Daily Bitachon

Hashem Knew


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Welcome to Daily Bitachon , as we continue with lessons in Bitachon from Pesukim in Ki Tavo . We are now up to וירא את ענינו / Vayar et Onyenu / And God saw our pain. This was after we cried out to God, as it says, Vanitzak el Hashem Elokei Avoteinu/We cried out to God, Vayishma Hashem/ And Hashem heard our voices . And the next thing that happens is, Vayar et Onyenu/ Hashem saw our pain. What is that referring to? Zu perishut derech eretz/This refers to the fact that husbands and wives separated. Why did they separate? Many Rishonim explain that it was due to the decree that all boys had to be thrown into the Nile River, as Rashi tells us in Shemot 2:1, where it says Vayikach et Bat Lev i, Amram takes Yocheved. Amram had separated from Yocheved because of the decree of Paroah, and now he remarried her, as it says, Vayelech/And he went. He went and followed his daughter Miriam's advice, when she said, ' Your decree is worse than Paroah's. Paraoh's decree was only on the males but by not being married, your decree is on the males and the females.' We see from here that the Jewish people, on their own, made a decision to separate from their wives. Hashem saw the pain that occurred as a result. Families were being broken apart due to their decision to not bring more children into the world, if those children were just going to be drowned. So that's Vayar et Onyenu Zu perishut derech eretz . As usual, the Ba'al Haggadah brings a proof, as it says, Vayar Elohim et Bnei Yisrael/ Hashem saw what happened to Bnei Yisrael . Vayeda Elohim / And Hashem knew . Simply, Hashem saw, Vayar et Onyenu , and here it says Vayar Elohim , Hashem saw our pain and He knew. But how do we know that this has to do with them being separated? Because it says Vayeda Elohim / God knew. This was something that only God knew about. God knows that people make decisions. God knows, " I'm staying away from getting married because I'm worried about xyz." So we see from here that when Hashem's mercy is being enacted, it doesn't just work in general. Hashem looks at every detail, even the secrets hidden in a person's mind. Rashi, on the pasuk ofVayeda Elohim says, God placed His heart on them and did not allow His eyes to ignore them. This is a concept called Gilui Panim / Hashem revealing His face . The Ramban on this Rashi says that originally Hashem was Mastir panav / He was hiding His face, w hich is when we don't see Him in action. But now He went to the the level of Vayeda / He knew what was going on. Of course, He always knows what's going on, but now, He was acting on it. Rabbenu Bachya expandsa little bit more on this pasuk . He says Vayar Elohim/God saw, refers to what the Egyptians were doing outside, that people could see. Vayeda Elohim / And God knew, refers to the difficulties they were doing to them in hiding, that no one knew about it. Only God knows . The psychological pain that the Jewish people were going through was also picked up and felt by Hashem. The HaEmek Davar adds a beautiful thought. He asks, Why does it say And God saw ? He answers that, He saw what He didn't hear. He explains that there are certain things that we don't even feel comfortable sharing in our prayers. We might be a little embarrassed about sharing a certain want or need. But Hashem sees those too. Let's say a person feels he's missing out on something. He's not going to say " Hashem, I wish I had sprinkles on my ice cream ." He's thinking about that but he's not going to ask for that. But Hashem sees that too. The Maharil Diskin adds something fascinating about how Hashem's Hashgacha works. Hashem knew . What did Hashem know ? That they got separated from their wives. And he says that when Hashem calculated that they had to leave Mitzrayim early because of the extra work that they did, He took into account all of the children that had been thrown into the Nile, all of children that had been put into the bricks, and all the children that would have been born if they hadn't separated from each other, as if they had all existed and they were all doing work. That is something that only Hashem could know. Vayeda Elohim . That's how far Hashem's calculations go, when He's figuring things out. And he says, that's what it means V'gam et hagoy asher ya'avodu dan anochi /I will judge the nation that's working you, I'll judge how many you would have been, and I'll figure that out as well . Wonder of wonders, how Hashem's Hashgacha is able to work. The Ma'ayanah shel Torah says something fascinating which is a tremendous limud zechut on the Jewish people. Vayar et Onyenu , Hashem sees our suffering. And he brings a pasuk Vayar Elohim/ And God sees et Bnei Yisrael . Vayeda Elohim and Hashem knows. Now simply, this pasuk really doesn't say anything. That's why Rashi has to explain that Hashem is now paying attention to them. But the Ma'ayanah shel Torah says, You know what Hashem saw? Et Bnei Yisrael. That through all the suffering they went through, they stayed strong to their identity as Jewish people. With all the pain and all the suffering, they still remained Jewish people and that's what brought the Geula.
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Daily BitachonBy Rabbi David Sutton