Shemos: 5784 - Rabbi Shimon Zonnenfeld with an idea on the weekly parsha. What is the meaning of "indeed the matter is known"? And what is the connection to 24 Teves? Delivered during the class of Rabbi Betzalel Mizrachi…

00:01 Speaker 1 The parsha tells us about Moshe Rabbeinu. “He went out to his brothers, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting. He said to the wicked one: ‘Why do you strike your fellow?’ And they said to him: ‘Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?’” Moshe Rabbeinu says, “So the matter is known.” What does “So the matter is known” mean? Rashi gives two explanations. The first is the plain meaning: he thought no one knew what had happened, and now he suddenly discovers that the matter is known. Rashi brings a second explanation from the Midrash: “The matter I had wondered about is now known to me: What sin had Israel committed, more than all seventy nations, that they should be oppressed with backbreaking labor? But now I see that they deserve it.” And here there’s a question that cries out to heaven. Moshe Rabbeinu loved the Jewish people, yet here he seems to justify their suffering: Now I understand why the Jewish people suffer more than all the other nations. Now I understand. Moshe Rabbeinu was prepared to give his life for those who worshipped the Golden Calf. He said, “If not, erase me, please, from Your book.” Yet here Moshe Rabbeinu says: Yes, now I understand. Now I know why the Jewish people—why they deserve it.

01:16 Speaker 2 That’s Rashi.

01:16 Speaker 1 It’s not—yes, but the question is about Moshe Rabbeinu. This is Moshe Rabbeinu, who gives his life for the Jewish people, who loves them. How can that be? This question always bothered me. How could Moshe Rabbeinu say, “Now I understand. I see why this is happening. They deserve it”? Moshe Rabbeinu? There’s a simple answer: this was before Hakadosh Boruch Hu sent him, before he became the leader of the Jewish people. He had only just gone out because he had grown up, so he wasn’t yet—but still, when Moshe Rabbeinu was born, the house filled with light. That was true even when he was young. We can explain it this way. There were—and today is 24 Teves, the Alter Rebbe’s yahrzeit—three of the Maggid of Mezritch’s great disciples who were distinguished by their Ahavas Yisroel. One was Reb Zusha. Reb Zusha of Anipoli loved every Jew. When he saw a Jew, whatever state that person was in, even if he did the worst things, Reb Zusha saw nothing bad; he saw only good. He didn’t see anything bad. So to him every Jew was pure gold, and he loved every Jew. Then there was Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, who also loved every Jew. But Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev saw exactly what a person was like, and nevertheless found merit in him. When he saw a wagon driver greasing his wheels while reciting the Shema, he said, “Master of the Universe, look what a Jew You have! Even while he greases the wheels, he recites the Shema.” He found merit in him; he immediately turned it around. And so he loved every Jew. Then there was the Alter Rebbe, who was also distinguished by his Ahavas Yisroel. But the Alter Rebbe

03:00 Speaker 1 didn’t change reality or distort it. He saw a Jew as he was and, with everything about him, loved him as he was because he was a Jew. Moshe Rabbeinu took this approach too. Moshe Rabbeinu’s attribute was truth: “Moshe is true, and his Torah is true.” Moshe Rabbeinu saw the truth. It wasn’t that he failed to notice; he saw the truth, and nevertheless had Ahavas Yisroel. He loved every Jew and was prepared to give his life for every Jew. That’s the highest level of Ahavas Yisroel. It’s not that I change reality, or don’t see the bad, or try to find merit. Rather, I see the person as he is. Every Jew has a part of G-d above, literally, and therefore I love every Jew. So this can explain how Moshe Rabbeinu, because of his attribute of truth, says, “So the matter is known. Now I understand it,” and nevertheless is prepared to give his life for each and every Jew. When he sees an Egyptian taskmaster striking a Jew, he doesn’t stop to calculate. His life was in danger. Nevertheless, he kills that Egyptian. He is prepared to give his life for any Jew, but he doesn’t ignore reality as it is; he loves the Jew as he is. And we see this quality in the Rebbe. The Rebbe would receive every Jew graciously, regardless of their level or situation. He would listen to their requests and give them the blessings they needed, each and every one. May it be Hashem’s will that very soon we will see the Rebbe and have the complete Geulah.

04:37 Speaker 3 Amen, amen.