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והיה כי ישאלך בנך מחר לאמר מה זאת ואמרת אליו בחזק יד הוציאנו ד' ממצרים מבית עבדים

And it shall be when your son will ask you at some future time, “What is this?” You shall say to him, “With a strong hand Hashem removed us from Egypt from the house of bondage.” (13:14)

Rashi explains the above pasuk as presenting the question of a foolish child who is unable to ask a question in depth. Therefore, he is vague and simply asks, “What is this?” Elsewhere, the Torah presents the question differently: “What are the testimonies, statutes and judgments, etc.?” This is the question of the wise son. Thus, the Torah speaks with respect to four sons: the wicked one; the one who is unable to ask; the one who asks in a vague manner; the one who asks in a wise manner. Horav Gamliel Rabinowitz, Shlita, derives from the Torah’s addressing four…

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והיה לכם למשמרת עד ארבעה עשר יום לחדש הזה

It shall be yours for examination until the fourteenth of the month. (12:6)

The lamb used for the Korban Pesach was taken on the tenth day of the month and not used until the fourteenth. During those four days, the animal was checked for blemishes that would render it unfit for use as a sacrifice. This requirement applied only concerning the first Korban Pesach, which was offered in Egypt. Chazal explain that, after the many years of the Egyptian exile, the Jewish People had descended to a very low level of spirituality. They had plummeted to the nadir of depravity, and they had no z’chusim, merits, to warrant their redemption from Egypt. Hashem…

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ולכל בני ישראל לא יחרץ כלב לשנו

But against all Bnei Yisrael, no dog shall whet his tongue. (11:7)

A number of years ago, I wrote of an incident which took place in Brisk, when the city was under the leadership of its Rav, Horav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, zl, popularly known by his sefer, Bais HaLevi. A dispute had broken out in the city among its movers and shakers, the most prominent and wealthy members of the community. The issue was concerning the direction of the community and how it should be led. They brought up the matter to the Rav, asking him to render a decision. In an attempt to discern in which direction the “wind” was blowing…

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והיתה צעקה גדולה בכל ארץ מצרים אשר כמהו לא נהיתה וכמהו לא תסף ולכל בני ישראל לא יחרץ כלב לשנו

There shall be a great outcry in the entire land of Egypt, such as there has never been and such as there shall never be again. But against Bnei Yisrael, no dog shall whet his tongue. (11:6,7)

There was a remarkable contrast of sound that fateful night in Egypt. The Egyptian firstborn were dying amid a cacophony of weeping throughout the land. In contrast, not a sound was heard in the Jewish ghetto of Goshen. While under most circumstances one can hear sounds even during the dead of night, on the night the firstborn died, it was silent in the area of the Jews: no dog barked; the crickets were silent; no noise whatsoever; total silence. This was all part of Hashem’s plan. It was His demonstration, a lesson to remember for all time: a fundamental difference…

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