"Bigdei Kahuna" Parsha page by Rabbi Yehuda Katz

VOAIRAH

" Also I (G_d) have heard the outcry of the children of Israel." (6:5)

The Torah uses the word "also" to imply that there exists an additional outcry that is being heard. What is the Torah trying to teach us? I would like to propose the following original answer, bezrat Hashem: There are 2 types of bondage, one that is physical and the other that is spiritual in nature. Not only were the Israelites bemoaning their physical bondage (slavery), they were "also" bemoaning their spiritual enslavement. A slave has little or no time to devote to spiritual pursuits due to the harsh labor imposed on him. Eventhough the Israelites were broken physically, they were still conscious of the fact that they were lacking in the spiritual realm. There was just no time for spiritual development. They, therefore, cried out to G-d on 2 levels, one physical and the other spiritual. We can learn a tremendous lesson from the enslaved Israelites in this regard. Most people are primarily preoccupied with the state of their materialism, and do not really concern themselves with their spiritual well being. Yet, the Israelites taught us to atleast consider our spiritual health together with the physical. Do we ever pray to G-d about the welfare of our souls? Just as we need help with our physical, we most certainly are in need of help for our spiritual. Have a good Shabbos