Parshas Bo
By Rabbi Dovid Zauderer
You may not know this but there are many commandments in the Torah in which we recall our ancestors’ exodus from Egypt over 3300 years ago.
To properly understand why the Exodus is so central to Judaism and why we are commanded to recall it the many ways that we do, we need the help of Ramban (Nachmanides) (1195-1270), the outstanding rabbi, Bible commentator, kabbalist, and leader of his generation.
Ramban, in his commentary to this week’s Torah portion (see Exodus 13:16), discusses the unique importance of the Exodus, explaining why the Torah gives us so many commandments to commemorate that event. He ultimately expounds on the underlying purpose of all the commandments, and of Creation itself.
The Exodus – explains the Ramban - is really all about Emunah. When the Jewish people see how G-d gets involved in the affairs of Man as He did in Egypt, it boosts their Emunah in Him.
Now even though the story of the Exodus from Egypt - as Ramban taught us - was and always will be the “foundational narrative” of our faith, it is good for us to ‘boost’ our Emunah every so often - any way we can - and to remind ourselves that G-d created this world and is very much involved in it.
To this end, I bring to you an absolutely true story which helped me boost my Emunah in G-d and His control of everything in this world – including how many years people are destined to live on this earth whether they like it or not … and I hope that it will do the same for you… !
Reb Levi Yitzchak Greenwald zt'l, the Tzelemer Rav, was visiting someone in an old-age home, and he met a very old Yid (Jew), and they spoke a little. The old man said, "Rebbe, daven (pray) for me to die. I am 116 years old and healthy, but I can't take watching my ninety-year-old son suffer. He suffers so much." The Tzelemer Rav said that he wanted to speak with his son. "Go speak with him," the elderly man said. "He is in this complex, a flight down." The Tzelemer Rav went to him and saw that it was true. His ninety-year-old son was suffering terribly. The son said, "The worst part is that I know I have another four years to live, and I can't tolerate living another four years with these yesurim (trials and tribulations)." The Tzelemer rav asked, "How do you know you have another four years to live?" The son replied, "I don't have koach (strength) to answer. Ask my father." The Tzelemer Rav went back upstairs to the 116-year old Yid, and said, "Can you tell me what's going on? How does your son know that he will live another four years?" The elderly man replied, "When I was young, I worked as a delivery man for a post office. I was very strong, so I would deliver the heavy packages. Erev Succos (the day before Succos), a package labeled ‘Reb Hillel Kolamaya’ came to the post office.
[Ed. note: Rabbi Hillel Lichtenstien from Kolamaya (1815-1891) - known to all as “Reb Hillel Kolamaya” - was one of the greatest Hungarian Torah scholars and Chassidic Rebbes of the 1800’s -dz]
“It was probably a package of sefarim (religious books). I was very excited to deliver it to this great scholar and tzaddik (righteous person), so I didn't push it off. It was Erev Succos when I came to Reb Hillel, and I saw that he was sad. 'What's the problem?' I asked him. 'Do you have a succah?' He said that he had. 'Do you need the four minim (the “Four Species” taken on Succos)?' He had that, as well. 'So, what is the problem?" Reb Hillel Kolamaya answered that in the middle of the night, drunk goyim take sticks, break down Succos, and hit the people inside. "I am afraid they might do that to me and my succah." "I said to Reb Hillel Kolamaya, 'Don't worry. I will sleep in your succah throughout Succos and protect you from these hooligans.' "I slept in the succah with a stick near my bed. Around one o'clock at night, the goyim came to the succah, and I hit them and chased them away. This occurred the second and third nights, but by then, they realized that they shouldn't bother Reb Hillel, and they caused havoc elsewhere. "Motzei Succos (the end of Succos), Reb Hillel Kolamaya said, 'I give you a brachah (blessing) that you should live until 120 gezunterheit (in good health), and none of your children shall die in your lifetime.'
"My son knows I will live another four years, and he won't die in my lifetime. That's how he knows he has another four years to live. He wants to die because he can't take the yesurim, and I also want to die because as long as I am alive, my son must live, and he has so much yesurim." The Tzelemer Rav requested from the secretary of the old-age home that they should contact him if anything happens to these two people. Four years later, the secretary told the Tzelemer Rav that the father was niftar (passed away). An hour later, they called again to say that the son was just niftar!!!
http://www.torchweb.org/torah_detail.php?id=745