Parashat VaYeshev
Bereishit 37:1 - 40:23

37:1 Vayeshev Ya'akov be'eretz megurei aviv be'eretz Kena'an
Yaakov settled in the land of his father's residence, in the land of Kenaan.

A year after his war with the Kenaani kings Yaakov left his home in Shechem and settled in Chevron, where his father Yitzchak lived.  He left his livestock in Shechem, because that area had very good pasture. (Sefer HaYashar)

That year Leah died. Sefer HaYashar states that when Leah died, she was 51 and Yaakov was 106.  Since Yaakove was born in 2108, Leah died in 2215.  Since this was a year after the wars with the Amori kings, the war took place in 2214.  Also according to this, Leah was born in 2165 and married Yaakov when she was 28.  Yaakov and his sons buried her with great honor in Machpelah Cave.

In VaYishlach it states that Yaakov went to his father Yitzchak in Chevron, and 'Esav went to the land of Seir (35:27).  Here the Torah repeats the fact that "Yaakov settled in the land of his father's residence." This alludes to the fact that the merit of his father Yitzchak saved Yaakov and his sons from 'Esav.

'Esav left the area completely.  Only Yaakov and his sons remained in the land of Kenaan.  They took legal possession of the land by homsteading on it (chazakah), so that no one else could make any claim on it. (Yafeh Toar, p. 461)

The second thing that this verse teaches is that tzaddikim must endure suffering in this world; they must live difficult lives, without any rest.  This was true of Yaakov. (Yafeh Toar, p. 461b)  From the day that he left Charan, he did not have a moment's peace.

There is another lesson that we learn from this verse.  The Torah literally says, "Yaakov settled in the land of his father's residence (megurei)."  The word מְגוּרֵי (megurei), comes from the rootגור (gur), meaning to "sojourn" or live in some place temporarily.  It is also the root of the wordגֵר (ger), denoting a proselyte or convert to Judaism.  The verse can thus be read, "Yaakov settled in the land of his father's proselytizing."

Avraham taught people about G-d and proper behavior, thus proselytizing them into the true faith, as we saw in Lech Lecha.  Yaakov emulated him, and did the same. (Bereishit Rabbah)  We find evidence for this in Yaakov's statement, "Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you" (35:2).  Obviously, Yaakov was not speaking to his family.  What would they have to do with foreign idols?  Furthermore, if he was speaking to members of his family, why did call them "gods" rather than "idols?"  Yaakov was actually speaking to people from the Shechem area who had come to him in order to become proselytes. (Yafeh Toar)

Incidentally, this verse also teaches us that Yitzchak, too, engaged in proselytizing his neighbors.  The Torah therefore says that "Yaakov settled in the land of his father's proselytizing."

Although there were many places in Kenaan where Yaakov could have settled, he wanted to live in proximity to Mount Seir.  Experienced travelers know how to deal with fierce dogs.  When dogs see a stranger coming, they begin to bark.  If the man runs away, the dos run after him and bite him.  It is best to stand still among them.  When the dogs see a man who is not afraid of them, they remain quiet.

Similarly, Yaakov was concerned that such "wild dogs" as 'Esav and Elifaz.  He did not want to live far away from them, lest they think that he considered them his enemies.  He therefore settled in the part of Kenaan where he would be close to them.

The Torah tells us this just before relating the story of Yosef.  G-d had promised Yaakov that Yosef would be 'Esav's arch-adversary, and would have the power to protect him from his brother.

Furthermore, when Yaakov had lived elsewhere, such as in Sukkot and Beit-el, even when he had some respite form his fear of 'Esav, he did not have true tranquility.  This was only attained when he settled in the area where his father had lived. (Yafeh Toar)

2 Eleh toldot Ya'akov Yosef ben-shva-esreh shanah hayah ro'eh et-echav batzon vehu na'ar et-benei Bilhah ve'et-benei Zilpah neshei aviv vayave Yosef et-dibatam ra'ah el-avihem
This is the history of Yaakov; Yosef at the age of seventeen years, would tend the sheep with his brothers, and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. Yosef brought back bad reports about them to their father.

We saw earlier that G-d had informed Avraham that his descendants would be subjugated in a foreign land for 400 years (15:13).  Since that time, 198 years had passed.  30 years passed between the Pact between Halves (Berit bein HaBetarim).  When G-d made the above statementand Yitzchak's birth.  When G-d made the pact with Avraham, he was 70, and when Yitzchak was born, he was 100.  Yitzchak was 60 years old when Yaakov was born, and, as in written in VaYishlach, Yaakov was 108 years old when he arrived in Chevron.  Adding it up we have 30+60+108, a total of 198.  The time had come for the decree to be set in motion.  Therefore, Yosef was sold, eventually causing all of Yaakov's family to emigrate to Egypt. (Yafeh Toar, p. 462)

The Torah says, "This is the history of Yaakov; Yosef..." Although Yaakov had 12 sons, the Torah goes on to speak about Yosef in particular.  It was Yosef who was responsible for the most important episode in Yaakov's life, his emigration to Egypt. (Rashi)

The Torah also tells us of the high moral standards of Yaakov's sons. At the end of VaYishlach, all of 'Esav's sons were immoral, and many bastards were born into the family.  The Torah immediately speaks of Yaakov's chronicles and his family line, to contrast it with that of 'Esav.  When it comes to sexual morality, the two were worlds apart.

When Yosef was 17 years old, he left the academy.  He had brought his father a bad report about Leah's sons, Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Yissachar and Zevulun.  He told his father that they had sinned by eating flesh from a living animal and by flirting with the local girls.  He even hinted that they might be suspected of sleeping with them.  He also reported that Leah's sons were demeaning the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah and were calling them "slaves' sons." (Rashi)

It is difficult to imagine that Yaakov's sons would do such things.  And if they had, why was reporting it considered sinful on Yosef's part?  Why is he considered to have slandered his brothers if he was merely reporting what he saw?  Obviously, he was not making up stories.  (Mizrachi. Zohar; Sh'nei Luchot HaBerit)

Leah's sons did not do anything forbidden by the letter of the law.  Yosef merely misinterpreted their actions and assumed that they were doing wrong.

This was the dispute between the brothers.  When Yosef saw them eating such flesh, he went according to his own opinion, and reported that they were eating flesh from a living animal. (Kesef Nivchar; Rabbi Yosef of Trani)

When shepherds saw that an animal was sick, it was the practice to cut off its ears and tail as a cure.  They assumed that this would remove the bad blood.  Yosef's brothers made use of this practice.  Seeing them do this, Yosef assumed that they were going to eat these parts. (Targum Yonatan)

Leah's sons often referred to Dan, Naftali, Gad and Asher as "slaves' sons" because their mothers, Bilhah and Zilpah, had been slaves.  Although Yaakov gave them their freedom before he married them, their status remained low because they had once been slaves.  Yosef was very displeased with such usage, because it seemed as if those four brothers were born while their mothers were slaves.

Leah's sons often had dealings with women, because women came to buy sheep and other provisions from them.  This was their business.  It was completely permissible, and the brothers did nothing even to cause themselves to have bad thoughts.  Yosef, however, maintained that they should have avoided conversing with women entirely, and he considered their transactions to be sinful. (Mizrachi)

37:3 VeYisra'el ahav et-Yosef mikol-banav ki-ven-zekunim hu lo ve'asah lo ktonet pasim
Yisrael loved Yosef more than any of his sons, for he was the son of his old age, and he made him a long, colorful cloak.

 Yaakov loved Yosef because he was born when Yaakov was already quite old.  He also loved him because he was extremely intelligent young man.  Yosef learned from Yaakov all the Torah knowledge that Yaakov had learned during his 14 years in the accadem of Shem and Ever.

Of course, Yitzchak had also taught Yaakov quite a bit, but this Yaakov did not have to teach to Yosef.  Since Yitzchak was still alive, Yosef could learn from him directly.  It is better to learn from the master than from his student   Although the academy was also still in existence, Yaakov taught Yosef himself rather than send him there, because he did not want him to be far away.

4 Vayir'u echav ki-oto ahav avihem mi-kol echav vayisne'u oto velo yachlu dabro leshalom
His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him. They could not speak to him peaceably.

Since the brothers were tzaddikim, they could not be hypocritical.  They were not like people who appear to be friendly while harboring deep hatred.  Such hypocrisy is in itself sinful.

According to one opinion, the coat was the cloak that Yaakov received when 'Esav sold him his birthright.  This cloak originally belonged to Adam.   It would fit only a firstborn son.  Since the birthright had been taken away from Reuven because of a minor sin that he committed, as outlined in Parashat VeYechi (49:4), the cloak was given to Yosef.

37:5 Vayachalom Yosef chalom vayaged le'echav vayosifu od sno oto
Yosef had a dream and he told his brothers, and they hated him even more.
6 Vayomer aleyhem shime'u-na hachalom hazeh asher chalamti
He said to them, "Listen to this dream that I dreamt.
7 Vehineh anachnu me'almim alumim betoch hasadeh vehineh kamah alumati vegam-nitzavah vehineh tesubeynah alumoteychem vatishtachaveynah la'alumati
Behold, we were binding sheaves in the middle of the field. Behold my sheaf rose and stood up straight; and behold your sheaves surrounded it and prostrated themselves to my sheaf."

 "I understood the dream to mean that the time will come when your products will not grow, and mine will remain standing.  You will have to come to me for food.  I also see that one of my descendants (Yerovo'am) will be a king, and will set up two golden calves (1Melachim 12:28).  Although he will consider them merely royal symbols, your descendants will worship them as gods (2Melachim 17:16).  I also foresee that you will try to hid something about me from my father, saying, 'a noxious beast devoured him' (37:20).  You will try to harm me and hide it from my father.  But the merit of my mother Rachel, who kept quiet when her father tried to mislead our father, will protect me and I will survive."

In Yosef's account of the dream, he used the word "behold" (hineh) three times.  This alluded to the three times that his brothers would have to come to Egypt, as we shall see in Parashat MiKetz and VaYigash.

37:9 Vayachalom od chalom acher vayesaper oto le'echav vayomer hineh chalamti chalom od vehineh hashemesh vehayareach ve'achad asar kochavim mishtachavim li
He had another dream and told it to his brothers. He said, "Behold! I dreamed another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were prostrating themselves to me."
10 Vayesaper el-aviv ve'el-echav vayig'ar-bo aviv vayomer lo mah hachalom hazeh asher chalamta havo navo ani ve'imcha ve'acheycha lehishtachavot lecha artzah
He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father rebuked him, and said to him, "What is this dream that you dreamed? Shall I, your mother and your brothers come and prostrate themselves on the ground to you?"

After Yoself related this dream to his brothers, he told his father about it in their presence.

Yaakov likened to the sun, as we have noted in VaYetze.  The moon denotes Rachel, while the even stars are Yosef's eleven brothers.

Yosef did not relate his first dream to his father.  Since his brothers had already interpreted it by saying, "Will you be king over us?" (37:8), he did not need to tell it to his father.  But when he had this second dream. his brothers had nothing to say about it.  Yosef told it to Yaakov so that he would give it a good interpretation.  Yoself knew that the results of the dream depend on its interpretation.

Yosef's father scolded him because he was causing hatred between himself and his brothers.

Yaakov, said, "Will I and your mother come and bow down before you?  Your mother is already dead!  The dreams you have are meaningless.  If there is any truth in your dream, it means that the Resurrection will occur in my lifetime, and the dead will be brought back to life.  When your mother is resurrected, your dream will come true.

What Yaakov did not know was that the moon could also allude to Bilhah, Rachel's handmade, who had raised Yosef as her own son.

11 Vayekan'u-vo echav ve'aviv shamar et-hadavar
His brothers were jealous of him but his father kept the matter in mind.

Some say that Yaakov knew that Yosef's dream could come true.  The Torah therefore says that Yaakov "kept the matter in mind."  He knew that it would come true but, as our sages say, "Just as grain cannot be without chaff, so dreams cannot be without fiction."  Yaakov assumed that the fictitious element in the dream was its prophecy that Yosef's mother would bow down to him.  There was no fiction in this dream.  It alluded to Bilhah, who was a stepmother to Yosef.

Others say that the verse, "his father kept the matter in mind," indicates hope.  He said, When will that day come?"

37:12 Vayelkhu echav lir'ot et-tzon avihem biSh'chem
His brothers went off to pasture their father's sheep in Shechem.

In Hebrew, this sentence contains the usual untranslated preposition אֶת (et):  "His brothers went off to pasture (et) their father's sheep..."  In the Torah scroll, the letters of the word et have dots over them.  Such dots usually denote the deletion of a concept.  The brothers' primary intention was not to tend sheep but to conspire and plan what they would do to Yosef.

37:15 Vayimtza'ehu ish vehineh to'eh basadeh vayish'alehu ha'ish lemor mah-tevakesh
A man found him going astray in the field. The man asked him, "What are you seeking?"

Some say that this "man" was the archangel Gavri'el who had disguised himself as a human.  He found Yosef blundering in the fields, not knowing where to go.  This also says something about Yosef.  He was so eager to obey his father that he looked all over for his brothers.  Another person would have gone straight home when he did not find his brothers immediately.  It was also decreed by Providence that someone would show him the way so that he would fall into his brothers' hands.

Others say that Yosef encountered three angels here.  The wordאִישׁ (man) is therefore repeated three times in this account.

19 Vayomru ish el-achiv hineh ba'al-hachalomot halazeh ba.
One man said to another, "Here comes the dreamer
20 Ve'atah lechu venahargehu venashlichehu be'achad haborot ve'amarnu chayah ra'ah achalathu venir'eh mah-yihyu chalomotav
Now, come let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say that a wild beast devoured him. Then we will see what will become of his dreams."

Bereishit 41:1 - 44:17; BaMidbar 7:30-35

[Yosef Interprets Paro's Dreams]

41:1 Vayehi miketz shnatayim yamim upar'oh cholem vehineh omed al-haYe'or
It happened at the end of two years to the day: Pharaoh was dreaming that behold! - he was standing over the River.

The Torah now tells us the climax of the Yosef story.  He was sold 4 times and spent 12 years in prison.  Now he was to become the viceroy of all Egypt.

