I’m comforted by my faith. I believe that God never leaves a
person’s side in order to help him/her and to strengthen him/her to meet all of
live’s challenges. Today’s daf TB Berachot 9 buttresses this faith in God.
The Gemarra explains the meaning of one of God’s names. When God
first introduced Himself to Moses at the burning bush, Moses asks God, “When I
come to the Israelites...and they ask me ‘What is His name? What shall I say to
them? And God said to Moses ‘Ehyeh asher Ehyeh (I will be that I will be)’’
(Exodus 3:13-14)
The Gemara answers the unasked question why is God so-to-speak
being redundant? God simply could have said, “Ehyeh (I will be). Why does God
say, “Ehyeh asher Ehyeh? Each Ehyeh has to refer to a different situation. “The
Holy One, Blessed be He, told Moses to go and tell Israel: I was with you in
this enslavement, and in this redemption, and I will be with you in the
enslavement of the kingdoms in the future.” (Sefaia.com translation)
The Hebrew word for
Egypt is מצרים
(Mitzrayim) and in the middle of the Mitzrayim’s name is the word צר (tzar)
which means narrow or tight. Egypt was a tight and narrow place for the
Israelite slaves. Often we find ourselves in narrow or tight places too. As bad
as they are, we can find hope and stregnth in the knowledge that we are never
truly alone, God is always with us by our side helping us overcome our own
personal Mitzrayim.
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