A reflection on the power of silence and finding one's voice before freedom, inspired by Parshas Bo.
Read the notes on this shiur: outline, sources, and more from Yaakov Lemmer →
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The opening of this shiur, in Yaakov Lemmer’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.
Have you ever stayed quiet not because you didn't care, but because you didn't know if anyone would ever really listen? That's Parshat Bo. The Jewish people are on the edge of redemption. The plagues are almost over. The sea is about to split. But right before they leave Egypt, Hashem tells them to do something unusual. Tell the people to ask the Egyptians for silver and gold. >> [music] >> At first glance, it sounds like a formality, but Hazal teach us this formality, but Hazal teach us this wasn't about money. It was about dignity. Because for generations, the Jewish people were silenced, [music] crushed, powerless. And now, before freedom could come, they had to learn to speak again. To say, "I matter. [music] My pain matters. My life is worth something." As Rav Chaim Volozhin zt"l taught, speech is the cornerstone of the soul's freedom. It's not just that they [music] left Egypt. It's that they were finally told, "Your voice matters, and you're allowed
Jump to a moment
- 0:00Have you ever stayed quiet not because you didn't care, but because you didn't know if…
- 0:30formality, but Hazal teach us this wasn't about money. It was about dignity. Because for generations,…
- 1:00"Your voice matters, and you're allowed to use it." That's not just a biblical story. It's…
- 1:30scenes, she's spoken openly about trauma, [music] about chronic pain, about the years it took to…
- 2:00[music] just about escaping pain. It's about reclaiming your dignity, your story, your voice. This is…
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