Anash.org presents a weekly Dvar Torah for children by Rabbi Yekusiel Goldstein, author of the book Divrei Torah for Children.
‘לזכות הרה”ח הרה”ת ר’ עקיבא גרשון בן רחל בתי
לרפואה שלימה וקרובה
For a printable PDF of the Dvar Torah for Parshas Va’era, click here.
וָ אֵ רָ א
Minimize the Hurt
The second maka that Hashem brought upon the Mitzriyim was the plague of frogs. Aharon struck the river and brought up one gigantic frog. The Egyptians hit the frog and swarms of frogs sprung out, plaguing the entire Mitzrayim.
Question: The rule is that, “One who starts a mitzva should be the one to complete it.” Why then did Aharon only start the maka when he brought up one frog, but did not complete the full maka on his own?
Answer: When doing something good, like helping another person, or building a shul, the person who started should do his best to complete it. However, when bringing a punishment to another person, one should try to do the least possible!
We find this idea by the mitzva of giving malkus to a Yid who deserves to be whipped. The beis din would give him the least whips possible. Since Aharon brought a plague to Mitzrayim, he did the minimum necessary for the maka and left the rest up to Hashem.
Lesson: When a mitzva comes our way, for example, if our mother asks us to clear the table or to clean our room, we make sure to complete the mitzva all the way! We don’t take a break until the mitzva is done!
(Based on Likutei Sichos vol. 16 p. 84-85)
Divrei Torah for ChildrenVolume 2 can be purchased online or in Crown Heights bookstores.
