I had the great z’chus to be by a gathering my hometown, Beitar Illit, where we had the privilege this week to hear inspiring words of Torah and encouragement from HaRav Dov Lando shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Slobodka in Bnei Brak. He was near our area, and they made arrangements for him to detour and visit our city. (He is bli ayin hara over 90 years old.)
He came and spoke briefly, for about two minutes; that was it. He gave encouragement to everyone to try and do their best in their Torah learning, especially as we still need tremendous protection during these difficult times. And he ended off with a message for the yeshiva bochurim, to feel appreciation to all those who care for their needs - physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Someone standing near me who is familiar with Rav Lando’s method of speaking was smiling as the Rav finished. He explained to me that this is how Rav Lando always speaks, by saying “all those” and never saying “your parents.” Why? Just in case there are any orphans in the audience, he should not risk hurting them. Such sensitivity! Such love for his fellow Jews, ahavas Yisrael!
Many of the family members of the hostages have gone to Rav Lando for inspiration and encouragement. He has always made time for them, crying and saying Tehillim with them. Many of them have said that by him they sense someone who really cares and feels their pain.
Since Simchas Torah, Rav Yitzchak Koledetzsky shlita has been sleeping with a wooden board on his mattress to be in pain together with Klal Yisrael. He had begun sleeping on the floor, but after he got sick, he moved to his bed. I personally know one yeshiva bochur who’s been sleeping with his mattress on the floor since the beginning of the war. Another has been sleeping with one pillow, in place of his usual two. They are doing something to remind themselves of the pain and sorrow of so many in Klal Yisrael. Different forms of ahavas Yisrael.
When Moshe Rabbeinu matured and went out from Pharoh’s palace where he had been raised, he went to join his brothers, B’nei Yisrael. He saw their pain and anguish from the slavery. The Medrash says Moshe tried to help them, and he convinced Pharoh to give them a day of rest, Shabbos. Even though he was raised in lap of luxury, and although he was a Levi and was exempt from the forced labor anyway, he still went out to his brothers, identifying with them and feeling their pain.
Moshe killed a Mitzri to save a Jew (Doson). According to the simple explanation, he couldn’t bear to see a Jew being beaten (or he could see that the Mitzri intended to kill him). He looked around, saw many Jews around but no Mitzriim, and killed the Mitzri. The next day, he saw a fight between Doson and Aviram. Doson was going to hit Aviram, and Moshe stopped him. Doson replied, “Are you going to kill me too?! Who appointed you, young and inexperienced, to rule over us?” Moshe then said, “Now the matter is known.” Rashi explains that Moshe was saying, “Now I understand why Bnei Yisrael are being treated worse than any other nation and are not deserving to be redeemed. Because of the lashon harah between them.” Now he was frightened that a Jew would report him to Pharoh, and Doson and Aviram did just that.
However, the Medrash Rabba says: In merit of four deeds, B’nei Yisrael deserved to be redeemed: They didn’t change their names, their language, they guarded themselves from immorality (there was only one incident, by force), and they did not speak lashon harah about each other. So what does Rashi mean “that now Moshe understood”? They didn’t speak lashon harah! Rav Avigdor Miller zts”l explained Moshe Rabbeinu was giving a strong form of self-mussar. It was addressing ourselves, because only we, Klal Yisrael, truly demand perfection from ourselves, and speak to ourselves harshly. It’s like when we say the vidui and the al chet’s on Yom Kippur, admitting to the worst sins, even though most don’t apply to us. Moshe Rabbeinu was commenting on Klal Yisrael’s high level, even in the slavery, still required perfection. Even when the worst elements caused trouble.
Here we are introduced to Doson and Avirum. The Medrash Tanchuma openly calls them reshaim from their beginning to their end. However, they are complicated characters. They were from the shotrim, overseers of B’nei Yisrael. They allowed themselves to be hit for B’nei Yisrael’s unfinished work, bearing the pain for their brethren. Yet, they were such adversaries of Moshe Rabbeinu, even willing to get him killed? And absolutely no hakaras hatov for Moshe saving Doson from the Mitzri?
Rav Yisrael Altusky shlita (Yeshiva Torah Ohr, Yerushalayim) gives the following explanation. They viewed Moshe Rabbeinu as an upstart troublemaker. Here comes this Levi, who is privileged, exempt from slavery, and out of it. He grew up in Pharoh’s palace, and doesn’t get what really goes on among B’nei Yisrael and their suffering. He killed a Mitzri? Now he’s telling us what to do? He’s a danger to all of Klal Yisrael! Even if he saved Doson’s life, he must be stopped!
Moshe left and returned many years later, announcing that Hashem sent him to redeem B’nei Yisrael from Mitzrayim. He received approval from Serach bas Asher and the z’kainim. Doson and Aviram saw Moshe and said, “Oh no! Not him again! He’ll lead us to destruction; for sure he’ll make things worse! He hasn’t changed since he’s a kid, even though he’s now 79!”
Moshe and Ahron went before Pharoh and demanded B’nei Yisrael’s release. Pharoh refused, and decreed the gezeiras hakash, the decree that straw will no longer be supplied for the brick-making process. Bnei Yisrael would need to gather their own straw and still produce the same quota of bricks - or else! This was an insane decree. They literally spread in a mad rush around Mitzrayim to find and collect straw. It’s highly likely that there were fights over the straw as well. The quotas were not met, and the Jewish overseers got beaten for their workers’ failures.
The overseers came to Pharoh complaining that the decree was too much. He pushed them away: “Stop speaking about leaving Mitzrayim!” They went and found Moshe and Ahron to complain that their efforts were just increasing the suffering. This pained Moshe Rabbeinu immensely.
Doson and Avirum screamed, “See! We warned you that Moshe’s only going to cause trouble! Don’t rush the redemption, it has not yet been 400 years of golus as was told to Avraham Avinu! (No one knew that Hashem had begun that count from the birth of Yitzchak Avinu!) Because of Moshe, now we have this terrible gezeiras hakash. Jews are fighting over the straw, no one’s finishing their quotas - such tzaros! We were right! Moshe doesn’t care and doesn’t have ahavas Yisrael!”
Doson and Avirum were convinced they were right, and they would never accept any da’as Torah, an opinion based solely upon Torah knowledge and understanding, which eventually led them to joining Korach and meeting their bitter end. The da’as Torah here was that Hashem sent Moshe, and everything was according to His grand plan. They had plenty of ahavas Yisrael (some say that’s why they merited to leave Mitzrayim), but only according to their own opinion and understanding.
Ahavas Yisrael requires da’as Torah, just as any part of a Torah life does. We need ahavas Yisrael and achdus, a lot of it. By asking, listening, and emulating our rabbanim, we can achieve having amazing achdus!
May we merit that the hostages be freed very soon, and may we merit to greet Moshiach speedily in our days, with ahavas Yisrael and achdus!