Mussar HaTorah
10 Nisan, 5769 Vol. 10, No. 24 Shabbos HaGadol
[Spring]
The experience of the Jewish people in Egyptian slavery was not merely one of hard labor without compensation. Tortured by the taskmasters and their newborn babies murdered en masse, the Jews suffered in Egypt to an unimaginable
degree. When Hashem freed them from bondage, with an unparalleled revelation of His awesome mastery of the forces of nature, the Jews must have felt an overwhelming sense of ecstasy. Imagine concentration camp inmates being liberated by Allied forces, or prisoners being released after years of suffering and torture in Soviet prisons. Would it make an iota of a difference to them if the weather was less than favorable? Would they mind having to walk through a snowfall to their freedom? To our Father in heaven, it did make a difference.
This amazing ability, and the resultant responsibility to show gratitude, is shared by every person, in every generation. If we simply spend a few moments contemplating the unending flow of goodness bestowed upon us by Hashem, we will realize that all our prayers and mitzvos cannot even begin to thank Hashem for all His kindness.