Shemos – Peninim on the Torah

תכבד העבודה על האנשים ויעשו בה ואל ישעו בדברי שקר

Let the work weigh heavier on the men, and let them engage in it and let them not engage in words of falsity. (5:9)

Chazal (Shemos Rabbah 5:18) teach that the Jews had Torah scrolls (scrolls that contained words of Torah) in which they would delight from Shabbos to Shabbos. Those scrolls imbued them with deep faith that Hashem would soon liberate them. They were able to learn from those scrolls because Shabbos was their official day off. (Moshe Rabbeinu convinced Pharaoh that he would receive maximum benefit from his slave if he allows him a day to rest and rejuvenate. Pharaoh agreed, and Moshe suggested Shabbos be that day of rest.) When Pharaoh saw the people enjoying Shabbos by learning Torah, he quickly…

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וראך ושמח בלבו

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And when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart. (4:14)

Moshe Rabbeinu refused to undertake the mission to lead the Jews, lest his older brother, Aharon HaKohein, who heretofore had been their leader, feel bad over being passed over for his younger brother. Hashem assuaged Moshe’s feelings that his brother was overjoyed to hear the good news. Chazal underscore that this was not superficial joy, but true, genuine joy born of love for Moshe. As a result of Aharon’s selflessness, he merited to wear the Choshen HaMishpat, BreastPlate, over his chest. The Urim V’Tumim were inside the Choshen, elevating the Choshen to unparalleled spiritual status. All this was because Aharon…

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ואלה שמות בני ישראל הבאים מצרימה

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And these are the names of Bnei Yisrael who were coming to Egypt. (1:1)

The second book of Chamishah Chumshei Torah is known as Sefer Shemos –— Names. This is how it begins, with a list of the families that arrived in Egypt. Their descendants are the ones who, after acculturating into the Egyptian lifestyle, ultimately became slaves to an oppressive despotic leader and nation. They were eventually liberated, received the Torah and built the Mishkan. This is the essence of Sefer Shemos. Where does “names” fit in? Furthermore, in translation, the second book is called, “Exodus,” which refers to departure or redemption. Once again, where does “names” fit in? The English and Hebrew…

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אשר שם האחת שפרה ושם השנית פועה

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The name of the first one was Shifrah, and the name of the second was Puah. (1:15)

Shifrah and Puah, the Egyptian midwives who saved the lives of the Jewish boys whose birth they facilitated, were none other than Yocheved and her daughter, Miriam. (Alternatively, it was Yocheved and her daughter-in-law, Elisheva bas Aminadav, wife of Aharon HaKohen.) In any event, Shifrah/Yocheved merited to give birth to our quintessential leader, Moshe Rabbeinu. Clearly, she must have had an extraordinary z’chus to merit being the progenitress (the computer says this isn’t a word…) of Moshe. It must be her unwavering fear of Hashem which sparked within her the courage to stand up to Pharaoh and save the Jewish…

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וימררו את חייהם בעבדה קשה בחמר ובלבנים

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They embittered their lives with hard work, with mortar and with bricks. (1:14)

The Zohar HaKadosh explains chomer, mortar, and leveinim, bricks, differently than the standard translation. Chomer is reference to kal v’chomer (light and heavy; a principle of determining halachah. It means that what applies in a less important – light – case will surely apply in a more important – heavy – one. The phrase has come to mean an inescapable conclusion). Leveinim refers to libun halachah, the process of thoroughly analyzing, clarifying and elucidating halachah. (The word libun means whitening or purification, symbolizing the effort expended to refine and clarify a halachic issue until it becomes clear, so that it…

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ואלה שמות בני ישראל הבאים מצרימה ... ויקם מלך חדש... אשר לא ידע את יוסף

Sruly Schnair In 5785, Shemos

And these are the names of Bnei Yisrael who were coming to Egypt… A new king rose… who did not know Yosef. (1:1,8)

Pharaoh soon forgot all the wonderful things that Yosef had done for him and his people. Sadly, this is not uncommon. People remember you only when they need your help. Once they feel they can do it alone, they quickly forget that they were your beneficiaries. Unfortunately, this is human nature. It requires a special person, whose character traits are refined, to acknowledge what he owes and offer his gratitude. Forgetfulness is often a product of self- centeredness. When a person sees only himself and his immediate needs, he can easily dismiss the benefits and blessings that he has received…

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ויקח משה את אשתו ואת בניו וירכיבם על החמור וישב ארצה מצרים

