Parshas Vaera 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Jan 25
- 3 min read
ויאמר ה' אל משה וכו' לך אל פרעה בבקר הנה יצא המימה ונצבת לקראתו על שפת היאר ... (ז-יד,טו)
R’ Meilech Biederman shlita shared an incredible message in this week’s parsha. Hashem told Moshe to rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, because that is when he “goes out to the water.” Rashi provides a well-known explanation from the Medrash: Pharaoh wanted people to believe that he was a deity and didn’t need to relieve himself. He would secretly go out to the Nile in the morning to address his needs and Hashem wanted Moshe to meet him there and show him that he knew he was no god. But there is another Medrash, says R’ Meilich, that is less known. This Medrash details that Pharaoh wished to go out to daven, to pray. Hashem told Moshe to go out early, before Pharaoh had a chance to pray, because after Pharaoh prays it would be too late! This is said about the wicked Pharaoh, who enslaved and tortured 600,000 Jews! Imagine, Moshe had better get there before he has a chance to pray! This means that even Pharaoh’s prayers had power! R’ Meilich said, “If a little voice, the Yetzer Hara, comes to me and says, ‘Meilech, who do you think you are? You think you can daven to Hashem?’ I will reply, ‘I know who I am - but I’m definitely not Pharaoh!’” If Pharaoh’s prayers could have stopped Moshe Rabbeinu, then our own prayers and good deeds have unimaginable power that we cannot truly appreciate.
In a remarkable story of Tefillah and compassion that emerged following Emily Damari’s release from Hamas captivity this week, details have surfaced about a chance encounter with her mother on a London-bound flight. A well-known Dayan, a Vizhnitzer Chasid from the Stamford Hill section of London, recounted this story about his son who was in Eretz Yisroel and soon after Sukkos, was returning to London. The bochur boarded his flight from Ben Gurion to Heathrow and upon locating his assigned seat, he realized that it was beside the seat of an Israeli woman. Following his religious ideals but not wishing to create a scene, he gently asked if she might switch seats with another woman, allowing a man to sit next to him.
The woman in the assigned seat would have none of it. She was incensed whenever she witnessed a Charedi man “stirring the pot” and demanding to be moved to another seat where he can seat next to a man. All the women on the flight have to be inconvenienced so this man can have his way, she huffed, and absolutely refused to move, humiliating the young man deeply. To his credit, the bochur chose not to argue and accepted the situation with unnerving dignity.
A moment later, a non-religious woman approached his seat, touched by his earnestness. She offered to switch seats with him so he could sit beside a man. “His commitment to his religious principles moved me,” she reportedly told the young bochur, offering to help arrange the seating swap. But she had one request in return: “I have a daughter who is being held hostage in Gaza. Please pray for her every day until she comes home safe.” Her daughter, Emily Damari, was kidnapped in southern Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023 during its attack that killed 1,200 people, triggering the devastating conflict between Israel and Hamas, the terrorist organization that kidnapped 235 hostages. Emily Damari was at home in Kfar Aza, a kibbutz near Israel’s southern border with Gaza, when Hamas gunmen entered her home, injuring her legs and shooting off two of her fingers during the attack. Her dog Choocha, in an effort to protect its master, was killed by a gunshot to the neck.
Mandy Damari relentlessly lobbied Israeli and UK leaders for her daughter’s return. Now, with empathy and compassion to the young Charedi boy being harangued and embarrassed in public, she made a request to him to please pray for her daughter, Emily. The bochur was moved by her gesture and agreed to honor her request, adding Emily’s Hebrew name - Emily Tehila bas Amanda Francis - to his daily tefillos, which he recited every day for all the hostages. He continued this practice throughout her captivity, until news broke this week of her release alongside fellow hostages Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher.
The story, which has been verified by the Dayan in London himself and Emily’s family members, offers a glimpse into the countless ways the hostage crisis has united Jews across different religious and cultural backgrounds. It also illustrates the profound spiritual power attributed to those who endure humiliation without responding. It serves as a reminder to harness such moments to daven for personal and communal Yeshuos, including the safe return of all the hostages to their families.