קֵץ שָׂם לַחֹשֶׁךְ (He sets an end to darkness) - with these words from Sefer Iyov (28:3) the Midrash begins it comments on this chapter.  Everything, it continues, has an end, including the trials inflicted on man.  Yosef had to suffer in prison, forgotten by everyone, for 12 seemingly interminable years.  His situation must have appeared almost hopeless.  Only his belief and faith in G-d could help him bear such a cruel ordeal.  But the turning point of destiny is being readied in the silence of the absolute and it intervenes when the time comes, at the right moment for it in the Divine plan.

The Jewish calendar is set up so that the sidrah (weekly Torah portion) is always read on Chanukah, when the days start to get short and the nights longer.  This turning point in the year is accompanied by the Chanukah lights, which symbolically represent the triumph of light over darkness.  Thus we see a coincidence, which is not at all fortuitous, with the motif of the history of Yosef.

קֵץ שָׂם לַחֹשֶׁךְ (He sets an end to darkness).  The connection here, and in many other instances, between the cycle of our holidays and the Torah readings on one hand, and the yearly cycle in nature on the other, makes us aware of the profound harmony between the laws governing the destiny of the Jewish people and those establishing the Divine order of creation.  Jewry is the second Divine creation (Tehillim 102:19) and its destiny echoes that of nature:  the G-d of nature is also the G-d of history.

Par'oh was dreaming - "I will heal you with your [own] wounds," declares the prophet Yirmeyahu in the name of G-d (30:17).  Dreams were at the root of Yosef's misfortunes; and again dreams bring about his salvation.  His life thus unfolds marked by dreams.

41:2 Vehineh min-haYe'or olot sheva parot yefot mar'eh uvri'ot basar vatir'eynah ba'achu
When behold! out of the River there emerged seven cows, of beautiful appearance and robust flesh, and they were grazing in the marshland.
3 Vehineh sheva parot acherot olot achareyhen min-haYe'or ra'ot mar'eh vedakot basar vata'amodnah etzel haparot al-sfat haYe'or
Then behold! - seven other cows emerged after them out of the River - of ugly appearance and gaunt flesh; and they stood next to the cows on the bank of the River.
4 Vatochalnah haparot ra'ot hamar'eh vedakot habasar et sheva haparot yefot hamar'eh vehabri'ot vayikatz Par'oh
The cows of ugly appearance and gaunt flesh ate the seven cows of beautiful appearance and robust, and Pharaoh awoke.
5 Vayishan vayachalom shenit vehineh sheva shibolim olot bekaneh echad bri'ot vetovot
He fell asleep and dreamt a second time, and behold! seven ears of grain were sprouting on a single stalk - healthy and good.
6 Vehineh sheva shibolim dakot ushdufot kadim tzomchot achareyhen
And behold! seven ears, thin, and scorched by the east wind, were growing after them.
7 Vativlanah hashibolim hadakot et sheva hashibolim habri'ot vehamele'ot vayikatz Par'oh vehineh chalom
Then the seven thin ears swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears; Pharaoh awoke and behold! - it had been a dream.

The 7 thin ears of grain did not literally swallow the healthy ones.  This would be impossible and unrealistic.  Even in dreams, one does not see a elephant crawl through an eye of a needle.  The thin ears of grain grew up over the healthy ears, covering them completely.  They could not be seen, as if they had been swallowed up.

When the second dream was over, Par'oh remained in bed, waiting for a third dream. When he saw that he did not dream any more, he realized that both visions were a single dream.  The Torah therefore says, "It had been a dream."  Although Par'oh had seen two visions, he realized that they were both parts of a single dream.  The only thing that he did not know was its meaning. (Bachya)

41:8 Vayehi vaboker vatipa'em rucho vayishlach vayikra et-kol-chartumei Mitzrayim ve'et-kol-chachameyha vayesaper Par'oh lahem et-chalomo ve'ein poter otam le-Par'oh
And it was in the morning: His spirit was agitated, so he sent and summoned all the necromancers of Egypt and all its wise men; Pharaoh related his dream to them, but none could interpret them for Pharaoh.

Par'oh summoned all the necromancers of Egypt.  These were wizards who knew how to interpret mysterious events using human bones. (Rashi)

Par'oh became very angry at his savants and astrologers for not being able to provide a satisfactory interpretation, and he sentenced them to death.

41:14 Vayishlach Par'oh vayikra et-Yosef vayeritzuhu min-habor vayegalach vayechalef simlotav vayavo el-Par'oh
So Pharaoh sent and summoned Yosef, and they rushed him from the dungeon. He shaved and changed his clothes, and he came to Pharaoh.

"and they rushed him from the dungeon"  - When the time for freedom has come, it happens without delay, at the very moment willed by Providence.  So it was with Yosef, "a youth, poor but wise...he came forth out of prison in order to rule (Kohelet 4:14)

So it was with the Exodus from Egypt, which was made in great haste.

And so it will be for the coming of the Mashiach: "Suddenly he will enter His Temple, the Master whom you have waited for, the messenger of the covenant whom you call with your prayers... (Malachi 3:1; Sforno)

Every providential act which leads to rescuing someone miraculously from the depths of the abyss comes by surprise, at the moment when one least expects it (Sanhedrin 97a), when G-d sees "His servants with their strength spent, without support and without resources" (Devarim 32:36)

Yosef left the dungeon on Rosh HaShanah.  It was 1Tishrei, 2230 (Sept. 24, 1532 b.c.e.).  The king of Egypt in the time of Yosef was most probably Amenhotep I of the eighteenth dynasty, who ruled 1545-1525 b.c.e.  It was at the beginning of the eighteenth dynasty in 1570 b.c.e. (2191) that the Hyksos were defeated and driven out of Egypt; around the same time, Yaakov had left for Charan.  The Hyksos were "shephard kings," and were mentioned by Josephus, Contra Apion 1:14. (Rosh HaShanah, Chapter 1)

Although the Patriarchs kept the entire Torah and it is forbidden to shave or cut one's hair on Rosh HaShanah, Yosef did so out of respect for Par'oh.  If a person shows disrespect toward a king, he can be put to death.  Yosef therefore could not appear before Par'oh disheveled and unshaven.  This was no place for unnecessary strictness; since the Torah had not yet been given, it was actually permissible.

If one must dress well in the presence of a mortal king, one must certainly do so when he addresses the Divine King.  It is permissible to recite such prayers as the Shema' when one is wearing only pants, but when reciting the Amidah in the morning (Shacharit), afternoon (Minchah) and evening services (Maariv), one must be fully dressed.  When saying the Shema', one is merely praising the King.  In the Amidah, on the other hand, we are petitioning G-d, and we must show the same respect that we would if were trying to present a petition to a mortal king. (Orach Chayim 91)

When we stand in prayer, we are standing before the King of Kings, the Almighty Himself.  How can one have the audacity to ask G-d to have mercy on him and act charitably towards him when he is dressed as casually as if he were addressing his inferiors.

In a way, this is almost like idol worship since it is a sign of gross disrespect to G-d.  It shows that one has less respect for G-d than for his mortal superior.

The Torah therefore goes to the trouble to tell us that Yosef "changed his clothes" when he appeared before Par'oh.  Among other things, this teaches us that we must dress well when we worship.

Included in this is the obligation to clean one's body before worshiping.   We can learn this from Yosef.  Although it was Rosh HaShanah, he cut his hair and shaved before appearing before Par'oh.  He wanted to be clean and neat, as a sign of respect.  One should be all the more careful when appearing before G-d in worship.

41:15 Vayomer Par'oh el-Yosef chalom chalamti ufoter ein oto va'ani shamati aleicha lemor tishma chalom liftor oto
And Pharaoh said to Yosef, "I dreamt a dream, but no one can interpret it. Now I heard it said of you that you comprehend a dream to interpret it."
16 Vaya'an Yosef et-Par'oh lemor bil'adai Elokim ya'aneh et-shlom Par'oh
Yosef answered Pharaoh, saying, "That is beyond me; it is G-d Who will respond with Pharaoh's welfare."

Since Yosef was a tzaddik, he openly told Par'oh that his ability was nothing more than a gift from G-d.  He said, "I shouldn't take any credit from myself.  It is not my own power.  Only G-d can make a dream come true." (Rashi)

41:26 Sheva parot hatovot sheva shanim henah vesheva hashibolim hatovot sheva shanim henah chalom echad hu
The seven good cows are seven years, and the good ears are seven years; it is a single dream.
27 Vesheva haparot harakot vehara'ot ha'olot achareyhen sheva shanim henah vesheva hashibolim harekot shdufot hakadim yihyu sheva shney ra'av
Now, the seven emaciated and bad cows who emerged after them - they are seven years; as are the seven emaciated ears scorched by the east wind. There shall be seven years of famine.
28 Hu hadavar asher dibarti el-Par'oh asher ha'Elokim oseh her'ah et-Par'oh
It is this matter that I have spoken to Pharaoh: What G-d is about to do He has shown to Pharaoh.
29 Hineh sheva shanim ba'ot sava gadol bechol-eretz Mitzrayim
Behold! - seven years are coming - a great abundance throughout all the land of Egypt.
30 Vekamu sheva shnei ra'av achareyhen venishkach kol-hasava be'eretz Mitzrayim vechilah hara'av et-ha'aretz
Then seven years of famine will arise afer them and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten; the famine will ravage the land.
31 Velo yivada hasava ba'aretz mipenei hara'av hahu acharei-chen ki-chaved hu me'od
And the abundance will be unknown in the land in the face of the subsequent famine - for it will be terribly severe.
32 Ve'al hishanot hachalom el-Par'oh pa'amayim ki-nachon hadavar me'im ha'Elokim umemaher ha'Elokim la'asoto
As for the repetition of the dream to Pharaoh - two times - it is because the matter stands ready before G-d, and G-d is hastening to accomplish it.

Par'oh had not told Yosef that he had had the dream in the morning, just before getting up.  This would have told Yosef that the dream would come true.  Yosef therefore had to determine the veracity and imminency of the dream from the fact that it was repeated. (Yafeh Toar, p. 484)

41:37 Vayitav hadavar be'eynei Par'oh uve'eynei kol-avadav
The matter appeared good in Pharaoh's eyes and in the eyes of all his servants.
38 Vayomer Par'oh el-avadav hanimtza kazeh ish asher ruach Elokim bo
Pharaoh said to his servants, "Could we find another like him - a man in whom is the spirit of G-d?"

The Egyptian savants never thought of interpreting Par'oh's dream in terms of years of famine and abundance.  They knew that such matters are determined on Pesach, since the world is judged with regard to grain at this time. (Rosh HaShanah 16a)  Therefore, the dream could not begin to come true until 15 Nissan (April 3, 1531 b.c.e.).  Par'oh's dream, however, occurred in Tishrei (September).  They therefore did not even consider that the dream related to crops.

Yosef, however, did not pay attention to this.  He knew that all things are judged on Rosh HaShanah, including grain, but that the decree is not announced on high until Pesach.  He therefore told Par'oh, "G-d has shown Par'oh what He is about to do" (41:25). Although the dream took place on Tishrei, G-d was showing Par'oh what would happen six months later in Nissan, at which time the decree of famine would be announced on high. (Tosafot, Rosh HaShanah, Chapter 1)

Actually, it had been decreed that Egypt would suffer 14 years of famine.  Others say that the decree was for 28, and still others say 42 years. Yosef, however, prayed that there should not be more than seven years of famine.  The rest was reserved for the time foreseen by the prophet Yechezkel (29:9). (Tanchuma; Bereishit Rabbah)

G-d had an important reason to bring this famine.  In a way He was bringing the cure before the disease.  He had already decreed that Yisrael would be enslaved in Egypt, promising Avraham, "Afterward they will leave with great wealth" (15:14).  When Yosef arrived in Egypt, however, it was a very poor country, and the wealth that Yisrael would be able to take would be small indeed.  Providence therefore decreed that there should be a severe famine all over the world, and that everyone would have to come to Egypt to buy grain.  As a result, Egypt would become an extremely wealthy nation.  Only then would Yaakov and his sons come to Egypt, to fulfill Avraham's decree. (Zohar)

This also teaches us that whatever Benei Yisrael took from Egypt was justified.  It was none other than Yosef who was responsible for the accumlating all the wealth in Egypt.  If not for him, one of the Egyptians would have known what to do, and they would have died of starvation. (Kli Chemdah)

41:39 Vayomer Par'oh el-Yosef acharei hodia Elokim otcha et-kol-zot ein-navon vechacham kamocha
Then Pharaoh said to Yosef, "Since G-d has informed you of all this, there can be no one so discerning and wise as you.
40 Atah tihyeh al-beyti ve'al-picha yishak kol-ami rak hakise egdal mimeka
You shall be in charge of my palace and by your command shall all my people be sustained; only by the throne shall I outrank you."

Soon after Par'oh had given Yosef such authority, his astrologers sought an audience with him.  "We've investigated Yosef's background," they said.  "He was a slave, sold for twenty pieces of silver.  Now you're making him our king!  How can you possibly do such a thing?"

"I have observed him carefully," replied Par'oh.  "He has a royal bearing.  He must have been kidnapped from an aristocratic family and sold as a slave."

"But is he educated?" they asked.  "For him to be elevated to such a position, he must know all seventy languages."

G-d was watching over Yosef, and He sent the archangel Gavri'el to teach him the seventy languages.  It was too much, however, to learn in such a short time, and Yosef found himself unable to remember everything.  G-d then added the letter ה (heh) from His great name YKVK, calling him יְהוֹסֵף (Yehosef) (Sotah 36b, from the verse, "He appointed it in Yehosef for a testimony when he went forth on the land of Egypt; the speech of one that I knew not, I heard" (Tehillim 81:6) )  With the additional spiritual power, he was able to learn the seventy languages in a single night.

The next morning, Par'oh summoned Yosef for a private audience to test his knowledge.  Whatever language Par'oh spoke to him, Yosef was able to reply fluently.  After Par'oh had gone through all seventy pagan languages, Yosef began to speak to him in Hebrew, and Par'oh could not understand a word.  He virtually begged Yosef to teach him this new language, but try as he would, he could not master it.

Realizing what was happening, Par'oh got down on his knees and begged Yosef to not reveal his ignorance to anyone.  If people found out that Yosef knew a language of which Par'oh was ignorant, they would impeach Par'oh and crown Yosef in his place.  He begged Yosef to swear not to reveal this, and Yosef acquiesced. (Sotah 36b. Yosef later used this oath to enforce the one he made with his father (50:5) )

In those days, the king of Egypt would sit on a high throne that was reached by seventy steps.  If a person knew seventy languages, he could climb up to the top and speak to the king on the throne.  If not, he would be allowed to ascend one step for every language that he knew. Thus, for example, if a man knew 31 languages, he would be able to ascend to the 31st step.  Everyone would be allowed to ascend at least to the third step when addressing Par'oh.

