The Jewish People are at the sea, as an Egypitan army comes crashing behind them Moshe is commanded to raise his hands and the sea splits "and they believed in G-d and Moshe His servant."
Why is their faith in Moshe mentioned here, at such a pivotal moment? A fundamental tenet of Jewish belief is the knowledge that every individual has an absolute connection to G-d with no intermediary separating that union. So why is faith in "Moshe His servant" so relevant here?
The Talmudic era Midrash, the Mechilta takes note that the one word of faith includes both G-d and Moshe, deriving that "one who believes in Moshe believes in G-d. Perhaps, their faith in Moshe was more then faith in him as a servant of G-d, it was their faith in him as a believer in G-d.
Of course, we all believe in G-d, alone. And Moshe teaches us how to have faith. Or in the words of the Zohar, Moshe is a Ra'ya Mehemna, which means both a faithful shepherd and a shepherd of faith. However it is not Moshe alone that fills this need.The Zohar continues that in every generation there is an extension of Moshe's soul that feeds a conscious faith to the people of that generation.
But in our generation Moshe took it a step further. Exactly sixty years ago tonight, the Rebbe declared in his opening address that faith alone is unsustainable. It only takes root in your consciousness when you share it with someone else.
This was the defining call of the generation, echoing the Midrashic interpretation of Abraham's service of G-d "al tikrah VayIkra, ela vaYakri" "don't just read that he (Abraham) called to G-d, but he brought others to call G-d as well".
Sixty years ago tonight a generation of faith in G-d was born that would revive from out of the ashes of the holocaust a burning faith in G-d, in ways that noone thought possible. Whilst others thought it was a time to consolidate and turn inwards, the Rebbe reversed the trend on set a course of Jewish outreach, where faith is something to give, not to have.
Just two days ago, a close friend asked if our families experiences in the past few months was a strain on my faith. Having grown up in a home with two parents who live the Rebbe's call to share our faith with others, I can honestly say, that it was the decades of sharing with others, that gave us the strength of faith during that difficult time.
There is no aspect of my life, my family, my community, and my purpose that has not been profoundly influenced by the vision of a generation that was born tonight.
With the Rebbe's passing 17 years ago, many thought it would signal the end of an era. But tonight, as this generation, the Rebbe's generation, my generation, celebrates it's 60th birthday, it calls for a Yoma Tavo LiRabonon, a celebration of the scholars, as free of worry or doubt the Rebbe's vision carries on, until very soon when we reach the true fulfillment of that vision with the coming of the redemption, may it be speedily in our days.
Wishing you a Shabbat of Sharing Faith,
Rabbi Mendel Teldon