In this week’s Sedra the Torah tells us that at some point during the very long time span of the Jews’ slavery in Egypt Paroh died and that Klal-Yisroel’s work load was lessened. This slight respite from the heavy work load caused Klal-Yisroel to scream out from desperation. Hashem heard Klal-Yisroel’s cries, acted upon His promise to our forefathers, and started our emancipation process.

The Torah tells us that Klal-Yisroel ‘cried’. The Torah doesn’t tell us even that Klal-Yisroel ‘cried out to Hashem’, let alone that Klal-Yisroel davened to Hashem. Later on in Chumash Shemos when Klal-yisroel was trapped at the Red Sea, we are told that Klal-Yisroel ‘cried to Hashem’. In both instances the Torah uses the word ויזעקו (literally ‘screamed’). The difference between them is that is that in our Sedra it just says ויזעקו whereas by Krias Yam-Suf the Torah tells us ויזעקו אל ה’ – that they ‘cried to Hashem’. The Targum and Rashi on Krias Yam-Suf explain ויזעקו over there to mean that they davened, whereas both Rashi and the Targum explain ויזעקו over here merely as meaning that Klal-Yisroel screamed.

The difference between here and there is obvious: it lies in the addition of the words ‘El-Hashem’ in the case of Yam Suf.

There are two important lessons that can be learned from these two times that Klal-Yisroel screamed. From here we can learn that when a Jew cries out to Hashem it doesn’t even matter whether there are any particular words – the mere scream is a Tefilla. In our Sedra, however, we have an even more powerful lesson.

Klal-Yisroel was suffering terribly in Mitzraim. Egypt not only oppressed Klal-Yisroel, they even attempted to annihilate the People. Hakadosh Baruch Hu witnessed our suffering but didn’t redeem us. There were people who tried to run away from the oppression, as did part of Shevet Ephraim, but they failed in their attempted escape and were all killed. No matter what Klal-Yisroel did they were destined to suffer. And what had now suddenly changed Hashem’s answer? Klal-Yisroel’s mere crying!

Crying is the language of the heart. When a human being feels too many emotions, or feels so overwhelmed by emotions that he cannot express these emotions in any other comprehensible manner, a human being cries. Crying signifies our lack of full comprehension. Crying is essentially a sign of helplessness. So long as Klal-Yisroel thought it wasn’t helpless, it was relying on its own abilities to cope. The second we gave up, so to speak, we surrendered ourselves to Rachamei Shamayim.

Sometimes all it takes is remembering that we are mere mortals and are in the final analysis always dependent on Hashem’s Rachamim.

A very warm Good Shabbos, Rabbi Y. Dov Krakowski