When Yosef first appeared before Par'oh to interpret his dream, he stood on the third step, like any other commoner.  It was here that he interpreted Par'oh's dream and offered him advice.  After he was finished, he was taken back to the prison.  Par'oh then had Yosef investigated, and discovered that Yosef possessed a unique intellect, and that his equal did not exist in all the land.  Ordering him from prison, Par'oh began to converse with him.  With each language in which they conversed, Yosef ascended another step, until he was standing right next to Par'oh himself. (Sefer HaYashar.  Since Yosef was right next to Par'oh, he was "only greater by the throne" (41:40) )

41:41 Vayomer Par'oh el-Yosef re'eh natati otcha al kol-eretz Mitzrayim
Then Pharaoh said to Yosef, "See! I have placed you in charge of all the land of Egypt."
42 Vayasar Par'oh et-tabato me'al yado vayiten otah al-yad Yosef vayalbesh oto bigdei-shesh vayasem revid hazahav al-tzavaro
And Pharaoh removed his ring from his hand and put it on Yosef's hand. He then had him dressed in garments of fine linen and he placed a gold chain upon his neck.

By taking off his ring and giving it to Yosef, Par'oh invested him with the authority as viceroy over Egypt.

He also had Yosef dressed in linen robes, since linen was the cloth worn by the aristocracy. (Rashi)

Par'oh also had Yosef dressed in an outfit of pure linen to protect him from evil eye, from sorcery and from the forces of evil.  If one wears a pure white linen garment, without even a stitch of any other material, it serves as protection from such powers.

As is well known, ten measures of sorcery were given to the world, and nine of these were taken by Egypt. (Kiddushin 49b)  Par'oh therefore gave Yosef pure linen robes to protect him from black magic.  The Egyptian sorcerers and wizards were very jealous of Yosef and wanted to harm him with their magic powers.  Wearing the white linen robes, Yosef would be able to stand before them, and they would not be able to harm him at all. (Yalkut Reuveni. Cf. Imrey Shefer)

41:43 Vayarkev oto bemirkevet hamishneh asher-lo vayikre'u lefanav avrech venaton oto al kol-eretz Mitzrayim
He also had him ride in his second royal chariot and they proclaimed before him: "Avrech!" Thus, he appointed him over all the land of Egypt.

The "second royal chariot" מִרְכֶּבֶח הַמִשְׁנֶה (mirkevet hamishneh) was the chariot that usually rode alongside the king without a passenger. (Rashi; RaMBaN; Ralbag)

According to another opinion, this expression  מִרְכֶּבֶח הַמִשְׁנֶה denotes the "chariot of the viceroy."  It was a special carriage designated for the second to the king. (Targum Yonatan)

The royal criers walked in front of Yosef and announced, אַבְרֵךְ (Avrech) There are a number of opinions as to themeaning of this word.  Some say that it comes from the two words, the Hebrewאַב (av) meaning "father" or "master," and the Aramaic רַךְ (rach) or רֵיכָא (recha) meaning a king or aristocrat.  Therefore, the announcement was, "The king's master!" This indicated that Yosef was the "master" appointed by the king. (Targum; Bava Batra 4a; Rashi.  Cf. Radak on 2Shmuel 3:39)

Others say that it comes from the Hebrew אַב  (av), and רַךְ (rach), meaning "tender."  The announcement was therefore, "The tender master!"  This indicated that although Yosef was tender in years, he was a master of all wisdom. (Targum Yonatan; Bereishit Rabbah; Rashi, Sifri, Devarim)  Yosef was merely 30 years old at the time, yet, he had been appointed viceroy of all Egypt.

According to another opinion, the word אַבְרֵךְ (Avrech), comes from the root בֶּרֶךְ (berech), meaning "knee."  The announcement was therefore, "kneel!"  As an indication that Yosef was now ruler of all Egypt, everyone had to bend his knee and kneel down before him. (Bachya; Abarbanel.  This was a supreme irony, since the brothers had asked, "shall we bow down to you?" (37:10).  Some say that avrach is the Egyptian word 'ib-r.k, meaning "attention!"  Others say that it is an Akkadian title, abarakhu, denoting the chief steward in a royal house)

Besides all the personal treasures Par'oh had given to Yosef, he had a personal bodyguard consisting of 40,600 troops.  This was in addition to the armies of Egypt, which were also under his command.

Around this time, a great was broke out between Tarshish and the Yishmaelim.  Since the Yishmaelim were outnumbered, they were bound to be defeated by Tarshish.  They sent an urgent message to Par'oh, pleading that he send them reinforcements to prevent them from being annihilated.

Par'oh sent Yosef with his army to Chavilah to come to the aid of the Yishmaelim. Yosef was vitorious, and succeeded in defeating the troops of Tarshish, taking all their spoils.  He then settled the Yishmaelim in the Chavilah area.  Yosef fought the entire battle without suffering any losses, and when he returned to Egypt, he was given a hero's welcome.

45 Vayikra Par'oh shem-Yosef Tzafenat-pa'neach vayiten-lo et-Asenat bat Poti-fera kohen On le'ishah vayetze Yosef al-eretz Mitzrayim
Pharaoh called Yosef's name Tzafenat-pa'neach and he gave him Asenat daughter of Poti-fera, Chief of On, for a wife. Thus, Yosef emerged in charge of the land of Egypt.

The name  צָפְנַת פַעְנֵחַ (Tzafenat-pa'neach) is derived from the wordצָפוּן (tzafun) meaning hidden, and the two words יָפַע נָח (yafa nach), meaning "easily reveals."  The name therefore means, "He-who-easily-reveals-the-hidden." (Targum. Cf. Bereishit Rabbah; Rashi; RaMBaN. Ibn Ezra states that Tzafanat Paaneach is an Egyptian word.  In Egyptian it actually means "Lord of Life," or "God Speaks Life."  The word paaneach is pa-anch, where pa means "the," and Anch is the symbol of life)

Poti-fera (פּוֹטִי פֶרַע) is none other than Yosef's original master Potifar (פּוֹטִיפַר). He was one of the rulers of the city of On (Heliopolis). (In Egyptian, Poti-fera means "He whom Ra gave," where Ra is an Egyptian god.  On is the same as Heliopolis, a city seven miles northeast of the modern Cairo, site of the chief temple of the sun god.  The sacred name of Heliopolis was Per-Ra, literally, the "city of Ra."  It is also mentioned in 41:50, 46:20; Radak on Yechezkel 30:17)

Our sages teach that Asenat was the daughter of Dinah, whom Shechem son of Chamor had fathered.  Yaakov had to hide the infant outside of his house, since Dinah's brothers wanted to kill her.  He kept her hidden under a bush סְנֶה (seneh), and for that reason, she was given the name אָסְנַת (Asenat).  Praying for her safety, Yaakov hung a gold medallion around her neck, inscribed with the words: "Whoever marries this girl should know that his children will be descendants of Yaakov."

the archangel Gavri'el (and some say Micha'el) brought Asenat to Egypt to the house of Potifar. There she grew up and was raised as a stepdaughter. (Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer; Tzedah LaDerech; Bachya.  In Egyptian, Asenat means "belonging to Neit," where Neit is an Egyptian goddess.)

When Yosef was being led throughout the capital, all the Egyptians women stood on the roofs where they could see his beauty.  Each one threw him the finest gifts she could afford in an attempt to attract his attention.  Since Asenat had nothing else, she threw Yosef her medallion.  Reading it and seeing that she was a descendant of Yaakov, Yosef asked for her hand in marriage. (Bereishit Rabbah)

41:46 VeYosef ben-shloshim shanah be'omdo lifnei Par'oh melech-Mitzrayim vayetze Yosef milifnei Par'oh vaya'avor bechol eretz Mitzrayim
Now Yosef was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt; Yosef left Pharaoh's presence and he passed through the entire land of Egypt.
47 Vata'as ha'aretz besheva shnei hasava likmatzim
The earth produced during the seven years of abundance by the handfuls.

Every ear produced a handful of grain.  The farmers produced so much that grain houses were brimming to the top.

The grain that grew during those years was clean and free of any blight.  It was so clean that one could simply take a handful and grind it, without inspecting it or removing the bad grains. (Bereishit Rabbah)

41:48 Vayikbotz et-kol-ochel sheva shanim asher hayu be'eretz Mitzrayim vayiten-ochel be'arim ochel sdeh-ha'ir asher svivoteyha natan betochah
He gathered all food of the seven years that came to pass in Egypt, and he placed food in the cities; the food of the field around each city he placed within it.
49 Vayitzbor Yosef bar kechol hayam harbeh me'od ad ki-chadal lispor ki-eyn mispar
Yosef amassed grain like the sand of the sea in great abundance until he ceased counting, for there was no number.

All the food that could be kept was gathered, not just grain.  The stores also included fruit that could be dried and stored, such as figs and raisins.

Since food was overabundant, Yosef was able to buy it very cheaply.  Later, when the famine came, this same food was sold for a very high price.

In each city, Yosef stored grain from the fields around it.  These fields were under the jurisdiction of their central city.  Yosef did not want to bring all the grain to one central location in the capital, since that might cause grain to spoil.  Instead, he stored it in the city nearest the place where it was harvested.

In general, when grain is stored near where it grows, it keeps well.  When it is transported elsewhere, it is not as well preserved. (Bereishit Rabbah)

Some say that packets of soil from the fields in which the grain grew were placed in the grain vaults along with the grain itself.  These packets of soil prevented the grain from becoming wormy. (Taanit)

41:51 Vayikra Yosef et-shem habechor Menasheh ki-nashani Elokim et-kol-amali ve'et kol-beit avi
Yosef called the name of the firstborn Menasheh for, "G-d has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's household."
52 Ve'et shem hasheni kara Efrayim ki-hifrani Elokim be'eretz oni'i
And the name of the second son he called Efrayim for, "G-d has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."

Yosef named his firstbornמְנַשֶׁה (Menasheh) saying, "Now that I have risen to high position, I have forgotten נשה (nashah) all my troubles and everything that I have suffered."

It was customary for tzaddikim to name their children according to the events of their lives.  Then, whenever they mentioned the child's name, they would remember the miracles and wonders that G-d had done for them.  If the name recalls an untoward incident, it reminds them to praise G-d for letting them escape the evil and giving them tranquility. (Shemot Rabbah 40)

Yosef also called his son Menasheh because he had forgotten all the Torah (that he had learned in his "father's house.")  He was now so busy running the government that he had not time to review his studies.  The name Menasheh would remind him of his misfortune, and would prod him to study all the more when he got the opportunity. (Bereishit Rabbah, Vayeshev)

Menasheh was born in Iyar (May) and Efrayim was born in Shevat (December).  Looking at the birthdates of the twelve tribes, one sees that none of them were born during these months.  These two months were therefore reserved for Menasheh and Efrayim. (Yalkut Shemoni, Shemot)

41:56 Vehara'av hayah al kol-penei ha'aretz vayiftach Yosef et-kol-asher bahem vayishbor le-Mitzrayim vayechezak hara'av be'eretz Mitzrayim
When the famine spread over all the face of the earth, Yosef opened all the containers and sold provisions to Egypt; and the famine became severe in the land of Egypt.
57 Vechol-ha'aretz ba'u Mitzrayim lishbor el-Yosef ki-chazak hara'av bechol-ha'aretz
All the earth came to Egypt to Yosef to buy provisions, for the famine had become severe in all the earth. And all countries came to Egypt to Yosef to buy grain; because the famine was so severe in all the earth.

The famine spread and struck the wealthy with particular force. (Tanchuma; Rashi)

Yosef opened the largest storehouses, containing the best grain. (Yafeh Toar, p. 491)  As the famine began to become severe, he began selling grain to all the Egyptians.

The famine spread to the three lands boarding on Egypt: Kenaan, Arabia and Libya.  In more distant lands, however, the famine did not spread, although those lands had no surplus to sell.  It had been so decreed by Providence.

There was another miracle. The grain that people had stored privately became rotten and moldy.  Yosef announced that he was willing to buy all the spoiled grain, and the people eagerly sold it for almost nothing.  While the grain had appeared moldy and wormy when it was sold, as soon as it came into Yosef's possession, it was seen to be perfect.  This was also arranged by Providence so that Yosef would be able to sell it and thus earn untold fortunes of silver and gold. (Siftei Cohen)

42:1 Vayar Ya'akov ki yesh-shever beMitzrayim vayomer Ya'akov levanav lamah titra'u
Yaakov perceived that there were provisions in Egypt; so Yaakov said to his sons, "Why do you make yourselves conspicuous?"
2 Vayomer hineh shamati ki yesh-shever beMitzrayim redu-shamah veshivru-lanu misham venichyeh velo namut
And he said, "Behold, I have heard that there are provisions in Egypt; go down there and purchase for us from there, that we may live and not die."

Although Yaakov was not in Egypt, the Torah says that, "Yaakov perceived that there were provisions in Egypt." This indicates that Yaakov had a glimmering of a prophetic experience, and saw that in Egypt there would be a means to gain some good.  Still, he did not know that Yosef was actually alive. (Yafeh Toar, p. 491; Rashi)

There was also another purpose in Yaakov words, "go down (redu) there."  Normally, a person such as Yaakov would have been very careful not to use an expression that had an untoward meaning.  He could just as easily have said, " go (לְכוּ - lechu) to Egypt."  But the word רְדוּ (redu) has a special significance, since its numerical value is 210.  Yaakov was indicating that from the time that he emigrated to Egypt until the Exodus there would be 210 years.  G-d's promise to Avraham at the Pact between Halves would thus be fulfilled. (Yafeh Toar, p. 492; Zohar.  G-d had told Avraham that his children would be in exile for 400 years (15:13) and this 400 year period began with Yitzchak's birth.  Yitzchak wa 60 years old when Yaakov was born (25:26), and Yaakov was 130 when he came to Egypt (47:9), making a total of 190 years.  This left 210 years of exile.)

This is one of many cases where a prophet made a statement without realizing its full impact.

