At the end of the previous section, Moses was troubled by the seeming contradiction between his faith in G-d’s goodness and G-d’s apparent mistreatment of the Jewish people. G-d therefore told Moses: “You must learn from the patriarchs and matriarchs. They believed in Me unquestioningly, even though I made promises to them that I did not fulfill during their lifetimes.”
“Seeing” G-d
וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹקִים אֶל מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי ה': וָאֵרָא אֶל אַבְרָהָם אֶל יִצְחָק וְאֶל יַעֲקֹב וגו':
(שמות ו:ב–ג)
G-d spoke to Moses, saying to him, “I am G-d. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Exodus 6:2-3
When it appears to us that something is wrong in the way G‑d
runs the world, G‑d wants
us to question Him. But at the same time, we must continue to believe
absolutely in G‑d’s reality and goodness.
From where can we draw the power to believe in G‑d so thoroughly
that we virtually see Him even in the darkest moments of exile? G‑d answers
this question by saying, “I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” The
patriarchs and matriarchs possessed this unshakable faith, and we inherit it
from them. If we nurture it properly, we, too, will “see” G‑d even when His
goodness is not readily apparent.
This faith enables us to live out the final moments of our exile
yearning for its end – and demanding it! – while maximizing our use of its
remaining moments. In this merit, we will hasten the Messianic Redemption.1
