Living Torah Archives

Concerning the future Redemption, the prophet declares, “I will offer thanks to You, G-d, for Your wrath,” for at that time, the good hidden in all mankind’s suffering will be made clear. But why must this be concealed from us until then?

The Israelites were exiled in Egypt and forced to engage in slave labor, yet, when their redemption finally came, there were some who didn’t want to leave exile! Life became easy as soon as the slave-labor ceased, so they began complaining, “Why do we need to search for Torah and Judaism in the desert, and follow a wild individual like Moses? We have a competent king, culture and wisdom – let’s remain. But G-d sent a warning through Moses, that Pharaoh will “banish them from his land.” A Jew isn’t given a choice in the matter.

Torah relates that the Egyptian exile involved hard labor of “chomer u’leveinim – mortar and brick.” Of the current exile, however, Torah explains that the refinement of “chomer – mortar” is acquired through “kal vachomer – in-depth Torah study,” and the refinement of “leveina– brick,” through “libun hilchisa – clarification of Jewish law."

The Torah teaches us that Jacob’s best years were while living in Egypt during the final part of his life. Nevertheless, Jacob insisted on being taken to be interred near his parents and grandparents in the city of Hebron.

The Torah relates how our forefather Jacob behaved when he dwelled with Laban. Overcoming all the challenging circumstances he found himself in, he remained loyal and true to serving G-d despite them. While this steadfastness was a clear demonstration of where Jacob’s true allegiance lay, it still wasn’t the true fulfilment of his potential.

It is through teshuva, returning to G-d, that we can fix the root-cause of exile, and bring it to an end. The Midrash teaches that the exile truly began when the Jewish children were exiled. In this regard, the Jewish children play an important role in resolving the situation and ushering in the arrival of Moshiach.

Both of Joseph’s dreams came true: Eleven brothers prostrated themselves to Joseph, and they bowed again after Jacob and Bilha joined them.

The Jerusalem Talmud states: “If the Holy Temple is not rebuilt in your lifetime, it’s as though it were destroyed in your lifetime.” The commentaries learn from this that the Temple’s destruction is an ongoing event.

The Sotah woman is estranged from her husband, like the Jewish people during our long exile.

Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai taught: “G-d promises the Jewish people in exile: ‘I shall never reject them or abhor them to break My covenant with them.’ This is like a man whose bride lives in a leather tanners’ market, where everything reeks. Were she not there, he would never have entered. But because she is there, it smells to him like a spice market, the most beautiful scent in the world.”

Joseph had two dreams foretelling his ascendancy over his brothers. Both dreams came true: the ten brothers – including Benjamin – prostrated themselves to Joseph when they went down to Egypt the second time; and they prostrated again later after Jacob and Bilha joined them there.

Hebrew, the Holy Tongue, is utterly precise. In Hebrew, “Exile” is called “Golah.” But this very word also hints the path to redemption. By inserting the letter Alef, the word “Golah — Exile” becomes “Geulah — Redemption.”

Concerning the future Redemption, the prophet declares, “I will offer thanks to You, G-d, for Your wrath,” for at that time, the good hidden in all mankind’s suffering will be made clear.

G-d has promised to redeem us from exile. G-d Himself could have chosen to remain in the Heavens, separate from the exile, and from afar direct events to finally lead to our redemption. But Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai tells us otherwise: “Every place where the Jewish People are exiled, the Divine Presence is together with them.”

The purpose of exile has been explained with a parable: G-d hides from us, like a father hides from his son - in order to evoke the son's deepest desire to find his father and be close to him again.

The Stalinist regime that imprisoned my father-in-law, the Rebbe, in 1927, was then a superpower. Despite that, he defied his oppressors. He did not budge an inch in anything that jeopardized his principles. Even at the train station, about to be exiled, he declared publicly: “Only our bodies, not our souls, were sent into exile.” And indeed, his defiance led to his release.

Exile is a state when the world does not fully endorse the truth. Throughout history, Jews have risen above many attempts to discredit and hinder their devotion to G-d, and so must we do.