At the end of the parsha the Torah writes the mitzvah of tzitzis. The mitzvah of tziztis ends with a repetition of אני ה’ אלקיכם as the passuk says
אני ה’ אלקיכם אשר הוצאתי אתכם מארץ מצרים להיות לכם לאלקים אני ה’ אלקיכם
Rav Shimon Schwab ztl explains the repetition as follows. There are two interventions that Hashem demonstrates with Klal Yisrael. One is where He displays His providence over us such as we find in Yetzias Mitzratyim. There Hashem turned Mitzrayim upside down with Ten Makkos and Kerias Yam Suf in order to redeem Am Yisrael from bondage. We also find another Hashgachaover Am Yisrael which is Hashem working behind the scenes and which is interwoven within nature such as we experienced during our salvation on the Yom Tov of Purim. Esther as her name suggests means hidden and concealed. Only at the end of the yeshuah we realized retroactively that all the seemingly negative natural events that occurred were really Hashem’s orchestration that led up to our redemption from the hands of Haman and Achashveirosh.
These two interventions are hinted in the last passuk of Tzizis. אני ה’ אלקיכם אשר הוצאתי אתכם מארץ מצרים להיות לכם לאלקים represents the Hanhagah of the open display of Hashem’s love for His people. This Hanhagah is followed by the second intervention אני ה’ אלקיכם without Hashem’s display of His love for His nation as He did during Yetzias Mitzrayim. That even through the pogroms and persecutions, our suffering in galus, Hashem is with us הנה לא ינום ולא יישן שומר ישראל and has not abandoned us even though we might not understand His cheshbonos.
In davening, this passuk is followed by אמת ויציב . The word אמת is in LashonHakodesh in contrast to the word ויציב which possesses the same meaning but it is in Aramaic. Why would Chazal use an extra Aramaic word in the daveningjust to express the meaning of truth? Rav Schwab explains that these two words parallel the two interventions mentioned above. The word אמת is the seal of Hashem which displays His intervention at the time of the geulah. The Aramaic word ויציב symbolizes the truth of Hashem during the galus where Hashem is concealed and works behind the scenes to ensure that the eternality of His people will remain as an everlasting truth עכ”ד.
With this explanation we can answer a puzzling question with the parsha of tzitzis. What is the connection of tzitzis to Yetzias Mitzrayim that they were placed in juxtaposition one next to each other? The word ציצית means to look as we find in the passuk משגיח מן החלונות מציץ מן החרכים looking through the cracks (Rashi). This passuk explains the two interventions of אמת ויציב. When Hashem watches over us from the window He sees us and we see Him. However when He views us from the cracks He still sees us but we do not see Him.
The mitzvah of placing strings on one’s four cornered garment manifests these two Hashgachos of Hashem with Am Yisrael. The פתיל תכלת which is the blue dyed string symbolizes Yetzias Mitzrayim and in particular מכת בכורות. As Rashi points out that the meaning of the word תכלת means to kill. The other strings which are plain white do not attract the attention of the eye and it symbolizes Hashem’s watching of Klal Yisrael behind the scenes of nature without our awareness.
An allusion to this concept can be seen through gematriah. The word לבן (white) when spelled with its inner letters למיד בית נון equals 603 (with the kollel). The word פור which symbolizes Purim, when spelled with its inner letters פא וו ריש also equals 603 which parallels the white strings. For the white strings of the tzitzis symbolize the concealed Hashgacha of Hashem of galus, the מציץ מן החרכים. It is unbelievable that the gematriah of מציץ מן החרכים also equals 603.
The פתיל תכלת the blue string symbolizes Yetzias Mitzrayim the public display of Hashem’s Hashgacha upon us. The blue string parallels the חלון the window through which Hashem is looking at us and can be seen. Unbelievable that the gematriah of פתיל with its inner letters פי תיו יוד למיד equals חלון with its inner letters חת למיד וו נון .
The Rambam writes at the end of Parshas Bo that Hashem will not continuously display to us a Yetzias Mitzrayim phenomenon. It was done once in a big way and from there we can learn out that even behind the scenes He is watching. This is the reason why the Torah has so many mitzvos that are connected to Yetzias Mitzrayim so we shouldn’t forget Hashem’s watchful relationship with us even though most of the time it is invisibleעכת”ד .
This could be why the blue string of the tzitzis is wrapped around the majority of white strings as if to teach that although most of our history will be periods of Hashem’s interventions within nature of which we are not conscious, nevertheless Hashem is vigilantly seeking our benefit and welfare just like He did during Yetzias Mitzrayim.
The Meraglim spoke negatively about Eretz Yisrael. Their inner thoughts were that when Yisrael would come to Eretz Yisrael Hashem’s Hashgacha would change from חלון to חרכים, from פתיל תכלת to חוט לבן. The gashmiyus of Eretz Yisrael was so dense that one might fall into the שקר of כחי ועוצם ידי and won’t realize Hashem’s Hashgacha even when it will be displayed. They would rather be in the desert where the gashmiyus was not overpowering and the spiritual Hashgacha of Hashem was evident to all.
However their mistake was that one had to believe in Hashem and fulfill His wishes even though they feared that they won’t recognize Hashem’s presence in Eretz Yisrael. The reason is because Klal Yisrael has the mitzvah of tefillah. When we daven to Hashem we realize that we are dependent upon Him and our job is only Hishtadlus. A hinting to this concept is in the three constant miracles that accompanied Yisrael in the desert מן באר עננים , the manna the well and the Clouds of Glory. With the kollel of the word תפלה it equals מן באר עננים with the three words. Even if one is in galus, as long as he davens to Hashem in the proper way with his heart, he will feel in the ויציב of Hashem’s concealment the Hashgacha of .אמת
On Shabbos when a Yid receives a neshamah yesairah he can easily realize that Hashem is also מציץ מן החרכים that He is both אמת ויציב. This is hinted in the gematriah אני ה’ אלהיכם אמת ויציב which is gematriah (including five words and kollel) יום שבת . It is on Shabbos that we rest from work physically and mentally. Together with the neshama yesairah it is more easy to believe that it is not me who has the creative power in the universe כחי ועוצם ידי but rather Hashem.
Rav Brazil
Gut Shabbos
