Determination
A Message for Parashat BeShalah 2018
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Am Yisrael was trapped. They were
frozen in their tracks as they stared out at the seemingly endless waters of
the Red Sea while the Egyptian forces charged from behind. Believing that they
had exhausted all sensible options, they cried out to God. He responded through
Moshe:
“Why do you cry out to
me? Speak to Bnei Yisrael, that they should journey onward.” (Shemot
14:15-16)
The tone of His words – “Why do you cry
out to me?” – portrayed God’s annoyance with their petitional gesture. He
demanded that they cease all prayer and trek forward. What was wrong with Am
Yisrael’s tefilot at that time? Why did God deem it inappropriate
for them to turn to Him at this point of helpless despair?
As Am Yisrael marched ahead, something
unexpected took place:
And the messenger of God that was going before the camp of
Yisrael moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before
them and stood behind them. (14:19)
R. Yaakov Kaminetzky z”l suggested
that the angel changed his position at
this time in order to force Am Yisrael to step into the sea without the
assistance of God.[2]
Meshekh Hokhmah voiced a similar understanding. He suggested that “the
messenger of God” referred not to a celestial angel, but to Moshe, and
explained that Moshe moved from his place at the front so that the people would
proceed on their own.[3]
God’s words and actions at that time made clear His will that Am Yisrael
cross Yam Suf on their own. Why?
In her best-selling book, Mindset: The New
Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck delineated two types of mindsets: fixed
and growth. She explained that people with a fixed mindset believe
that their qualities are “carved in stone.” When they fall short of a desired
goal – flunking a test, botching a lucrative business deal, or breaking a diet
for an unhealthy craving – they view themselves as total failures and become
stuck in that state. People with a growth mindset, however, believe that
their basic qualities can be cultivated through efforts, strategies, and help
from others. They therefore view their shortcomings as fertile grounds for
potential growth.[4]
Dweck explained that people with a strong
growth mindset can “stretch beyond the possible.” She cited, for example, the
case of actor Christopher Reeve, who was thrown from a horse and became
completely paralyzed from his neck down. Doctors advised him to come to terms
with his reality and warned that denial would only deepen his disappointment.
Reeves ignored them. Five years later, he defied the conceived rules of science
and regained movement in his hands, arms, legs and torso. Dweck remarked:
“Clearly, people with the growth mindset thrive when they’re stretching
themselves.”[5]
I had the special merit to be a firsthand
observer of a man who possessed an unparalleled determination to accomplish the
unfathomable – my rosh yeshivah, Rav Nosson Zvi Finkel z”l. Although
he suffered from the severely debilitating Parkinson’s disease for more than
two decades of his life, R. Finkel stood at the head of the largest yeshivah in
the world. He steered Yeshivat Mir in every step of its progress. From
individually collecting the money to sustain the yeshiva and overseeing the distribution
of the monthly stipends, to testing each potential applicant and delivering a
half-dozen shiurim throughout the week, Rav Nosson Zvi was involved with
every aspect of the yeshivah. Indeed, it is told that R. Finkel once sat with a
wealthy businessman and requested a large donation. The man responded, “I can’t,”
and assumed that he had put the matter to rest “I can’t either,” the rosh yeshivah
counter, “But I do anyway.” Needless to say, the man swiftly opened his pocket and
paid out the full donation.[6]
Carol Dweck cautioned our dismissal of
students’ weaknesses as “unchangeable.” She warned against self-defeating assurances
such as “Don’t worry, you’re just not a math person,” and suggested that we instead
inspire them to work harder in the spirt of what they want to become.[7]
I believe that God sent a similar message to Am Yisrael as they stood on
the brinks of freedom at Yam Suf. Two centuries of slavery had engendered
within the people a general sense of despair and dependency. God sensed that
now was the time to shift that mentality. He demanded Moshe, “Speak to Bnei
Yisrael, that they should journey onward,” and forced a new attitude onto
people. It was a mindset that was charged by a strong sense of determination
and self-confidence. It convinced them that they could now stretch themselves to
accomplish the impossible.
God’s message at Yam Suf is eternally
relevant. As you encounter the daily challenges of life, remember His words
long ago – “Why do you cry out to me?” And then, “Journey
onward!”
Shabbat shalom!
Rabbi Avi Harari
Rabbi Avi Harari
[1] Printed on the ice cream
cups at Walt Disney World.
[2] R. Yaakov Kaminetzky, Emet
LeYaakov (Brooklyn, NY, 1996), pg. 2909.
[3] R. Meir Simha Cohen, Meshekh
Hokhmah (Shemot 14:15, s.v. mah).
[4] Carol Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (New York, NY, 2006), pg. 6-9.
[5] Ibid., pg. 22.
[6] As told by Hanoch Teller
in For the Love of Torah (Nanuet, NY, 2012), pg. 253.
[7] Greg Walton and Carol
Dweck, “Willpower: It’s in Your Head,” The New York Times, Nov. 26,
2011.