ויאנחו בני ישראל מן העבדה ויזעקו ותעל שועתם אל האלקים (ב-כג)
MASHAL: Chaim met his good friend Yossi in the street and his jaw dropped. “Yossi,” he cried out with joy, “you look so good! You were mamash so sick just a few weeks ago - how are you back on your feet looking fit and healthy in such a short amount of time?”
“Baruch Hashem,” replied Yossi sheepishly, “I’m really lucky. I am really feeling much better!”
“So what was it?” pressed Chaim. “Did you see that famous professor from Paris that I told you about?”
“No,” Yossi answered.
“Ahhh, so you did that special treatment from Belgium we spoke about?” Again, Yossi shook his head.
“Also not?” Chaim was piqued. “Don’t tell me you stuck with good old Dr. Brown here in Manhattan? I mean he’s the best here in town, but ....”
“Well, not exactly,” replied Yossi.
“Not exactly? So, what was it?”
“Tefillos!” replied Yossi with enthusiasm. “My family undertook to say the entire Tehillim every day for me. Can you imagine what a zechus that is?”
Now Chaim looked at his shoes, embarrassed, “Hey, why didn’t I think of that?” he wondered to himself.
NIMSHAL: Klal Yisroel were so busy in Mitzrayim with their daily work regiment that they never stopped to think that maybe they should cry out to Hashem, their Father and Healer up above, to get them out of their predicament. Only once the work became too unbearable did they search for a salvation, which came in the form of tefillah. Unfortunately, that took many years to occur. We too should take a lesson from here, where are our perspectives in life? Let’s not wait for a long time before we pick up that siddur and pour out our hearts to the Master of the Universe!