The power for the Geulah (Redemption) comes from the greatest humility – the Chassidic scholar Rabbi Ofer Erez shlit"a (may he live long and good days) explains in his fascinating lesson on the weekly Torah portion how Moses our Teacher merited to redeem the Jewish people in the merit of his great humility, and how humility is the foundation and the gateway to the Geulah (Redemption).

In Parshat Shemos, we begin to study the topic of the Geulah (Redemption) from Egypt. As is known, Moses our Teacher is the leader chosen to take the Jewish people out of Egypt. When we observe the behavior, thoughts, and character traits of Moses, we see what is required of a leader of Israel and what we can learn from this subject. As is known, when Hashem tells him to go and redeem the people, he resists. There are several reasons why Moses resisted going to redeem the Jewish people and being the messenger. One of the reasons, as Rashi (the classic commentator) writes on the verse: "And He said: 'Is there not Aaron your brother the Levite? I know that he can surely speak. And also, behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart'" [Exodus 4:14]. Rashi focuses on this point: why specifically "rejoice in his heart"? Rashi brings a point written in the Midrash (homiletic teachings) that Hashem said to Moses: "Do not think that Aaron your brother will be resentful toward you because you are rising to greatness. Rather, 'he will see you and rejoice in his heart'—he will rejoice even in his heart and not just outwardly." Here the Midrash says that one of the reasons Moses resisted going to redeem the people was because Aaron was older than him and was already a prophet in Egypt, and Moses feared that Aaron might be jealous or distressed that Moses was the one who merited to rise to greatness.

Sensitivity to Hurting a Jew – Even at the Price of the Geulah (Redemption)

We learn something very profound from here. We are talking about the greatest historical move since the creation of the world until the coming of Mashiach Tzidkenu (our righteous Messiah). To take the Jewish people out of Egypt and give them the Torah—and despite all this, Moses our Teacher is concerned about the internal feeling of Aaron his brother. If Aaron would be distressed by the fact that he [Moses] would redeem the Jewish people, then he refuses to redeem them. He is willing to forgo all the spiritual levels and the entire Geulah (Redemption) of the Jewish people, provided he does not hurt a fellow Jew even slightly. When Hashem sees this, He reveals to Moses: "Do not think he will be hurt; rather, 'he will see you and rejoice in his heart.'" He will rejoice even in his heart. Here we see the greatness and sensitivity of Moses our Teacher—that he is not willing to go and redeem the people if it will slightly hurt a fellow Jew. This is the conduct and the greatness of the character refinement of Moses. But simultaneously, we also see the greatness of Aaron; Hashem testifies that he will rejoice in his heart with complete joy.

Joy in the Heart and Meriting the High Priesthood

Therefore, Rashi says that he [Aaron] merited the Choshen (Breastplate), which is placed over the heart, containing the Urim V'Tumim (Divine names used for guidance) that only the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) wears. From the fact that he rejoiced in his heart, he merited to be the Kohen Gadol, and all his descendants would be High Priests. From here we learn another point regarding the Geulah (Redemption): Aaron merited the High Priesthood because he was not jealous of Moses. If we contemplate this, Moses and Aaron, the two great leaders of Israel—in what merit did they achieve their leadership? In the merit of their character refinement. Moses is careful not to hurt anyone even in the slightest, while with Aaron we see that even though his younger brother rises to greatness and becomes the leader of Israel, Aaron is not jealous and does not feel even a hairsbreadth of distress. This is what Hashem reveals to Moses: "He will rejoice in his heart"—that he will have perfect joy even in his heart!

Rectifying Character Traits as a Condition for the Geulah (Redemption)

From here we see something awesome: how great this is in the eyes of Hashem, and that the entire Geulah (Redemption) depends on it. On what? On the rectification of character traits. The rectification of interpersonal traits (bein adam l'chavero) is so great before Hashem that the entire Geulah (Redemption) depends on it. Therefore, the two leaders of Israel, Moses and Aaron, who merited to take the Jewish people out of Egypt and who were equal in their spiritual level, only merited what they did in the merit of their character refinement.

"Send Now by the Hand of Whom You Will Send" – The Depth of Moses' Humility

Another point we see is that Moses our Teacher resisted going to redeem the Jewish people for an entire week. Truly, we must understand why Moses resisted, and we will see another reason. It is written: "And he said: 'O my Lord, send now by the hand of whom You will send'" [Exodus 4:13]. The commentators ask, and Rashi also brings this in the name of the Midrash, as do Targum Yonatan ben Uziel and the Ramban (Nachmanides), and there are several explanations. The first explanation: "Send by the hand of the one You are accustomed to sending"—as we said before, send it through Aaron. Do not send me; he is greater than me in stature, etc. Another explanation from the Targum: "Send by the hand of Phinehas." It appears that Phinehas was alive, and Moses saw through Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration) that he is Elijah the Prophet who will herald the final Geulah (Redemption). Therefore, Moses says: "Send by the hand of the one You are going to send at the end of all generations." The Ramban says: "I interpret according to the plain meaning of the verse: 'Send by the hand of whom You will send'—anyone else You send in the world will be better than me."

Lowliness and Humility as the Power of the Geulah (Redemption)

The Ramban explains a very profound point here: Moses says to Hashem that any person in the world You send will be better than me. Moses is not speaking figuratively; especially since he is speaking with Hashem, we see how great and all-encompassing Moses' humility was. This means Moses was saying: "I am [lower] than any person in the world." It is brought in "Avot D'Rabbi Natan" that there were 24 types of people afflicted with boils (leprosy) in Jerusalem. Being afflicted with boils is not a simple thing; these are lepers, which is one of the most unpleasant things where a person emits pus and a bad odor. Also, if a person has the status of a leper, anyone who approaches him must be told: "I am impure, do not come near me." To live like that for several months is the ultimate lowliness. Therefore, the Avot D'Rabbi Natan says there were twenty-four types of skin-afflicted people in Jerusalem, and Moses felt he was worse than the worst leper in the world. We see something awesome from here—to what extent Moses' humility reached. This means Moses saw himself, his own lowliness, his weakness, what he still needed to rectify, that he was a Ba'al Teshuvah (penitent), and what he had not yet managed to fix. Moses says to Hashem: "How do You think a person like me can redeem the Jewish people? I myself need to search for the Tzaddik who can rectify me; I am so far from my own rectification." And the moment the Tzaddik feels such lowliness, Hashem says to him: "Go and redeem the Jewish people." One of the important Chassidic books, "Pri HaAretz" (by Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk), a student of the Maggid of Mezeritch, says that for a Tzaddik to be able to redeem the Jewish people, it means not just an external Geulah (Redemption) of taking them out of Egypt, but also taking Egypt out of the Jewish people. This is because Egyptian culture was entirely forty-nine gates of impurity, the "nakedness of the land," sorcery, idolatry, and all the worst things in the world. The leader of Israel's job is not just to strike Pharaoh, but to figure out how to remove all the impurity that took root within the Jewish people. The Pri HaAretz says that to take the Jewish people out of there, the Tzaddik must feel that he is the worst person among the Jewish people, having no feeling of greatness, pride, or resentment. Because the second he sees even the worst Jew, he says: "But I am worse than him." The Pri HaAretz says that through the power of this humility and lowliness, the Tzaddik connects in love with all the souls of Israel, and through this, when Hashem sends him, he can redeem the people. For the moment a person feels anger, pride, or resentment toward another—"How are you behaving? Who do you think you are?"—once that point exists, it is impossible to help the Jewish people. The Tzaddik must feel, as Moses did, that his own mind is lowlier than all the lepers in Jerusalem and all those flawed in character and desires, feeling he is worse than all of them. The Pri HaAretz says that in the merit of this feeling and this perspective, he can connect with all souls in love, and when he connects, he can elevate all the souls together with him.

The Flaw of Not Judging Favorably

From here we learn that when we look at one another with pride—"How is he behaving? Who is he? What is he?"—or with resentment and anger toward another, we learn the magnitude of the flaw in this. When such a flaw exists, souls become separated. This is the root of the destruction of the Holy Temple. Our main work there is as Rebbe Nachman says in Torah 282 (Azamra): to find the good point in every Jew and to find a good point in ourselves as well, but all of this must be without anger, with the greatest humility, and without pride. On the contrary, if you see a Jew doing something wrong, Rebbe Nachman says: "Do not be angry with him; instead, pray for him that he should behave properly." We see in our Parsha the essence of the work of character refinement and the importance of the matter. It is so internal and so deep that the entire Geulah (Redemption) depends on it. Moses our Teacher merited to redeem the Jewish people only because "the man Moses was very humble, more than any man on the face of the earth," having no resentment or pride over any person on earth. We see this between Moses and Aaron—that if Aaron had even a small resentment, Moses did not want to go and redeem the people. Conversely, we see Aaron, how much he worked on his character, how much he rectified even a tiny point of jealousy in the deepest depths of his heart, until Hashem testified about him: "And he will see you and rejoice in his heart," until he merited to be the Kohen Gadol and to redeem the Jewish people along with Moses.

Shabbat Shalom U'Mevorach (A peaceful and blessed Shabbat)!