Machshava:

Galut 

Parsha:

Va'era 

Personalities:

Rav Kook 

Collections: R' Brander 4 Minute Video Series

Description

It is in this week’s parsha that God informs Moshe that His own presence is linked with the actions and destiny of the Jewish people, not just individuals. The Talmud tells us when the Jewish people are in exile, when the Jewish people are suffering, that God imposes suffering also upon Himself – the concept of “שכינתא בגלותא” – that when the Jewish people are in exile, God is in exile as well. But the flip side is also true. As Rav Kook taught, when the Jewish People create light in this world through the observance of the mitzvot, then God’s presence is magnified.