Believing Is Seeing

The verse in Shemos (4:31) says וַיַּֽאֲמֵ֖ן הָעָ֑ם וַיִּשְׁמְע֡וּ.  The Sfas Emes asks the order seems backward for in order to believe, one must first hear what’s said.  He explains that Klal Yisroel always have belief in whatever Hashem says even before they hear the message.  The most obvious example of this is נעשה ונשמע.  The midrash (cited in Baal Haturim,) says when Moshe married Tzziporah, Yitro stipulated the first son that Moshe has should serve avodah zarah.  Besides the question of how can Moshe agree to his son serving avodah zarah (see Sichos Mussar,) the other question arises is why would Yitro, who recognized Hashem, make such a stipulation? The Chidushai Harim explains that Yitro wanted that his grandson should come to recognize Hashem in the manner which he did, to try out all the types of religion and realize the truth on his own accord.  However, the Rim said that for us this isn’t the path, for we have natural emunah implanted within us.  We don’t need to discover Hashem, inside we know Hashem already, we just need to remove that which blocks our natural emunah. 

This natural emunah implanted within us is an inheritance from the avos. Rashi tells us at the beginning of the parsha that the avos didn’t question when they didn’t see the promises made to them by God being fulfilled?  Why didn’t they question Hashem? The level of emunah of the avos wasn’t just that they trusted that what Hashem said will happen, rather they viewed it as if it already happened.  For the avos, believing is seeing.  Rashi in parshas Noach says Noach was mekatnay emunah, maamen ve’ano maamen.  What does it mean that Noach believed, but didn’t believe? It was the level of emunah of the avos, to view the words of Hashem as it happened that Noach was lacking. Even though he believed that a flood would come, he couldn’t picture it happening (Birchas Peretz.)

This is the explanation of the Or Hachaim in Vayechi (49:15) about Yissocher, וירא מנוחה  refers to olam habah. How could Yissocher see Olam Habah if it wasn’t in front of him?  Yissocher had such a clarity of the reality; it was as if he saw it.  This was the level of emunah that the women in Egypt had, and therefore they stored away instruments to sing when they got out of Egypt (See Rashi 15:20).  They saw the prophecy of redemption as a reality, not an abstract idea.   

This idea is expressed in halacha as well. The Gemorah in Babba Bathra (119a) says that Eretz Yisroel was considered owned by Klal Yisroel even before they conquered the land because it’s promised to us from Hashem.  The words and promises of Hashem create the reality, at that time, even if it didn’t actually happen yet (see also Raavad in Laws of Zechia 3:8).    

Rashi says (6:12) Moshe made a kol vachomer: if Bnei Yisroel won’t listen to me for sure Pharaoh won’t.  The reason that Bnei Yisroel didn’t listen was because they were overworked and didn’t have the energy to listen to his words, as the verse says explicitly.  How can Moshe make a kal vachomer that Pharaoh, who isn’t overworked won’t listen?  The Baalai Mussar explain that Klal Yisroel naturally believes Hashem (and his prophets.)  If Klal Yisroel, the natural beleivers, don't believe, they don't take to heart what Moshe is saying, for sure Pharaoh won't listen (See Or Yahel, Lev Eliyahu.)  Rav Yeruchem in Daas Chachma U'Mussar volume 3 #1 points out based upon the Sforno that a lack of internalizing the message, for whatever reason, will cause a lack of belief in the message .

Towards the end of the parsha there is a description of how the Egyptians who feared the word of Hashem brought their animals inside before the hail came.  However, the animals of those who didn’t fear the word of Hashem were killed.  How can this be this called fearing God if they already had been stricken six times?  What fool would have left his animals outside?  The yiras shamaim described here isn’t a level of fear of heaven, rather it’s a description of the ability to accept the word of Hashem. It wasn’t a question of lack of understanding in the minds of the Egyptians, but rather a lack of a desire to believe.  The first step in emunah is to accept that what Hashem says will happen. That was the difference between the Egyptians who left their animals outside versus those that brought them inside.  The verse doesn’t say those who left their animals outside were lacking a fear of heaven, but they didn’t pay attention to what was said.  It was a lack of simas lev-the desire to accept the message (Birchos Peretz and Alter of Novardok). 

This idea can also be used to explain why the brothers didn’t recognize Yosef until he revealed himself.  Why didn’t they figure it out if there were so many hints?  It wasn’t that the brothers couldn’t understand the hints, but rather that they didn’t want to accept the reality.  The brothers refused to concede that indeed the viceroy was Yosef for then they would have to admit that they were wrong. It wasn’t a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of a desire to accept the truth that withheld the brothers from recognizing Yosef (Degel Hamussar.)