Beshalach

The pesukim say, “Bnei Yisroel came to Marah and they weren’t able to drink the water because it was bitter.  Therefore the place was called Marah.  Bnei Yisroel complained and Moshe davened to Hashem.  Hashem showed Moshe a stick, which he threw into the water and the water became sweet.”

The Ramban brings that the stick was able to make the water sweet naturally.  Another explanation in the Ramban is that the stick was bitter and there was a nes within a nes: the bitter stick was able to make bitter water become sweet!

I heard from Avi Mori shlita b’shem my grandfather zatzal another explanation: After the stick was thrown in, the water became even more bitter than before.  Hashem was showing them that the water was really fine and sweet before.  It could have been much worse and could have tasted more bitter.

The Mesilas Yesharim in kinyan zerizus says that a poor person is indebted to Hashem, because even in his aniyus he still has parnassa and Hashem doesn’t leave him to die of hunger.  A sick person is also indebted to Hashem because Hashem keeps him alive, even though he is sick.  A person is always obligated to recognize the favors and tovos that Hashem does for him. Indeed things could be worse and the fact that they’re not is because Hashem is doing chesed with him.

On the passuk in Tehillim “sabeinu vaboker chasdecha u’neranena v’nismecha b’chol yameinu” Rashi explains that “sabeinu vaboker chasdecha” is referring to the yom hageulah, which is the “boker” to the nights of tzara. “U’neranena v’nismecha b’chol yameinu” means that one will recognize that all that Hashem did was for our good, even the tzaros. When we have different experiences in life we can be fooled into thinking that what we see and experience is the entire picture. However, if we connect the dots, we may actually notice the sequence of events leading towards the outcome that is best for us.

May we be zoche to feel Hashem’s good yom yom, every day!