Shemos – Page 10 – Peninim on the Torah

“They embittered their lives with hard work…all their labors that they performed with them were with crushing harshness.” (1:14)

In the Talmud Sotah 11b, Chazal give us an insight into the avodas perach, crushing/harsh labor, to which the Egyptians subjected Klal Yisrael. They inverted their tasks, giving the men work that was usually performed by women and vice versa. This seems enigmatic. If a man is forced to perform a woman’s work, is that to be considered crushing and harsh? It may not be his style, but it certainly is not heartless. The Ozrover Rebbe, z.l., derives from here that any form of labor that is not habitual for an individual is, in effect, considered avodas perach. The difficulty…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5764, Shemos

“Moshe grew up and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens.” (2:11)

Although raised in the splendor of Pharaoh’s palace, exposed constantly to the anti-Semitic vitriol that was undoubtedly a part of the daily conversation, Moshe Rabbeinu remained the son of Amram and Yocheved. He did not become an Egyptian prince; he remained a Jew, proud of his heritage, empathetic to his brethren, compassionate for the downtrodden, broken slaves. He did not merely identify with his People through lip service; he went out to them. He wanted to observe their suffering and grieve with them. He was a true “noseh b’ol im chaveiro,” one who carries the yoke with his friend….

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5764, Shemos

“And say to him (Pharaoh), “Hashem, G-d of the Ivriyim, (Hebrews), happened upon us.” (3:18)

Hashem instructed Moshe Rabbeinu to approach Pharaoh on behalf of the Jewish People. This is the first time that an address is to be made to a gentile king in the name of the Jewish People. We find the plural derivative of the word Ivri in a form, Ivriyim, with two ‘yudin,” which never occurs again. Elsewhere, it is always written as Ivrim. Horav S.R. Hirsch, z.l., posits that the character which is defined by the word Ivri is herein underscored. The word, “Ivriyim,” emphasizes not only the character that marks the people as a whole, but one which characterizes…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5764, Shemos

“I am not a man of words… for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of speech.” (4:10)

Moshe Rabbeinu implored Hashem to send someone else to Pharaoh. He claimed that his speech impediment would make it very difficult for him to express himself effectively and to articulate his demands. It is interesting to note that Moshe felt that his impediment would only be problematic in his dialogue with Pharaoh. What about Klal Yisrael? How would they react to a leader who could not communicate in a clear and effective manner? Apparently, Moshe Rabbeinu was not concerned about the Jews. They were not so vacuous and shallow to judge a person only according to his external qualities. They…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5763, Shemos

“They embittered their lives with hard work…all their labors that they performed with them were with crushing harshness.” (1:14)

In the Talmud Sotah 11b, Chazal give us an insight into the avodas perach, crushing/harsh labor, to which the Egyptians subjected Klal Yisrael. They inverted their tasks, giving the men work that was usually performed by women and vice versa. This seems enigmatic. If a man is forced to perform a woman’s work, is that to be considered crushing and harsh? It may not be his style, but it certainly is not heartless. The Ozrover Rebbe, z.l., derives from here that any form of labor that is not habitual for an individual is, in effect, considered avodas perach. The difficulty…

Home -> Shemos -> 5763

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5763, Shemos

“Moshe grew up and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens.” (2:11)

Although raised in the splendor of Pharaoh’s palace, exposed constantly to the anti-Semitic vitriol that was undoubtedly a part of the daily conversation, Moshe Rabbeinu remained the son of Amram and Yocheved. He did not become an Egyptian prince; he remained a Jew, proud of his heritage, empathetic to his brethren, compassionate for the downtrodden, broken slaves. He did not merely identify with his People through lip service; he went out to them. He wanted to observe their suffering and grieve with them. He was a true “noseh b’ol im chaveiro,” one who carries the yoke with his friend….

Home -> Shemos -> 5763

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5763, Shemos

“And say to him (Pharaoh), “Hashem, G-d of the Ivriyim, (Hebrews), happened upon us.” (3:18)

Hashem instructed Moshe Rabbeinu to approach Pharaoh on behalf of the Jewish People. This is the first time that an address is to be made to a gentile king in the name of the Jewish People. We find the plural derivative of the word Ivri in a form, Ivriyim, with two ‘yudin,” which never occurs again. Elsewhere, it is always written as Ivrim. Horav S.R. Hirsch, z.l., posits that the character which is defined by the word Ivri is herein underscored. The word, “Ivriyim,” emphasizes not only the character that marks the people as a whole, but one which characterizes…

Home -> Shemos -> 5763

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5763, Shemos

“I am not a man of words… for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of speech.” (4:10)

Moshe Rabbeinu implored Hashem to send someone else to Pharaoh. He claimed that his speech impediment would make it very difficult for him to express himself effectively and to articulate his demands. It is interesting to note that Moshe felt that his impediment would only be problematic in his dialogue with Pharaoh. What about Klal Yisrael? How would they react to a leader who could not communicate in a clear and effective manner? Apparently, Moshe Rabbeinu was not concerned about the Jews. They were not so vacuous and shallow to judge a person only according to his external qualities. They…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5762, Shemos

“She opened it, and saw him, the child, and behold! A youth was crying… ‘This is one of the Hebrew boys.’” (2:6)

A child, a youth: is it a child or a youth? Chazal ask this question in the Talmud Sotah 12b. The Torah calls him a yeled, child, and it also calls him a naar, youth. Which is it? He is a child, but his voice is that of a youth. Chazal seem to imply that Moshe Rabbeinu’s voice had the maturity of that of a young boy. We wonder at the Torah’s expression, “This is one of the Hebrew boys.” Why could the Torah not have simply said, “This is a Hebrew boy.” Why does it say, “one of the Hebrew boys”?…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5762, Shemos

“And he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man…He turned this way and that and saw that there was no man…He went out the next day and behold! two Hebrew men were fighting…and he thought, ‘Indeed, the matter is known.’” (2:11-14)

Horav Azariah Figu, z.l., says that Moshe Rabbeinu’s first impression of his Jewish brethren worried him. He went out and saw an Egyptian beating a Jew. His first reaction was to look around to see if there were any other Jews around to help. He was shocked to see that ein ish, “there was no man.” There were Jews, but they did not seem to want to become involved – or perhaps they did not care. Moshe could not believe this sense of indifference to the plight of another Jew. He attributed their lack of involvement to the fact that Jews…

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“They embittered their lives with hard work…all their labors that they performed with them were with crushing harshness.” (1:14)

“Moshe grew up and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens.” (2:11)

“And say to him (Pharaoh), “Hashem, G-d of the Ivriyim, (Hebrews), happened upon us.” (3:18)

“I am not a man of words… for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of speech.” (4:10)

“They embittered their lives with hard work…all their labors that they performed with them were with crushing harshness.” (1:14)

“Moshe grew up and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens.” (2:11)

“And say to him (Pharaoh), “Hashem, G-d of the Ivriyim, (Hebrews), happened upon us.” (3:18)

“I am not a man of words… for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of speech.” (4:10)

“She opened it, and saw him, the child, and behold! A youth was crying… ‘This is one of the Hebrew boys.’” (2:6)

“And he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man…He turned this way and that and saw that there was no man…He went out the next day and behold! two Hebrew men were fighting…and he thought, ‘Indeed, the matter is known.’” (2:11-14)

YEARS

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