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בּ"ה

Parshas Bo

{ The Makkos -- Plagues (continued)}

In Parshas Bo, we read about the last three plagues that Hashem brought upon the Egyptians. Again, let us try to bring at least one commentary to each one:

#8: Arbeh/Locusts: In the instructions to Moshe Rabbeinu before this plague, Hashem says “In order that you will tell in the ears of your son, and your sons’ son. . . My signs that I put in them, and you will know that I am Hashem” (10:2).

Rebbe Yehoshua of Ostrova zt”l (Toldos Adam) notes that after speaking about how you will tell your children about Hashem’s wonders, it says that ‘you will know that I am Hashem’. We thus see from here, Rav Yehoshua says beautifully, that when you try to plant faith in Hashem in your children’s hearts, and you tell them about His greatness and amazing acts, it also will draw you upwards more and more in your faith in and knowledge of Him!

(Brought in Maayanah shel Torah; Shemos p. 48)

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#9: Choshech/Darkness: ‘And a man could not see his brother, and a man could not get up from his place’ (10:23). The worst kind of darkness is when one person cannot see the other -- i.e. they don’t feel another’s pain and empathize with them or help. And this lack-of-care towards others will actually cause that person who displays such behavior to not be able to rise up higher in levels.

(Quoted both in the name of the Chiddushei HaRim zt”l,

and Rebbe Chanoch Henoch of Aleksander zt”l)

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Rashi zt”l quotes from Midrash Tanchuma that there were certain wicked Jews who did not want to leave Egypt, who therefore died during the plague of darkness.

Asks HaRav Yaakov Kamenetzky zt”l; we find from various sources that a lot of Klal Yisroel were really on a low level, and perhaps not-so-righteous at that time.1 So why were specifically these people singled out to die in Choshech?

Answers Rav Kamenetzky; the ones who had to die during Choshech were Jews who wanted to hold back everyone else from leaving. However, most everyone else, even though at the time they weren’t so great people, their true inner selves were very lofty, and they had great spiritual potential. Hashem knew that these people who wanted to leave Egypt, in only a matter of time, they would be ready to stand at Har Sinai!

(Emes L’Yaakov 10:22)

Perhaps we may explain in a slightly different manner: As we know, Klal Yisroel were not on a high level in Egypt. The Egyptian culture and spiritual impurity was infecting them. But even so, only those that did not want to leave that place and level of depravity -- only they were fitting to die. But everyone else, who, even though at the time were also lowly to an extent, wanted to leave Egypt; who wanted to become higher and better -- they certainly were worthy of redemption.

(Tal U’Matar)

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1 Nevertheless, we still held onto and kept certain very important things; see Mechilta 12:6.

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#10: Makkas Bechoros/The Plague of the Firstborn: Hashem Himself passed through Egypt on this night, at midnight, to smite every firstborn Egyptian.

The previous Slonimer Rebbe, HaRav Shalom Noach Berezovsky zt”l, explains to us the following: Often times, first there is darkness, and then there is light afterwards. And as the Zohar (vol. 2, 184a) discusses, the light can even come out from the darkness itself. Sometimes we actually need to go through some darkness to get to a greater light. And Hashem gives us the strength to endure the hardships in order to get to that light.

This is what happened with the redemption from Egypt. In the darkness of Egyptian exile, in the middle of the night, the beginning of the Yetzias Mitzraim began. From the midst of the darkness, came the light.

(Nesivos Shalom)

So too, in our lives, there are “light” times, and Rachmana Liztlan, there are darker feeling moments. We must know and take to heart, however, that it will always become light again. And not just that, but perhaps the darkness itself will bring us to light -- for surely even the difficult things are in order to benefit us, as well!

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‘And you shall not go out, a man from the entrance of his house, until morning.’ (12:22). On this, Rashi zt”l (from Mechilta) explains that this is because of the destroying angel(s) that would be roaming about, as the nighttime is when they are allowed to. And in the next verse, we have explicit mention of the “destroyer”. But the question is asked; does Hashem not say that He Himself will pass through Egypt on that night and kill the firstborns, and we know how much this is stressed by the Haggadah? So what is the meaning here, where destructive angels are spoken about?

