Vaeira – Page 12 – Peninim on the Torah

This was Aharon and Moshe to whom Hashem said: “Take the Bnei Yisrael out of Egypt…” They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh….this was the Moshe and Aharon. (6:26,27)

Chazal note that in many places in the Torah, Aharon’s name precedes that of Moshe. This implies that they were equally great men. We must address the concept of equivalent greatness between Moshe and Aharon. Moshe was unequivocally greater in nevuah, prophecy, as well as in other areas. Moshe was the select human being, the paragon of humanity, who was the unparalleled, quintessential leader of Bnei Yisrael. How could Aharon be viewed as equally great? Horav Moshe Feinstein, zl, posits that while, indeed, Aharon did not distinguish himself as much as Moshe, he did maximize his own potential. Hashem assesses…

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Moshe Marcovich In Vaeira, 5758

And I shall harden Pharaoh’s heart…And Pharaoh will not listen to you…And I shall take out My legions, My People, the Bnei Yisrael, from the land of Egypt. (7:3,4)

Was it really necessary to harden Pharaoh’s heart? Hashem could have simply “convinced” Pharaoh to let us go. That would have been much simpler. The Baalei Musar explain that even had Pharaoh one day released us from bondage, we would still remain indebted to him. After all, he would have “liberated” us from servitude. Now that Hashem has redeemed us, we have no debt of gratitude to anyone but Hashem. Horav Chaim Friedlandler, zl supplements this idea. Had Pharaoh acquiesced to Moshe’s demand that Bnei Yisrael be released from Egypt, we might be grateful in some manner to Pharaoh. Hashem…

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Moshe Marcovich In Vaeira, 5758

Whoever among the servants of Pharaoh feared Hashem, chased his servants and livestock into the houses. (9:20)

The Torah seems to distinguish between different types of Egyptians. While the majority were obviously evil and supportive of Pharaoh’s diabolical plans to do with the Jews as he pleased, there were those who were “G-d-fearing”; they were “yarei es dvar Hashem,” “feared the word of Hashem.” Is that really true? Were these Egyptians truly G-d-fearing, or was it a ruse to save themselves and their possessions from ruin? Whatever happened to those animals that were rescued from death because of their owner’s “fear of the word of Hashem”? Chazal tell us that the horses that belonged to those “select”…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

Moreover, I have heard the groans of Bnei Yisrael whom Egypt enslaves. (6:5)

Upon reading the text, one would think that the use of the word “Ani“, “I (heard)” indicates that it was only Hashem who heard Bnei Yisrael cry. If they had been groaning, why was it only Hashem who heard? The Noam Elimelech explains that the groaning essentially had three manifestations. The first type of cry emanated from the common Jew who had been subjected to back-breaking labor, to the affliction of the Egyptains throwing their baby boys into the Nile River. While most of the people cried over the demeaning and cruel slavery to which they were subjected, there were…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

I shall take you out from under the burdens of Egypt; I shall rescue you from their service; I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm…I shall take you to Me for a People. (6:6,7)

The Torah employs arba leshonos shel geulah, four expressions of redemption, which allude to the distinct stages of the Jews’ liberation from the Egyptian exile. Horav Gedalyah Shorr, z”l, posits that the four expressions relate as equally to the individual as they do to the entire nation. Every person experienced his own personal redemption from the Egyptian culture. Every individual must liberate himself from the shackles of his own enslavement to the yetzer hora, evil inclination. He cites the Sfas Emes, who says that these expressions coincide with the four elements which comprise man: fire, water, wind and dust. The…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

And Hashem said to Moshe, “Say to Aharon, take your staff and stretch out your hand.” (7:19)

Moshe Rabbeinu initiated the last seven makos, plagues, while Hashem told Aharon to strike the river and the earth for the first three plagues. Chazal attribute Aharon’s designation to the fact that the river and the earth protected Moshe. He was placed in the river as an infant to be concealed from the Egyptians, and later the earth covered the Egyptian that he had killed. Moshe benefited from two inanimate objects. Therefore, he must demonstrate his gratitude. This seems to be excessive. The middah of hakoras tov, appreciation, is one of the mainstays of character development, but is it necessary…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

