VOS GEIT MEN TON?

  Rabbi Yisrael Lau, former chief Rabbi of Israel, relates a very interesting story. He came to visit the Lubavicher Rebbe. In the middle of their conversation, the Rebbe asked him, "What are Jews saying these days in Israel." He was concerned because it was right after the 1973 Yom Kippur war. Rabbi Lau replied that Jews are asking each other, 

"Vos vet zein". "What will be"?  

    The Rebbe grasped Rabbi  Lau׳s arm and vehemently said:"Yidden fregen nit vos vet zein; zen fregen, vos geit men ton?"Jews do not ask what will be, they ask, what are we going to do? 

   "What will be? is the question of a victim." "What we are going to do? is a proactive question."

  The question what will be, seems to suggest that there is nothing we can do to change the situation. In truth there is always something very powerful that we can do and towards this positive attitude we proceed to act and find out what are we going to do.  

   Life has many options and we are encouraged to find them and act upon them - always asking what are we going to do?

    Our decision to be involved and to try to find solutions to the many problems we all

face, is to realign our lives with greater spirituality and more introspection into our value system. 

   The Parshiot that we are presently reading, seem to enunciate the many dilemmas that Moshe is faced with as he is instructed to appear before Pharoah, and to utter the word of Hashem, שלח את עמי, "Send forth the Jewish People from slavery and oppression. 

  The message is clear. However, I find myself in a philosophical dilemma, as we read the following dialogue between G-D and Moshe,

  " כי ידבר אליכם פרעה תנו לכם מופת   When Pharoah  speaks to you saying "Provide a wonder for yourselves....." It appears that Hashem did not say to Moshe that Pharoah will ask you,  

"  תנו לי מופת or תנו לעמי מופת, Show me a sign or show my people a sign.Why did Hashem reflect that Pharoah will ask to show yourself a sign?

  The Aznayim L'Torah, exclaims that Pharoah was really saying, שאתם בעצמכם אינכם מאמינים במי ששלח אתכם אלי  that Pharoah would only be impressed and believe that Moshe represents the will of G-D, only when he sees  that Moshe and Aharon are impressed themselves by the power of this Almighty G-D, and therefore he will use the language לכם,you. 

   This is truly a brilliant insight into what a true Judaic life means. For a Jew, in general, to have influence over our modern day Pharoahs, for a Jew to show the world what G-Dly means, then he must be impressed by his own words and by his own deeds as was Moshe facing his arch enemy 

Pharoah. 

    Judaism needs our entire לכם,our entire being to live with great enthusiasm and with tremendous pride that comes when the Jew himself is impressed by his Judaic code and way of life. 

  If we want to get the feeling of self fulfillment which comes from living  a Torah oriented life then we must thrust ourselves completely into the learning of Torah, into the fulfillment of Mitzvos, of making our Shabbat table a מזבח להי, resulting in great joy and spiritual ecstasy. We must act with a greater sense of לכם, of totally involved  without any rationalizations and  being impressed with the beauty and magnificence of Judaism. 

    Our lives and especially the lives of our children, must emphasize the תנו לכם מופת syndrome and to be impressed and to feel a great sense of pride, requiring our loyalty and a boldness in action in all the vicissitudes of Jewish life.

   This way of life as it brought the Yeshuah for Moshe  and עם ישראל, will bring our ישועה במהרה בימינו.