5762

Moshe said to Hashem, “…I am not a man of words…for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of speech.” (4:10)

Rashi teaches us that for seven days Hashem spoke to Moshe, attempting to convince him to go to Egypt and instruct Pharaoh to permit the Jews to leave his country. Seven days is a long time, especially when Hashem is talking. Moshe refused; he felt he was not worthy, because he had a speech impediment. How could he speak to Pharaoh if he had difficulty communicating orally? Moshe Rabbeinu used this excuse for seven days until Hashem finally became angry with him. Hashem said, “I will be with you, so you have nothing to worry about.” Yet, Moshe did not want…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5762, Shemos

“Stretch out your hand and grasp its tail.” (4:4)

Hashem prepared Moshe Rabbeinu with signs/miracles to demonstrate to Pharaoh His powers. He was to take the Mateh Elokim, holy staff – given to him by Hashem – and throw it before Pharaoh, and it would become a serpent. He was then instructed to grab the serpent’s tail, and it would turn back into the Mateh. We wonder why Hashem insisted that Moshe grasp the serpent by its tail? Does the tail have significance? The Kli Yakar views the entire miracle as a simile, a lesson about Klal Yisrael. The signs that Hashem chose were certainly by design. Each one had…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5762, Shemos

“And now, go and I shall dispatch you to Pharaoh and you shall take My people, the Bnei Yisrael, out of Egypt.” (3:10)

Hashem assures Moshe of success despite the odds, the apparent hopelessness of one man triumphing over the strongest power in the world. That is mesiras nefesh, dedication to the point of self-sacrifice, for Klal Yisrael. One endeavors whatever he can on behalf of his people who are incarcerated. The Skulener Rebbe, Horav Elazar Zushe Portugal, z.l., was like that. Nothing stood in his way in his mission to rescue Jews who were in need. He was in Chernowitz, which was under Soviet dominion, in order to assist Soviet Jews who had smuggled themselves across the border in to Romania. Furthermore,…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5762, Shemos

“And he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man…He turned this way and that and saw that there was no man…He went out the next day and behold! two Hebrew men were fighting…and he thought, ‘Indeed, the matter is known.’” (2:11-14)

Horav Azariah Figu, z.l., says that Moshe Rabbeinu’s first impression of his Jewish brethren worried him. He went out and saw an Egyptian beating a Jew. His first reaction was to look around to see if there were any other Jews around to help. He was shocked to see that ein ish, “there was no man.” There were Jews, but they did not seem to want to become involved – or perhaps they did not care. Moshe could not believe this sense of indifference to the plight of another Jew. He attributed their lack of involvement to the fact that Jews…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5762, Shemos

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

A child, a youth: is it a child or a youth? Chazal ask this question in the Talmud Sotah 12b. The Torah calls him a yeled, child, and it also calls him a naar, youth. Which is it? He is a child, but his voice is that of a youth. Chazal seem to imply that Moshe Rabbeinu’s voice had the maturity of that of a young boy. We wonder at the Torah’s expression, “This is one of the Hebrew boys.” Why could the Torah not have simply said, “This is a Hebrew boy.” Why does it say, “one of the Hebrew boys”?…

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YEARS

Moshe said to Hashem, “…I am not a man of words…for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of speech.” (4:10)

“Stretch out your hand and grasp its tail.” (4:4)

“And now, go and I shall dispatch you to Pharaoh and you shall take My people, the Bnei Yisrael, out of Egypt.” (3:10)

“And he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man…He turned this way and that and saw that there was no man…He went out the next day and behold! two Hebrew men were fighting…and he thought, ‘Indeed, the matter is known.’” (2:11-14)

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

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