Rashi (on Shemos 14:4): AND THEY DID SO — This is stated in order to tell their praise — that they hearkened to Moses and did not say, How can we move nearer to our enemies; we ought rather to flee,” but they said, ‘‘It is ours only to carry out the bidding of the son of Amram” (cf. Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 14:4:3).

The Gemora in Pesachim tells us that one of the amoraim taught the people in his town that matzos must only be baked with “mayim shelanu”. While he meant “water which rested overnight”, the townspeople misinterpreted it as “our water” (in this case meaning the Amora’s water) and so they all came to his home with their empty jugs to get this special water. The Nesivos asks, “What is the gemora teaching us with this story about a seemingly amusing mistake?” He answers, “The gemora is teaching us that these simple people followed the words of their teachers without questioning them.” Meaning, the gemara is telling us that the right thing to do is to follow our Chachamim.

To follow what one is told, when it makes sense, is not really listening. Whereas, when it seems to fly in the face of things that make sense, such as to jump into the sea or move closer to your enemies, that is when one is praised for listening to his leaders.

This idea is also expressed in next week’s parsha. Although klal Yisrael had proclaimed that they wanted to receive the Torah, they were still forced to accept it. The question is asked: If they already said they wanted to accept it, why was it necessary to threaten them? The answer is that if they weren’t forced to accept it by Hashem, then they would only be obeying themselves by accepting it and keeping the Mitzvos.

The Steipler writes in his introduction to his book Chayei Olam, that emunas hachamim – one of the 48 ways in which the Torah is acquired – is not only applicable in Torah law but in all areas of Jewish Theology.

There is a story told about a great Rabbi who told one of his Chassidim who was in dire financial straits to buy a raffle ticket. “If you trust my advice, I guarantee you will the prize of one hundred thousand rubles.” After buying the ticket, he told his friend about the blessing and the guarantee. The friend, who was also a chosid of the rebbe, said, “I will buy it off of you for 90,000 rubles”. He sold him the raffle, but to the friend’s disappointment the ticket did not win. The first chosid went back to the Rebbe and complained, “I bought the ticket as you said but the ticket didn’t win.” After the man recounted the entire story, the Rebbe smiled and told him, “I made it clear to you that you would win only if you believed that you would win! But if you had really believed it, you would not have sold it at a 10% discount!”

Rav Moshe Feinstein writes in a responsa (Y.D. 4, 51) about people who came to him for blessings. These people assumed that he was a great Rabbi and therefore his blessings would work like magic. He explains in that responsa, and in a host of other places as well, that the person who is asked to give a blessing does not have to be of super stature. Merely by the fact that the person asking for the blessing believes that the other person is a “Gadol b’torah” (though this “Gadol” himself does not believe he is one) is enough to have the Rabbi act as a conduit for the blessings, which ultimately come from Hashem.

This idea is also brought in the Meshech Chochma about the Isha Shunamit’s belief in Elisha: Her belief that Elisha had power actually gave him the power to bless and heal her son.

All these ideas show that when a Jew believes that a Gadol has the power to give a blessing, that belief actually empowers the Gadol and makes the blessing more effective. However, there are many people today who believe a Gadol can give very powerful blessings, but these same people will question some of the halachic decisions that the Gadol has made. In such cases, these people reduce the efficacy of the blessings, as they are reducing the power that they give over to the Gadol. The blessings might still work – or perhaps these people will not benefit at all from the blessings of the Gadol.

May we all merit to be true believers in the gedolim, thereby empowering them to properly lead and bless the Jewish People.