Friday, January 20, 2012

Favorite Rashi

I was going over the parshah with Rashi before shabbat and I had to share with my readers what I think is one of the most beautiful Rashis in the entire Torah.

This week we read about the first seven plagues.  The last plague in this week's parshah is the plague of hail.  This was a terrifying plague and the Torah describes it in detail.
There was hail, and fire blazing inside the hail - very heavy such as never been in the entire land of Egypt from the time it became a nation.  (9:25)
Rashi comments:
"Blazing inside the hail" this was a miracle within a miracle.  The fire and hail intermingled and although the hail is made of water [and fire and water cannot coexist] to perform the will of their Creator they made peace between themselves.
What a beautiful idea.  I heard once in the name of the Hazon Ish a beautiful commentary on perhaps the most famous of all Jewish liturgical lines: Oseh Shalom Bimromav - Let He Who makes peace in the heavens make peace among us and on all of Israel.

What is meant by "He Who makes peace in the heavens?"

Look up at the heavens.  There are clouds made of water and stars made of fire and gas.  All of these different elements floating in the heavens and somehow Hashem is able to orchestrate the world so that they all work together and make our magnificent and beautiful world operate.
If Hashem can do that, then please let him also make peace among mankind, all of whom share common ancestry and are brothers and sisters in the eyes of God.

Let it be His will - vi'imru, Amen!
Shabbat Shalom

10 comments: