Bo – Page 13 – Peninim on the Torah

“(These words) shall be a sign on your arm and frontlets between your eyes.” (13:16)

The tefillin shel yad, which are worn on the arm are different from the tefillin shel rosh, which are worn on the head. The one worn on the arm is composed of one compartment, while its counterpart is comprised of four compartments. The Techias Yisrael infers a valuable lesson from this distinction. The tefillin of the head represents the theoretical and hypothetical, while the tefillin of the arm symbolizes action and accomplishment. As long as we are addressing the theoretical, there can be more than one point of view. This is signified by the multiplicity of compartments in the tefillin…

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Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5754

“And Moshe said; so said Hashem, about midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt.” (11:4)

Rashi cites Chazal, who say that Moshe emphasized the word, about midnight, rather than, precisely at midnight. This was so that if Pharaoh’s astrologers had erred in timing, they would not say that Moshe lied in predicting the time for the plague. This seems unnecessary. What if the astrologers did not err and were able to pinpoint the exact time of midnight? They would still say that Moshe lied, since he said about midnight. What benefit was there in attempting to satisfy the perverted Egyptian mindset? We may advance the question further. It seems that had Moshe said, precisely midnight,…

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Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5754

“Draw out and take your lambs according to your families and slaughter the (Korban) Pesach.” (12:21)

The Midrash records a distinctive question asked by R. Elazar. He inquires concerning the necessity for the requirement of the Korban Pesach prior to Am Yisrael’s leaving Egypt. Surely there must have been other mitzvos which would have merited Am Yisrael’s redemption. Indeed, Chazal single out four specific mitzvos for which Am Yisrael merited deliverance. They were morally clean; they spoke no lashon hora; they possessed Jewish pride, retaining their Hebrew names; and they maintained the culture, not changing their national language. Why then was the Korban Pesach an essential prerequisite for their geu’lah, redemption? Chazal respond that they were…

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Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5754

“And it shall be to you a sign upon your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes.” (13:9)

The Talmud in Menachos 36a derives from this pasuk that one should first put the tefillin shel yad on the arm, then the tefillin shel rosh on the head. When he removes the tefillin he should first remove the shel rosh. For, when the shel rosh is on his head, he should be wearing both tefillin. There are a number of reasons for this halacha. The Chezkuni suggests a novel pedagogic approach. Before one can make an external sign, before he can promulgate his ideas and beliefs, he must initially concretize the beliefs in his own mind. They must become…

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Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5754

“And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come saying: what is this? You shall say to him, with a strong hand Hashem has brought us out of Egypt.” (13:14)

In this parsha, Rashi attributes this question to the she’eino yodeah lish’ol, the son who is not even able to ask. This response is given to the wicked son in the Hagaddah! What relationship is there between one who knows not to question and one who is wicked? We may suggest that in Torah chinuch, education, there is no room for compromise. If one receives the wrong education it is tantamount to receiving no education. One who is devoid of Torah will ultimately be satisfied with misleading ideas and thoughts. The foundation of the pedagogic process is the ability to motivate…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bo, 5753

“And they shall take to them (every) man a lamb for their father’s house, a lamb for a household.” (12:3) – “And they shall slaughter it the whole assembly of the congregation of Yisrael… and they shall take of the blood and they shall put it upon the two doorposts and on the lintel.” (12:6,7)

In this pasuk we note the first mitzvah in which Bnei Yisrael are enjoined as they prepare for the Exodus from Egypt. It focuses upon the head of the house, while it also embraces the whole family. Even though there is great need for collective communal involvement, the individual is not absolved of his own personal responsibility. We have become so dependent upon communal institutions that we may have forgotten what it means to fulfill our obligations personally. We send the aged to be cared for by the communal organization and the poor to central tzedaka funds, while we relegate…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bo, 5753

“Remember this day (in) which you went out from Egypt. Today you go forth in the month of Aviv.” (13:3,4)

We may question the Torah‘s inclusion of the word vzv – “this day”. Why is it necessary to emphasize “this” day? There is obviously something unique about that day which must be especially remembered. We may suggest the following thought. The Torah seems to accentuate the time of year when the Exodus from Egypt took place. Hence, it is stated, “Today you go forth in the month of Aviv,” which refers to the month of Nissan or the beginning of spring. This is a time of renewal when the young seedlings are beginning to blossom. It is a time of…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bo, 5753

“And you shall tell your son on that day saying: It is because of this that Hashem did for me when I went forth from Egypt. And it shall be for you a sign upon your hand… In order that the law of Hashem may be in your mouth.” (13,8,9,10)

We may wonder why, particularly in the chapter dealing with consecrating the first-born, the “children” would question our spiritual practice. Indeed, there were other mitzvos which they could have found enigmatic. Horav Nissan Alpert, z.l., offers a homiletic appreciation of this pasuk. The “children” questioned the need for the first-born to be consecrated from birth, to be immediately inducted in Hashem’s service. Would it not have been more appropriate for them first to mature both emotionally and spiritually before choosing to serve Hashem? The response to this question is “It shall be for you a sign upon your hand.” As…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bo, 5753

“And it shall be when Hashem will bring you into the land of the Canaanites as He swore unto you and your fathers, and He shall give it to you.” (13:11)

Rashi explains that Bnei Yisrael should feel that Eretz Yisrael was being given to them anew on that very day, rather than as an inheritance bequeathed to them by their ancestors. This special appreciation of Eretz Yisrael is more than a reflection of our love towards the land. It is also an essential prerequisite for its procurement. As we study Torah daily, we are reaffirming our acceptance of it, and we are obligating ourselves to its mandate. We likewise view Eretz Yisrael as our land. Horav Yerucham Levovitz, z.l., remarks that although Eretz Yisrael was pledged to our ancestors, it…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bo, 5753

“And Yisrael saw the great hand (might) of Hashem… and they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant. (14:31)

What was unique about these miracles that stimulated Bnei Yisrael’s faith in Hashem more strongly than did the miracles wrought in Egypt? What provoked Bnei Yisrael to finally express gratitude to Hashem through the vehicle of “shirah,” song of praise? Horav Nissan Alpert, z.l., offers a profound homiletic response to this question. Historical events are all part of a great portrait created by Hashem as the master artist. These seemingly isolated incidents all fit in to make up a beautifully crafted and brilliantly designed mosaic. In order to appreciate the total project, man must be able to stand back and…

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“(These words) shall be a sign on your arm and frontlets between your eyes.” (13:16)

“And Moshe said; so said Hashem, about midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt.” (11:4)

“Draw out and take your lambs according to your families and slaughter the (Korban) Pesach.” (12:21)

“And it shall be to you a sign upon your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes.” (13:9)

“And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come saying: what is this? You shall say to him, with a strong hand Hashem has brought us out of Egypt.” (13:14)

“Remember this day (in) which you went out from Egypt. Today you go forth in the month of Aviv.” (13:3,4)

“And you shall tell your son on that day saying: It is because of this that Hashem did for me when I went forth from Egypt. And it shall be for you a sign upon your hand… In order that the law of Hashem may be in your mouth.” (13,8,9,10)

“And it shall be when Hashem will bring you into the land of the Canaanites as He swore unto you and your fathers, and He shall give it to you.” (13:11)

“And Yisrael saw the great hand (might) of Hashem… and they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant. (14:31)

YEARS

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