(ה) תָּא חֲזֵי, כְּתִיב (שמות ו׳:י״ב) הֵן בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא שָׁמְעוּ אֵלַי וְאֵיךְ יִשְׁמָעֵנִי פַרְעֹה וַאֲנִי עֲרַל שְׂפָתָיִם, מַאי וַאֲנִי עֲרַל שְׂפָתָיִם. וְהָא בְּקַדְמִיתָא כְּתִיב (שמות ד׳:י׳) לֹא אִישׁ דְּבָרִים אָנֹכִי וְגוֹ' כִּי כְבַד פֶּה וּכְבַד לָשׁוֹן אָנֹכִי, וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הֲוָה אוֹתִיב לֵיהּ, (שמות ד׳:י׳) מִי שָׂם פֶּה לָאָדָם וְגו', וְהוּא אָמַר (שמות ד׳:י״ב) וְאָנֹכִי אֶהְיֶה עִם פִּיךָ, סַלְּקָא דַּעְתָּךְ דְּלָא הֲוָה כֵּן, וְהַשְּׁתָּא אָמַר וַאֲנִי עֲרַל שְׂפָתָיִם, אִי הָכִי, אָן הוּא מִלָּה דְּאַבְטַח לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּקַדְמִיתָא.
(ו) אֶלָּא רָזָא אִיהוּ, מֹשֶׁה קָלָא, וְדִבּוּר דְּאִיהוּ מִלָּה דִּילֵיהּ, הֲוָה בְּגָלוּתָא, וַהֲוָה אִיהוּ אָטִים לְפָרְשָׁא מִלִּין, וּבְגִין דָּא אָמַר, וְאֵיךְ יִשְׁמָעֵנִי פַרְעֹה, בְּעוֹד דְּמִלָּה דִּילִי אִיהִי בְּגָלוּתָא דִּילֵּיהּ...
The underlying concept is that Moshe is voice, but speech, which is his word, was in exile, and he was closed off from explaining words. He therefore said, "How shall Pharaoh hear me when my word is in exile by him."
All speech is preceded by voice. Speech is its articulation or formulation. When the voice is exercised in a particular fashion, it transforms into words and speech emerges.
Moshe is the aspect of voice, but his speech was in exile. He was of sealed lips, closed off from explaining his words. The very words that he was being asked to convey to Pharaoh were in exile by Pharaoh.
What is the concept of speech in exile? In other words, there is speech, theoretically. It exists somewhere. But it is in exile. And as always, exile means enslaved to someone else. In this instance, speech was subjugated to Pharaoh. What does this mean?
(3) Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, “They are astray in the land; the wilderness has closed in on them.”
In essence, this is the reaction of true weeping. One who is too emotional to speak bursts forth with uncontrollable sobs. They are also expressions.
Our earlier and later masters trace the Hebrew word for weeping, בכי, to נבוך, confusion. One who weeps is confused. He finds himself in a labyrinth, unable to pave a path.
Similarly, the Hebrew word for tears, דמעה, related to דמוע, mixture.
Sight is the sharpest sense. It sees with absolute clarity and distinction. Tears obscure this. They blur vision and bring confusion, and speech loses its capacity of expression. One who truly weeps and sheds real tears walks about perceiving things without sharpness. He loses the ability to speak and to distinguish by sight, and he loses his way.
הִלְכָּךְ גְּדוֹלָה צְעָקָה מִכּוּלָּן, שֶׁצְּעָקָה הִיא בַּלֵּב. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (איכה ב׳:י״ח) צָעַק לִבָּם אֶל יְיָ'. צְעָקָה וּזְעָקָה דָּבָר אֶחָד הוּא, וְזֶה קְרוֹבָה לְהַקָדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, יוֹתֵר מִתְּפִלָּה וַאֲנָחָה, דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות כ״ב:כ״ב) כִּי אִם צָעוֹק יִצְעַק אֵלַי שָׁמֹעַ אֶשְׁמַע צַעֲקָתוֹ.
A song of ascents.
When the LORD restores the fortunes of Zion —we see it as in a dream-a—
our mouths shall be filled with laughter,
our tongues, with songs of joy.
Then shall they say among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them!”
Likewise, there is a state where his speech is under the control of another force. Instead of expressing what he wishes to express, his his own voice, it expresses the opposite. it expresses the will of the one by whom he is exiled, by whom his speech is exiled...
The aspect of voice is the impetus to speak. The heart fills with substance but it is yet disorganized. One wises to say something but one does not yet know precisely what. When his speech is in exile, his speech will not express what he truly wants.
sets nations at our feet.
דבר אחד לדור ואין שני דברין לדור
There must be one clear and authoritative leader for the generation, and there may not be two or more leaders for the generation.
One who is in exile is deprived of this power. He is not in control. This is the very essence of exile. He does not lead; he is led. He transforms from one who speaks to one who is spoken, from one who controls to one who is controlled.
One should not speak at length even about matters involving one's physical needs. On this point, our Sages commanded us and said: "Whoever speaks at length brings on sin." They also said: "I have found nothing better for one's person than silence."
Similarly, when speaking about matters of Torah or knowledge, one's words should be brief, but rich in content. This is what the Sages commanded with their statement: "One should always teach his students with brevity." In contrast, if one's words are many and the content scant, that is foolishness, of which Ecclesiastes 5:2 states: "The dream comes with a multitude of subjects, and the voice of the fool with a multitude of words."
For this reason, although silence is always more praiseworthy, nonetheless on the night when everyone is obligated to experience the Exodus, it is praiseworthy to speak abundantly.
(4) Moses said, “Thus says יהוה: Toward midnight I will go forth among the Egyptians, (5) and every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the first-born of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; and all the first-born of the cattle. (6) And there shall be a loud cry in all the land of Egypt, such as has never been or will ever be again;
את מוצא עשרים וששה דורות משנברא העולם עד שיצאו ישראל ממצרים ולא אמרו הלל. וכיון שיצאו ישראל ממצרים משעבוד של טיט ולבנים אמרו הלל. ואימתי אמרו בשעה שבאת מכת בכורות.
עמד לו פרעה והלך לו אצל משה ואהרן בלילה שנאמר (שמות יב לא) ויקרא פרעה למשה ולאהרן לילה. והיה דופק פרעה על פתחו של משה ואהרן בלילה. אמרו לו שוטה בלילה אנו עומדין וכי גנבים אנחנו שנלך בלילה בבקר אנו יוצאין המתן עד הבקר שכך אמר לנו הקב"ה (שם כב) ואתם לא תצאו איש מפתח ביתו עד בקר. אמר להם הרי מתו כל מצרים שנאמר (שם לג) ותחזק מצרים על העם. אמרו לו ומבקש אתה לכלות את המכה הזאת ממך. אמור הרי אתם בני חורין הרי אתם ברשותכם הרי אתם עבדים של הקב"ה. התחיל פרעה צווח ואומר לשעבר הייתם עבדי אבל עכשיו הרי אתם בני חורין הרי אתם ברשותכם והרי אתם עבדיו של הקב"ה צריכים אתם להלל לו שאתם עבדיו שנאמר הללויה הללו עבדי ה':