And Hashem carried out the word of Moshe, and the frogs died–from the houses, from the courtyards, and from the fields. (8:9)

It did not take long for Pharaoh to beg Moshe to implore Hashem to put a halt to the swarms of frogs that were literally infesting his entire country. Moshe prayed to Hashem and the frogs all died. Chazal tell us that the frogs who had entered the ovens miraculously did not die, either in the oven or afterwards! We may question the remarkable reward received by the frogs. After all, if they were commanded by Hashem to enter the ovens, where else should they have gone? A similar question may be asked regarding Chazal’s statement in the Talmud Pesachim…

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Sruly Schnair In Vaeira, 5756

“I appeared to Avraham, to Yitzchak and to Yaakov as K’el Shaddai, but with My Name Hashem I did not make Myself known to them.” (6:3)

The various Names of Hashem each represents a different way in which He reveals Himself. Moshe was privy to the revelation of “Hashem,” the highest manifestation of revelation. Yet, he questioned His ways. The Avos, Patriarchs, maintained the ultimate level of emunah. Even though Hashem revealed Himself to them only with His other Name, K’el Shaddai, they never questioned His ways, regardless of their perplexity. Rashi cites Chazal in the Talmud, Sanhedrin 111a, who “quote” Hashem saying, “Woe to those that are gone and not found. Many times I revealed Myself to the Patriarchs using (only) the Name of K’el…

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Sruly Schnair In Vaeira, 5756

“And you shall say to him… ‘Send out My people that they may serve Me in the wilderness,” (7:16)

Moshe gave Pharaoh no options; he gave Pharaoh no room for discussion or compromise in meeting his demand. The Jews must leave Egypt — unequivocally! There must be a complete liberation. Why? Would it not have been sufficient to halt the labor and insist that the Jews be reinstated as common citizens? The Otzar Chaim offers a simple, but profound, response. He recounts a comment made by the Chasam Sofer, z.l., during the emancipation in Austria. The prejudicial laws were lifted, enabling Jews to hold positions of importance and granting them access to society in general. Everyone was excited about…

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Sruly Schnair In Vaeira, 5756

“Say unto Aharon, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the land, it shall become lice.'” (8:12)

Similar to the two previous plagues of blood and frogs, it is Aharon who brought about the plague of lice. Aharon had this responsibility because Moshe was not permitted to strike the water or the dust. The water had protected him when he was an infant, and the dust concealed the Egyptian who Moshe had killed. It would have shown ingratitude for Moshe to strike either the water or the ground. Imagine, Moshe and Aharon were involved in the most sublime endeavor of their lives — taking Klal Yisrael out of Egypt. The overriding concern, however, was not to “offend”…

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This was Aharon and Moshe to whom Hashem said: “Take the Bnei Yisrael out of Egypt…” They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh….this was the Moshe and Aharon. (6:26,27)

And I shall harden Pharaoh’s heart…And Pharaoh will not listen to you…And I shall take out My legions, My People, the Bnei Yisrael, from the land of Egypt. (7:3,4)

Whoever among the servants of Pharaoh feared Hashem, chased his servants and livestock into the houses. (9:20)

Moreover, I have heard the groans of Bnei Yisrael whom Egypt enslaves. (6:5)

I shall take you out from under the burdens of Egypt; I shall rescue you from their service; I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm…I shall take you to Me for a People. (6:6,7)

And Hashem said to Moshe, “Say to Aharon, take your staff and stretch out your hand.” (7:19)

And Hashem carried out the word of Moshe, and the frogs died–from the houses, from the courtyards, and from the fields. (8:9)

“I appeared to Avraham, to Yitzchak and to Yaakov as K’el Shaddai, but with My Name Hashem I did not make Myself known to them.” (6:3)

“And you shall say to him… ‘Send out My people that they may serve Me in the wilderness,” (7:16)

“Say unto Aharon, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the land, it shall become lice.'” (8:12)

YEARS

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