Torah. org Rabbi Zweig on the Parsha - Miraculous Delivery
|
|
|
|
Rabbi Zweig on the Parsha
By Rabbi Yochanan Zweig
|
|
|
|
Parshas Shemos
Miraculous
Delivery
|
|
|
|
“…and she sent her
maidservant and she took it” (2:5)
The Torah relates
that Pharaoh’s daughter Bisya went down to bathe in the Nile River, and
upon seeing a basket floating amongst the reeds, “vatishlach es amasa”; the
plain meaning of the text is that she sent her “amah” – “maidservant” to
bring the basket to her. Citing a homiletic interpretation, the Talmud
translates “amah” as “arm”; she extended her arm which became miraculously
elongated, allowing her to reach the basket.1 It is not feasible
that Bisya was aware of the pending miracle. What then was her intention
when extending her arm? Why was it necessary for Moshe to be retrieved in
such a miraculous manner? In Parshas Vayigash the verse states that Yaakov
Avinu blessed Pharaoh.2 Citing the Midrash, Rashi records that
Yaakov imbued Pharaoh with the ability to control the waters of the Nile;
when he would approach, the waters would rise up towards him.3
Pharaoh’s daughter extended her arm to reach the basket because she was
summoning the waters to rise up and deliver it. Since she was the offspring
of Pharaoh she too was a beneficiary of Yaakov’s blessing. To emphasize the
unique nature of the child that she was retrieving, Hashem suspended her
ability to summon the water and performed a miracle on Moshe’s behalf.
1.Sotah 12b
2.47:10 3.Ibid
Growing Pains
“…Moshe grew up
and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens…” (2:11)
The Torah relates
that when Moshe grew up he went out to see the plight of his brethren.
Citing the Midrash, Rashi comments “nasan einav v’libo lihiyos meitsar
alaihem” – “he went out to see and experience their anguish”.1
Moshe must have been aware of the predicament which had befallen his
brethren. Judaism does not promote self-flagellation. What then was gained
by Moshe going out to see their pain? Rashi observes that there appears to
be a redundancy in the verses. In verse ten the Torah states “and the boy
grew up”.2 Why does the Torah in verse eleven repeat “and Moshe
grew up”?3 Rashi explains that the first verse is referring to
Moshe’s physical growth, while the second verse is describing his ascent in
status; he was given the charge over “Beis Pharaoh” – “the house of
Pharaoh”.4 In Parshas Yisro the Torah records that Hashem
emancipated Bnei Yisroel from “beis avadim” – “a house of servitude”.5
Rashi comments that “beis avadim” refers to “Beis Pharaoh”, where Bnei
Yisroel were Pharaoh’s direct servants.6 By placing Moshe in
charge of Beis Pharaoh, Pharaoh was appointing Moshe as the Minister over
Jewish Affairs. Since Moshe was now in a position where he could assist his
brethren, he went out to see what actions he could take to ease their
hardship. This interpretation is supported by the Midrash which comments on
this verse that Moshe instituted that Bnei Yisroel would be given Shabbos
as a day of rest.7
1.2:11 2.2:10
3.2:11 4.Ibid 5.20:2 6.Ibid 7.Shemos Rabbah 1:28
The Jewish Problem
“Come, let us deal
wisely with them…” (1:10)
The Torah relates
that the Mitzrim were afraid that Bnei Yisroel were becoming too numerous.
Looming over their heads was the possibility that in the case of a war Bnei
Yisroel would join forces with the enemy and drive the Mitzrim out of their
land. Pharaoh and his advisors devised a course of action to prevent their
worst fears from materializing. The Ba’al Haggada states “‘vayarei’u osanu
hamitzrim’ – ‘the Mitzrim dealt with us in a malevolent manner’, as it is
recorded in the Torah ‘havah nischakmah lo’ – ‘come let us deal wisely with
them'”. Why was Pharaoh’s strategizing as to how to deal with a perceived
threat viewed as his greatest malicious act against Bnei Yisroel? His
solution and the manner in which his orders were executed should be cited
as examples of his evil behavior, not his desire to protect his nation’s
security. In contemporary society we continuously search for methods by
which we can categorize different conditions and behaviors. By identifying
and labeling a problem we gain a certain confidence that the problem can be
corrected. Unfortunately, often in our haste to identify a situation which
we are having difficulty controlling, we mislabel a condition and create a
problem where no problem exists. Particularly when dealing with children,
care must be taken to ensure that we, as parents and educators, do not
label our children as “problems”. Even when the correct diagnosis has been
made, we must proceed with caution to ensure that we do not transform a
child with a problem into a “problem child”. The grossest injustice that
can be done to a person is to label him as a problem. The damage caused to
a child’s self- esteem due to the manner in which he is perceived by others
and consequently comes to view himself, can be irreparable. Whereas the
harm which Bnei Yisroel suffered at the hands of the Mitzrim lasted only
for the duration of time they spent in servitude and affected only those
who were present, the perception created by Pharaoh that Jews are a public
menace still haunts us today. The ultimate act of evil perpetrated against
Bnei Yisroel by Pharaoh was labeling them as “the Jewish Problem”.
1.1:9,10
|
|
|
|
|
Rabbi Zweig on the
Parsha © 2022 by Torah.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Do you
have a question or comment? Feel free to contact us on our website.
Join
the Jewish Learning Revolution! Torah.org: The Judaism Site brings this and
a host of other classes to you every week. Visit http://torah.org
to get your own free copy of this mailing or subscribe to the series of
your choice.
Need to
change or stop your subscription? Please visit our subscription center, http://torah.org/subscribe/ -- see
the links on that page.
Permission
is granted to redistribute, but please give proper attribution and
copyright to the author and Torah.org. Both the author and Torah.org
reserve certain rights. Email copyrights@torah.org
for full information.
|
|
|
|
Torah.org: The Judaism Site
Project Genesis, Inc.
2833 Smith Ave., Suite 225
Baltimore, MD 21209
|
|
|
|
|
Comments
Post a Comment