Shemos – Page 11 – Peninim on the Torah

“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 5760, 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…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5760, 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 5760, 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 5760, 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 5759, Shemos

And she gave birth to a son. She saw that he was good and she hid him for three months. (2:2,3)

Rashi attributes Yocheved’s ability to conceal Moshe Rabbeinu at home for three months to the fact that he was born prematurely – six months after conception. Hence, the Egyptians had no reason to search for a baby. When the nine-month period was up, she was forced to hide him in the water. Hashem could have saved Moshe Rabbeinu in any manner that He chose. He arranged for Moshe to be born prematurely, so that he would be home with his mother for three months. Then he was taken away from her, only to be returned to her later on in…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5759, Shemos

It happened in those days that Moshe grew up and went out to his brethren…and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man. He went out on the next day and behold! Two Hebrew men were fighting. (2:11,13)

Moshe grew into a position of responsibility. He became ready to minister to the needs of his people. Horav Zeev Weinberger, Shlita, feels that Moshe had two distinct goals in mind when he began to serve Klal Yisrael: His first objective was to expunge the evil that the Egyptian environment had engendered. Second, he sought to correct and bring back the Jewish People. The occurrences related in the pesukim on the two days that Moshe “went out” to his brethren demonstrate these two faci. On the first day, Moshe encountered an Egyptian beating a Jew. He immediately “corrected” the problem,…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5759, Shemos

Moshe was shepherding the sheep of Yisro…he guided the sheep into the wilderness. (3:1)

The proof that Moshe had the ability to become Klal Yisrael’s leader was his ability to shepherd his father-in-law’s sheep. Chazal relate the remarkable compassion he exhibited towards the tired and thirsty sheep. Hashem said to him, “You have such empathy towards the sheep belonging to human beings. By your life, you will shepherd My sheep, Yisrael.” While this Midrash is well-known, it is important to take a moment and note the stories recounted by the Torah that demonstrate Moshe Rabbeinu’s sense of compassion. Indeed, as Horav Yitzchak Goldwasser, Shlita, points out, there is a specific sequence to the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5759, Shemos

Hashem told Moshe…”to return to Egypt, as all the men who are seeking to kill you have died. (4:19)

Perhaps the people who disparaged Moshe, who went out of their way to inform on him to Pharaoh, were no longer a problem, but Pharaoh himself was still alive. He surely was not likely to embrace Moshe with love and friendship. Horav Yonasan Eibeshitz, zl, who suffered greatly from slanderers, asked this question. His response was one to which he could relate only too well. It appears, said Rav Yonasan, that the disparaging comments and slander of Jews such as Dasan and Aviram, were even more dangerous than Pharaoh’s sword. What a truism! Anyone who has been the hapless victim…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5759, Shemos

Hashem said to Aharon, “Go to meet Moshe”…and he went and encountered him at the mountain of G-d, and kissed him. (4:27)

Regarding Aharon’s encounter with Moshe Rabbeinu, the Midrash cites the pasuk in Tehillim 85, “Chesed v’emes nifgashu, tzedek v’shalom nashuku,” “Kindness and truth have met; righteousness and peace have kissed.” Aharon is the symbol of chesed; Moshe represents emes. In the second part of the pasuk, tzedek is the virtue which characterizes Moshe, while Aharon is defined by the virtue of shalom. Horav Elimelech Moller, Shlita, infers from this pasuk that an individual creates his name by his actions and deeds. Thus, when Aharon and Moshe met, it was an encounter of emes and chesed – tzedek and shalom. Moshe…

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“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)

And she gave birth to a son. She saw that he was good and she hid him for three months. (2:2,3)

It happened in those days that Moshe grew up and went out to his brethren…and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man. He went out on the next day and behold! Two Hebrew men were fighting. (2:11,13)

Moshe was shepherding the sheep of Yisro…he guided the sheep into the wilderness. (3:1)

Hashem told Moshe…”to return to Egypt, as all the men who are seeking to kill you have died. (4:19)

Hashem said to Aharon, “Go to meet Moshe”…and he went and encountered him at the mountain of G-d, and kissed him. (4:27)

YEARS

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