In this week's parasha, Moshe Rabbeinu came to Bnei Yisrael with the great nevuah of Geulah,
Ani Hashem vehotzaisi.. vehetzalti.. vega'alti.. velakachti..  vehaivaisi.."
"I am Hashem and I will take you out from under the burdens of Mitzrayim and I will save you from their bondage and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments, and I will take you to to me for a nation.. and I will bring you  to the Land that I promised to give  to Avraham, to Yitzchak and to Yaakov and I will give it to you for a heritage, I am Hashem."
 

Am Yisrael had waited over two centuries for this moment.  Chazal tell us that every Shabbos, Megillos were read  in which was written that Hashem would one day release Am Yisrael from Galus Mitrayim.

Not long before, in Parashas Sh'mos, Moshe and Aharon had related the news of the geulah for the first time to Am Yisrael:
"And the nation believed and they heard that Hashem had remembered Bnei Yisrael and that He had looked at their affliction, and they bowed down.

This time, what was the response to Moshe??
"..and they did not hear Moshe because of shortness of spirit and because of hard work."

What had transpired since the last time Moshe approached them with the news of Geulah???  Why this time did they pay no attention?  Why did Moshe Rabbeinu's words evoke no reaction at all?

In order to answer this question, let us take a closer look at galus Mitzrayim.  Mitzrayim was the "father of all the exiles."  Contained within were all the hardships, suffering and torture that AmYisrael would be subjected to during our long sojourn through history.

There were four  distinct decrees in Mitzrayim, corresponding to the four galuyos:
1."And they made their lives bitter with hard work,with mortar and with bricks and with all the work in the field.."
This stage of the enslavement was parrallel to galus Bavel, and was a tikkun for the sin of avodah zarah ( idolatry).

2."and the king of Mitzrayim spoke to the Hebrew midwives..if he is a boy, then you shall kill him and if it be a girl,  she shall live."  This was parallel to galus Paras (Persia) and was a tikkun for giluy arrayos (immorality).

3."And Paroh commanded all his nation saying, every boy that is born you shall throw into the Nile and every girl  you shall save alive."  This was parallel to galus Yavan (Greece) and was a tikkun for shfichus damim (murder).

4.""You shall no longer provide straw for the men tio make bricks as before.. Make the work harder for the men.. and let them not put their hope in vain words."    This was parallel to galus  Edom, Rome.  The degree of intensity of this stage was equal to or more than all the previous three put together.  The coresponding sin were  the sins that Chazal tell us are all-inclusive sins such as Lashon HaRah.
Paroh's motive in this decree was to so terrorize and preoccupy Am Yisrael  in order to completely distract their attention from anything beyond their minute to minute functioning and survival.   Along this same theme, Chazal teach us that at this point, Paroh took away the Shabbos from Am Yisrael.

This is the description of Eisav, Edom, "scattered and fragmented", and this is the effect he tries to have on Am Yisrael.  To terrorize, distract  and preoccupy.  To remove from Am Yisrael the presence of mind and the focus on the great nevuah of Geulah, yet unfulfilled.  After all is said, our purpose on the earth in all that we do and strive for and await is  "lehakim Shchinta mai'afrah", that the Presence of Hashem may be proclaimed in the world.
Let us rise above our "hard work", and strive to broaden our spirit and fulfill the directive at every moment, in all that we do, our directive  of,
TZIPINU LIY'SHUAH!

A gutten Erev Shabbos, and a gutten Chodesh.   ( Shvat stands for "Shenisbaser Besuros Tovos.)
From Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh.