Shemos – Page 5 – Peninim on the Torah

ותפתח ותראהו את הילד והנה נער בכה ותחמל עליו ותאמר מילדי העברים זה

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

Sequentially, it would have made sense to write that the infant was a Hebrew child first and only afterwards (despite the child’s ancestry) that she took pity on him. One would think that the child’s Jewish identity was the most significant aspect of the pasuk – not her act of compassion. Horav Nissan Alpert, zl, feels that the reversed sequence teaches us an important lesson, one which (I feel) we should all apply to our personal lives. Upon seeing someone in pain, an organization in serious need, we are confronted with two immediate reactions: empathy, compassion to reach out and…

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וימררו את חייהם בעבודה קשה... את כל עבודתם אשר עבדו בהם בפרך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5776, Shemos

They embittered their lives with hard work… All the labors that they performed with them were with crushing hardness. (1:14)

The Talmud Pesachim 39a explains that Chazeres/ lettuce, which may be used for marror, bitter herbs, is representational of the type of crushing hard labor to which the Jewish People were subjected by their Egyptian taskmasters. Chazeres begins soft (at first, when one bites into it, it seems soft, almost sweet), becoming marror and bitter tasting overtime; likewise, the Egyptian initiated the Jewish slave labor with sweetness: either by offering them money in reimbursement for their time and toil; or by convincing them of the significance of their labor, etc. Chazal’s statement attributing the use of lettuce to its similarity…

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ויגדל משה ויצא אל אחיו וירא בסבלתם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5776, Shemos

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

“Moshe grew up”. The Torah teaches us that the definition of “growing up” is assuming responsibility. It has nothing to do with age. Personally identifying with the plight of the Jews; viewing them as his brothers – despite the fact that he had been raised amid royalty and wealth – was a sign of Moshe’s maturation. The next step in his growth process was actually leaving the royal palace and joining together with his brothers in their labor. Last, as the well-known Rashi expounds – Nosan eino v’libo liheyos meitzar aleihem; “He applied his eyes and heart to see their…

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ומשה היה רעה את צאן יתרו חתנו כהן מדין

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5776, Shemos

Moshe was shepherding the sheep of Yisro, his father-in-law, the Priest of Midyan. (3:1)

The Torah is informing us that Moshe Rabbeinu’s vocation prior to his being selected as the man who would lead the Jewish People from Egypt, and who would shepherd them throughout their desert journey, was a shepherd. The Torah does not waste words. If the Torah mentions Moshe’s background, it is because it is vital to his resume as leader. Chazal explain that our quintessential leader was first given a “trial run” as Yisro’s shepherd, in order to ascertain his leadership abilities. After seeing how Moshe performed as a shepherd, Hashem chose him to lead our ancestors. What did he…

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וילך ויפגשהו בהר האלקים וישק לו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5776, Shemos

And he (Aharon) went and encountered him (Moshe) at the mountain of G-d, and he kissed him. (4:27)

According to Rambam, Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon HaKohen met at Har Sinai. What seems to be a simple meeting of two brothers is described by Chazal as an encounter of two individuals with complementary character traits. “This is what is written, Chesed v’emes nifgashu, tzedek v’shalom nashaku, ‘Kindness and truth met, righteous and peace kissed’” (Tehillim 85:11). Kindness” refers to Aharon, and “truth” refers to Moshe. This is what is meant by “kindness” and “truth” met – “And he (Aharon) met him (Moshe) at the mountain of G-d.” “Righteous” refers to Moshe and “peace” refers to Aharon. Thus, “kiss” corresponds…

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וימת יוסף וכל אחיו וכל הדור ההוא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5775, Shemos

Yosef died, and all his brothers and that entire generation. (1:6)

Sforno comments that, as long as any member of the original generation that had descended with Yaakov Avinu to Egypt was still alive, the present generation was able to maintain the proper spiritual level. Once they were gone, however, the spiritual decline which led to slavery and persecution accelerated. In his commentary to Shemos 6:16, Rashi teaches that, as long as a member of the original group of immigrants was alive, the Jews enjoyed freedom. The slavery commenced with the demise of the last one. This seems inconsistent with Rashi’s commentary to the beginning of Parashas Vayechi (Bereishis 47:28), where…

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ותראהו את הילד והנה נער בוכה... ותאמר מילדי העברים זה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5775, Shemos

She saw him, the boy, and behold! A youth was crying… and (she) said, “This is one of the Hebrew boys.” (2:6)

Pharaoh’s daughter looked at the infant in the basket and noticed something unusual about the manner in which the infant wept. This made her assume that it was a Jewish infant. What about the infant’s weeping spurred her to think that it was Jewish? The Slonimer Rebbe, zl, explains that, indeed, a marked difference exits between the cry of a Jew and the cry of one who is not. Rather than go right to the distinction, I would like to approach it from the vantage point of Tishah B’Av, our national day of mourning. Every Festival has its cheftzah d’mitzvah,…

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ויגדל הילד ותבאהו לבת פרעה ויהי לה לבן ותקרא שמו משה ותאמר כי מן המים משיתהו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5775, Shemos

The boy grew up and she brought him to the daughter of Pharaoh and he was a son to her. She called his name Moshe, as she said, “For I drew him from the water.” (2:10)

The well-known Midrash at the beginning of Sefer Shemos states: “By your life! (Hashem is speaking to Moshe). From amongst all of the names that were called (given) to you, I will only refer to you by the name given to you by Bisyah bas Pharaoh. Thus, it is written, Vatikra shemo Moshe; ‘And she (Bisyah) called him Moshe;’ Vayikra el Moshe, ‘And He (Hashem) called to Moshe.” This is a wonderful commentary on the character and moral demeanor of Bisyah, Pharaoh’s daughter. Nonetheless, Horav Chaim Shmuelevitz, zl, wonders why Hashem accepted a name which was given to Moshe as…

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ויצא אל אחיו וירא בסבלתם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5775, Shemos

And (he) went out to his brethren. And (he) saw their burdens. (2:11)

Rashi defines vayar b’sivlosam, “And he saw their burdens: Nasan einav v’libo liheyos metzar aleihem, ‘He focused his eyes and heart to be distressed over them.’” Literally, the phrase means that Moshe Rabbeinu “saw into their burdens.” He delved into their adversity. Apparently, the word va’yar, or its root raoh, to see, means much more than superficial perception. It demands cognitive application in conjunction with the perception. To see, and not to see beneath the surface, is not reiyah, seeing. I think that we have just uncovered a deep insight into the concept of “seeing” as evinced by the word…

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וייטב אלקים למילדות וירב העם ויעצמו מאד

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, Shemos

Hashem was good to the midwives, and the people increased and became very mighty. (1:20)

The meyaldos haIvrios, Hebrew midwives, really extended themselves to save the Jewish children,but is that not what being Jewish means? These women stood up to Pharaoh’s evil decree, with great risk to their own lives; thus, they were able to save countless Jewish children. The pasuk’s syntax, however, seems out of order. It begins, “Hashem was good to the midwives, and the people increased and became very mighty. Because the midwives feared Hashem, He gave them houses.” Rashi explains the meaning of this “good” which Hashem gave the midwives as the Houses of Priesthood that they would be of the…

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ותפתח ותראהו את הילד והנה נער בכה ותחמל עליו ותאמר מילדי העברים זה

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

וימררו את חייהם בעבודה קשה... את כל עבודתם אשר עבדו בהם בפרך

They embittered their lives with hard work… All the labors that they performed with them were with crushing hardness. (1:14)

ויגדל משה ויצא אל אחיו וירא בסבלתם

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

ומשה היה רעה את צאן יתרו חתנו כהן מדין

Moshe was shepherding the sheep of Yisro, his father-in-law, the Priest of Midyan. (3:1)

וילך ויפגשהו בהר האלקים וישק לו

And he (Aharon) went and encountered him (Moshe) at the mountain of G-d, and he kissed him. (4:27)

וימת יוסף וכל אחיו וכל הדור ההוא

Yosef died, and all his brothers and that entire generation. (1:6)

ותראהו את הילד והנה נער בוכה... ותאמר מילדי העברים זה

She saw him, the boy, and behold! A youth was crying… and (she) said, “This is one of the Hebrew boys.” (2:6)

ויגדל הילד ותבאהו לבת פרעה ויהי לה לבן ותקרא שמו משה ותאמר כי מן המים משיתהו

The boy grew up and she brought him to the daughter of Pharaoh and he was a son to her. She called his name Moshe, as she said, “For I drew him from the water.” (2:10)

ויצא אל אחיו וירא בסבלתם

And (he) went out to his brethren. And (he) saw their burdens. (2:11)

וייטב אלקים למילדות וירב העם ויעצמו מאד

Hashem was good to the midwives, and the people increased and became very mighty. (1:20)

YEARS

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