Parshas Vaeira 5784
How remarkable is it to create the universe in six days? It really depends on your perspective. If the expectation is that forces of nature will naturally coalesce to create the cosmos and all they contain, then six days is a pitifully short amount of time. But beginning with the premise that an omnipotent G-d is at the helm, the question becomes, “What took so long?”
The same could well be asked of the transformation of a slave people into G-d’s chosen nation, liberated, ennobled, and redeemed. With the Almighty at the helm what took so long?
In the opening pesukim of Parshas Vaeira, Hashem lays out a full plan of action for delivering the Jews from Egyptian bondage. The terminology is quite familiar to anyone familiar with the four cups of wine at the Seder, as each stage of the redemption is represented by another cup.
Hashem tells Moshe, “והוצאתי, והצלתי, וגאלתי, ולקחתי—I will take them out, I will save them, I will redeem them, I will take them unto Me” (Shemos 6:6-7). And although these terms are sometimes spoken of as the “ארבע לשונות של גאולה—The four expressions of redemption,” Rav Baruch Epstein, author of Torah Temimah, points out that the Talmud Yerushalmi that serves as the source for linking the terms found in our parsha with the four cups we drink at the Seder, doesn’t refer to four expressions of redemption, but to four redemptions.
The difference, the Torah Temimah explains, is not just one of semantics. Speaking of four expressions of redemption is to say that the one, singular redemption is can be referred to in four different ways. Speaking of four redemptions is to say that the geulah unfolded in four different phases. That it didn’t happen all at once.
And why not? Why couldn’t Hashem snap His divine fingers and collapse all four components of the geulah into a single instant? He quite certainly could have. There was no inability on the giving end, but the receiving end is a different matter altogether.
Becoming the chosen nation represented a massive transformation, one that the people themselves simply could not undergo overnight. A pot of water takes time to come up to a boil, even with an endless supply of fuel. Hashem could provide the fire, but it would take time for the Jewish People to come up to temperature.
The Baal Shem Tov was once asked why, if everything G-d created ultimately serves some valuable purpose, did He create the capacity for herecy? When could the capacity to deny G-d be worthwhile? He answered that at times we’re meant to forget about Hashem because we’re supposed to assume the role of Hashem. When we interact with others, when we provide for others, we shouldn’t be relying on Hashem to take over, but should see ourselves as being solely responsible for those relying on us.
How does Hashem act? Slowly. Not because He must, but for the sake of those relying on him. Because the reality of the human condition is that people do not make an immediate about face, do not go from zero to sixty in mere moments. Certainly not with any long-lasting results.
When we are in position to guide and to lead—in Hashem’s position as it were—we would be wise to remember this reality. Whether we’re trying to create a new office culture, hold our children to a higher standard, or lead a new initiative within our communities, we must remember that people need to move slowly en route to substantive change.
If we know this ahead of time, we can follow another play in Hashem’s playbook—develop a plan for rolling the project out in phases. Hashem’s proposal for redemption is not to push the people as far as they can go, then take a break and come up with a new plan. From the very outset He has a hefty goal for what His beloved nation is to become, but has plans to arrive at that goal in phases.
Do you want your children to have better study habits? Want your team to hit a higher sales target? Want your friends to engage in more chessed and volunteerism? Think big, develop impressive goals, but break them down into smaller chunks. Don’t get frustrated by the slow pace at which people change; know that truth ahead of time and simply plan accordingly.
Hashem could have brought the geulah in one fell swoop just as you can incinerate a pot of water in an instant with a bomb. But if you’re looking for a nice, steady boil, you need to be prepared to wait patiently.