THE TWO ENGINEERS
This week’s Parsha, Vaeira, opens with HaShem expressing His disappointment to Moshe; ‘the Avos, Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov had a much lower level of prophecy and their trust in Me was complete, and you whose level of prophecy is much higher, your trust in Me is incomplete.’ Although this statement sheds a positive light on the Patriarchs as their level of trust was complete and unquestioning, nevertheless, it is disturbing that their level of prophecy was of a lower level than Moshe’s.
I would like to share an insight I gained from Rabbi Aharon Lopiansky that can widen our scope of understanding in the concept of emunah. Let us compare the difference between our Avos and Moshe using the difference between the following two engineers. One fellow is an experienced well seasoned engineer and the other is a novice who has just graduated. Both engineers are presented with a project and each engineer works out the math and the design. The well seasoned engineer will present his draft with confidence and will not question his work. He has done this work hundreds of times and knows he can rely on it. The novice, however, even though he knows that his draft should work, will nevertheless want to check and double check his results to make sure his draft will work properly.
The well seasoned engineer requires less demonstration and his confidence is se-cure while the novice needs proof and encouragement before his confidence is se-cure. The difference lies in experience. The well seasoned engineer has done this endless times and it works, he knows he can rely on it.
The trust the Avos had in HaShem was so absolute that they had no need for a sharper level of prophecy. They knew Him and trusted Him implicitly. In spite of the challenges they faced throughout their lives they never questioned His guidance. When Avraham was asked to sacrifice his entire destiny, it was clear to him what had to be done. Even in the darkest days of Yaakov, he never complained or challenged HaShem. Moshe, on the other hand, needed (on some level) to know HaShem’s Name, he challenged HaShem when things went awry. Moshe needed the support of greater miracles and sharper prophecy to build the confidence that was lacking compared to the Avos.
Maharal teaches that the extent of HaShem’s involvement with any individual is relative to the level of their trust in Him. The individual whose trust in HaShem is complete and unwavering will be connected to HaShem’s direct Providence constantly. As that trust diminishes HaShem’s direct involvement with him, also diminishes.
HaShem was preparing His people to become His own for the duration of eternity. That could only happen if their trust would be eternally complete and eternally unwavering. Perhaps, for this reason HaShem delinates for us the distinction between the trust of the Avos and that of Moshe. On the cusp of taking His people out of Egypt, He instructs them to what level of trust they need to aspire in order to become this special people.
As we continue our journey through the wilderness of nations we must take note of the incredible involvement that HaShem displays and internalize it. As we recognize how every time HaShem is with us we will eventually be able to trust in Him im-plicitly, no different than that well seasoned engineer.
May we merit to achieve a complete and unwavering trust in HaShem soon in our days.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind