Sruly Schnair – Page 9 – Peninim on the Torah

ויהי חשך אפלה בכל ארץ מצרים ... לא ראו איש את אחיו ולא קמו איש מתחתיו

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5785

And there was a darkness of gloom throughout the land of Egypt…No man could see his brother nor could anyone rise from his place. (10:22,23)

In his sefer, Yalkut Chinuch L’Doros, Rabbi Simcha Zissel Dessler, Shlita, quotes a story from Horav Yisrael Meir Lau, Shlita, which is well-worth repeating. Fifty years ago, a place in the center of Tel Aviv’s downtown was where the wagon drivers would line up and wait for passengers who either wanted to travel or to ship their packages. One of these drivers was an observant Jew, by the name of Yoska, who would first participate in the vasikin, sunrise, minyan, and then he was off to work. As time passed, Yoska’s aged horse left this world. Lacking the funds to…

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ויקחו להם איש שה לבית אבות

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5785

They shall take for themselves – each man – a lamb for a father’s house. (12:3)

The Egyptians suffered through nine makos, plagues, but apparently dug in and refused to budge. The Jewish People were not leaving Egypt. It was now time for the coupe de grace, the finishing blow that would “convince” Pharaoh that Hashem was in control, and He was taking the Jews from them. The tenth plague, smiting the first born, was told to Moshe Rabbeinu during his first encounter with Hashem at the Burning Bush. Yet, Hashem required a prologue before preceding to the final act of makos bechoros. The people were commanded to take a lamb for each family, slaughter and…

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והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא לאמר

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5785

And you shall tell your son on that day. (13:8)

The Rambam (Sefer HaMitzvos 157) writes that it is mandatory for us to remember/reflect on the various trials and tribulations that we experienced in Egypt, so that we can properly pay gratitude to Hashem for saving us. Unless one understands the pain, he is unable to be makir tov, pay gratitude. Horav Yaakov Cohen, zl, delves into Rambam’s source for this comment. Nowhere in the Torah does hakoras hatov play a role in the mitzvah to remember Egypt. He cites the AbudRaham, who quotes Rishonim, who explain the term haggadah, which serves as the seder night’s primer, as being derived…

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וגם אני שמעתי את נאקת בני ישראל

Sruly Schnair In Vaeira, 5785

Moreover, I have heard the groan of Bnei Yisrael. (6:5)

Listening is a fundamental value in many aspects of life – be it relationships, communication or spiritual growth. Listening goes beyond mere hearing; it means internalizing and comprehending what the other person is conveying to us and acting upon it. Active listening fosters a sense of connection to and validation of the speaker, that you are hearing and respecting him. This, in turn, builds trust and fortifies relationships. We can break listening down into different forms. When someone shares his struggles and pains, he is often seeking validation more than solutions. By simply listening, without the ability or wherewithal to…

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ולקחתי אתכם לי לעם

Sruly Schnair In Vaeira, 5785

I shall take you to Me as a people. (6:7)

The climax of Yetzias Mitzrayim, the Egyptian exodus, occurred when Hashem told us we were to be His people, when He gave us the Torah at Har Sinai. At that point, we achieved our identity. A slave has no identity. He is a number, whose master predetermines his purpose and activities. His life is aimless, since he has no control over it. Our identity as Yehudim, Torah Jews, was established at Sinai when we accepted the Torah. Many biological Jews live in the world, but biology does not establish our identity, because it does not define who we are. Our…

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הם המדברים אל פרעה ... הוא משה ואהרן

Sruly Schnair In Vaeira, 5785

These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh … this was Moshe and Aharon. (6:27)

Prior to relating Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon HaKohen’s visit to Pharaoh for what was to be the beginning of the end of the Jewish enslavement, the Torah digresses and offers a brief genealogical backdrop. The Torah begins by introducing Levi ben Yaakov, the Patriarch of the Levite families. This is followed by a detailed list of his children and grandchildren, and it concludes with Moshe and Aharon who came before Pharaoh demanding that he release the Jews. Rashi is bothered by the superfluous ending to the family history. He explains that the Torah intimates that Hu Moshe v’Aharon mi’techilah v’ad…

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ואלה שמות בני ישראל הבאים מצרימה ... ויקם מלך חדש... אשר לא ידע את יוסף

Sruly Schnair In 5785, Shemos

And these are the names of Bnei Yisrael who were coming to Egypt… A new king rose… who did not know Yosef. (1:1,8)

Pharaoh soon forgot all the wonderful things that Yosef had done for him and his people. Sadly, this is not uncommon. People remember you only when they need your help. Once they feel they can do it alone, they quickly forget that they were your beneficiaries. Unfortunately, this is human nature. It requires a special person, whose character traits are refined, to acknowledge what he owes and offer his gratitude. Forgetfulness is often a product of self- centeredness. When a person sees only himself and his immediate needs, he can easily dismiss the benefits and blessings that he has received…

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וימררו את חייהם בעבדה קשה בחמר ובלבנים

Sruly Schnair In 5785, Shemos

They embittered their lives with hard work, with mortar and with bricks. (1:14)

The Zohar HaKadosh explains chomer, mortar, and leveinim, bricks, differently than the standard translation. Chomer is reference to kal v’chomer (light and heavy; a principle of determining halachah. It means that what applies in a less important – light – case will surely apply in a more important – heavy – one. The phrase has come to mean an inescapable conclusion). Leveinim refers to libun halachah, the process of thoroughly analyzing, clarifying and elucidating halachah. (The word libun means whitening or purification, symbolizing the effort expended to refine and clarify a halachic issue until it becomes clear, so that it…

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אשר שם האחת שפרה ושם השנית פועה

Sruly Schnair In 5785, Shemos

The name of the first one was Shifrah, and the name of the second was Puah. (1:15)

Shifrah and Puah, the Egyptian midwives who saved the lives of the Jewish boys whose birth they facilitated, were none other than Yocheved and her daughter, Miriam. (Alternatively, it was Yocheved and her daughter-in-law, Elisheva bas Aminadav, wife of Aharon HaKohen.) In any event, Shifrah/Yocheved merited to give birth to our quintessential leader, Moshe Rabbeinu. Clearly, she must have had an extraordinary z’chus to merit being the progenitress (the computer says this isn’t a word…) of Moshe. It must be her unwavering fear of Hashem which sparked within her the courage to stand up to Pharaoh and save the Jewish…

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ועתה שני בניך הנולדים לך בארץ מצרים...אפרים ומנשה כראובן ושמעון יהיו לי

Sruly Schnair In 5785, Vayechi

And now, your two sons who were born in Egypt… Ephraim and Menashe shall be mine like Reuven and Shimon (48:5)

Yaakov Avinu underscores the fact the Menashe and Ephraim were Egyptian-born. He could just as easily have said, “your two sons, Ephraim and Menashe,” without adding their origins. HaRav Yaakov Kamenetzky, zl, explains that Yaakov was concerned about his grandsons’ origins because of the harsh, foreign spiritual influences they might have sustained. In order to include them among the Shevatim, they had to have remained on a spiritual plateau in some way equal to the Shevatim. Yaakov intimates that he was bringing Ephraim and Menashe close because, since they were born and raised in Egypt, they needed that spiritual TLC….

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ויהי חשך אפלה בכל ארץ מצרים ... לא ראו איש את אחיו ולא קמו איש מתחתיו

And there was a darkness of gloom throughout the land of Egypt…No man could see his brother nor could anyone rise from his place. (10:22,23)

ויקחו להם איש שה לבית אבות

They shall take for themselves – each man – a lamb for a father’s house. (12:3)

והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא לאמר

And you shall tell your son on that day. (13:8)

וגם אני שמעתי את נאקת בני ישראל

Moreover, I have heard the groan of Bnei Yisrael. (6:5)

ולקחתי אתכם לי לעם

I shall take you to Me as a people. (6:7)

הם המדברים אל פרעה ... הוא משה ואהרן

These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh … this was Moshe and Aharon. (6:27)

ואלה שמות בני ישראל הבאים מצרימה ... ויקם מלך חדש... אשר לא ידע את יוסף

And these are the names of Bnei Yisrael who were coming to Egypt… A new king rose… who did not know Yosef. (1:1,8)

וימררו את חייהם בעבדה קשה בחמר ובלבנים

They embittered their lives with hard work, with mortar and with bricks. (1:14)

אשר שם האחת שפרה ושם השנית פועה

The name of the first one was Shifrah, and the name of the second was Puah. (1:15)

ועתה שני בניך הנולדים לך בארץ מצרים...אפרים ומנשה כראובן ושמעון יהיו לי

And now, your two sons who were born in Egypt… Ephraim and Menashe shall be mine like Reuven and Shimon (48:5)

YEARS

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