The Torah states, And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the Nile, and her maidens walked along by the side of the Nile; and she saw the box (containing Moses) amongst the rushes. And she stretched out her arm and she took it. (Exodus 2:5) What lesson is there for us in her action? Rashi, cites the Sages that Pharaohs daughters arm stretched out very long and she miraculously was able to save the infant Moses. A number of communal activists were at a meeting which was headed by Rabbi Meir Shapiro, the Rosh Hayeshiva of Lublin. The topic of the meeting concerned saving peoples lives. There were some people at the meeting who said, What needs to be done is simply impossible. There is no way that we could possibly be successful. Rabbi Shapiro cited the Sages who explained our verse that a miracle happened to enable Pharaohs daughter s arm to stretch so far as to reach Moshe and save him. The question arises, Why did she stretch out her arm in the first place? Didnt she realize that it was impossible for her to reach Moshe? He replied that a person must always try to do everything he can to save someone. Even if you think that your efforts on behalf of others cannot possibly succeed, still make a sincere effort to try anyway. You will be surprised to find that you will frequently accomplish much more than you imagined. This applies to us, said Rabbi Shapiro. We must do everything we can even if we do not really believe that we will be successful. The Almighty often helps and the efforts put in prove to be fruitful.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 16:00:00 +0000
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