each other today that when our children and grandchildren ask us similar questions, such as “Where were you when Jews were mercilessly murdered in Israel.” we will be able to answer that we did stand up and we did our best to make a difference.
Let us pray that we will have done our share and opened the door to let God in. We must recognize that we can’t only ask for hatzalah, where God alone intervenes, but must also do our share to bring about a new era, one of genuine partnership between heaven and earth – a true yeshuah.
About the Author: Rabbi Avi Weiss is founder and president of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and senior rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale.
Comments
Post a Comment