See The Pain

Moshe tells the worried nation of Klal Yisroel standing between the sea and the Egyptians, don’t worry כי כאשר ראיתם את מצרים היום לא תוסיפו לראותם עוד עד עולם.  Why does Moshe say a seemingly extraneous preamble, jut as you have seen the Egyptians today, just say simply you won’t see the Egyptians again?  The Or Hachaim interprets that it was a comporting statement.  Moshe said the only reason why they are chasing you, why you see them today, is to be completely obliterated.  The Ramban cites the michilta understands the possuk is a negative commandment that one shall not return to Egypt.  However, it is difficult why would Moshe introduce this commandment now? 

The Baal Shem Tov explains the verse that since you see the Egyptians today, therefore you won’t see them in the future.  What does he mean?  When people have problems, they like to run away from the issues.  Its much easier to run away from one’s problem’s than it is to face it head on.  The Baal Shem Tov is saying the way of overcoming the problem, the Egyptians is by facing the problem, to stare it in the face. 

Many people find problems in life as a way of denying G-d.  In a Google search I did a couple of weeks ago I saw that many of the results bought up that the reason people rejected the existence of G-d is because of all the great amounts of suffering that people have suffered.  [As an aside it’s amazing how these people became great humanists and it is worthy of wondering how much time, effort and money these people donated to needy causes.]  However, as Rebbe Nachman teaches in so many places it is specifically where there is the greatest darkness that G-d can be found. 

The maamarim of yud Shvat are Ba’asi L’gani, the possuk calls the world a garden.  In a garden there are beautiful flowers, trees and vegetation.  Of course, in the garden there are problems, there are weeds, thorns and bristles.  However, one who loses sight of the garden because of the drawbacks, loses the trees for the forest is silly.  This doesn’t mean to minimize human suffering in any way, shape or form.  It is indeed a difficult test that I don’t wish upon anyone.  However, one can use there suffering not as a means of denying G-d, rather as a way of coming closer to G-d.  The first step is to not pretend that you aren’t suffering, rather to realize that there is indeed a pain that must be dealt with.  Then, with time and a mature approach, the weeds will become an essential part of the garden.