Vaeira – Page 6 – Peninim on the Torah

ולא שמעו אל משה מקצר רוח ומעבודה קשה

But they did not heed Moshe, because of shortness of breath, and hard work. (6:9)

One would expect that a man overwhelmed with misery would listen to anyone who would give him a respite from his pain. Any sign of hope would be greatly appreciated. Why did the Jews not listen to Moshe Rabbeinu? They were burdened by slavery and pain. They sought redemption from the purgatory of the Egyptian exile. The commentators explain that their rejection of Moshe had nothing to do with their level of emunah, faith. Their debilitating physical and emotional straits stimulated their rejection of Moshe. Moshe, however, blamed his speech impediment for his inability to reach them. What requires elucidation…

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והפלה ד' בין מקנה ישראל ובין מקנה מצרים ולא ימות מכל לבני ישראל דבר... וישלח פרעה והנה לא מת ממקנה ישראל עד אחד ויכבד לב פרעה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5773

Hashem shall distinguish between the livestock of Yisrael and the livestock of Egypt and not a thing that belongs to Bnei Yisrael will die… Pharaoh sent and behold, of the livestock of Yisrael, not even one had died – yet Pharaoh’s heart became stubborn. (9:4,7)

Moshe Rabbeinu warned Pharaoh concerning the upcoming plague of dever, an epidemic that would strike and kill their livestock. He added that no animal belonging to a Jew would die. This would clearly be a miracle, since the animals of both Egyptian and Jewish ownership mingled together in the pasture, drinking the same water and breathing the same air. The Egyptian animals died, but the animals belonging to the Jews did not – exactly as foretold by Moshe. Despite what was undeniably a miracle, Pharaoh continued his stubborn refusal to allow the Jews to leave Egypt. Why would Pharaoh act…

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הירא את דבר ד'... הניס את עבדיו ואת מקנהו אל הבתים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5773

Whoever feared the word of Hashem… chased his servants and his livestock into the houses. (9:20)

Chazal derive an important principle from the Torah’s depiction of the “G-d-fearing” Egyptian: The best of snakes should have its head smashed. In other words, a snake is a snake, regardless of how “good” it may be. It cannot be trusted. The Torah distinguishes between the Egyptians who listened to the warning of Moshe Rabbeinu concerning the upcoming plague which would overrun the country and those that did not listen. Those who listened brought their livestock indoors, while those who ignored the warning left their animals outside. To their chagrin, these recalcitrant Egyptians lost their animals. Later on, when Pharaoh…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5772

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

A businessman once came to the Chasam Sofer to pour out his heart. Apparently, he was doing poorly in business and needed the blessing of a great man of the Chasam Sofer’s stature. The Chasam Sofer looked at the man and said, “V’gam ani shomati,” “Moreover, (also) I have heard that your brother is destitute with no source of income, and you have refused to help him.” The man looked back at the Chasam Sofer and replied, “But Rebbe, I just finished saying that I am not doing well myself. I have enough to worry about myself.” The Chasam Sofer…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5772

“I am Hashem. Speak to Pharaoh…everything that I speak to you.” (6:29)

Hashem instructed Moshe Rabbeinu to go to Pharaoh and demand that the Jewish People be released from bondage. If Pharaoh would not listen, Hashem would punish him and his nation severely. In order to understand Moshe Rabbeinu’s position fully vis-à-vis Pharaoh, we should consider their dialogue and the ensuing plagues in context. Imagine a family that was compelled to flee their country in response to a tyrannical king. Overnight, they escaped by train with whatever belongings they could gather. In the ensuing excitement and tumult, a small bassinet containing their infant fell off the train. Miraculously, a wealthy man…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5772

The sorcerers said to Pharaoh, “It is the finger of G-d.” (8:15)

Pharaoh’s magicians were finally stymied. They could not replicate this latest plague. It must be the “finger of G-d.” To paraphrase Targum Yonasan, “This does not emanate from the powers of Moshe and Aharon.” In other words, until this juncture, the magicians were able to duplicate the “miraculous” acts that “seemed” to be the result of Moshe’s and Aharon’s mystical powers. Consequently, they refused to believe that Hashem had sent them, that He was the source of these miracles. Now that they saw that this plague was beyond their magical ability, they conceded that there must be a Divine element…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5772

