[Avodah] More extreme Kantianism from the Mussarniks

[Micha Berger]

>From my inbox...

The Alter of Slabodka makes a similar point to REED's understanding of
the Maharal about nissim. But rather than talk about going up and down
among the four olamos, he writes about each person having their own
olam.

The footer on this PDF parashah mailing reads (transliteration mine):
> Lizekhus refu'ah sheleimah - Yitzchak Reuvein ben Chayah Feiga
> Chaya Isah Sarah bas Devorah - Chayah Yakhte Elqa bar Chanah Rachel -
> Reizl Esther bas Frumit - Basyah bas Tzivyah (Tzviyah?)

> To receive this publication via email, send an email to
> subscribe at growthandgreatness.com

SheTir'u baTov!
-micha

THE ALTER on THE PARSHA
Shmuessen of Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, Zt"l, the Alter of Slabodka
Adapted from Sefer Ohr HaTzafun

[Original Pasuq deleted due to limitations processing Hebrew. -mi]


"I am Hashem your G-d that took you out of Mitzrayim." (Shemos 20:2)

Hashem tells us in the first of the Aseres Hadibros that He is the G-d
that 'took us out of Egypt.'  The posuk implies that the episode of
Yitziyas Mitzrayim plays an important role in our understanding of our
Creator. What is it about the events surrounding our redemption from
Egypt that define Hashem's role in His world?

Chazal tell us that every individual can declare "the world was
created for my sake." At its simplest, our sages mean that every
person deserves to have a whole world created just for him. 
Additionally, every person's world is tailor-made; his surroundings
and events are all planned and directed with exact hashgacha pratis.
Our deliverance from Egypt teaches us to take this idea further. Not
only is the whole world fit to be created for each individual, but in
actuality an entire universe was created for every person. And
Yitziyas Mitzrayim is the event that demonstrates this truth.

Throughout the experience of Yitziyas Mitzrayim we encounter an
interesting phenomenon. Every plague leveled against the Egyptians had
no effect on the Jewish nation dwelling among them.  When Egypt was
smitten with the plague of Dam, all Egyptian water became blood. The
water supply of the Jews, however, was not affected. Egyptians would
try to circumvent their plight by drinking from the same source, or
even the same bowl as a Jew, but to no avail. The 'water' would be
blood for the Egyptian, while for the Jew it remained water.

When Egypt was paralyzed with darkness, our ancestors took the
opportunity to discover the riches of their Egyptian neighbors. They
would enter an Egyptian home and search for valuables, while the
house's owner stood still, powerlessly mired in darkness. As the
Egyptian stood frozen in a blackened room, the Jew could see and move
about in that very same room.

The rest of the plagues followed the same model. While our captors
bore the brunt of each scourge, their captives were not affected at
all. As we crossed the Yam Suf, what was dry land for our ancestors
was simultaneously a raging sea to our enemies. This concept seems
puzzling. How could a Jew and Egyptian experience the same reality
differently? How is it possible for a single actuality to be
experienced in more than one way? Was the room dark or light; was it a
bowl of blood or water?

The miracles of Yitziyas Mitzrayim point to one fact: Hashem creates a
separate universe for every human being. Hashem is constantly creating
and recreating every man's unique world, animating and adjusting it
for each person's needs. The Egyptian was in darkness because Hashem
made darkness in his world, while the Jew had light because Hashem
made light in his. The constant regeneration of each person's world is
the tool Hashem used to achieve this duality. The Jews weren't
affected by the plagues because the forces unleashed on Egypt simply
did not exist for them.

Most of the time Hashem makes all of Creation seamlessly integrated;
what He creates for one, He duplicates for another. This lends itself
to the illusion that there is one static world, with all of us placed
into it. But Hashem tells us, 'I am your G-d that took you out of
Mitzrayim.' Through Yitziyas Mitzrayim He showed us His role in
creation, as a G-d that creates a world individually for each being. 
Sometimes we may excuse our lack of striving for perfection in Avodas
Hashem by saying, "I'm just a regular guy, my actions don't count that
much." We think that there are others greater than us who perform the
loftier, more important tasks. If we would truly inculcate this lesson
that our nation learned from Yitziyas Mitzrayim we would be aroused to
reach for perfection. It would be almost impossible for us to sin.
Every person is the central figure of the world created just for him.
Every particle, force, and being in his world is constantly being
regenerated exclusively for his Avodas Hashem.  When the sun rises in
the morning, man can confidently declare "That sun is rising just for
me."

At night he can know that every star in the entire cosmos is shining
just for him. A person's actions, good or bad, determine the rise and
fall of all of his world. Armed with this truth, man can climb
ever-upward, seizing every instant, inspired by the role he plays as
captain of his universe.