Episode 17_ Cont. with Yigdal – Tiferes, Our Mission to Reflect Hashem’s Glory

The podcast discusses the purpose of creation from a Torah perspective, emphasizing that everything was created to reveal Hashem's glory in the world. It highlights the role of Am Yisrael as Hashem's ambassadors, with examples from the story of Paro and the plagues in Egypt. The summary stresses the importance of living in alignment with Hashem's will to reflect His glory and be a light unto the nations. The mission of carrying Hashem's light is ongoing and essential for Am Yisrael. Welcome back to Tefilah Today, the podcast where we uncover the beauty, the depth, and the relevance of our fellow daily prayers. Today we are focusing on one of the most profound and defining ideas of our lives, a question so vast and yet so personal. What is the purpose of this world? Why are we here? Why was humanity created? The Torah gives us a direct answer initially. There are numerous places, but this one specifically I am choosing, in Mishle, chapter 16, verse 4, call Pa'al Hashem L'maanehu. Everything Hashem created was for His purpose. The purpose of creation is to reveal Hashem's glory in this world. Every tree, every star, every human being exists to testify that Hashem is the true master of the universe. But how does this happen? How does Hashem's glory become visible, tangible, and real in a world filled with distractions, ego, and competing ideologies? The answer lies in one simple yet powerful truth. Hashem chose a nation, a treasured nation, to serve as Hashem's ambassadors, Hashem's reflection, Hashem's teferes, meaning glory, in this world. Every morning we remind ourselves of this truth in Yiddish. שְׁפָּנִי בּוּרְשָׁל נִפָּנָו אֶל אָנִשֶׁי סְגוּלָסֹ וְשְׁפָּרְתוֹ The abundance of Hashem's prophecy He gave to, call Yisrael to, אָנִשִׁי סְגוּלָסֹ, His treasured nation, the teferetot, and His treasured nation is His glory, teferetot, Hashem's glory. We, on Yisrael, you and me, are both Hashem's אָנִשֶׁי סְגוּלָסֹ, His treasured nation, אָנִשִׁי סְגוּלָסֹ, and His teferet, again, teferet, Hashem's glory. But what does that mean? What does it mean to be Hashem's glory? What does it mean to be Hashem's teferet? I repeat. And to whom are we reflecting this glory? To understand this, we must look at the first appearance of the root word, p'er, the first appearance of the root, p'alif-resh, which is the root of the word teferetot in the Torah. It's a core principle in Torah study to understand the essence of a word, we must look at its first usage in the Torah. And, shockingly, the first appearance of this root isn't with Avrimovinu or at Harsinai. It's in the story of Paro, during the second plague, sardeya, frogs. Now, why Paro? Why in this moment of confrontation? Let's explore this together. The ten plagues weren't just about punishment. They were about revelation. Each maka, each plague, dismantled Egypt's pride, Mitzrayim's pride, and power, piece by piece. The Nile that they worshipped turned to blood. The frogs that they worshipped as a symbol of their goddess Heket, fertility, invaded every home. The plague of Choshech swallowed their sun god, Ra. But more than that, each plague was an opportunity, a stage set for Paro to declare, Hashem is the true king. There is no one like Him. That's why there were ten plagues. Hashem could have made one plague and finish it off right there. What was the intent of ten plagues? And why Paro? Because Paro wasn't just a king. He was the most powerful leader in the world, the symbol of human dominion, of unchecked authority. So if Paro had publicly acknowledged Hashem, it wouldn't have been a private admission. It would have been a major, perhaps, global revelation. And I want to suggest that perhaps the Yitzhia Mitzrayim, the exodus from Mitzrayim, would not have been just Chol Yisrael leaving and led by Hashem. It would have been a procession of honor. And perhaps the nations of the world would have recognized Hashem's sovereignty because Paro declared Hashem's sovereignty. But Paro didn't acknowledge Hashem. And here's the key point. Paro's failure reinforced our necessity. Because the role of Am Yisrael as Hashem's ambassadors was independent on Paro's recognition. Again, because the role of Am Yisrael as Hashem's ambassadors was independent on Paro's recognition. Our mission existed before Paro and would have existed even if Paro had declared Hashem as king. But when Paro dismissed the moment, when he rationalized the miracle away, it became even more clear. The world needs a people, a chosen nation, whose sole purpose is to carry Hashem's light into every corner of creation. In Shemot, chapter 8, verse 5, parakhes, pasakei, we encounter the first appearance of the word pa'er, pa'al afresh in the Torah. And Moshe said to Paro, glorify yourself over me, set a time for me to pray for you. At first glance, Moshe's words seem odd. Glorify yourself over me? But Moshe wasn't offering Paro personal honor. He wasn't offering Paro, rather he was offering Paro a chance to publicly declare, this is not Moshe, this is not magic. This is Hashem, the master of time and everything in between. It was a moment of profound opportunity. And when the plague ended precisely at Paro's chosen time, the evidence was undeniable. Hashem controls time, nature, and reality. But Paro dismissed it as coincidence. And in that dismissal, something became crystal clear. The task of reflecting Hashem's glory would not be shared with other nations. It would be addressed solely on the shoulders of Am Yisrael. So what does it mean to be Hashem's Tiferis? To be Hashem's glory? It means that we carry the mission of being a light unto the nations. It says in Yeshayahu, chapter 42, verse 6, parak menbeiz, verse pasuk svav, ve'encha la'ar gayim, and I will make you, I will make you a light unto the nations. Hashem made us to be His ambassadors, charged with making His presence known through our lives, through the commandment of Torah study, through the commandment of keeping the missiles, through the acts of kindness, through living lives of integrity and purpose, by living as halachic Jews. Every moment, every choice, every word carries weight. Because when the world sees us living lives aligned with Hashem's will, they see something bigger. They see light in the darkness. They see Hashem's Tiferis. Every morning, when we say, shefandavu'asot nisano, el'anchi segulasot v'sefarto, we're not just reciting words. We are reaffirming our mission to reflect Hashem's glory in the world, to live as His Tiferis, to shine as light, as a light unto the nations. Our task isn't for tomorrow, it's for today. Thank you for joining me on Tefilah Today. Until next time, may we all strive to live as Hashem's Tiferis.