The Nachalas Yaakov {HaRav Binyomin Solnik zt”l} explains in a very simple way that when Rashi speaks about the destructive angels, he is talking about the regular ones that come out at night. Just on this night, since it was the night of a plague, there might have been more out than usual, or they might have been allowed to do more than usual. But not that they were the ones to carry out the Plague, as that was Hashem Himself.

The Vilna Gaon zt”l explains to us what it means when the verse itself (12:23) refers to the destroyer -- that Hashem will not let him come into our houses: It is talking about the Angel of Death, who is sent to take back someone’s Soul when it is their time to pass on. On this night, Hashem did not let even one of the Jews die -- even if their time had come. So that the Egyptians could not possibly say that we, too, were being afflicted by this plague.

(Chameish Yados in Divrei Eliyahu p. 18)

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‘And he [Paroah] said to them [Moshe and Aharon], “Go serve Hashem your G-d; who and who are going?” And Moshe said: “With our youths and with our elders we will go; with our sons and with our daughters, with our flock and with our cattle we will go, because it is a Festival of Hashem for us.” And he said to them. . . “Let the men go now and serve Hashem, because that is what you are seeking”’ (Shemos 10:8-11)

The commentators elucidate many deep and beautiful semblances and messages from this give and take. Among them are the following:

1) ----- In the sefer L’Hisaneig Bi’Saanugim, the author tells that he heard to explain on this, that the “debate” between Moshe Rabbeinu and Paroah was the attitude towards the Service of Hashem: Paroah’s attitude towards Service of Hashem was just like towards mundane work -- that it was a burden. And if they were talking about a burdensome work, then it was only appropriate for the men, and not for the women and children.

Said Moshe Rabbeinu to him; ‘With our youths and with our elders we will go; with our sons and with our daughters, with our flock and with our cattle we will go, because it is a Festival of Hashem for us’ -- what you see as work, as a yoke and a heavy burden, we view as a festival; it is a Simcha for us! And when you celebrate a festival, the women, children and elders -- everybody are partners in the celebration.

2) ----- Somewhat similarly, HaRav Nosson Scherman shlit”a: Moshe was emphasizing one of the things that sets apart Judaism from other religions: Everybody -- elders, boys and girls alike -- have to participate when there is a festival of Hashem; it is not just for some people. (The Stone Edition Chumash p. 343).

3) ----- Sifrei Drush: Paroah was about ready to let the men go serve Hashem. Just so long as the younger generation -- the youths -- would stay behind. Because then, there would be no continuation and future of Klal Yisroel! Moshe Rabbeinu, of course, did not agree to this. He said it was essential to take the young ones with as well, and furthermore, he even put them first! Only in this way can our service to Hashem be complete -- with everybody. (Quoted in Maayanah shel Torah; Shemos p. 49-50).

4) ----- HaRav Moshe Shternbuch shlit”a: Paroah, like many other non-Jewish rulers, etc. thought that since Hashem is so exalted, He doesn’t pay attention to the prayer of just anyone -- only to the prayers of the highest people. Therefore, he asked ‘Who and who are going?’. To which Moshe replied, that all of us are fitting to go. Hashem, in His kindness, accepts and even awaits the prayers of normal, and even lowlier people. (Taam V’Daas to 10:8).

5) ----- The Noam Elimelech {Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk zt”l}: ‘With our youths and with our elders’ -- whether we are young or older, we will act properly. ‘With our sons and with our daughters’ -- our children we will guide to holiness. ‘With our flock and with our cattle we will go’ -- Even in physical things, like our eating, drinking, business, etc. we will perform them with holiness, and channel them all to the service of Hashem. (Noam Elimelech to our verse).

6) ----- HaRav Meir Schwartzman zt”l: Of course, we must focus very much on our Avodas Hashem. But we must not only work on ourselves; we must try to spread Torah to others, and help others to improve also! With everyone we go! (Meir Einei Yesharim p. 50-51).

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‘And Hashem to Moshe: “One further Plague I will bring upon Paroah and upon Egypt; after so, he will send you out from this -- when he sends [you out], he will completely drive you out from this. Speak please in the ears of the People, and they should borrow, a man from his fellow and a woman from her fellow, vessels of silver and vessels of gold.’ (Shemos 11:1-2)

We are told that the Jews really didn’t end up returning these articles to the Egyptians, so truthfully, how is it possible that the word ‘borrow’ was used in this context, when they were not merely borrowing these things? What was going on?2

Explains the Vilna Gaon {HaRav Eliyahu Kramer zt”l}: The Midrash (Shemos Rabbah 5:18) tells us that originally in the enslavement, Paroah set the example by joining the labors himself and further encouraged the Jews to high production quotas by offering big incentives. Then he demanded that these quotas be met on a regular basis.

With this in mind, we now have the answer to our question: The persecution of the Jews was conducted with trickery, such as the plan for the midwives to kill the infants and claim that they were stillborn (which, Baruch Hashem, was foiled).

Therefore, Hashem -- Who punishes measure for measure -- decreed that the downfall of the Egyptians would be through trickery as well, for how they had drawn the Jews into servitude through trickery.

(Brought in Talelei Oros)

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2 A very simple possible answer to the question is that the language that is used is ‘שאל’, can also mean to ask or request. Thus no problem is presented. See the Rashbam.

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‘This month shall be for you the first of months’ (12:2)

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HaRav Avigdor Miller zt”l enumerates three very important things pertaining to Rosh Chodesh:

In his own words: “There are three elements that can be easily seen in every Rosh Chodesh. And if you ignore them or just think about them in a superficial manner, then you are wasting a valuable opportunity. And many people do waste this opportunity. Yes, many people.

“First of all, we must look back and thank Hashem for letting us live through the past month. Do you think that it’s a small thing to live a whole month?! Many people haven’t made it to this Rosh Chodesh. Baruch Hashem we’re still around. Baruch Hashem! And that’s why we say Hallel. Hallel is to thank Hashem for the past month.

“Now, Rosh Chodesh is also a זמן כפרה לכל תולדותם (as we say in Mussaf of Rosh Chodesh). It’s an opportunity for a כפרה, atonement, for the sins we did in the past month. Look back and remind yourself of the things you did wrong during the past month. Not only the things you did wrong but even more important -- the good things that you didn’t do. What a loss. What a loss! Look back and do teshuva. It’s a זמן כפרה, a special opportunity for teshuva and atonement.

“And the third element is that it’s a יום תפילה for the upcoming month. A special day for davening. At minimum you must say יעלה ויבוא. The words of יעלה ויבוא are an important tefillah for the coming month.

“So these are the three elements. Again: One is to thank Hashem for the past month. And the second is to be מפשפש במעשיו -- to examine your deeds of the past month and do teshuva. That’s זמן כפרה. And the third is to ask Hashem for help for the coming month. These are very important ideas.

“You think that a month is a small thing in our lives?! If you look back and you see that you didn’t accomplish anything in the past month then you should be worried. Yes, you should worry. And make up your mind that in the next month you’re going to start doing all the good things that you hear here. At least that. Get busy doing all these good things next month. Make up your mind that a month shouldn’t be wasted.”

(Toras Avigdor)

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‘And you shall guard the Matzos -- ושמרתם את המצות’ (Shemos 12:17)

Brings Rashi zt”l from Mechilta: Rabbi Yoshiya says: Do not read it ‘המצות -- haMatzos’, ‘the Matzos’, rather ‘המצות -- haMitzvos’, ‘the Mitzvos’. Just like we cannot let the Matzah leaven, so too, we cannot let a Mitzvah “leaven”; rather, if it comes to your hand, do it immediately [with alacrity].

The Ksav Sofer zt”l sharpens this idea for us: The Gemara compares the yetzer hara to the leavening in the dough. Just like when baking Matzah, we can’t take our attention off of it, or it might become chometz, so too we must keep constant guard and battle on our yetzer hara, but if we take our eyes off it, as it were, it might strike at any moment.

The verse continues ‘for on this very day I took out your legions from the land of Egypt’. As we know, Hashem hastened our redemption, and as the Midrash tells us, if we had remained in Egypt any longer, we would have been too sunken in the spiritual impurity to rise up adequately to be redeemed. So too we should keep the Mitzvos, doing them when the opportunity comes, and not pushing them off to “when we have the time.”

(Ksav Sofer al HaTorah p. 98a)

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HaRav Moshe Feinstein zt”l derives another lesson from the comparison of Mitzvos to Matzos, similar to what the Ksav Sofer said: Just like we must vigilantly guard the Matzos, and always check them and watch over them, so too, we must look into ourselves. We must never rest on our past achievements. No matter who we are, we must always watch and look into ourselves, to make sure that we do not sin, and check, of course, to see if we have sinned.

(Darash Moshe 12:17, second explanation)

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Another lesson to be learned can be gleaned from what we are taught, that a particular aspect of the yetzer hara that the leavening represents is gaavah (haughtiness), because it makes the dough swell up. Therefore, we may add that when we do Mitzvos, we must guard that they don’t become chometz -- i.e. that we don’t become haughty from their performance, thinking we are so great.

(Tal U’Matar)

Of course, though, as the Baal Shem Tov zt”l says (Tzaavas HaRivash), we must not hold ourselves back from doing a Mitzvah because we are afraid of becoming haughty. We must go and do it, as we have talked about, and just try to push away the yetzer hara when it comes to us and attempts to make us feel very superior and haughty.

(Heard from my Rebbe, HaRav Moshe Shulman shlit”a)

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‘Draw forth and buy for yourselves from the flock for your families, and you shall slaughter the Pesach-offering.’ (Shemos 12:21)

The question is asked; how could we have used sheep as offerings to Hashem, if the Egyptians worshiped them, which would render them unfit for an offering?

The Malbim {HaRav Meir Leibush Weisser zt”l}, and the Hafla’ah {HaRav Pinchos of Koritz zt”l} elucidate this question by quoting the Gemara (Avodah Zarah 22b) that says that we are allowed to buy from a non-Jew an animal to use as an offering, and we are not concerned that they worship that specific animal, because otherwise, they wouldn’t be selling it. The fact that they are selling it nullifies any concern of it being an idol. However, that only applies when the non-Jew is selling it to a Jew -- and further, one who does not worship idols.

But in Egypt, we are taught that some Jews had sunken so low that they, too, worshiped idols! Therefore, we see in the verse (10:25) the language of ‘And we will make it to Hashem our G-d’ -- meaning, for His service. And we also find in the Mechilta (12:21) ‘Draw forth and take’ -- i.e. draw away from idolatry, and cling to Mitzvos. Since we were separating ourselves from idol worship, and thus not in the category of an idol worshiper, and further, specifically buying this animal for Hashem, then there was no Halachic problem.

(Eretz Chemdah; Shemos to 10:25-26 and Panim Yafos; Shemos p. 44b)

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‘Slaughter the Pesach-offering’ (Shemos 12:21)

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HaRav Yosef Tzvi Salant zt”l discusses that unfortunately (as we have mentioned), Klal Yisroel were somewhat absorbed and clung into Egypt and Egyptian culture, to the point that some of us even worshiped idols, like them! Furthermore, a lot of us were also uncircumcised at that time.

Hashem had to take us out -- ‘a nation from the midst of a nation’ (Devarim 4:34). But before we were to physically leave, He had to separate us from the Egyptians and their spiritual depravity. One of the very first steps in this was to separate us from idol worship. To this end, we were commanded to offer the Pesach-offering, which was a lamb -- what the Egyptians, and unfortunately, some of us -- worshiped. This would uproot the idea from our hearts and minds of serving these “idols”.

Bnei Yisroel also had to get circumcised -- do the Bris Milah, which would differentiate bodily between them and their Egyptian neighbors.

Furthermore, when we ate the Pesach-offering, we were told that no gentile was to eat of it, which the Rambam zt”l explains to be a commandment on us to not give any to them. What’s more, we had to place the blood of the sheep of the offering on our doorposts and lintel. When the Egyptians would see the blood of their idols smeared on our houses, they would surely not want to have anything to do with us!

All this was to completely separate us from the Egyptians. In our minds and hearts; in our bodies; and even in our houses. And after this, after we were no longer stuck strongly to the Egyptians and sunken into their lowly culture, we could be truly redeemed.

(Be’er Yosef to 12:2-22)

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Asks Rebbe Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev zt”l; why in the Torah is Pesach called Chag HaMatzos, but yet we call it Pesach?

And he explains beautifully: Just like we praise Hashem, so too, He praises us. Hashem calls it Chag HaMatzos, as a praise to us for our faith and trust in Him when we left Egypt with just Matzos -- no other provisions (see Rashi zt”l on 12:39). And we call it Pesach, praising Hashem for His kindness, in passing over (פסח) our houses, and not smiting us, as well.

(Kedushas Levi al HaTorah s.v. ואמרתם)

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‘Matzos shall be eaten for the seven days [of Pesach], and it shall not be seen belonging to you chametz, and it shall not be seen belonging to you leaven in all your borders. And you shall tell to your son on that day, saying: It is because of this (בעבור זה) Hashem did for me when I went out from Egypt.’ (Shemos 13:7-8)

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Perhaps, suggests the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh {HaRav Chaim ben Attar zt”l}, the word זה -- ‘this’, having the numerical value of 12, alludes to the twelve Mitzvos which are distinguishing and special marks of the Chag of Pesach: (1) The Pesach-offering, (2) Matzah, (3) Marror, (4) the Haggadah, (5-11) the seven days of the Chag, and (12) Kiddush for the two days of Yontiff. And this is what it says; ‘it is because of this (זה)’ -- i.e. all these 12 things ‘Hashem did for me. . .’

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‘And it shall be for you as a sign on your hand (arm) and for a remembrance between your eyes (on your head)’ (Shemos 13:9)

A person, says HaRav Aharon Levin zt”l, has two main things that influence their actions. Our feelings, and our intellect/sense. And it is upon us to try to perfect these two things within ourselves so that they -- and thus we -- work together towards the service of Hashem

The Tefillin of the arm corresponds to our feelings, as we know that it is supposed to be facing the heart, which is the seat of feelings and emotions. And the Tefillin of the head, of course, correspond to our intellect. By wearing the Tefillin on both of these places, we imply that we will try to subjugate our feelings and our mind to Hashem’s Torah. To keep our heart/feelings and mind/intellect in check, and strive to use them both properly, and for His service. For example, to not let our feelings of desire for things overpower us, but nevertheless, to cultivate the feelings of mercy, kindness, love, compassion, and the other good traits. And regarding the mind, to think pure and good thoughts, not bad and improper ones that could, Chas v’Shalom, lead us astray.

(HaDrash Vi’HaIyun, vol. 2 #100)

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~ Maasim Tovim ~

‘And you shall guard the Matzos’ (Shemos 12:17)

There is a famous story told about the legendary founder of the Mussar Movement that connects to this verse:

Before Pesach, HaRav Yisroel Salanter zt”l was once unable to be present at the baking of his shmurah Matzah, in which he was very careful. The task was to be performed by his talmidim (students), and they asked him for directions.

Rav Yisroel instructed them to be especially careful how they treated the widow who kneaded the dough. For if they were to upset her, it would be a transgression of the Commandment to not oppress a widow.

In his wonderful way, Rav Yisroel added that the Kashrus of the Matzos was not complete with only keeping the laws of Pesach in a nice way; but with meticulous observance of the laws governing behavior between people, as well.

(See above for the comment which Rashi zt”l brings to 12:17, and this story connects beautifully with it: For, while ‘guarding the Matzos’, we must still be careful to ‘guard the [rest of the] Mitzvos’).

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Gut and meaningful Shabbos to all!

Torah, Mussar, Chassidus, Stories, and More! - בּ"ה

Friday, January 31, 2020

Parshas Bo Divrei Torah and Insights 5780

Friday, January 31, 2020

Parshas Bo Divrei Torah and Insights 5780

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