On the Parsha Parshas Sh'mos by Dovid Lipman, Israel Year 2, No. 13 Introduction This parsha, which introduces the story of the Exodus of the Jews, has six parts: 1) Jews in Egypt [WON] 2) Slavery and Murder [RAUW] 3) A Redeemer is Born 4) Answered Prayers [TWOTS] 5) The Burning Bush [FTG] 6) The First Attempt [ATTL] 1. Jews in Egypt -- 1:1 [Beg.] to 1:7 After a recap of the names of the sons of Yaakov who came with their famiies to Egypt, we're told that the original immigrants died, and the next generation was a very large and powerful population in Egypt. Worthy of Note (1:6) "And Yoseif and his brothers died..." Why are the twelve tribes described this way? Perhaps it's linked to the principle (hinted to with the mitzvah of S'firas HaOmer - see Chinuch) that the meaning within the redemption from Egypt lay entirely in the eventual accepting of the Torah. By Sinai we find the expression "and Israel camped" in singular, and the famous Rashi explains it as a description of perfect unity; that is a prerequisite for receiving the Torah. So, since there had been a rift between Yoseif and the other tribes, there was a danger of disunity that could prevent Mattan Torah and render the redemption meaningless. Therefore, the Torah says Yoseif and the others were brothers to one another, which enabled the process to proceed. 2. Slavery and Murder - 1:8 to 1:22 [end, Chap. 1] A new King Par'oh decrees slavery upon the Jews out of fear of their power, but the more they torture the Jews the more the Jews multiply. Par'oh's attempt to prevent male births fails isn't carried out by the righteous midwives, his would-be accomplices, and he resorts to decreeing openly the murder of newborn boys. Rare and Unusual Words "Geulah". Okay, the word itself doesn't appear here, but to introduce Sefer Sh'mos: This term is used by the sages to refer to our Sefer, hence "Exodus". But why should the story of the enslavement be included in the book of redemption? Since the story is seam- less, it could be put in a previous parsha. The key to this word is the phrase "the iron forge", the prophet's term for this enslavement, implying the purposefulness of that period. What's the difference betweeen throwing garbage into a fire and putting a vessel into a forge? That with a forge, the placing and the time before removing are carefully designed. This results in an improved product. There's more: a molded vessel is wet and unable to hold water until hardened by the fire: so too, Israel couldn't have received the Torah without the servitude toughening them (in their principles and qualities). The words "galus" and "geulah", though opposite, are related in grammatical root because together they accomplish "gilui", revelation - the inherent capabilities of the 'victim' are released and empowered by the forge's fire. Thus, "galus" is merely part of "geulah". 3. A Redeemer is Born -- 2:1 to 2:22 A special boy born in the tribe of Levi is hidden from the decree, and then placed in a basket in the Nile, to be found by Par'oh's daughter who brings him home and calls him Moshe. Identifying with his true people, he later kills an Egyptian hitting a Jew and runs to Midyan for his life. He there saves the daughters of Yisro, a local nobleman, from oppressive shepherds, and Yisro takes Moshe as a shepherd - and then also as a son-in-law. Moshe's wife Tzipora then bears him a son, Gershom, so named for his being a stranger, in a strange land. "Do You Remember" is being omitted, for I myself do not remember, and cannot recall my files, since I, too, am a stranger in a strange land. 4. Answered Prayers -- 2:23 to 2:25 [Aliyah 4] Par'oh dies, and the Jews use the mourning period for fervent prayer. Hashem responds by decreeing that the time of the redemption is at hand. The World of the Supernatural (2:24) "...and their prayer went up to Hashem..." This shows us the true nature of prayer in the world. Here, the redemption had been predicted, and designed with care, including dates. But without prayer, it couldn't have come. Sometimes, it seems, Hashem may have even already decreed a blessing or rescue for a person, but in some cases it only actually comes if it's prayed for. 5. The Burning Bush -- 3:1 to 4:17 [Aliyah 6] Moshe discovers on Mount Sinai a bush on fire but not being consumed. Hashem tells him there to go to Egypt and take out the Jews. Moshe resists, and eventually Hashem 'overrules' him, answering Moshe's point that he's not a speaker with a decree that Aharon will be a speaker for Moshe. Hashem also gives Moshe miracles to ensure the people accept him as the Redeemer. From the Gemara (3:2) -- Pesachim 4a - Rashi on our pasuk explains Hashem's choice of a thornbush as expressing the pain of Hashem, as it were, at Israel's exile. The gemara here (according to one explanation in Rashi) has an expression, "A thornbush [where I want to live] is like a palace [elsewhere]." This enhances the symbolism, for a thornbush is apparently being considered the prototype bad place to live (just as a palace is the prototype good place to live). 6. The First Attempt -- 4:18 [Aliyah 6] to 6:1 [End] Moshe gets permission to leave Yisro, and is attacked by an angel on the way to Egypt, but is released when Tzipora circumcises their son. Aharon, Moshe's brother, becomes his "mouth", and they are accepted gratefully by the Jews, but their first try speaking to Par'oh only annoys him, as he "does not know Hashem", and he intensifies the slavery, so the Jews resent Moshe. A Time to Laugh (5:1) "...send my people away..." Not "Let my people go", as is commonly said, because Hashem doesn't need Par'oh to let them go. It's just an order: I can take them out by force, but if you'll listen to Me, 'send them away' first. In fact, imagine how much Par'oh could've saved by obeying this order! "Let my people go" sounds more like some politician asking an equal for a favor.