42:3 Vayirdu achei-Yosef asarah lishbor bar mi-Mitzrayim
So Yosef's brothers - ten of them - went down to buy grain from Egypt.
4 Ve'et-Binyamin achi Yosef lo-shalach Ya'akov et-echav ki amar pen-yikra'enu ason
But Binyamin, Yosef's brother, Yaakov did not send along with his brothers, for he said, "Lest disaster befall him."

In a time of calamity, ha-satan is out dancing, and all roads are considered dangerous.  Yaakov was therefore particularly apprehensive about sending Binyamin during the famine. (Rashi; a good reason for this is found in Zera Berach, Part 2)

Although any one of the brothers would have gone alone to buy provisions in Egypt, Yaakov sent them all.  He did not want his sons to be separated from each other.  Furthermore, food was very scarce, and if only one brother went, robbers might seize the provisions that he had bought. (RaMBaN)

Yaakov also wanted to have his ten sons together so that they would be able to worship as a congregation (with a minyan).  He particularly wanted them to pray that they would find Yosef.  The Torah therefore refers to them as "Yosef's brothers - ten of them." (Bachya)

42:5 Vayavo'u benei Yisra'el lishbor betoch haba'im ki-hayah hara'av be'eretz Kena'an
So the sons of Yisrael came to buy provisions among the arrivals, for the famine was in the land of Kenaan.

 As they traveled, Yaakov's sons concealed themselves among the others who came to Egypt.  Many people were coming because of the famine in the land of Kenaan.  They did not go together, as their father had ordered them. (Rashi)

42:6 VeYosef hu hashalit al-ha'aretz hu hamashbir lechol-am ha'aretz vayavo'u achei Yosef vayishtachavu-lo apayim artzah
Now Yosef - he was the viceroy over the land, he ws the provider to all the people of the land.

Yosef had made three regulations (Bereishit Rabbah; Yafeh Toar, p. 493):

1. No slave could come to Egypt to buy food.  Each household would have to send one of its own members to buy food.  No agents could be sent.
2. One man could not come with many donkeys to carry grain.  Only one donkey per man was allowed. No one was permitted to buy grain in wholesale quantities for sale elsewhere.  Egyptian grain could only be sold in Egypt and not elsewhere.  Everyone would thus have to come to Egypt for supplies. (Siftei Cohen)
3. Before any person was allowed to purchase grain, he must register, giving his name, as well as the names of his father and paternal grandfather.

42:7 Vayar Yosef et-echav vayakirem vayitnaker aleyhem vayedaber itam kashot vayomer alehem me'ayin batem vayomeru me'eretz Kena'an lishbor-ochel
Yosef saw his brothers and he recognized them, but he acted like a stranger toward them and spoke with them harshly. He asked them, "From where do you come?" And they said, "From the land of Kenaan to buy food."
8 Vayaker Yosef et-echav vehem lo hikiruhu
Yosef recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

 Yosef spoke to his brothers coldly, as a ruler would normally address an inferior. (RaMBaN)   The only reason that Yosef spoke so sternly and coldly to his brothers was so that they would not recognize him.  He also wanted to arrange things so that they would bring Binyamin to him.

42:9 Vayizkor Yosef et hachalomot asher chalam lahem vayomer alehem meraglim atem lir'ot et-ervat ha'aretz batem
Yosef recalled the dreams that he dreamed about them, so he said to them, "You are spies! To see the land's nakedness have you come!"

Yosef recalled his dreams (37:5-9), and saw that they were being fulfilled, since his brothers were all bowing down to him. (Rashi)

This teaches that when a person has a good dream, he must constantly keep it in mind.  If he forgets it, the dream will not come true. (Zohar)

In calling his brothers spies, Yosef used a term that in Hebrew would be translated מְרַגְלִים (meraglim).  He was not falsely accusing them, but hinting at the truth.  The Hebrew word MeRaGLYM is an acronym of the phrase "Me-imi Rachel Genavtem, Le-Midianim Yishmaelim Mekhartem" - "From my mother Rachel you stole me; to Midianim, Yishmaelim, you sold me."

To be continued...

Parashat VaYigash
Bereishit 44:18 - 47:27

Parashat VaYechi

Parashat Shemot
Shemot 1:1-6:1

Shemot 1:1Ve'eleh shemot bnei Yisrael haba'im Mitzraymah et Yaakov ish uveito ba'u
And these are the names of the Children of Yisrael who were coming to Egypt; with Yaakov, each man and his household came.
2 Reuven Shimon Levi viYehudah
Reuven, Shimon, Levi, and Yehudah;
3 Yissachar Zvulun uBinyamin
Yissachar, Zevulun, and Binyamin;
4 Dan veNaftali Gad ve'Asher
Dan and Naftali; Gad and Asher.

The Torah informs us of the number of hoseholds that came to Egypt with Yaakov.  All of Yaakov's descendants were married when they came to Egypt, even Chetzron and Chamoul, who were still very young.

After Yosef was sold, Yehudah married the daughter of Shua (Bereishit 38:2).  During the 22 years between the time Yosef was sold and Yaakov's emigration to Egypt, Yehudah had fourse sons, Er, Onan, Peretz and Zerach, and Peretz had two sons, Chetzron and Chamul (Bereishit 46:12).  It can easily be estimated that Peretz was only eight years old when his sons, Chetzron and Chamul were born.  When the family emigrated to Egypt, Chetzron was only two years old, and Chamul was only one.

Yaakov made sure that even these young children were married, so that they would not marry Egyptian women.

He also wanted to be certain that precisely seventy people would emigrate to Egypt with him, paralleling the seventy angels overseeing the nations.  Those who were not married could not be counted since when someone is unmarried, he is only half a man.  Yaakov therefore made sure that all his offspring were married before they went to Egypt.

Yaakov's sons are listed in the following order:  Reuven, Shimon, Levi,, Yehudah, Yissachar, Zevulun, Binyamin, Dan, Naftali, Gad and Asher.  In various places in the Torah, Yaakov's sons are mentioned in different orders.  This was to indicate that all were equal, that the sons of Rachel and Leah were not more important than those of Bilhah and Zilpah, who were slaves.  All of Yaakov's sons were equal, with no differences among them.

Of course, some were special.  Yehudah was honored because the royal line was destined to come from him. Yehudah was thus the first in offering sacrifice (BaMidbar 7:12, also BaMidbar 2:3).  Levi was also special, because his tribe would give rise to the Kohen-priests and Leviim.  Reuven was the eldest, and the first-born.  Yissachar was the most intelligent of the brothers. Yissachar was therefore the second in offering sacrifice (BaMidbar 7:18, Rashi ad. loc. Cf. 1Divrei HaYamim 12:32)

Nevertheless, when it came to piety, all were the same.  Although Bilhah and Zilpah had been slaves, their children were not inferior to those of Rachel and Leah; all of Yaakov's sons were saintly.  Furthermore, before Yaakov married Bilhah and Zilpah he freed them. (Tanchuma; Yefeh Toar, p.4)


Ve'eleh shemot benei Yisrael habaim- And these are the names of the Children of Yisrael who came.
The initial letters of these words spell שִׁבְיָה (captivity).  This indicates that even while Jews were in Egyptian captivity, they nevertheless maintained the names of the Children Yisrael, for they did not change their names

As the Midrash (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 48) teaches: Three merits allowed the Benei Yisrael to be redeemed from Egypt:

1. They did not change their names - they retained their Hebrew names
2. They did not change their language from the Holy Tongue to Egyptian
3. They did not speak slander or gossip

Various Midrashim, e.g., VaYikra Rabbah 32:5; Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4:12 speak of four merits for which the Benei Yisrael deserved to be redeemed from Egypt, the fourth being that there was not a single instance of immorality.

Additionally, the conjunctive prefixו (vav) of the word וְאֵלֶּה ("and" these are), indicates a connection between the subject of the previous narrative, "And Yosef died..." (Bereishit 50:26), and our verse, "And these are the names...", namely, he [Yosef] commanded the Benei Yisrael not to change their names.  Although the Egyptians changed his name to Tzafenat-paneach (Bereishit 41:45), he nevertheless told them, "You should not change your names." (Peirush HaRokeach).

Yisrael habaim - Yisrael who came.

The initial and final letters of these two words (when rearranged) for the word milah (circumcision).  And the final letters of et Yaakov ish (with Yaakov, each man), when read in reverse spell Shabbat.  This indicates that in the merit of the Shabbat and of circumcision, which they observed while in Egypt, they were redeemed.

Other Midrashim differ, however, and state that after Yosef's death the Benei Yisrael in Egypt either voluntarily abandoned the mitzvah of circumcision (Sifrei, Behaalotecha 67; Tanchuma, Behaalotecha 8), or were coerced by Pharaoh's decree to abandon it (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 29).  Elsewhere, the Baal Turim's comments reflect these other Midrashim.

The verse begins with the letter vav (=6) and ends with the letter vav, alluding to the twelve tribes.  This phenomenon may be explained through a parable:

A builder  constructed a palace using only one pillar as a support, and it collapsed.  He rebuilt it with two pillars and it caved in; with three pillars, and it crumbled. What did he do?  He built it with twelve pillars and it stood fast.

So, too, with regard to Avraham and Yitzchak, there was dross among their offspring (i.e., Yishmael and Esav), until Yaakov begot the twelve tribal progenitors among whom there was no dross.  This is hinted to in the phrase, "the hooks of the pillars" (Shemot 27:10), which can be understood as, the [two] lettersvav (i.e., twelve) pillars, an allusion to the twelve tribes for they are the pillars of the world.

There are twelve mazalot (constellations of the Zodiac) in the heavens and there are twelve Tribes of Yisrael on the earth.  Just as the heavens cannot stand without the twelve mazalot, so can the earth not stand without the twelve tribes (Shemot Rabbah 15:6)

And so the Chosen People are called Benei Yisrael, not Benei Avraham, the Children of Avraham, because Yishmael is also Avraham's son, or Benei Yitzchak, because 'Esav is also Yitzchak's son (VeChur LaZahav).

1:5Vayehi kol-nefesh yotz'ei yerech-Yaakov shiv'im nafesh veYosef hayah veMitzrayim
And all the persons who emerged from Yaakov's loins were seventy souls, and Yosef was in Egypt.

The seventy included Yosef, who was in Egypt.

All the seventy who emigrated to Egypt are enumerated in detail earlier (Bereishit 46:8-27).  Still, the Torah enumerates them again after their death.  This is to indicate how precious they are before G-d. (Rashi)

Also, Yisrael is likened to the stars. (BaMidbar Rabbah 2:11 from Bereishit 15:5, 22:17)  The stars are counted on high twice each day, when they come out in the evening, and again when they fade in the morning.  It is thus written, "He bring out their host by the number; He calls them all by name" (Yeshayahu 40:26).  G-d similarly enumerated Yaakov's sons, both during their lifetimes and after their deaths.  They were tzaddikim, beloved by G-d. (Akedat Yitzchak, BaMidbar.  Cf. Yafeh Toar)

This shows that Yisrael is not like the other nations.  Providence deals with other nations in general.  In the case of Yisrael, however, G-d oversees every single individual.  This is known as hashgachah peratit (individual providence).  G-d Himself directs the destiny of every single Jew and sees to his needs.  He therefore enumerated them here as individuals. (Raanach; Mevakesh HaShem, VaYigash)

There is an important reason that tzaddikim are likened to the stars.  Our sages teach that the righteous do not die; even after death they are considered alive. They still live, since their souls are beneath G-d's Kissei HaKavod (Throne of Glory).  In this respect, they are like the stars.  Although the stars are invisible by day, they exist in their place.  It is we who cannot see them, because of the illumination of the sky.  The same is true of the tzaddikim; they exist after death, but we cannot see them because of our sins.  Still, the tzaddikim remain in their place. (Toledot Yitzchak; Tzeror HaMor)

Just as it is impossible to see the light of the stars by day, it is impossible to see the greatness of tzaddikim in this world.   It is only recognizable after they die.  Our sages therefore say, "Tzaddikim are greater after death than they are in this life." (Chulin 7b)

1:6Vayamot Yosef vechol-echav vechol hador hahu
Yosef died, and all his brothers and that entire generation.

Reuven lived 125 years and died in 2318 (1443 b.c.e.)
Shimon lived 120 years and died in 2314 (1447 b.c.e.)
Levi lived 137 years and died in 2331 (1430 b.c.e.)
Yehudah lived 119 years and died in 2315 (1446 b.c.e.)
Dan lived 125 years and died in 2321 (1440 b.c.e.)
Naftali lived 133 years and died in 2323 (1438 b.c.e.)
Asher lived 123 years and died in 2322 (1439 b.c.e.)
Yissachar lived 122 years and died in 2320 (1447 b.c.e.)
Zevulun lived 114 years and died in 2314 (1447 b.c.e.)
Yosef lived 110 years and died in 2309 (1452 b.c.e.)
Binyamin lived 115 years and died in 2323 (1438 b.c.e.)  (The Yalkut states that Binyamin lived 115 years.  However, Bachya has that he lived 109 years, Midrash Tadshe has 111 years, and Sefer HaYashar has 117 years.)

1:7Uvenei Yisrael paru vayishretzu vayirbu vaya'atzmu bime'od me'od vatimale ha'aretz otam
The Children of Yisrael were fruitful, teemed, increased, and became strong - very, very much so; and the land became filled with them.

All married women in Egypt had children; not a single man or woman was sterile.  Babies did not die in infancy, but all grew to maturity.  Even though the children were the products of multiple births, they were all strong and healthy. (Yefeh Eynaim)  They were also large and powerful; none were puny and weak.  The Benei Yisrael were not like people with large families today, who have difficulty feeding and clothing so many children.  They were wealthy enough to support generously the huge families that they had.

1:8Vayakom melech-chadash al-Mitzrayim asher lo-yada et-Yosef
A new king arose over Egypt, who did not know of Yosef.

G-d had told Avraham, "Know for sure that your offspring will be foreigners in a land that is not theirs.  The others will enslave them and oppress them for four hundred years" (Bereishit 15:13).  Now the Torah tells the story of this exile in detail.   As we have seen earlier, the Egyptians had begun to subjugate the Benei Yisrael immediately after the death of Yosef.

The Zohar relates that Rabbi Elazer ben Arakh taught:  When the exile of the Benei Yisrael began, the souls of all of Yaakov's sons gathered to Machpelah Cave and cried out to the Patriarchs, "Your children are being enslaved by a harsh nation."  They had gone there to request the Patriarchs to pray for the benefit of their children.

The Torah therefore states, "These are the names of the sons of Yisrael who came with Yaakov." (1:1).  After their deaths, they came along with Yaakov to pray for their children. (Zohar)

The Torah now begins to relate how the Egyptians began to subjugate the Benei Yisrael little by little.  The Egyptians began with false accusations, and enacted laws restricting the rights of the Benei Yisrael.  They then began to treat them as foreigners, stripping them of all the rights of citizenship.  Later, when the Egyptians saw that the Benei Yisrael were rapidly increasing in number, they began to seek methods to control their population.

The Torah begins this account by saying, "A new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Yosef."  In the Talmud, there is a difference of opinion between Rav and Shmuel regarding the meaning of the expression, "a new king." (Sotah 11a)

One sage taught that there was literally a new king.  He came from a city far from the Egyptian capital.  Not on ly had he never seen Yosef, but he was not aware of his great deeds.  He was not a hereditary Par'oh, but had usurped the throne from the previous Par'oh, and had taken power by force. (Yafeh Toar)

The only Par'oh during this dynasty known to come from a non-royal background was Horemheb, who reigned 1339-1304 b.c.e. (2422-2457).  However, as we shall see, he was Par'oh of the Exodus, and the subjugation began much before his time. 

In Josephus, Contra Apion 1:15, there is an entirely different chronology of Egyptian Par'ohs, and one of the Par'ohs mentioned by him might fit both the time and description.  Josephus, however, maintains that the Hebrews were identical with the Hycsos, and had left Egypt before the 18th dynasty. 

It is normally assumed that the subjugation began around the time of Miriam's birth, which occurred in 2361 (1400 b.c.e.), and for this reason Miriam denotes "bitterness" (Seder Olam Rabbah 3).  According to accepted chronology, the "new king" would have had to be Thutmose IV, who riegned 1411-1397 b.c.e. (2350-2364). He was a son of Amenhotep II, and a grandson of Thutmose III. 

Sefer HaYashar states that the "new king" came into power 102 years after the Benei Yisrael came to Egypt, that is in 2340 (1421 b.c.e.), and that he was the son of the previous Par'oh.  Also that his name was Malol or Milul.  According to some historians, the reign of Thutmose IV actually began in 1420 b.c.e.

Others explain the words this sage by saying that the "new king" was the Par'oh who was born when Yosef was in prison (Bereishit 40:20) (Bachya)

This Par'oh would have therefore been 82 years old when he took power, and 96 when he died.  Sefer HaYashar, however, states that he was 26 when he took the throne, and that he reigned 94 years.  According to this, his reign ended in 2434 (1327 b.c.e.), and he would have been Par'ah until the beginning of the reign of Horemheb (according to to the above mentioned chronology).  Sefer HaYashar might mean that the throne remained in his family that long, which would agree with historical evidence.  Alternatively, the text may be corrected to read that he reigned 14, rather than 94 years, which would then correctly correspond to the duration of the reign of Thutmose IV.

The other Talmudic sages taught that this was not actually a new Par'oh.  He is called a "new king" because he issued harsh decrees regarding Jews, and behaved as if he did not know Yosef.  It was as if the fact that Yosef had literally saved Egypt from starvation had been utterly forgotten. (Sotah 11b; Shemot Rabbah; Zohar)

It was a well known Egyptian custom to obliterate the names of enemies of Par'oh.  This would also explain why no record of Yosef is found in Egyptian history.  According to this second opinion, the "new Par'oh" was still Amenhotep II.

According to some authorities, Par'oh did not do this voluntarily.  The Supreme Council of Egypt approached Par'oh and said, "We must find a way to exterminate the Israelites."

"Are you mad?"  Par'oh could not believe what they were asking of him.  "Don't you realize that we are now eating because of them?  If Yosef did not predict the terrible famine that came to our land, and did not advise us what to do, we all would be dead!"

When the members of the Supreme Council saw that they could not convince Par'oh, they voted to take away some of his power.  They repeated this three times, until Par'oh was virtually impeached.  Stripped of his power, he approached the council and said, "I will do whatever you tell me."  On this condition, they restored his kingdom to him.

The Torah describes this situation by saying, "A new king arose."  Par'oh took power again after he had been impeached. (Shemot Rabbah - the council may have consisted of the priests, who wielded great power in Egypt.)

1:9Vayomer el-amo hineh am benei Yisrael rav ve'atzum mimenu
He said to his people, "Behold! the people, the Children of Yisrael, are more numerous and stronger than we.
10Havah nitchakemah lo pen-yirbeh vehayah ki-tikrenah milchamah venosaf gam-hu al-sonenu venilcham-banu ve'alah min-ha'aretz
Come, let us outsmart it lest it become numerous and it may be that if a war will occur, it, too, may join our enemies, and wage war against us and go up from the land."

At this time, Par'oh had three chief advisors, Balaam, Iyov and Yitro. (Shemot Rabbah)

Balaam was one of the leading figures pressing for the extermination of the Benei Yisrael.  Providence therefore decreed that he would be killed by the sword (BaMidbar 31:18).

Iyov remained silent, advising neither good nor bad for the Benei Yisrael.  Providence therefore decreed that he would endure horrible suffering.

The only one to protest strongly against this injustice was Yitro. (Shemot Rabbah)  He kept protesting until he was forced to flee.  Seeing Yitro stubbornly opposing his plans, Par'oh intrigued to kill him.  Yitro got wind of Par'oh's intentions, and fled to Midiyan, where he remained many years. (Yafeh Toar)

According to the Egyptian constitution, when Par'oh died, all his decrees were automatically annulled.  Yitro abandoned his position and fled, hoping that Par'oh would die before his decree could be fulfilled. (Etz HaChayim)  G-d rewarded him by making his descendants members of the great Sanhedrin. (Shemot Rabbah from 1Divrei HaYamim 2:55)

The Egyptians wanted to undermine the Benei Yisrael in three ways:

1. through occult powers
2. by physical brutality
3. and through psychological warfare

The Egyptians began by appointing tax collectors to make the Benei Yisrael pay tribute in order to break their spirits.  The first tribute exacted from the Benei Yisrael was that they should fortify Pitom and Ra'amses as supply centers for Par'oh.  These cities had already been built as storage depots, but they could not be used, since they were not fortified against invaders.  Now, the Benei Yisrael were ordered to build walls around these cities and fortify them. (Rashi)

The Torah speaks of these cities as being Miskenot.  The word מִסְכְּנוֹת (miskenot) is related to the word סַכָּנָה (sakanah) meaning danger.  The walls of the cities were so high that building them was dangerous work.  One could be killed by falling from the wall, or by having a brick fall on one's head.  The word miskenot is also related to the word מִסְכֵּן (misken), meaning a poor man.  Engaging in building such as this can ruin a person.  He begins with a small estimate, and in the end, he must spend much more than he originally planned. (Yafeh Toar, p. 6)

The Benei Yisrael suffered very much in building these cities.  The Egyptains made them use inferior materials, and as soon as they began to build one section, the previous section would collapse.  Some say that earthquakes continuously destroyed their work, repeatedly forcing them to begin anew.  They could not even gain any satisfaction from their accomplishments. (Sota 11a; Shemot Rabbah)

It is therefore not surprising that so many Benei Yisrael were engaged in building two fairly small storage cities.  As fast as they built, the work was destroyed by earthquakes.

1:12Vecha'asher ye'anu oto ken yirbeh vechen yifrotz vayakutzu mipeney benei Yisra'el
But as much as they would afflict it, so it would increase and so it would spread out; and they became disgusted because of the Children of Yisrael.

G-d had mercy on Yisrael, and the more the Egyptians tried to break their spirits through harsh labor, and to decrease their number, the more they increased.  G-d Himself announced, "The more they are oppressed, the more they will increase and spread.  Do not think that the Egyptians will be successful in annihilating them. The more plans they make to weaken them, the stronger they will become." (Sotah, loc. cit.  Cf. Bachya)

Seeing this the Egyptians began to dread the Benei Yisrael.  For "dreaded," the Torah uses the expression וַיָקֻצוּ (va-ya-kutzu).  The Egyptians began to despair (kotz) of their very lives because of the manner in which the Benei Yisrael were increasing.  The Benei Yisrael were like thorns (kotzim) in their eyes.

1:13Vaya'avidu Mitzrayim et-benei Yisrael befarech
Egypt enslaved the Children of Yisrael with crushing harshness.
14Vayemareru et-chayeihem ba'avodah kashah bechomer uvilvenim uvechol-avodah basadeh et kol-avodatam asher-avdu vahem befarech
They embittered their lives with hard work, with mortar and with bricks, and with every labor of the field; all their labors that they performed with them were with crushing harshness.

After conscripting the Benei Yisrael to build the storage cities  the Egyptians also forced them to do work in the fields, such as plowing, sowing, spreading fertilizer, digging ditches, and other hard labor. (Yefeh Toar, p. 7)

The Benei Yisrael were forced to work 24 hour shifts, day and night, without stopping.

What made the work particularly harsh was the fact that the roles of men and women were frequently exchanged.  Women were forced to men's work, and men had to do women's work. (Shemot Rabbah, Bo)  Thus, men were forced to cook, bake, wash, and sweep, while women were given such difficult tasks as plowing, hewing lumber, and building. (ibid.; Tanchuma, VaYetze)

The Benei Yisrael also suffered because the clay in Egypt was not suited for making bricks.  Bricks made of such clay often crumbled, and had to be remade.  Buildings built of such bricks often collapsed.

This is alluded to in the verse, "The Egyptains made the Benei Yisrael work with פֶּרַךְ (perach) (1.3).  They made them work with materials that would easily crumble (parach). (Sifetei Kohen)

This verse also teaches that the Egyptains made the Benei Yisrael do backbreaking work - work that crushes (parach) the body and breaks the spirit. (Rashi)

The Egyptains soon made another rule to break the Benei Yisrael's spirit.  The men must camp in the fields, while the women should return to the cities.  The rationale was that two or three hours a day would be lost commuting, and the daily quota would not be met.  If the men remained in camps near the worksite, they would be able to produce all the more. (Yalkut Shimoni; Shemot Rabbah)

Once the men were assigned to work camps, they could not even rest in the evening.  After finishing their daily quota, they still had assignments to make the camps livable.  One night they might have to split wood; on another, different tasks would be found for them.

In all this, the Egyptains' motive was to reduce the fertility rate of the Benei Yisrael.  But the women were saintly, and they would cook hot food for their husbands, and bring it to their camps.  They would soothe their husbands with soft words.  "Do not give up hope.  We will not be slaves to these degenerates all our lives.  We have G-d's promise that He will have mercy on us." (Bereishit Rabbah, Chapter 27)

1:17Vatir'ena hameyaldot et-ha'Elokim velo asu ka'asher diber aleihen melech Mitzrayim vatechayeyna et-hayeladim
But the midwives feared G-d and they did not do as the king of Egypt spoke to them, and they caused the boys to live

The two head midwives were none other than Yocheved and her five-year-old daughter, Miryam. Yocheved's professional name was Shifra because she was expert in beautifying (shafar) newborn infants, cleansing them and straightening their limbs. Miryam's professional name was Puah because even though she was a child, she was expert in cooing (pa'ah) to the newborn infants and calming them down when they cried. Her voice had a soothing effect on newborn infants, like that of many expert nurses.

According to another opinion, the two midwives were Yocheved and her daughter-in-law, Elisheva, daughter of Aminadav, who would marry Aharon. (Shemot 6:23) According to this opinion as well, Puah was very young since Aharon was only three years old at the time.

In the Torah the expression for "Hebrew midwives," meyaldot ha-ivriot, is spelled deficiently. Instead of being spelled מְיַלְדוֹת הָעִבְרִיוֹת, it is spelled מְיַלְדֹת הָעִבְרִיֹת, with the two final lettersו (vav) missing. This makes the plural deficient, and indicates that the two were closely related, being mother and daughter, or mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. It also indicates that one of the two was still very young. Therefore, it was as if there were only one midwife, with the other being secondary to her. (Yefeh Toar, p.8)

The Talmud also notes that the expression, "They allowed the infant boys to live," is apparently redundant. Since the Torah states that they refused to obey Pharaoh's instructions, it is understood that they did not kill the young boys. The Talmud resolves the difficulty by stating that not only did they not kill the infants, but they did everything in their power to assure them a good life. (Sotah 11b; Shemot Rabbah, p. 9) If the parents were poor, the midwives would collect funds for them to raise the child.

On many occasions women had difficulty in childbirth, and the only way a living child could be delivered was if it were maimed. In such cases the midwives would pray, "Master of the universe. You know that we do not want to follow the instructions of this evil king. We are placing our lives on the line in refusing to obey his command. We therefore pray that You spare this infant so that people not slander us and say that we maimed the infants because we were trying to kill them."

On other occasions, it seemed certain that either the mother or child would die in childbirth. In such cases they also fervently prayed that both survive, and G-d heard their prayers. This is all alluded to in the expression, [which more accurately is translated,] "They made the infant boys live." (Cf. Yefeh Toar, Ki Tisa, p. 193)

In Hebrew, the expression, "They made the infant boys live" is "vatechayeina et-hayeladim" As a general rule, the untranslated preposition "et" always adds something to the predicate noun. (Pesachim 22b; Yerushalmi Berachot 9:7) In this case, it comes to teach that the midwives made the mothers live, as well as their infant sons.

One may question this Talmudic teaching. How can the Talmud say that the expression, "They let the infant boys live," is redundant? According to Rabbi Yosi ben Chanina, Par'oh wanted to commit immoral acts with the midwives; therefore, when the Torah says that they refused to obey him, it is speaking about their refusal to engage in immorality. This being the case, the fact that they allowed the baby boys to live is not at all redundant.

The Talmud's question, however, can be understood on the basis of the rules of martyrdom, which have been discussed earlier. There are three cardinal sins that a Jew may not commit even if it means giving his life: murder, idolatry and sexual crimes. If a Jew is forced to do any of these sins, he must give his life rather than commit the act. This is called "Sanctification of the Name" (Kiddush HaShem).

These three sins are also forbidden to gentiles by the Seven Universal Commandments. However, a Gentile does not have an obligation to suffer martyrdom and therefore, when his life is at stake, he is permitted to commit these acts.

The only exception to this is murder. In the case of murder, there is no difference between a Gentile and a Jew. The reason that one must give his life rather than take a life is logical: who says that one person's blood is redder than that of another? Since such logic applies equally to a Gentile and a Jew, a Gentile must also give his life rather than commit murder.

According to Rabbi Yosi ben Chanina, the Torah is telling us that the midwives refused to allow Par'oh to take sexual liberties with them even though their lives were at stake, and according to the law, they might have been permitted to submit to him. If they were so scrupulous in keeping the commandments, they certainly would not have committed murder, which was forbidden even when their lives would be endangered. The Talmud then has a logical question: Why does the Torah have to inform us that they let the infant boys live?

According to the opinion that the midwives were Benei Yisrael, and Par'oh wanted them to abort male fetuses there was another reason that they could have obeyed his orders. While abortion is considered murder for a Gentile, for a Jew it is not murder. A Jew therefore is not required to suffer martyrdom rather than kill an unborn child. In risking their lives rather than abort the unborn fetuses, the Hebrew midwives went far beyond the requirements of the law, Although they were Benei Yisrael, they accepted upon themselves the stricter rule applying to Gentiles.

The midwives had learned an important lesson from Avraham. G-d had commanded Avraham to sacrifice his only son Yitzchak: "Take your son, your only one, whom you love, Yitzchak, and ... bring him up as a burnt offering. . ." (Bereishit 22:2) Avraham could easily have argued that G-d was going back on His word since he had earlier promised Avraham, "Through Yitzchak you will be said to have offspring." (Bereishit 21:12) How could G-d now command him to sacrifice Yitzchak?

Still, Avraham did not stop to question G-d's word. He hurried to do his Creator's bidding. Since he went far beyond the requirements of logic, he was said to "fear G-d."

In risking their lives, the midwives, too, went far beyond the requirements of logic and the law. They were also said to "fear G-d."

Furthermore, although the Benei Yisrael refused to circumcise their sons, the midwives still saw to it that they had sufficient food. This they also learned from Avraham, whose house was open on all four sides, and who would receive guests without inquiring as to their character. Avraham would even feed uncircumcised pagans, hoping that they would change their ways and learn to worship G-d. The midwives also nourished the infants, even though they were uncircumcised. (Shemot Rabbah; Yefeh Toar; Shama Shlomo)

1:22 Vayetzav Par'oh lechol-amo lemor kol-haben hayilod haYe'orah tashlichuhu vechol-habat techayun
Pharaoh commanded his entire people, saying, "Every son that will be born - into the River shall you throw him! And every daughter shall you keep alive!"

Par'oh's decree to cast newborn male infants into the Nile extended both to the Benei Yisrael and to the Egyptians. The Torah therefore states, "Every son that will be born - into the River shall you throw him!" without distinguishing between the Benei Yisrael and the Egyptian. The law was that even newborn Egyptian males were to be cast into the Nile. (Shemot Rabbah; Rashi)

According to another opinion, at first the decree only extended to the Benei Yisrael. Later, however, it was made to include the Egyptians. (Sotah 12a. Cf. Targum)

Besides the reason given by Balaam, Par'oh had another reason to cast the infants into the Nile. The astrologers told Par'oh that Yisrael's redeemer would die by water. Their prediction was actually true since Moshe died as a result of water after he struck the rock to draw water from it. (BaMidbar 20:12) But they misread the signs and assumed that the power of Yisrael's redeemer would be broken if he were thrown into the water. They therefore advised Par'oh to cast all newborn boys into the Nile, so Yisrael's redeemer would be killed even before he had a chance to grow up. (ibid.; Shemot Rabbah, pp. 10, 13c)

One might question this account. If the astrologers saw that the redeemer would die by water in any case, why was it necessary to issue this harsh decree and spill rivers of blood? They realized that some effort is usually needed for someone's destiny to be fulfilled.

For example, there might be a good wind, but a ship will not reach its destination unless its sails are properly set and its course determined. The more expertly the sailors work, the sooner the ship reaches its port.

Here too although the redeemer was destined to die by water effort would be required to make certain that he met his evil destiny. (Yad Yosef)

The Egyptians refused to accept Par'oh's decree. They complained, "Is it not obvious that the redeemer of the Benei Yisrael will be born among their people? How can you even think that an Egyptian would help them? You are asking us to kill our own children for nothing." (Shemot Rabbah)

This decree lasted until Moshe was placed in the Nile, as we shall see in the coming chapter.

Pharaoh's decrees became harsher and harsher. Soon he decided that throwing the infants into the Nile was not sufficient. He then decreed that infants be killed and their bodies placed in the walls of the structures that were being built.

This was meant as an "incentive" for the Benei Yisrael to complete their daily quotas. If a man did not make his quota of bricks on a given day, he was given a ghastly choice: Either he or his child would have to be placed in the structure to make up for the missing bricks. Such punishment would be exacted even if one missed his quota by a single brick. (Yalkut Reuveni; Sefer HaYashar)

Ten thousand infants were drowned as a result of Pharaoh's decree. Some say that as many as 600,000 were killed. (Shir HaShirim Rabbah)

The Midrash relates the opinion of Rabbi Yanai that the decree to kill the Hebrew males was issued three years and four months before Moshe was born. During that entire period, every male child born was cast into the Nile. When Moshe was born the astrologers became aware that it was too late and advised Pharaoh to retract the decree.

According to Rabbi Yannai, Yisrael's harshest hour was an hour of G-d.  Since on of G-d's days is one thousands years (Tehillim 90:4), an hour, which is a twelfth of a day, is 83 years and 4 months.  Moshe was 80 years old when he stood before Par'oh (Shemot 7:7), and therefore, the decree to kill the infants was 83 years and 4 months earlier.

Many Benei Yisrael were mortared into the walls of the structures while still alive. They screamed and begged for mercy, but no one would take pity on them. Many infants were also thrown into fire. (Yalkut Shimoni from Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer)

Throughout all this, the Benei Yisrael did not know that this was a plan devised against them by Par'oh. They were led to believe that such ghastly acts were being done by individual Egyptians on their own initiative. Many Benei Yisrael even complained to the authorities and were told that if proper witnesses would be brought, the perpetrators would be punished.

Eventually, of course, the Benei Yisrael discovered the truth. As it became known, the Egyptians began to commit such murders openly. (RaMBaN; Bachya

All along, however, G-d had mercy on His people. The majority of infants thrown into the Nile did not drown but were miraculously carried to the desert by Mediterranean currents. Providence provided each infant with two stones; one would provide milk and honey for nourishment, and the other would provide oil to bathe the child's body. The infants grew up as strong and as healthy as they would have in their parents' homes. (Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer; Yalkut Shimoni)

2:10Vayigdal hayeled vatevi'ehu levat-Par'oh vayehi-lah leven vatikra shemo Moshe vatomer ki min-hamayim meshitihu
The boy grew up and she brought him to the daughter of Par'oh and he was a son to her. She called his name Moshe, as she said, "For I drew him from the water."

Yocheved brought him to Par'oh's daughter, and the princess hugged the child and kissed him. From that time on, he did not leave the palace, as if he were actually the princess' son.

All the Egyptians wanted to see the princess' adopted son. Whoever looked at his face could not take his eyes from him. Par'oh himself would constantly play with the child, cherishing him very much. (Shemot Rabbah)

This is an indication of the power of Providence. Par'oh had laid elaborate plans that every Hebrew boy should be drowned in the Nile. Now Providence directed that the very person who would redeem Yisrael would grow up in Par'oh's palace. G-d arranged that Par'oh's nemesis would be raised in his own household without his knowledge. Although Par'oh knew that the child would not nurse from an Egyptian woman, his eyes were blinded and he did not realize that the child was a Hebrew. G-d arranged for Moshe to be raised in the royal court in order to learn the qualities of leadership that he would eventually need. As a result of his palace experiences, Moshe would know how to lead a huge nation. He would also have entry into the palace and would know how to deport himself in the royal court. Having been raised in Par'oh's house, he would not be overawed when speaking to the Egyptian monarch. (Ibn Ezra; Abarbanel)

Par'oh's daughter named the child משֶׁה (Moshe) in Hebrew.  This is related to the Hebrew word משה (mashah) meaning to "draw something from water".

The name was divinely inspired. If it only indicated that the child had been drawn from water, the name should have beenמָשׁוּי (Mashui) meaning "drawn" in the passive sense. Moshe, on the other hand, is in the active voice, meaning "drawer." The name indicated that Moshe would be the one who would "draw" the Benei Yisrael out of Egypt.

Moshe actually had many names.

When he was born, his father Amram named him Chever because he was born after he had once again joined (chavar) his wife after having divorced her. This name also suited the child because he was destined to join (chavar) the Benei Yisrael to their heavenly Father.

His mother, Yocheved, named him Yekutiel from the root kava, meaning "hope". She said, "I had hope and trust in G-d, and he restored my body allowing me to have children. This child will also be the hope of Yisrael."

Miryam, his sister, named him Yered. Because of him, she went down (yarad) to the Nile to see what would happen to him. He would also be the one to make the Torah come down (yarad) from heaven and be given to the Benei Yisrael. Furthermore, every day the manna descended (yarad) through his merit.

His brother, Aharon, called him Avi Zanoach, literally, "master of rejection," from the Hebrew verb zanach, "to reject." He said, "My father rejected my mother, but took her back because of this child. He will also make Yisrael reject idols. Through his prayers, he will bring G-d to reject all the accusers, who condemn Yisrael for their sins."

Moshe's nurse called him Avi Socho She said, "He is the master (avi) of the seers (sochim) and prophets. Through his divine inspiration, he will be able to see all hidden things." Although his mother raised him, she had a nurse to help. (Zayit Raanan)

His grandfather, Kehat, called him Avigdor literally "master" (avi) of the "fence" (geder).] He said, "Since the birth of this child, G-d has fenced in Pharaoh, not allowing him to continue his decree to drown Hebrew infants."

The Benei Yisrael who knew his destiny called him Shemaya ben Natanel. They predicted, "In his days G-d will hear (shama) our voices." (Megilla 13a; Shemot Rabbah, p.14; VaYikra Rabbah 1:3; Sefer HaYashar)

All but the last of these names are found in the verse, "His wife, the Jew, gave birth to Yered, Avigdor, Chever, Avi Socho, Yekutiel, Avi Zanoach - these are teh sons of Bitya, daughter of Par'oh, who married Mered" (1Divrei HaYamim 4:18), see Targum ad. loc.  The last name, Shemaya ben Natanel, is found in 1Divrei HaYamim 24:6, see Targum ad. loc.

Of all these names, the only one by which he was generally known was Moshe, the name given to him by Par'oh's daughter. None of the other names is even mentioned in the Torah. G-d Himself addressed him by the name Moshe. (Shemot 3:4) This shows that because of her self-sacrifice in raising the child, Par'oh's daughter was literally considered like his mother. This teaches that raising an orphan in one's home is like giving birth to him. (Shemot Rabbah; Megillah 13)

G-d said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Although Moshe was not your son, you raised him as your very own. I too will make you My daughter. From now on, your name will be Bitya. Bitya has the connotation of Bat Yah, "G-d's daughter." (VaYikra Rabbah, loc. cit.)

The name is also found in 1Divrei HaYamim 4:18; the man, Mered, whom she married is identified with Kalev, see Rashi ad. loc.  In Antiquities 2:9:5, Josephus writes that the original name of Par'oh's daughter was Termutis.

Her reward was that she was allowed to enter Paradise (Gan Eden) while she was still alive. Whoever saves a single Jew's life is counted as if he saved the entire world, and G-d gives him good reward.

Moshe was born in the year 2368 (1393 b.c.e.). He was born on a Wednesday at 9 a.m. As we have already seen, his birthday was 7 Adar.

According to another opinion, the one who named him Moshe was none other than his mother Yocheved.

2:11Vayehi bayamim hahem vayigdal Moshe vayetze el-echav vayar besivlotam vayar ish Mitzri makeh ish-Ivri me'echav
It happened in those days that Moshe grew up and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, of his brethren.
12Vayifen koh vachoh vayar ki ein ish vayach et-haMitzri vayitmenehu bachol
He turned this way and that and saw that there was no man, so he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

As Moshe grew older, he also grew in power. He eventually became one of the palace officers. (Rashi) There is a tradition that Moshe remained in the palace until he was twelve years old. (RaMBaN)

According to Sefer HaYashar, however, Moshe was 18 when he fled Egypt.

Moshe was extremely popular in the royal court. (Tanchuma)  Most of all, however, he was loved by his foster mother, Bitya, daughter of Par'oh. She treated him as her only son, not letting him out of her sight. Because of this, he only had two occasions to travel alone all during his youth. (Shemot Rabbah, p.14)

Moshe knew very well that he was a Hebrew, and he went out to see his fellow Hebrews. What he saw was a horror of subjugation and slavery. Tears streamed from his eyes when he saw this sight. "Better I should die than witness such a degradation of a people," he said.

Mingling with the people, he did the best he could to help. If he saw a person struggling under his load, he would run to him and ask if he could help.

This is the first sign of saintliness. When a tzaddik sees injustice and wrong, he cannot tolerate it. Moshe soon became aware of all the nefarious schemes that the Egyptians used to break the spirit of the Benei Yisrael. They would make children carry burdens designed for adults, and force women to carry men's burdens. The elderly would have to carry burdens meant for young men at the peak of their strength. There was no mercy.

Moshe mixed with the workers, helping wherever he could. He was careful not to let the Egyptian know that he was a Hebrew. He acted like an Egyptian volunteer, working for "patriotic" reasons. If the Egyptian had known that he was a Hebrew, the only way he would have been able to help his brethren would have been to become a slave himself. (ibid.; VaYikra Rabbah, BeChukotai.  Cf. Yefeh Toar, p. 14)

Upon his return to the palace, Moshe used his influence to help his people. He had noted that they had no time to rest all week, working every day without a break. Discussing the situation with Pharaoh one day, he said, "If a person has a slave, he always gives him some time to rest. If not, the slave dies, and the entire investment is lost. I therefore suggest that you give your slaves at least one day a week as a day of rest. If you do not, they will all die, and you will later have regrets."

"A splendid idea," said Par'oh. "I give you full authorization to designate a day of rest for the Hebrews."

Moshe then issued an order that the Benei Yisrael were to work six days and be allowed to rest on the seventh.

In the Shabbat morning Amidah, we thus say, "Let Moshe rejoice in his portion." When G-d first gave Yisrael the commandment to keep the Shabbat (Shemot 16:23), Moshe rejoiced in his portion. He was happy that the seventh day that he had designated as a rest day for the Benie Yisrael was precisely the day that was now designated by G-d. (Tur, Orach Chayim 281)

The Benei Yisrael told Moshe about all their troubles. He was also told about the incident when he took the crown from Par'oh's head, and how Balaam had advised Par'oh to kill him. When Balaam heard that Bitya's foster son Moshe knew about the advice he had given, he became terrified that Moshe would seek revenge. Together with his two sons Balaam fled to Ethiopia.

One day Moshe saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. This is what had happened:

In order to get the allotted task done, the Egyptians had appointed Hebrew overseers under the orders of Egyptian officers. Each Hebrew overseer was in charge of ten Hebrews, while each Egyptian officer was in charge of ten overseers. If the Benei Yisrael did not complete their daily quota, the officers would take it out on the overseers. The task of the overseers was to see that the Benei Yisrael worked constantly, without stopping for even a moment.

Every morning the officers would go to wake up the overseers, so that the latter would get their crews together to work. One morning an Egyptian officer came to the house of an overseer by the name of Datan and saw his wife. The Egyptian was struck by her perfect beauty, and became infatuated with her. The wife's name was Shelomit, daughter of Divri, of the tribe of Dan.

The next day, the Egyptian came to Datan's house very early in the morning, while it was still dark. He was greeted by Shelomit, who laughed and said, "So early, and you're already on your rounds! The cock has not even crowed yet. It's not time to go into the field yet. You must be terribly anxious."

The Egyptian took this last remark as an intimate invitation and became highly aroused. Not wanting to seem lazy to his Egyptian officer, Datan hurried out to round up his crew, even though it was still dark. The Egyptian was hiding a short distance from the house.

With Datan safely on his way to work, the Egyptian let himself into the dark house. In the shadows, he saw Shelomit in bed, and joined her. Thinking it her husband, she submitted to him. She was to conceive from this episode.

Meanwhile, Datan noticed that he had forgotten something, and rushed home. Just as he approached his house, he saw the Egyptian coming. Finding his wife in bed, he asked, "Did that Egyptian touch you?"

"What Egyptian?" replied the wife. "I was just in bed with you." It did not take Datan long to find out what had happened, and the Egyptian also realized that he knew. Letting out his frustration on Datan, the Egyptian began whipping him and shouting, "Why are you so lax in your work?"

The Torah thus says that Moshe saw the Egyptian "beating a Hebrew." He had been beating him continuously and singling him out for especially difficult tasks. The Egyptian was waiting for Datan to respond, giving him an excuse to kill him. This would prevent his liaison from becoming known.

Par'oh had given strict orders that Egyptians not fraternize with Hebrew women. This was an act of Providence, preventing the Hebrew women from becoming defiled by the Egyptians. Shelomit was thus the only Hebrew woman with whom such an episode had occurred.

As soon as he discovered what had happened, Datan wanted to divorce his wife. Now that she had been defiled by the Egyptian, he did not want to live with her. But he could not find her since she had fled to his brother Aviram.(Sefer HaYashar; Yalkut Reuveni)

Datan and Aviram were brothers BaMidbar 16:1.

When Moshe saw the Egyptian beating the Hebrew, he was prophetically aware of all that had happened in the house, that the Egyptian had defiled the Hebrew's wife. He was also aware that the Egyptian intended to find an excuse to kill the Hebrew.

Using all his prophetic power, Moshe looked into the future of the Egyptian to see if he would have any descendants who would do good. If he found a single descendant who was destined to do a good thing, he would not kill the Egyptian. Children and grandchildren of wicked people, who do good in their own right, are very precious in G-d's eyes like a rose coming out of the thorns. But as far in the future as Moshe gazed, he did not see a single good person descended from this Egyptian. Obviously, the courts cannot take such things into consideration when they sentence a man to death. An ordinary mortal has no means of determining such things, and if the courts were to refrain from executing anyone who could possibly have good offspring, even the worst criminals would go unpunished. Crime would spread without restraint.

Moshe, however, had the power to see all this man's potential offspring, until the end of all generations, and he knew that the Egyptian would never have good descendants. The Torah therefore says that Moshe "looked back and forth, and saw that there was no one there." He gazed back and forth at all potential descendants of the Egyptian and saw that there was no one who would deserve to be born. Like all the wicked, the potential descendants would be no better than the dead. Although there were many Hebrews around, Moshe also saw that none of them would report him to Par'oh's authorities. "There was no one there" who would accuse him of killing the Egyptian without reason.

Moshe killed the Egyptian primarily because he had committed adultery with a Jewish woman. Adultery is forbidden by one of the Seven Universal Commandments, and it carries a mandatory death penalty. A Gentile can be sentenced to death with a single witness and judge. Since Moshe had prophetically perceived all that the Egyptian had done, he was able to act as witness, judge and executioner.

According to another opinion, Moshe killed the Egyptian for beating an Yisraeli. According to this opinion, for a Gentile to strike an Yisraeli is a crime punishable by death. From the time that Avraham was circumcised, he and his descendants were considered "Yisrael" in this respect, even before the Torah was given.

This case was all the more severe since the Egyptian was attacking the Hebrew with deadly intent. In such a case, it is always permitted to kill the assailant in order to rescue his victim.

Moshe had come from the palace totally unarmed. But he was so strong and powerful that he was able to kill the Egyptian with a single blow to the head with his fist.

According to another opinion, Moshe struck the Egyptian with the basin in which mortar was mixed. The Egyptian's head was split open, killing him instantly.

There is still another opinion that Moshe made use of his mystical powers to kill the Egyptian, utilizing one of G-d's secret names.

It is with regard to using such names that Hillel taught, "He who makes use of the crown will pass away." Moshe, however, did so to save a life. (Avot 1:13)

Moshe then buried the Egyptian in the sand with a number of Hebrews looking on. He said, "I realize that the Hebrews are likened to sand. I can take sand from one place to another, without anyone realizing it. Let no one be aware of what you are seeing now."

The death of the Egyptian remained a mystery. Although many Benei Yisrael knew about it, none gave any information. Moshe was able to return to the palace as if nothing had happened.

2:13Vayetze bayom hasheni vehineh shnei-anashim Ivrim nitzim vayomer larasha lamah takeh re'echa
He went out the next day and behold! two Hebrew men were fighting. He said to the wicked one, "Why would you strike your fellow?"

On a second occasion, Moshe went out to see what was happening in the world. He came across two Hebrew men fighting. The two men were the brothers, Datan and Aviram, who were quarreling. They were constantly involved in conflict, as we shall later see. (BaMidbar 16:1) They were wicked, and are only mentioned in the Torah in the context of wrongdoing. (Shemot Rabbah; Tanchuma)  Now they were fighting about the bill of divorce that Datan wanted to give his wife, Shelomit. (Yalkut Reuveni)

One now lifted his hand to strike the other. Moshe saw him and said, "Fiend! Why do you want to strike a fellow human being?"

This teaches that if a person so much as lifts his hand to strike another, he is considered wicked, even if he does not actually hit him. The Torah thus says that Moshe addressed the "wicked man," and that he said, "Why are you about to strike your fellow man."

He did not say, "Why did you strike your fellow man?" This indicates that as soon as one lifts a hand against another he is considered wicked. (Sanhedrin 58b; Shemot Rabbah; Zohar, Bereishit)

There is an ancient ban (cherem) that excommunicates anyone who strikes a fellow Jew. One who does so must have the ban annulled before a pro forma legal tribunal of three men. (Tur, Choshen Mishpat 420)

It is also forbidden for a man to strike his wife. One who does so is subject to Divine punishment.

2:14Vayomer mi samecha le'ish sar veshofet aleinu halehorgeni atah omer ka'asher haragta et-haMitzri vayira Moshe vayomar achen noda hadavarHe replied, "Who appointed you as a dignitary, a ruler, and a judge over us? Do you propose to murder me, as you murdered the Egyptian?"

"Who do you think you are?" asked the man. "You have no authority over us. We are more important than you. You may claim to be a son of Par'oh's daughter Bitya, but we know that you are Yocheved's son.

"Would you say to kill me? Would you try to kill me with a word with one of G-d's names just as you killed the Egyptian? It will become well known that not only are you a Hebrew, but you are even involved with the Hebrew mysteries. If this becomes known, things will no longer go well with you."

Moshe became frightened and very worried. He saw that there were Hebrews who would resort to informing on him. This being the case, they might not be worthy of being freed.

"The matter has truly become known," he said. "Until now, I wondered what sin Yisrael committed to be subjugated so, and made to live such harsh lives, more than any nation in the world. But today the matter has become known. They slander one another, they resort to character assassination and inform on each other; they therefore deserve this subjugation."

2:15Vayishma Par'oh et-hadavar hazeh vayevakesh laharog et-Moshe vayivrach Moshe mipnei Par'oh vayeshev be'eretz-Midyan vayeshev al-habe'er
Pharaoh heard about this matter and sought to kill Moshe, so Moshe fled from before Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midyan. He sat by a well.

Datan and Aviram sought an audience with Pharaoh and told him that Moshe was giving the court a bad reputation. "Remember the time he took the crown from your head," they said. "Now he is aiding and abetting your enemies."

Pharaoh looked at them unbelievingly  He knew Moshe to be the most loyal of his princes. Datan and Aviram gave their carefully rehearsed speech.

"He's not really your grandson, you know."

"The first time he went out on his own, he killed an Egyptian."

Datan and Aviram mounted a campaign of slander against Moshe until Pharaoh became convinced that he was really a traitor and revolutionary. He sentenced Moshe to death.

The Torah thus says that Pharaoh "sought to kill Moshe." It does not say that he "sought Moshe to kill him," but that he "sought to kill" him. Pharaoh had Moshe in his power, but since the sword had not harmed him, the Egyptians had to seek another means to execute him.

Moshe thus fled from before Pharaoh in such a way that no one was aware of it.

All this was a result of G-d's providence. Normally, Pharaoh would not want to kill Moshe out of hatred. Moshe had grown up in the palace as a member of the royal family. It would not be natural for Pharaoh to become his mortal enemy just because of slander on the part of a pair of Hebrew slaves. But G-d caused this hatred in order to bring Moshe to his destiny. This would be the first intimation of the great miracles that G-d would do with him.

According to one opinion, Moshe fled as soon as he heard that Pharaoh was aware of the incident. He knew better than to try to defend himself before Pharaoh. As he had learned from the Patriarchs, it is sometimes best to flee and avoid trouble. Avraham had thus fled from Nimrod, Yitzchak from Avimelech, and Yaakov from 'Esav.

Moshe ended up in the land of Midyan and lived near a well. At this time, he composed a song of praise, thanking G-d for saving him from Pharaoh's hand.

Around this time, a great war broke out between Kush (Ethiopia) and Aramia and the lands of the East. These nations were vassal states to Kush, but now they were fighting for independence.

During the first year of the siege Moshe fled Egypt. He found his way to Kush and joined the force of King Kinkos, becoming very popular among the troops, who were impressed at his royal bearing. Thoroughly familiar with Egyptian battle tactics, Moshe found himself teaching the troops, further gaining their respect and admiration.

At that time, Moshe was a strong young man, around twenty years old. Seeing his wisdom and popularity, the king took him as his closest advisor.

Moshe was a most popular king. Having restored the city to his troops, he was acclaimed as a national hero. There was an elaborate coronation ceremony, where the royal crown of Kush was placed on his head. He was also given the young widow of King Kinkos as a wife. However, since she was a descendant of Kenaan, with whom marriage had been proscribed to Avraham's descendants, he was never intimate with her.

Hearing that Kinkos had died, the tribes of Syria and the East rebelled once again. Moshe assembled thirty thousand well-armed troops and marched against the tribes of the East. At the first encounter, the enemy lost three hundred troops and immediately surrendered. They saw that Moshe was the equal of Kinkos in battle and had no stomach for further war. At a formal surrender, they agreed to pay their regular tribute. The same happened to the tribes of Syria.

Moshe was then able to return to Kush and rule in peace. He remained there as king for forty full years. During this period, the nation prospered greatly.

The one person who was unhappy was the queen. She approached the Supreme Council of Kush and said, "What have you done to me? Everyone considers me the royal queen, but the king never even touches me. Besides, it is a known fact that he does not believe in our gods. A king should have the same religion as his subjects. Kinkos' son is now mature, and he is experienced in running the government. It is time for him to be appointed king."

The council heard her out and agreed with her argument. The next day they voted to crown Kinkos' son as king. Still, they did not dare to formally impeach Moshe. All the populace feared him and looked upon him as a divine angel.

Swearing that they would do him no harm, the council approached Moshe and explained the situation. They gave him many gifts and sent him off with great honor, befitting a former king. Moshe thus left Kush and settled in Midyan.

2:16Ulechohen Midyan sheva banot vatavonah vatidlenah vatmalenah et-harehatim lehashkot tzon avihen
The minister of Midyan had seven daughters; they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's sheep.

The Torah now tells us of Moshe's marriage. When Eliezer went to fetch a wife for Yitzchak, he first met Rivkah at the well. Yaakov similarly first met Rachel at a well. Now, as we shall see, Moshe also met his wife-to-be at the well.

Yitro had been one of Pharaoh's chief advisors and was considered one of the greatest occultists of his time. Coming to Midyan with his knowledge of all the occult practices of Egypt, he had a strong advantage over the local priests. It was not long before he was elected as their high priest. The more he delved into the science of the occult, the more Yitro began to realize that the idolatrous practices that accompanied such rituals were mere superstitions. Soon worship of wood and stone statues became something of a joke to him. An honest person, he was determined to resign his position. (Devarim Rabbah, VeEtChanan)

He assembled the other priests and announced his retirement. "All this time I have served you with all my power. Now I am getting old and would like to rest. You must seek a replacement for me."

Although Yitro had given up his belief in idols, he was still afraid to openly denounce or deride such practices. The priests took them seriously and would kill him for blasphemy. He therefore used his retirement as an excuse to relinquish his position. (Tanchuma; Shemot Rabbah, p. 18)

The priests suspected his true motives, however, and took all the gold and silver dedicated to their temple out of his control. Pressure against Yitro increased, and soon the priests were telling the people not to do any work for him. Before long, he could not even find anyone to clean his house or do chores for him.

