(א) וְאֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמוֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַבָּאִ֖ים מִצְרָ֑יְמָה אֵ֣ת יַעֲקֹ֔ב אִ֥ישׁ וּבֵית֖וֹ בָּֽאוּ׃ (ב) רְאוּבֵ֣ן שִׁמְע֔וֹן לֵוִ֖י וִיהוּדָֽה׃ (ג) יִשָּׂשכָ֥ר זְבוּלֻ֖ן וּבְנְיָמִֽן׃ (ד) דָּ֥ן וְנַפְתָּלִ֖י גָּ֥ד וְאָשֵֽׁר׃ (ה) וַֽיְהִ֗י כָּל־נֶ֛פֶשׁ יֹצְאֵ֥י יֶֽרֶךְ־יַעֲקֹ֖ב שִׁבְעִ֣ים נָ֑פֶשׁ וְיוֹסֵ֖ף הָיָ֥ה בְמִצְרָֽיִם׃ (ו) וַיָּ֤מָת יוֹסֵף֙ וְכָל־אֶחָ֔יו וְכֹ֖ל הַדּ֥וֹר הַהֽוּא׃ (ז) וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל פָּר֧וּ וַֽיִּשְׁרְצ֛וּ וַיִּרְבּ֥וּ וַיַּֽעַצְמ֖וּ בִּמְאֹ֣ד מְאֹ֑ד וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ אֹתָֽם׃ (פ)
(1) These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each coming with his household: (2) Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; (3) Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; (4) Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. (5) The total number of persons that were of Jacob’s issue came to seventy, Joseph being already in Egypt. (6) Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation. (7) But the Israelites were fertile and prolific; they multiplied and increased very greatly, so that the land was filled with them.
The relationship between verse 7 and 8.
The double edged sword of being a blessed people in an exiled land.
Rabbi David's Tzvi Hoffman's poignant remark
[R. David Zvi Hoffmann was born in Verbo, Hungary, in 1843.
- He studied under R. Moshe Schick and R. Azriel Hildesheimer.
- R. Hoffmann wrote his doctorate on Mar Shemuel at the University of Tubingen.
- He taught in the rabbinical school in Hochberg and then in R. S"R Hirsch's school.
- In 1873, R. Azriel Hildesheimer founded his rabbinical school in Berlin and invited R. D"Z Hoffmann to join the faculty and teach Talmud, Halakhah, and Tanakh.
- Upon R. Hildesheimer's death, R. Hoffmann became the head of the Seminary. He served in this position until his death in 1921. ]
ובני ישראל וגו׳ – הסיבה שהניעה את מלך מצרים לשעבד את בני ישראל, היתה ריבוים של אלה מעבר לשיעור הרגיל. כאן נתקיימה הבטחתו ית׳ ליעקב ״לגוי גדול אשימך שם״ (בראשית מ״ו:ג׳).
Keli Yakar
[Name – ר' שלמה אפרים בן אהרן מלונטשיץ
- Dates – c. 1550 – 1619
- Locations – Born in Leczyca (Luntschitz), studied in Lublin, lived in Jaroslaw and Lemberg, and served as Rabbi in Prague.
- Occupation – R. Shelomo Ephraim gained his reputation as an itinerant preacher, and was considered to be the preeminent darshan of his era in Poland. In 1604, he was called to Prague to serve as head of the yeshivah and rabbinical court, later becoming the chief rabbi of Prague upon the death of the Maharal in 1609.
- Family – The occupation of the Keli Yekar's father is the subject of debate.
- Teachers – R. Shelomo Luria, Maharal
- Contemporaries – R. Mordechai Yafeh, R. David Gans R. Yom Tov Lipmann Heller, R. Avraham Horowitz
- Students – R. Shabtai Horowitz
- Time period – R. Shelomo Ephraim lived at a time of relative prosperity and wealth for the Jews of Poland. A new class emerged of very wealthy Jewish estate owners, as well as an affluent class of Jews working for them. The new financial elite assumed important leadership roles throughout Polish Jewish communities, and much of the Keli Yekar's preaching was devoted to the flaws of this class, and to the problems of social stratification in general. ]
הנה עם בני ישראל רב ועצום ממנו – הוסיף מלת עם כי הל״ל הנה בני ישראל, גם מ״ש ויאמר אל עמו וכי עם כל העם דבר הל״ל ויאמר אל שריו וחכמיו, אלא כך אמר להם פרעה שלא יתכן שיהיו שני עמים מתנגדים דרים במדינה אחת, לכך נאמר ויאמר אל עמו בשביל עמו לומר כי אתם עם מיוחד בארץ, והנה עם בני ישראל כי גם בני ישראל הנה הנם נעשו לעם גם המה, בזמן מועט נעשו עם רב, אע״פ שעדיין אינן רבים ממנו מ״מ הוא עצום ממנו, גבורים בטבע כי כל תאומים דרכם להיות חלשים בטבע וכאן נולדו ששה בכרס אחד ואעפ״כ הם עצומים בטבע יותר ממנו, לפיכך הבה נתחכמה לו פן ירבה שנוסף על גבורתם בטבע יהיו ג״כ רבים ממנו
(10) Let us deal shrewdly with him, so that they may not increase; otherwise in the event of war he may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground.”
Ralbag
[
-
- Hebrew name –
- _ name – R. Levi b. Gershom
- Dates – 1288 – 1344
- Location – Provence
- Education –
- Occupation – Torah scholar, philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer.
- Family – Ralbag came from a family of Torah scholars
- Biblical commentaries – Ralbag wrote commentaries on Torah, Nevi'im Rishonim, and most of Ketuvim. These commentaries were completed between 1325 and 1338.
- Rabbinics – Ralbag writes in his introduction to Torah that he planned to write a Sefer HaMitzvot and a commentary on the Talmud, but no such commentary survived, and it is unclear whether he ever completed these works.
- Jewish thought and more – Ralbag wrote a philosophy work called Milchamot Hashem and astronomy charts called Luchot HaTekhunah. He also invented Jacob's Staff, a tool for measuring distances between celestial objects. In the field of mathematics, he wrote Ma'aseh Choshev (first edition 1321, second edition 1322), commentary on Euclid (early 1320s), De Sinibus, Chordis, et Arcubus, De Numeris Harmonicis, and others. ]
והנה היה ענין פרעה בענותו ישראל הולך בהדרגה; כי בראשונה שׂם עליהם מסים הוא לבדו, ואחר כן התיר גם לשריו שיעבידום, וכאשר ראה שכל זה לא הועיל לו ציוה למילדות העבריות להמית הזכרים בהסתר ובהעלם, וכאשר ראה כי לא הועיל לו ציוה להמית הזכרים בפרהסיא. ונכון הוא מה שאמרו רבותינו ז״ל שכבר ראו אצטגניני פרעה שכבר היה עתיד להולד בן מישראל שינצח פרעה ועמו, ולזה צוה פרעה זאת הצַוָּאָה; ולפי זאת ההנחה הנה לא היתה זאת הגזרה כי אם סביב הזמן שנולד משה בו — כאילו תאמר בשנה ההיא או בחדש ההוא או ביום ההוא; וזה, שאם היתה זאת הגזרה מעת הִוָּלֵד משה עד צאת בני ישראל ממצרים - לא היו נשארים בישראל כי אם מתי מעט, והיה לכל אחד מהם יותר משמונים שנה, כי משה היה בן שמונים שנה בעומדו לפני פרעה.
Rashi
- Name – R. Shelomo b. Yitzchak (ר' שלמה בן יצחק), of which Rashi (רש"י) is an acronym.
- Dates – c. 10401 – July 13, 1105.2
- Location – Rashi lived for most of his life in Troyes, although he studied in both Mainz and Worms.
- Occupation –
- Family – Rashi’s uncle, the brother of his mother, was ר' שמעון הזקן, a student of R. Gershom. Rashi had four daughters: Yocheved, Miriam, Rachel,3 and a daughter who died during Rashi's lifetime.4 Yocheved married R. Meir b. Shemuel, and had four sons (Rashbam, R. Tam, R. Yitzchak, and Shelomo) and one daughter5. Miriam married R. Yehuda b. Natan (Rivan), and had a son named R. Yom Tov.
- Teachers – Rashi studied at Mainz under R. Yaakov b. Yakar, and following R. Yaakov's death in 1064, he learned under R. Yitzchak b. Yehuda. He then moved to Worms, and studied under R. Yitzchak HaLevi. All of his teachers were students of R. Gershom.
- Contemporaries –
- Students – R. Yosef Kara, Rashi's son-in-law R. Yehuda b. Natan, Rashi’s grandsons Rashbam and R. Tam, his secretary R. Shemayah, R. Simcha MiVitri.
- Biblical commentaries – Rashi wrote commentaries on all of Tanakh.
- Rabbinics
- Talmudic commentaries – Rashi wrote commentaries on most, if not all,6 of the tractates of the Talmud Bavli.
- Halakhic codes – Rashi did not write any halakhic codes himself. However, his students did author a number of halakhic works based on his teachings, including Machzor Vitri, Siddur Rashi, Sefer HaPardes, Sefer HaOreh, and others.
- Responsa – In modern times, some of Rashi's surviving responsa were collected into a single work.7
- Piyyutim – Rashi wrote a number of piyyutim. Although we don't know of any commentaries on piyyutim that Rashi wrote himself, his exegesis was incorporated into R. Shemayah's commentaries on the piyyutim.
One of the prominent 'women who impacted Moshe'
There are many.
Tikkunei Hazohar
[ Tikunei haZohar (תקוני הזהר, lit. "Rectifications of the Zohar"), is a main text of the Kabbalah. It is a separate appendix to the Zohar consisting of seventy commentaries on the opening word of the Torah, Bereishit (בראשית), in a style of Kabbalistic Midrash. Containing deep secret teachings of Torah, stirring dialogues and fervent prayers, the explicit and apparent theme and intention of Tikunei haZohar is to repair and support the Shekhinah or Malkhut — hence its name, "Repairs of the Zohar" — and to bring on the Redemption and conclude the Exile.
By Tikunei haZohar's own account, the book was composed by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his son Rabbi Elazar (see the story of their hiding in the cave, below), with contribution from the soul of Ra`aya Meheimna (The Faithful Shepherd, i.e. Moshe) and from Eliyahu, of blessed memory; and with help from the souls of Tzadikim, headed by the soul of Adam haRishon and several Sabbas ("Elders") who came from Gan Eden to reveal new secrets of the Torah to Rabbi Shimon and his "Chevraya Kadisha" ("Holy Friends"). This accords with the text of Tikunei haZohar having a somewhat different a dialect from—and much less stylistic variation than—the rest of the Zohar, which according to tradition was compiled by Rabbi Shimon but includes earlier sources and contains additions by later generations. ]
מובא בתיקוני הזוהר (נ"א דף קיג.) שמשה רבינו הינו גלגולו של נח, ו'שתל הקב"ה למשה בדור המבול ולא אצלח'.
| Name |
R. Bachya b. Asher ibn Halawa ר' בחיי בן אשר אבן חלואה |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1255-1340 |
| Location | Spain |
| Works | Commentary on Torah, Kad HaKemach |
(א) ותתצב אחותו מרחוק. על דרך הפשט זה מרים שהרי מרים נתנבאה עתידה אמי שתלד בן שמושיע את ישראל וזהו שאמר לדעת מה יעשה לו לדעת מה יהא בסוף נבואתה. וע"ד המדרש ותתצב אחותו זו שכינה ולמדך הכתוב כשהצדיק מצטער שכינה מזדמנת לו להצילו
According to the simple meaning it is his sister Miryam for she had the prophecy that her mother would give brith to the savior, so she stood to see if her prophecy would come true. But according to the midrash the 'sister' is the divine presence which was hovering because when the righteous is in pain the divine presence of God comes to him to save him.
