Reply To: Short & Sweet

Shemos: Tasting Geulah

When Hashem sends Moshe to Paraoh, things don’t go seem to go very well. Not only does Paraoh not let the Jews go, but he makes them work harder. Why did Hashem allow this first tease of redemption to end prematurely?

R’ Aaron Lopiansky points out (based on medrashim) that this goes to the very nature of geulah. There is always a first glimpse of the geulah, which then seems to fade away. But what is the purpose of this first stage?

R’ Lopiansky explains that those who have grown accustomed to the darkness of galus don’t even know what geulah looks like. In order to truly yearn for the geulah, we need to get a taste of it first.

This is why geulah often begins with a false start that quickly fades away. Once we get a glimpse of what life could be like under the leadership Moshe, as living as Hashem’s chosen people, we will be properly incentivized to do whatever it takes to bring back the geulah.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום