Parshas Beshalach 5778
QUESTION:
Here a person tells a story. He had parked his car; when he came back he found a homeless sleeping in the backseat. The police came and kicked him out. He drove two more blocks and stopped for an errand and he made sure to lock all the doors. When he returned he found the same homeless sleeping again in the backseat. So the question is, my kumashma lun, what is Hashem trying to tell us?
ANSWER:
Kumashma lun tuvo, He's telling us many things. I won't tell you everything, but one thing I'll tell you however; how lucky you're not he, you have a home. Being homeless is a pity, I'm not talking about these reshoim, the drunks and drug addicts, they deserve what they're getting. But there are some homeless like an insane woman, when she was a balabusta in her own house, and now she's pushing a little cart, and all her worldly possessions are on that cart.
Where does she sleep at night? She's bundled up with the rags and her head in her dress, and she's so sad, she sits by herself in the park bench trying to sleep, she can't get any sleep, who knows where she slept last night… that's a bitter rachmanus. Once she had a home, a kitchen, a refrigerator, her own bedroom, and she had a telephone, she had everything a house requires. Now she does not have anything except that little cart. That's a rachmanus; a heartbreaking thing. What we could do for her I don't know, because she is insane, she won't let you do anything for her.
But, one thing at least, you have to learn to thank Hashem for all the things that you do have that she doesn't. The homeless have to teach you how lucky you are to have a home. You come home at night, you lock the door; you have privacy. If you have a wife even better, children, family, it's warm, you have running water, you have a bathroom, you have beds; you have so many things.
The truth is that if you start counting your blessings, there are so many you don't know what to do, but you better get busy start counting right away, and little by little your life becomes full of happiness. The purpose of the homeless is to make you sing to Hashem all day long for what He is giving you. And the most important gift is, Ato chonein l'adam daas, He gives you sanity, sanity is a tremendous gift.
So when you see a homeless person, think about that; how lucky you are. And that is a very important purpose why Hashem sent that homeless person into your backseat.
Good Shabbos To All
Question #70
QUESTION:
Why isn't all food made ready to eat?
ANSWER: Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanted us to work in this world. It's very important we should be busy. If we would live idly like Adam in Gan Eden, we would fall into sin, and that's why when Adam showed that total leisure was dangerous for him, he fell into sin. So Hashem said, from now on B'zeias Apecha Tochal Lechem, with the sweat of your brow you'll eat bread. You have to work for your bread, it's a blessing to work, Gedola Melacha, because you’re busy working it keeps you out of trouble.
If everything was ready made, you never have to do any cooking, women would go wild. It's a blessing that they stand in the kitchen, and there's a big opportunity. A woman standing at the gas range is like a Kohain at the Mizbeiach and she's Makriv Korbanos. She's Makriv herself on the gas range for the benefit of her family. Hakadosh Baruch Hu planned this world for work, work is a very important blessing in this world, Gedola Melacha, how great is work. Make no mistake about it, Adam was given this blessing, B'zeias Apecha, with the sweat of your brow. Tova Torah Im Melacha, you need work in this world, Sheyagia Shenaihem Mashkachas Avon, laboring in Torah and laboring in work causes people to forget sin.
And therefore when Hakadosh Baruch Hu made an exception and gave us fruits, He's reminding us of our original state. Our original state was planned to be total leisure, where we'd enjoy the fruits of Gan Eden. So on Chamisha Asor Beshvat we go back to Gan Eden for a short visit and we look at the fruits, and we utilize them for the purpose for which the world was created. Then we go back to our work, Shaishes Yomim Ta'avod, six days you should work, V'asisa Kol Melachtecha. When Shabbos comes, thank Hashem for Shabbos or on Shabbos thank Hashem that He gave you six days to work.
Think about that: Thank Hashem that he gave you six days to carry out all your plans, to labor, to perfect yourself, to create the benefits of character that accrue from work, Gedola Melacha. Shabbos is like giving Maaser. When you give a tenth of your earnings to Hashem, you thank Him for the other nine tenths, and when you keep Shabbos to Hashem you thank Him for the other six days. Shaishes Yomim, six days you should do your work, a blessing of six days, it's a happiness the six days, opportunity of six days, because the work is in itself one of the great benefits that Hashem is giving to mankind.
THIS WEEKS "MOMENT" IS L'ILUY NISHMAS, Yosef Eliezer Ben Mordechai, Reb Yossi Pressburger, a dear friend. He looked for every opportunity to spend his time in Dvorim Sh'bkedusha, Chesed, and Limud Hatorah.
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures.
To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
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Important Numbers