| Name |
R. Toviah b. Eliezer ר' טוביה בן אליעזר |
|---|---|
| Dates | 11th century |
| Location | Byzantium |
| Works | Lekach Tov |
| Exegetical Characteristics | Midrash |
(א) ותלד בת פרעה לרחוץ על היאור. דע והבן שאע״פ שאין מקרא יוצא מדי פשוטו, מדרש חכמה נאה הוא להשכיל בו דבר מתוך דבר, לדבר דבר על אופן הענין, וכן מפורש במס׳ סוטה א״ר יוחנן משום ר׳ שמעון בן יוחי שירדה לרחוץ מגילולי של בית אביה, וכה״א אם רחץ ה' את צואת בנות ציון (ישעיה ד ד). וכן מצינו מקרא מלא בדברי הימים שמרד לקח את בתיה בת פרעה, שנאמר ובני כלב בן יפונה עירו אלה, ונועם ובני אלה וקנז וגו' (דה״א ד טו),
Know and understand that the simple meaning of the verses of the Torah are true and should not be taken out of their meaning; however, midrash is a wise and lovely thing to appreciate and to understand deeper meanings. And so it is explained in Talmud Sotah a statement by Rabbi Yochanan who said in the name of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, that the daughter of Pharaoh went down to the river to cleanse herself from idolatry of her father's house. We even found biblical support for this notion (that she converted?) in that it says in the book of Chronicles--a Jew named Mered (who was Caleb!) took as his wife Bityah the daughter of Pharaoh!
(יא) וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֗ם וַיִּגְדַּ֤ל מֹשֶׁה֙ וַיֵּצֵ֣א אֶל־אֶחָ֔יו וַיַּ֖רְא בְּסִבְלֹתָ֑ם וַיַּרְא֙ אִ֣ישׁ מִצְרִ֔י מַכֶּ֥ה אִישׁ־עִבְרִ֖י מֵאֶחָֽיו׃ (יב) וַיִּ֤פֶן כֹּה֙ וָכֹ֔ה וַיַּ֖רְא כִּ֣י אֵ֣ין אִ֑ישׁ וַיַּךְ֙ אֶת־הַמִּצְרִ֔י וַֽיִּטְמְנֵ֖הוּ בַּחֽוֹל׃ (יג) וַיֵּצֵא֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשֵּׁנִ֔י וְהִנֵּ֛ה שְׁנֵֽי־אֲנָשִׁ֥ים עִבְרִ֖ים נִצִּ֑ים וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לָֽרָשָׁ֔ע לָ֥מָּה תַכֶּ֖ה רֵעֶֽךָ׃ (יד) וַ֠יֹּאמֶר מִ֣י שָֽׂמְךָ֞ לְאִ֨ישׁ שַׂ֤ר וְשֹׁפֵט֙ עָלֵ֔ינוּ הַלְהָרְגֵ֙נִי֙ אַתָּ֣ה אֹמֵ֔ר כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר הָרַ֖גְתָּ אֶת־הַמִּצְרִ֑י וַיִּירָ֤א מֹשֶׁה֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר אָכֵ֖ן נוֹדַ֥ע הַדָּבָֽר׃ (טו) וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע פַּרְעֹה֙ אֶת־הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֔ה וַיְבַקֵּ֖שׁ לַהֲרֹ֣ג אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיִּבְרַ֤ח מֹשֶׁה֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י פַרְעֹ֔ה וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב בְּאֶֽרֶץ־מִדְיָ֖ן וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב עַֽל־הַבְּאֵֽר׃ (טז) וּלְכֹהֵ֥ן מִדְיָ֖ן שֶׁ֣בַע בָּנ֑וֹת וַתָּבֹ֣אנָה וַתִּדְלֶ֗נָה וַתְּמַלֶּ֙אנָה֙ אֶת־הָ֣רְהָטִ֔ים לְהַשְׁק֖וֹת צֹ֥אן אֲבִיהֶֽן׃ (יז) וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ הָרֹעִ֖ים וַיְגָרְשׁ֑וּם וַיָּ֤קָם מֹשֶׁה֙ וַיּ֣וֹשִׁעָ֔ן וַיַּ֖שְׁקְ אֶת־צֹאנָֽם׃ (יח) וַתָּבֹ֕אנָה אֶל־רְעוּאֵ֖ל אֲבִיהֶ֑ן וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מַדּ֛וּעַ מִהַרְתֶּ֥ן בֹּ֖א הַיּֽוֹם׃ (יט) וַתֹּאמַ֕רְןָ אִ֣ישׁ מִצְרִ֔י הִצִּילָ֖נוּ מִיַּ֣ד הָרֹעִ֑ים וְגַם־דָּלֹ֤ה דָלָה֙ לָ֔נוּ וַיַּ֖שְׁקְ אֶת־הַצֹּֽאן׃ (כ) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֶל־בְּנֹתָ֖יו וְאַיּ֑וֹ לָ֤מָּה זֶּה֙ עֲזַבְתֶּ֣ן אֶת־הָאִ֔ישׁ קִרְאֶ֥ן ל֖וֹ וְיֹ֥אכַל לָֽחֶם׃
(11) Some time after that, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his kinsfolk and witnessed their labors. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen. (12) He turned this way and that and, seeing no one about, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. (13) When he went out the next day, he found two Hebrews fighting; so he said to the offender, “Why do you strike your fellow?” (14) He retorted, “Who made you chief and ruler over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was frightened, and thought: Then the matter is known! (15) When Pharaoh learned of the matter, he sought to kill Moses; but Moses fled from Pharaoh. He arrived in the land of Midian, and sat down beside a well. (16) Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock; (17) but shepherds came and drove them off. Moses rose to their defense, and he watered their flock. (18) When they returned to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come back so soon today?” (19) They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock.” (20) He said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why did you leave the man? Ask him in to break bread.”
Chizkuni
[Hebrew name – 2ר' חזקיה בן מנוח
- Dates – 13th century. Almost nothing is known for certain about Chizkuni’s life. Chizkuni uses material from a work known to have been authored circa 1240,3 and his commentary is cited by a work authored in 1313,4 thus setting the earliest and latest boundaries for the authorship of Chizkuni. Y. Priel and others estimate that Chizkuni was authored no later than 1260.5
- Location – Scholarly consensus places Chizkuni in Northern France,6 although no hard evidence exists, with a minority of scholars holding that he may have lived in Provence, or perhaps Germany.]
(1) ולכהן מדין שבע בנות, “and the priest of Midian was father of seven daughters;” Yitro was the High Priest in Midian, and the Torah had to explain that the reason none of his sons was tending his livestock was the fact that he only had daughters. Another explanation: Yitro had dissociated himself from paganism, and after that no one was willing to tend his flocks after he had been officially ostracized by his townsfolk. (quoting Midrash)
Moshe presented in his first steps outside the palace. 3 stories
1. Egyptian vs. Jew
2. Jew vs. Jew
3. Midianite men vs. Midianite women
In each case Moshe reflects qualities of seeking justice, passion, action, decisiveness, championing the weak and vulnerable. There is NO religious component to his personality. Yet... Interestingly whom does he end up marrying and who is his father in-law?
-
- Hebrew name – ר' שמשון בן רפאל הירש
- German name – R. Samson Raphael2 Hirsch
- Dates – 1808-1888
- Location – R. Hirsch was born and raised in Hamburg, and later lived in Oldenburg, Emden, Nikolsburg, and Frankfurt.
- Education and Occupation –
- After attending yeshiva in Mannheim, R. Hirsch went to the University of Bonn, studying philosophy, history, classical languages, and physics,3
- He served in several rabbinical positions.4
- His rabbinic activities focused on battling Reform Judaism and developing the Torah im Derekh Eretz school of Modern Orthodoxy.5
- Family – R. Hirsch was the son of Raphael and Gella Hirsch. His great uncle was R. Yehuda Leib Frankfurter Spira, who authored the Torah commentary HaRekhasim Levikah.6
- Teachers – Chakham Isaac Bernays,7 R. Yaakov Ettlinger,8 R.Mendel Frankfurter.9
- Contemporaries – Abraham Geiger.10
גר הייתי בארץ נכריה – כוונת משפט זה אינה ברורה. וכי היכן יכול אדם להיות גֵר, אם לא בארץ נכריה?! משה גם נוקט בלשון עבר, ״הייתי״, בעוד שלמעשה היה עדיין גֵר בעת שקרא לבנו בשם זה. נראה שההסבר הוא כך:
יכול אדם להיות ״גֵר״ במקום מסוים, אך לאחר זמן קצר יתחיל להרגיש כבן המקום, ושהארץ אינה ״נכריה״ עוד. ומשה התכוון להכריז, על ידי שקרא לבנו בכורו ״גרשם״, שמדין עדיין אינה מקומו; ועל אף שהוא בן חורין במדין, חפשי מדאגה ובעל משפחה בזכות עצמו, נתון עדיין לבו לעמו במצרים. אולם הבעת רגשות כאלה בגלוי, עלולה להשמע כדברי גנות כלפי הארץ בה הוא שוכן עתה. משום כך הוא מרכך את דבריו ומבטא את מחשבותיו בלשון עבר, ״גר הייתי״, במקום ״גר אני״.
Rabbi David Tzvi Hoffman
כי גר הייתי וגו׳ – מוסב אולי גם על הגירות שבמצרים, שכן עקב בריחתו משם חש משה, שרק גר הוא במצרים, אף כי בת-המלך אימצה אותו. אם נבין כך, יתבאר יפה השם ׳גרשם׳, כלומר ׳גר שם׳ (במצרים) וגם המלים ״גר הייתי״ שבלשון עבר, יקבלו משמעות מדויקת יותר
Rav Aharon Lichtenstein
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Rav Aharon Lichtenstein teaching at Yeshivat Har Etzion |
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| Born | May 23, 1933
Paris, France |
|---|---|
| Died | April 20, 2015 (aged 81)
Alon Shvut, Israel |
| Alma mater | Yeshiva University Harvard University |
| Spouse(s) |
Dr. Tovah (née Soloveitchik) (m. 1960) |
| Children | 6, including Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein, Rabbanit Estie Rosenberg |
| Awards | Israel Prize (2014) |
He was committed to intensive and original Torah study and articulated a bold Jewish worldview embracing elements of modernity within the framework of a Torah life, reflecting the tradition of his teacher and father-in-law, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik in line with Centrist Orthodoxy.
The gemara (Berakhot 7a) records a difference of opinion among the Amora’im as to whether Moshe’s covering of his face is noted by the Torah in a positive or negative light. Either way, why did Moshe hide his face? We might answer this question from two different perspectives:
- Moshe himself: As Chazal define it, at this early stage, Moshe was still a “novice prophet”. His lack of experience and relatively low level of prophecy led him to choose to avoid this direct exposure to God.
- Moshe as representative of the nation: The prophet is the emissary of the people, and his status is in direct proportion to theirs. Am Yisrael at this time was mired in the 49th level of impurity. Moshe, as representative of the people, could not expose himself to too high a level of prophecy, which would not match their spiritual state.
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- Or Hachaim
- Hebrew name – ר' חיים בן משה אבן עטר2
- _ name –
- Dates – 1696–1743
- Location – Born in Salé, Morocco, moved to Meknes, Algiers, Leghorn, Akko, and Jerusalem. Traveled extensively throughout Italy.3
- Occupation –
- After studying Torah in his youth, R. Chayyim entered a business partnership with family members, while also studying and teaching Torah.
- Upon moving to Leghorn on his way to Eretz Yisrael, he attracted many students and preached to large audiences.4
- In Eretz Yisrael, he established yeshivot at Akko and Jerusalem. He gained renown as both a powerful intellect and an exceedingly pious and holy individual.5
(א) וארד להצילו ולהעלותו וגו'. וכוונת הצלה זו היא שיצילו מעכשיו מהעינוי ומהשעבוד, והוא אומרו מיד מצרים המשעבדים בהם. (ב) ואומרו ולהעלותו מן הארץ פי' כשיגיע זמן הגאולה מכאן עד י''ב חודש אעלה אותו מן הארץ וגו' לבל יתעכב שם עוד אפילו בלא עינוי. וטעם שלא העלה אותם תכף ומיד, הוא לצד שעדיין לא הגיע זמן הגאולה אשר קצב ה'. ובזה נחה דעתי בחקירה אחת למה האריך ה' י''ב חודש במכות המצרים, ורז''ל (שמו''ר פ''ט) מהם אמרו שהמכה היתה משמשת ג' שבועות וההתראה שבוע אחת ומהם אמרו להפך, ולמה יאחר ה' הגאולה והיה לו להביא המכות זו אחר זו ויגאלם מיד ותספיק ההתראה ביום אחד או בשעה אחת כדין התראת ישראל שאין צריך בה זמן ומכל שכן אומות העולם שאינן צריכין התראה. גם למה לא הספיק התראה אחת על כל המכות, אלא לצד שעדיין לא הגיע הזמן היה ה' מלביש הזמן ההוא להשביעם מרורות ביני ביני עד שהגיע הזמן. וגאלם מיד בלא שום עיכוב. וא''ת ומה בכך אם היה ה' גואל אותם קודם זמן זה. עוד למה ה' הוציאם בזבולא בתרייתא בזמן שאם היו מתעכבים קצת היו נלכדים עד שהוצרך למהר ולא יכלו להתמהמה והיה לו להוציאם בזמן מורווח. (ג) הנה למה שקדם לנו כי עיקר הגלות הוא לברר הניצוצות שנטמעו בנ' שערי טומאה וכמו שציינתי דבר זה כמה פעמים בזה ינוח דעת בב' השאלות כי אם היה מוציאם קודם זה היו מפסידים בירור החלק ההוא, ותדע שעם ה' השיגו בבחינת כללותם הכלול במשה שנתיחס בשם עמו השגת מ''ט שערי בינה, וטעם שלא השיג שער החמישים הוא לצד שאין המושג אלא בהשתדלות המשיג ולצד שישראל לא נכנסו בנ' שערי טומאה לברר אותו לא השיגו בחינת הקודש שכנגדו, והובטחנו כי לעתיד לבוא ישפיע בנו אל עליון תורת חיים שבשער החמשים והשגתו הוא באמצעות הגליות ובפרט גלות האחרון אנו משיגים הדבר. (ד) וטעם שנסתכנו ישראל במצרים בבירור שער הנ', לצד שלא היו בני תורה מה שאין כן דורות האחרונים באמצעות תורתם ישיגו ליכנס לשער הנ' ולהוציא בולעו מפיו, ואז ספו תמו בחינת הטומאה. ומעתה כל שהיה ה' מוציא ישראל קודם זמן כל שהוא היו ממעטים הבירור והיו מתמעטים במושג ולזה הוציאם בנקודה האחרונה של מ''ט וקודם שיכנסו לשער הנ', והוא אומרם ז''ל וגאלם מיד. (פסחים פ''י מ''ה לגי' הרמב''ם):
(1) וארד להצילו… ולהעלותו מן הארץ ההיא, "I shall descend in order to save…and to bring them out of this land, etc." The meaning of להצילו refers to the near-term cessation from their slave labour, whereas the expression ולהעלותו refers to the longer term objective of G'd's intervention. (2) Seeing the time for the redemption was not yet at hand, there had to be an interval of at least 12 months between the time G'd spoke to Moses and the actual Exodus. Shemot Rabbah 9,12 debates whether the plagues usually lasted one week with three weeks warning or vice versa. At any rate, our sages seem agreed that the plagues extended over a considerable period. Why would G'd have deliberately delayed the redemption once He had embarked on the process? He could have given Pharaoh a single day's warning before each plague something that is certainly legal when a Jew is warned not to commit a transgression. In fact, Gentiles do not need to be warned specifically at all not to commit acts which they know to be criminal. We must assume, therefore, that G'd waited for a certain date to be able to justify the Exodus although He wanted to relieve the burden of the Jewish people in the interval. (3) In view of our premise that the principal purpose of the exile in Egypt was to salvage the souls which had been contaminated with the 50 levels of impurity at the time the forces of the קליפה "captured" some of the holy souls from Adam when the latter ate from the tree of knowledge (compare our comments on Genesis 49,9), we can understand that if G'd had redeemed the Israelites prematurely this would have aborted the plan to rescue all those lost souls. We have already explained that Moses himself was equated with the Jewish people inasmuch as Moses achieved the 49th level of בינה, intellectual insights, out of a possible total of 50 such levels. The reason that Moses never reached the ultimate level of בינה was that the achievement must parallel the effort expended on achieving the goal in question. Had the Israelites descended to the 50th level of impurity the effort at gaining the 50th level of insights would have been possible. Since Israel was never quite at the bottom of the spiritual levels, the effort to reach the top was of necessity a little less than total. Moses' achievements were directly related to the condition of the Jewish people whom he represented. We have been assured that in the future G'd Himself will influence us by means of the Torah so that we will be able to achieve the fiftieth level of בינה. We will be indebted to the cumulative exile experiences for that eventual achievement. The most important individual factor will be our present and final exile. (4) One of the reasons the generation of the first exile was not able to attain that level of insight was that they had not yet had the benefit of Torah. Once we shall reach that level of insight we will be able to recapture any holy souls still under the control of the forces of the קליפה, i.e. Satan. At any rate, had G'd led the Jewish people out of Egypt even a single day sooner than He did, the number of souls which had not yet been rescued would have been commensurably greater.
(11) But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and free the Israelites from Egypt?” (12) And He said, “I will be with you; that shall be your sign that it was I who sent you. And when you have freed the people from Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.” (13) Moses said to God, “When I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” (14) And God said to Moses, “Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh.” He continued, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites, ‘Ehyeh sent me to you.’” (15) And God said further to Moses, “Thus shall you speak to the Israelites: The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you: This shall be My name forever, This My appellation for all eternity. (16) “Go and assemble the elders of Israel and say to them: the LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me and said, ‘I have taken note of you and of what is being done to you in Egypt, (17) and I have declared: I will take you out of the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.’ (18) They will listen to you; then you shall go with the elders of Israel to the king of Egypt and you shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, manifested Himself to us. Now therefore, let us go a distance of three days into the wilderness to sacrifice to the LORD our God.’ (19) Yet I know that the king of Egypt will let you go only because of a greater might. (20) So I will stretch out My hand and smite Egypt with various wonders which I will work upon them; after that he shall let you go. (21) And I will dispose the Egyptians favorably toward this people, so that when you go, you will not go away empty-handed. (22) Each woman shall borrow from her neighbor and the lodger in her house objects of silver and gold, and clothing, and you shall put these on your sons and daughters, thus stripping the Egyptians.”
(1) But Moses spoke up and said, “What if they do not believe me and do not listen to me, but say: The LORD did not appear to you?” (2) The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he replied, “A rod.” (3) He said, “Cast it on the ground.” He cast it on the ground and it became a snake; and Moses recoiled from it. (4) Then the LORD said to Moses, “Put out your hand and grasp it by the tail”—he put out his hand and seized it, and it became a rod in his hand— (5) “that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, did appear to you.” (6) The LORD said to him further, “Put your hand into your bosom.” He put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, his hand was encrusted with snowy scales! (7) And He said, “Put your hand back into your bosom.”—He put his hand back into his bosom; and when he took it out of his bosom, there it was again like the rest of his body.— (8) “And if they do not believe you or pay heed to the first sign, they will believe the second. (9) And if they are not convinced by both these signs and still do not heed you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and it—the water that you take from the Nile—will turn to blood on the dry ground.” (10) But Moses said to the LORD, “Please, O Lord, I have never been a man of words, either in times past or now that You have spoken to Your servant; I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” (11) And the LORD said to him, “Who gives man speech? Who makes him dumb or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? (12) Now go, and I will be with you as you speak and will instruct you what to say.” (13) But he said, “Please, O Lord, make someone else Your agent.” (14) The LORD became angry with Moses, and He said, “There is your brother Aaron the Levite. He, I know, speaks readily. Even now he is setting out to meet you, and he will be happy to see you. (15) You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth—I will be with you and with him as you speak, and tell both of you what to do— (16) and he shall speak for you to the people. Thus he shall serve as your spokesman, with you playing the role of God to him, (17) and take with you this rod, with which you shall perform the signs.” (18) Moses went back to his father-in-law Jether and said to him, “Let me go back to my kinsmen in Egypt and see how they are faring.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” (19) The LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who sought to kill you are dead.” (20) So Moses took his wife and sons, mounted them on an ass, and went back to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God with him. (21) And the LORD said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the marvels that I have put within your power. I, however, will stiffen his heart so that he will not let the people go. (22) Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: Israel is My first-born son. (23) I have said to you, “Let My son go, that he may worship Me,” yet you refuse to let him go. Now I will slay your first-born son.’” (24) At a night encampment on the way, the LORD encountered him and sought to kill him. (25) So Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched his legs with it, saying, “You are truly a bridegroom of blood to me!” (26) And when He let him alone, she added, “A bridegroom of blood because of the circumcision.” (27) The LORD said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.” He went and met him at the mountain of God, and he kissed him. (28) Moses told Aaron about all the things that the LORD had committed to him and all the signs about which He had instructed him. (29) Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites. (30) Aaron repeated all the words that the LORD had spoken to Moses, and he performed the signs in the sight of the people, (31) and the people were convinced. When they heard that the LORD had taken note of the Israelites and that He had seen their plight, they bowed low in homage.