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So, Moshe took his wife and sons, mounted them on the donkey and returned to the land of Egypt. (4:20)

Rashi teaches that this was no ordinary donkey. It was the donkey that Avraham Avinu saddled for the Akeidas, Binding, of Yitzchak. It is also the donkey that Moshiach Tziddkeinu is destined to be revealed upon, as the pasuk in Zecharyah (9:9) says, Ani v’rocheiv al ha’chamor, “A humble man riding on a donkey.” What is Rashi teaching us? What is to be gleaned from the fact that Moshe Rabbeinu’s donkey was none other than the same donkey that Avraham saddled to go to the Akeidah? Horav Chaim Stein, zl, explains that we should understand this in the context of…

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ויאמר כי אהיה עמך וזה לך האות כי אנכי שלחתיך

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And He said, “For I shall be with you, and this is your sign that I have sent you.” (3:12)

Moshe Rabbeinu claimed that he was unworthy to lead the Jews out of Egypt. Hashem countered that he was worthy of great things. He gave him a sign. What was that sign? The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh explains that Hashem intimated, “You ask what is the sign? The mere fact, Ki Anochi shilachticha, that I have sent you, is your greatest sign. For had you not have been worthy, I would not have sent you! So what room do you have for the concern regarding your worthiness?” Horav Yitzchak Zilberstein, Shlita, applies the words of the Ohr HaChaim to assuage the…

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ויפן כה וכה... ויך את המצרי ויטמנהו בחול

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He turned this way and that… so he struck the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. (2:12)

Moshe Rabbeinu felt that this Egyptian had perpetrated a grave injustice. As such, he took the initiative and punished him. Shortly after the passing of the Chazon Ish, who was the preeminent Torah giant of his generation, Horav Eliyahu Meir Bloch, zl, Rosh Yeshivas Telshe, was maspid, eulogized him, in Cleveland. Sadly, only a small group of lay people attended the Rosh Yeshivah’s hesped. Rav Eliyahu Meir felt strongly and took umbrage over the fact that they chose not to pay their respects to the memory of the gadol hador. He felt this was a chillul Hashem, desecration of Hashem’s…

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ותיראן המילדות את האלקים ולא עשו כאשר דבר אליהן מלך מצרים

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But the midwives feared Hashem, and they did not do as the king of Egypt spoke to them. (1:17)

Leadership has its challenges, and, unless one is strong and persistent, he will fail. Humility should be intrinsic to every leader’s character. When one assumes that he is infallible, he is unaware of his tragic flaw. One who is aware of his faults, who understands his imperfections, will work on them, seeking every avenue to correct his shortcomings. Nonetheless, a position of leadership demands tremendous self-confidence. In some instances, humility comes into play, especially when the leader feels inadequate for the position. Sometimes, one is compelled to adopt a role for which he may not feel entirely suited. This may…

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תכבד העבודה על האנשים ויעשו בה ואל ישעו בדברי שקר

Let the work weigh heavier on the men, and let them engage in it and let them not engage in words of falsity. (5:9)

וראך ושמח בלבו

And when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart. (4:14)

ואלה שמות בני ישראל הבאים מצרימה

And these are the names of Bnei Yisrael who were coming to Egypt. (1:1)

אשר שם האחת שפרה ושם השנית פועה

The name of the first one was Shifrah, and the name of the second was Puah. (1:15)

וימררו את חייהם בעבדה קשה בחמר ובלבנים

They embittered their lives with hard work, with mortar and with bricks. (1:14)

ואלה שמות בני ישראל הבאים מצרימה ... ויקם מלך חדש... אשר לא ידע את יוסף

And these are the names of Bnei Yisrael who were coming to Egypt… A new king rose… who did not know Yosef. (1:1,8)

ויקח משה את אשתו ואת בניו וירכיבם על החמור וישב ארצה מצרים

So, Moshe took his wife and sons, mounted them on the donkey and returned to the land of Egypt. (4:20)

ויאמר כי אהיה עמך וזה לך האות כי אנכי שלחתיך

And He said, “For I shall be with you, and this is your sign that I have sent you.” (3:12)

ויפן כה וכה... ויך את המצרי ויטמנהו בחול

He turned this way and that… so he struck the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. (2:12)

ותיראן המילדות את האלקים ולא עשו כאשר דבר אליהן מלך מצרים

But the midwives feared Hashem, and they did not do as the king of Egypt spoke to them. (1:17)

YEARS

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