“Moshe said, “It is not proper to do so …behold if we were to slaughter the deity of Egypt in their sight, will they not stone us?” (8:22)

Pharaoh told Moshe to offer their sacrifices in Egypt. Why should they leave for the wilderness? Moshe responded that this was untenable. The Egyptians worshipped sheep, the very animal that the Jews sacrificed to Hashem. How could the Jews slaughter the Egyptian god in front of their eyes and not expect a violent reaction? This is enigmatic. If Pharaoh had issued a decree permitting the Jews to slaughter sheep in Egypt, then no one would dare to harm them. The king’s edict was law. Horav Yaakov Moshe Charlap z.l., explains that Moshe did not want to cause the Egyptians to…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5771

“Behold, Bnei Yisrael have not listened to me, so how will Pharaoh listen to me? And I have sealed lips!” (6:12)

Moshe Rabbeinu raises the issue of his speech impediment. He feels that, as a result of his inability to speak eloquently, he is not qualified to serve as Hashem’s spokesman to Pharaoh. Furthermore, if the Jewish People had not listened to him, how could Pharaoh be expected to listen? Rashi cites the Midrash which notes that this is one of the ten kal v’chomer, a fortiori logical arguments, in the Torah. A kal v’chomer reasons: If a rule or fact applies in a situation in which we have limited reason for it to apply, certainly it applies in a situation…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5771

These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuven… the sons of Shimon… These are the names of the sons of Levi. (6:14-16)

Is there some distinction to the names of Levi’s sons? Apparently there must be, since concerning Reuven and Shimon, the Torah merely says: “the sons of,” without mentioning the word shaimos, names. Why does the Torah not emphasize the “names” of Reuven and Shimon’s sons? The Shlah HaKadosh, zl, explains that Shevet Levi was unique among the brothers in that they were not enslaved together with the others. This troubled them, since they wanted to share in their brothers’ pain and empathize with their plight. What did they do? They gave their sons names which brought the bitter exile to…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5771

“And I shall harden Pharaoh’s heart.” (7:3)

Anyone who peruses the text might think that Pharaoh was some kind of lunatic. He constantly changed his mind. One moment, he was entreating Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon HaKohen to rid Egypt of its frogs. The next moment, he had reverted to his usual arrogance. The same scenario played itself out once again concerning makkas arov, pestilence. Every time that he was down, he begged forgiveness and appeared to be sincere. As soon as the plague disappeared, he reverted to his old self. This is the likely behavior of an animal – not a rational human being. An animal cannot change…

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ולא שמעו אל משה מקצר רוח ומעבודה קשה

But they did not heed Moshe, because of shortness of breath, and hard work. (6:9)

והפלה ד' בין מקנה ישראל ובין מקנה מצרים ולא ימות מכל לבני ישראל דבר... וישלח פרעה והנה לא מת ממקנה ישראל עד אחד ויכבד לב פרעה

Hashem shall distinguish between the livestock of Yisrael and the livestock of Egypt and not a thing that belongs to Bnei Yisrael will die… Pharaoh sent and behold, of the livestock of Yisrael, not even one had died – yet Pharaoh’s heart became stubborn. (9:4,7)

הירא את דבר ד'... הניס את עבדיו ואת מקנהו אל הבתים

Whoever feared the word of Hashem… chased his servants and his livestock into the houses. (9:20)

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

“I am Hashem. Speak to Pharaoh…everything that I speak to you.” (6:29)

The sorcerers said to Pharaoh, “It is the finger of G-d.” (8:15)

“Moshe said, “It is not proper to do so …behold if we were to slaughter the deity of Egypt in their sight, will they not stone us?” (8:22)

“Behold, Bnei Yisrael have not listened to me, so how will Pharaoh listen to me? And I have sealed lips!” (6:12)

These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuven… the sons of Shimon… These are the names of the sons of Levi. (6:14-16)

“And I shall harden Pharaoh’s heart.” (7:3)

YEARS

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