Welcoming Hashem into Our Lives
In Parshas Bo, the Bnei Yisrael receive their first mitzvah as a nation—the sanctification of the new moon (“kiddush hachodesh“). In the times of the Beis Hamikdash, the Sanhedrin determined the starting date of the new month based on eye-witnesses. Today, the new moon is determined by a fixed calendar, but the Sages instituted a special bracha at the beginning of every month, when we first see the moon coming out.
The Sages (Sanhedrin 42a) attached great importance to this bracha, saying that “one who goes out to bless the new moon in its time (i.e., within the first days of its appearance) is as if he received the countenance of the Shechina.”
More than just an inspiring idea, this statement of the Sages is the basis for certain halachos. For example, kiddush halevana is said standing up (ibid.), because it has the importance of receiving the Shechinah. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 426:2) states that ideally, one should say kiddush halevana on Motzaei Shabbos because we are dressed in our Shabbos attire, which is fitting for one who is receiving the Shechina. Moreover, this mitzvah is ideally fulfilled outside, to further drive home the message that we are setting out to greet the king (Mishna Berura 426, seif katan 21).
Of all the Rabbinic mitzvos, why is kiddush halevana singled out for such exceptional honor? And why is it compared to receiving the Shechina?
The Kesav Sofer writes that while all observant Jews acknowledge that Hashem created the world, when it comes to recognizing that He controls every aspect of creation at every moment, some find this hard to understand. Belief in Hashem’s divine providence, or “hashgacha pratis,” needs chizuk. Chazal saw in kiddush halevana a prime opportunity for us to strengthen our belief in hashgacha pratis.
This is because most of nature seems to us static, unchanging. We see a stable world, where the sea remains the sea, the land remains the land, and stars and planets remain what they are. Only the moon presents itself to us as a dynamic body in space, changing from night to night. Whether we see a waning or a waxing moon, what we see is change. This is particularly the case in the days just before saying kiddush levana, when the moon seems to have vanished from the sky completely. By going outside to observe the new moon and reflect on this change, we will recognize that there is a source to this change, indeed The Source. Chazal instituted the bracha of kiddush halevana so that we take this opportunity to think to ourselves: Just as Hashem is changing the moon constantly, so too He is involved in every detail of our lives and the entire world. Doing this will strengthen our belief in Hashem’s hashgacha pratis.
Without belief in hashgacha pratis, we don’t see Hashem involved in our daily life. By strengthening our recognition of hashgacha pratis, we start feeling that Hashem is with us every minute. This is why kiddush halevana is compared to “receiving the Shechina,” because by strengthening our belief in Hashem’s hashgacha pratis, we in fact are “receiving” Hashem, bringing Him into our lives, our homes, etc. (see Rabbeinu Yonah, Brachos pg. 21 in pages of the Rif).
In Orchos Chaim of the Rosh (26), Rabbeinu Asher writes that belief in hashgacha pratis is so essential to Judaism that a Jew who fails to recognize it is lacking the foundation of the entire Torah.
In what other ways can we strengthen our belief in Hashem’s hashgacha pratis?
Rav Chaim Friedlander would note, based on the Ibn Ezra, that the first of the Ten Commandments does not mention that Hashem created the world, but rather: “I am Hashem, Your G-d, Who took you out of the Land of Egypt” (Shemos 20:2). Why is Yetzias Mitzraim mentioned? Because a great part of our emuna is belief in hashgacha pratis, and Yetzias Mitzraim is a prime example of hashgacha pratis. Therefore, Rav Friedlander would advise people to review carefully the events of Yetzias Mitzraim. There, Hashem demonstrated His control over every aspect of Creation. Plagues that defied the natural order struck only the Egyptians, while the Jews were unaffected. Within the plagues and the Splitting of the Red Sea, the Jews could see Hashem’s punishment of the Egyptians mida keneged mida (Rashi on Shemos 15:5). Finally, the Jews left en masse, even though Egypt had long since been known as a country where no slave had ever escaped.
All this served to remind the Jews that Hashem was involved in every aspect of their lives. For us, these parshiyos are an opportunity to reinforce our belief in Hashem’s hashgacha pratis. We should do this on Pesach as well, and throughout the year, any time is a good time to review the lessons of Yetzias Mitzraim.
Decades ago, Harav Moshe Feinstein and Harav Yaakov Kaminetzky jointly published a letter in which they encouraged the public to write down any aspects of Hashem’s hashgacha in their daily lives and review them. For example, if they ran into the right person just at the right time, or had unexpected success in learning, parnassa or the like, they should make note of this and use it to strengthen their awareness of Hashem’s hashgacha pratis.
Once, a rosh kollel came to Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, asking for the Rav to please allow him to close down his kollel.
“Why?” asked Rav Auerbach.
“It’s hard for me to raise the money for the avreichim, and this makes me tense. My doctor told me that this tension is having negative effects on my health, and warned me that I must reduce it.”
Rav Auerbach thought for a moment, and then said: “Before you decide to close down the kollel, I would like you to write down any instances of hashgacha pratis you see, whether they happen to you or others. Write down even the smallest examples, and in each Shemoneh Esrei, when you come to Modim, think about them. Please come back in a few weeks and we’ll speak about this again.”
The rosh kollel did as instructed, and over the course of time, as he focused more and more on the way Hashem was helping him and others, he began feeling more relaxed about his responsibilities to the kollel. In the end, he decided to continue, and his kollel flourished for many more years.
May we be zoche to feel Hashem’s hashgacha pratis in our lives!