Va'Eira

Shabbat left, as always - more or less. Like and unlike everyone she leaves and stays at once.

And the week with the aura of Parshat Va'Eira lingers, but is mostly gone for a year.

I read the full essay of the Slonimer Rebbe in his Darchei Noam. Without peeking. Let's see what stayed with me. He develops the meaning of the four geulot: vehotzeiti, vehitzalti, vega'alti,velakachti, (and he touches on veheiveiti too) He says that the Jews were, at first, in Egypt physically. But spiritually they were elsewhere, in a good way. Then they became physically and spiritually stuck in Mitzrayim. And they needed to be saved. They needed to be saved because their eyes had seen things and bought into them and that's what got them stuck. Hashem had promised Moshe that He would save the Jews from Egypt. That meant that He would save them from the effects of what their eyes had seen. But Moshe asked again, for a different kind of saving. What can get burnt by what they see/experience and need a special saving from the effects of that scorching? One can get scorched and become dried out by following the desires of their heart and eyes, till they have no zest left, so that their davening or mitzvah doing or learning doesn't spark start them. This is what Hashem means when He says that in addition to removing them from the effects of what they've seen, He would also save them from the strong numbing damage they suffered from. Then Hashem promises a geulah; which means a soul elevation. Velakachti is a language of betrothal, connoting becoming G-d's bride. The bride and groom ideally reside in the holiest of lands.

This is my take. Any mistakes are mine. Any accidental/on purpose editing is also mine. Any forgetting, or being impressed by points that others might find peripheral, while neglecting to mention something that someone else might read and say - that was everything is what it is. We all need to learn things for our selves. I certainly recommend learning this sefer and truly making it yours.