On Pesach, Hashem took us out of Mitzrayim. During Sefiras Ha’omer, we take Mitzrayim out of us
on’t just sit there! Do something!”
We love action, we love doing, we love feeling we’re capable and in control and if we just try a little harder, work a little smarter, we can change any situation. If we hear about a problem, we love the idea of swooping down in our cape and making everything better again — without having to stick around to see how things work out.
But not all problems can be solved by action. Just as jumping up and down and yelling doesn’t make a seed grow faster — there may be instant soup, but there’s no such thing as instant tree — so too, our growth as human beings is a slow, gradual progress.
Yetzias Mitzrayim involved action — it was dramatic, sensational, and obvious. In front of our eyes the world transformed: The dependable, placid Nile turned to blood and was overrun by frogs. Devastation fell from the sky, animals and people died unexpectedly, and the huge noise as a major empire was smashed into oblivion still echoes through the ages.
This redemption that we remember in exquisite detail each year can be termed a “male redemption.” It landed on us from above as we stood below, open-mouthed, stunned, grateful — and acted-upon — observers. It involved resolute, daring, decisive action.
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