In this week’s parsha, Parshat Bo, we learn of the last of the makot: Arbeh/Locusts, Choshech/Darkness, and Makat B’Chorot/Death of the Firstborn. Leading up to Parshat Bo, Moshe and Aaron have beseeched Pharaoh seven times to release Bnai Yisrael from slavery. Despite Hashem sending increasingly devastating plagues upon Mitzrayim, Pharoah continues to refuse.
He momentarily offers to allow Bnai Yisrael to leave, however, with the proviso that they leave behind their children as security, then leave behind their cattle. No deal, says Moshe.
So each time, Pharaoh refuses. And each time, Moshe stands his ground. He has job to do, a goal to achieve, and a purpose from Hashem to fulfill.
One of the major lessons from this parsha that we try to instill in our students is not to give up when we fail to accomplish our goals the first, second, third, or even ninth time we try. Nothing worthwhile is ever handed to us on a silver platter. We have to work for our wins, put forth our best effort, and persist against all odds. Even when some will try to tell us that it’s too hard and can’t be done. J.K. Rowling’s original manuscript was turned down by 12 different publishing houses before Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was finally accepted.
In the end, we know that everything happens for a reason and everything is from Hashem. When the time is right and we have learned the lessons we are meant to have learned, what is supposed to happen, will happen. The timing is not in our hands; that is up to Hashem.
I have a saying posted in my office that visitors often remark upon: Everything’s always okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end. This applies equally to short-term challenges, as well as to the long and sometimes bumpy process of childhood growth and development. As parents, we want so badly to see our children have it easier than we did, to succeed without accumulating the scrapes and bruises of failure and disappointment. Yet, it is through learning to navigate and bounce back stronger from life’s inevitable setbacks that our children become resilient and capable problem solvers able to succeed in the world.
The yad of Hashem is hidden from us, only visible in hindsight, when our present challenges are over and behind us. Upon reflection, the obstacles and detours weren’t necessarily what we would have wanted, but they are always for the best. The lesson for our children is that when we are in the midst of a challenge, even the most difficult circumstances imaginable, it can be the hardest to see that Hashem is supporting us behind the scenes. But, He is. He always is.
Shabbat shalom!