Facing fear: The Path to Redemption or Destruction

Exploring the contrast between Pharaoh's fear and Moshe's, and how it relates to our own struggles with fear

As a student in the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem, I was privileged to be acquainted with an older gentleman who came to learn in the yeshiva after his retirement, Rav Nachum Stilerman. On one particular occasion, I was present when Rav Nachum spoke and he prefaced his remarks with a story. He was at a Siyum HaShas and his seat was located directly under one of the giant screens displaying the speakers to the assembled crowd. When Rav Pam got up to speak, he gave a fiery speech urging Klal Yisrael to be stronger in their Avodas Hashem. He felt that Rav Pam was staring at him the entire time and this made him feel uncomfortable. Later, Rav Nachum approached Rav Pam and asked him why he was looking at him throughout his speech. Was  the message perhaps intended for him in particular? Rav Pam responded that he was not in fact looking at him, he was looking at the screen as he felt that when one gave words of rebuke, they must be looking at themselves. He was talking to himself using the scree…