Having resigned his priesthood, Yitro was earning a living as a shepherd. Too old to tend the sheep himself, he sought to hire shepherds but in vain; the young men were too afraid of the priests to work for him. Not having any choice, he had to let his daughters tend his sheep. (Shemot Rabbah; Zohar)

Yitro had seven daughters. They would take the sheep out early in order to get to the well before the other shepherds. Arriving at the well, they would draw water by themselves, fill the troughs, and water the sheep.

All seven daughters would go together even though one could easily have done the job alone, just as Rachel had. But they wanted to hurry and finish quickly before the other shepherds came. One would draw water while the other filled the troughs, with the others rushing the sheep to drink. They wanted to be sure to be gone before the other shepherds came since they were very much afraid of them. (Bet Ne'eman)

2:17Vayavo'u haro'im vayegarshum vayakom Moshe vayoshian vayashk et-tzonam
The shepherds came and drove them away. Moshe got up and saved them and watered their sheep.

One day the girls came to the well later than usual. They had drawn water, but had not yet watered the sheep, when a band of shepherds suddenly arrived at the well. Seeing the girls alone, they attempted to rape them. The girls, however, began to scream, frightening the shepherds away. (Shemot Rabbah)

This is actually alluded to in the verse. In the expression, "drove them away," the masculine formוַיִגָרְַשׁוּם is used rather than the feminine form וַיִגָרְַשׁוּן.  Literally, the verse can be read, "the shepherds came, and [the girls] drove them away." (Alshekh)

The screams, however, were not enough to keep the shepherds away for very long. Angry and frustrated, they threw the girls into the well. It would not do for the girls to report the incident to the authorities. (Shemot Rabbah)

Moshe had just come to Midyan from Kush that day, and he was sitting and resting not far from the well. Hearing the commotion, he looked up and saw what the shepherds were doing. With his prophetic powers, he was, with a single glance, able to know the entire history of the girls' family. He realized that the girls were being attacked primarily because their father had abandoned the local idolatrous practices. He immediately jumped to his feet, and pulled the girls out of the well. (Zohar)

While the girls were drying themselves off, Moshe watered their sheep. Drawing water was man's work, he explained, but since they had already drawn water the least he could do was to finish the job and water the sheep. (Shemot Rabbah)  Moshe had learned this from Yaakov, who had similarly watered Rachel's sheep. (Bereishit 29:10) Whenever possible, Moshe tried to emulate the Patriarchs. (Ibid.; Zohar, VaYetze) G-d had promised him that he would find his wife-to-be at this well. (Zohar)

The girls told Moshe that they were still afraid of the shepherds. Not every day would they find a stranger to protect them. Moshe called to the shepherds and assured them that there was no enmity between them. As a token of peace, he watered their sheep as well.

This is alluded to in the Torah, which says, "he watered their sheep," using the masculine term for "their" (צֹאנָם) rather than the feminine term (צֹאנָן). (Divrei Shalom)

2:18Vatavonah el-Reu'el avihen vayomer madua miharten bo hayom
They came to Reu'el their father. He said, "How could you come so quickly today?"

The girls came home to their father, who was then called Reu'el. He had adopted that name after abandoning idolatry and beginning to worship G-d. The name Reu'el means "friend of G-d"רֵיעַ אֵל (Rea kEl). (Shemot Rabbah, p. 18)

Besides Reu'el, he also had six other names, the best known being Yitro.

Yitro was very surprised that his daughters had come home so early. Although they watered their sheep early in the morning, they would usually spend the rest of the day grazing the sheep. On this day, however, they were so agitated from their encounter with the shepherds that they returned right home. They were also anxious to tell their father about the mysterious stranger who rescued them.

2:19Vatomarna ish Mitzri hitzilanu miyad haro'im vegam-daloh dalah lanu vayashk et-hatzon
They replied, "An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds, and he even drew water for us and watered our sheep."

The girls referred to Moshe as an "Egyptian man" because he still wore Egyptian clothing.
Some sages interpret the expression in a somewhat different manner, using the following parable:

A man is bitten by a wasp and runs to the river to cool off the stinging bite. Arriving at the river, he sees a child drowning and saves him. The child says to the man, "if not for you, I would have drowned." The man replies, "If not for the wasp, I would not have been here to save you." (Shemot Rabbah. Cf. Yerushalmi, Berachot, Chapter 5)

When Yitro's daughters thanked Moshe for saving them, he told them a similar parable and said, "Don't thank me for saving you. Thank the Egyptian whom I killed. If not for him, I would not be here."

When the girls related the incident to their father, they ended by saying, "So you see, Father, it was an Egyptian man who saved us." They were referring to the Egyptian that Moshe had killed.

Moshe told them this so that they should know that it was not he who saved them, but G-d, who was carefully watching over their father because he had abandoned idolatry. Unless G-d wills it, man can do nothing. (Shemot Rabbah.  Cf. Zohar)

2:23Vayehi vayamim harabim hahem vayamot melech Mitzrayim vaye'anechu venei-Yisrael min-ha'avodah vayiz'aku vata'al shav'atam el-ha'Elokim min-ha'avodah
During those many days, it happened that the king of Egypt died, and the Children of Yisrael groaned because of the work and they cried out. Their outcry because of the work went up to G-d.

Three years passed from the time that Moshe married Tzipporah until G-d spoke to him from the Burning Bush. During these three years, the persecution became more severe, and the Benei Yisrael began to groan under their harsh burdens.

Although this period of the harshest persecution lasted three years, the Torah refers to it as "many days." When a person enjoys life and is engaged in interesting work, days pass very rapidly. But when a person is miserable, every day seems like a year. This was the situation with the Benei Yisrael. During this period, they suffered more torment than during all the other years. The Torah thus says, "The Benei Yisrael groaned because of their harsh labor."

According to some authorities, the king did not actually die. If he had, the Benei Yisrael should have rejoiced. They were now free of a harsh tyrant, and could hope that his successor would be better. These authorities maintain that Pharaoh actually contracted a leprous skin infection. Similarly, when the scripture speaks of "the death of King Uzziyahu" (Yeshayahu 6:1), it also means that he became a leper. In those days, a leper was considered as good as dead.

The physicians told Pharaoh that the only cure for his disease was to bathe in the fresh human blood of young children. The occultists added that the blood of Yisraeli children would be particularly effective. Pharaoh thus issued orders that 150 Yisraeli children be slaughtered each morning and 150 each evening so that he could constantly have fresh blood in which to bathe.

When the Benei Yisrael heard of this decree, they cried out from the depths of their hearts. The Torah thus says, "The Benei Yisrael groaned because of the labor."

The Torah's expression may seem somewhat puzzling here. Why does the Torah say that they moaned because of the "labor?" It would seem more logical for the Torah to say that they cried out because their children were being slaughtered. This would appear to be a better reason for the Benei Yisrael to moan and mourn.

A clear explanation for this is provided by Rabbi Avraham Rosanes. G-d had told Avraham, "Know for sure that your offspring will be foreigners in a land that is not theirs. [The others] will enslave them and oppress them for four hundred years." (Bereishit 15:13) Ultimately, however, the Benei Yisrael did not spend nearly this much time in Egypt, especially under conditions of slavery. There are many ways, however, of resolving this difficulty.

One of the most logical resolutions is that the Benei Yisrael fulfilled the decree through numbers rather than time. Thus, for example, if 100 people were destined to be in exile for 400 years, then 200 people would only have to be in exile for 200 years.

Another answer is that Pharaoh made the Benei Yisrael work much harder than the decree had specified. He degraded them, broke their bodies and spirits, and completely exhausted them. Thus, every year was at least equivalent to two.

The initial decree was merely that the Benei Yisrael come slaves. At first, the Benei Yisrael felt secure that they would have it easy in their exile and would not have to work very hard. When they saw how rapidly their population was growing, they were even happier. They assumed that with their increased numbers, their servitude for two years would be completed in one. This would make their redemption come sooner.

Even harsh labor did not dishearten them. The harder they worked, they assumed, the sooner their redemption would come.

But now, hundreds of Yisraeli children were being killed every day. At this rate, their population would rapidly decline and their redemption would be delayed. If their population were sufficiently decreased, they would have to work two years to complete a single year of the Divine decree. Their labor therefore seemed all the more harsh, and hence they "groaned because of their labor."

When Pharaoh's disease did not heal, his occultists told him that the blood of first-born Yisraeli children would be especially effective. When this new decree was issued, the Benei Yisrael cried out even more, as the Torah states, "Their moaning from the labor came up before G-d."

At this time, the Benei Yisrael were beginning to adopt the idolatrous worship of the Egypt, and they did not deserve to be redeemed. But Egypt heard the screams of the infants torn from their mothers' breasts to be slaughtered like animals. He also remembered the covenant that He had made with Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. The merit of the Patriarchs is a very powerful force.

Because of all this, G-d miraculously healed Pharaoh. Hebrew children would no longer have to be killed.

According to another opinion, Pharaoh's disease did not heal at all. The more children he killed, the worse it became. This source, however, maintains that only a total of 375 children were killed. He remained sick for ten years, with his condition constantly deteriorating.

One day, two Egyptian officers came from the Goshen territory and reported that the Yisraelim were not fulfilling their quotas. Furious, Pharaoh said, "The Hebrews know that I am sick. That is why they have become so lazy. They are mocking me! They claim to be working hard, but they are really living an easy life."

His courtiers tried to calm him, but Pharaoh would not be pacified. "I must see for myself," he declared. Thoroughly disregarding his serious skin infection, he gave orders that his horse be prepared, and that plans be made for an immediate royal visit to Goshen. Ten officers would accompany Pharaoh to see to his needs.

With pus running from the open sores in his body, Pharaoh was helped onto his royal chariot. He gave orders that a short cut be taken through the narrow roads in the hill country in order to arrive as soon as possible. The horses were forced to run at full gallop, holding very close together because of the narrowness of the roads. On one turn, the horses' feet became entangled in each other, and the chariot was completely overturned.

Thrown from his chariot, Pharaoh fell under his horses. His cloak became entangled in the traces, and as the horses struggled to disentangle themselves, they trampled him all the more. He suffered many broken bones and severe lacerations. So badly injured was he, that his servants had to carry him back to Egypt on a litter.

This was all an act of Providence. G-d had punished Pharaoh for his desire to visit Goshen in order to persecute the Jews further.

Lying in bed in his palace, Pharaoh knew that his end was near. He summoned his wife and all his advisers in order to appoint a successor. Pharaoh had three sons and two daughters, one of whom was Bityah, mentioned above. The oldest son was immediately ruled out since he did not have the will nor the intelligence to run a kingdom. A younger son, on the other hand, was highly motivated and intelligent.

The younger brother, however, was extremely ugly. He was a short, fat dwarf with a very long face. Despite his looks, he was extremely intelligent. For the benefit of the kingdom, he was chosen to be Pharaoh's heir. He was given a ten-year-old girl as his wife. He then took another three wives, and had eight sons and three daughters.

As days passed, Pharaoh's skin infection became more severe until many areas of his skin became gangrenous. The stench was so bad, like a dead animal rotting in the summer sun, that people could not stand in his presence. He suffered in this manner for three years, and then died.

When Pharaoh died, it was impossible to mummify him as is normally done to Egyptian Pharaohs. His body had such a terrible stench that no one could go near it. It was also not buried in the tomb prepared for it.

With the death of this Pharaoh, an unbroken dynasty of 94 years came to an end.

Because of his cruelty to the Benei Yisrael, however, his end was very bitter.

When Pharaoh died, the Benei Yisrael began to moan and lose hope. They had hoped that when the new Pharaoh took office, he would free all slaves as many of his predecessors had done. But the new monarch had no such plans and kept them as slaves. The Benei Yisrael began to feel that they would never be freed.

Of course, the Benei Yisrael suffered even before Pharaoh died. But they could not weep since this was something that their overseers would not permit. Now that Pharaoh had died and the Egyptians were weeping, the Benei Yisrael could also weep. Their real reason for weeping however, was because of their harsh labor.

With the death of Pharaoh, Egypt's guardian angel was also removed from his position. Until now, he would not let the prayers of the Benei Yisrael break through to G-d. With him out of the way, their prayers "came up before G-d."

Although G-d knew that the Benei Yisrael did not deserve to be freed, he had mercy on them for the sake of the Patriarchs. The Patriarchs were also praying for their descendants as we have seen earlier.

This also teaches that the ultimate redemption will only come if we repent and pray. It is like the first redemption from Egypt that only came through repentance and prayer.

One reason for the harsh exile that we are now experiencing was Esav's tears when he lost the birthright. (Bereishit 27:38) We must weep enough to wash away his tears; then we will be redeemed.

One may be very surprised that the Torah states that the Benei Yisrael groaned and screamed to G-d. We know that when a person worships, he should do so silently so that others do not hear him. Here, however, it appears that the Benei Yisrael screamed out their prayers.

However, the rule that prayer must be silent only applies to the Amidah, the silent standing prayer. If one prays out loud, he makes it seem as if G-d cannot hear silent prayer. But when a person is in anguish and prays to G-d for help, he must cry out and weep, begging G-d to have mercy on him. Such a person is not screaming because G-d cannot otherwise hear, but because of the tremendous pain in his heart. For example, when a person has a normal audience with a king, he speaks in quiet, respectful tones. If he began to scream, he would be summarily ejected. But if a person who is being dragged to the execution block screams out to the king for mercy, his behavior would not be looked upon as incorrect. The king realizes that the cry is from the depths of the heart.

In general, then, when a person is troubled, he should cry out to G-d. It is thus written, "In their time of trouble, they cried out to G-d , and He delivered them from their distress." (Tehillim 107:6)

Moshe, too, cried out to G-d when he prayed that the plague of frogs be removed. (Shemot 8:8) Pharaoh had told Moshe that if he prayed to remove the frogs, he would set the Benei Yisrael free. Believing this to be his chance to free his people, Moshe prayed from the depths of his heart. When a person is in pain and anguish, he cannot hold himself back to pray silently. He must cry out to G-d with all his emotions.


Baal HaTurim on Parashat Shemot

3:13Vayomer Moshe el-ha'Elokim hineh anochi va el-bnei Yisrael ve'amarti lahem Elokei avoteichem shlachani aleichem ve'amru-li mah-shmo mah omar alehem
Moshe said to G-d, "Behold, when I come to the Children of Yisrael and say to them, 'The G-d of your forefathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His Name?' - what shall I say to them?"

ve'amru-li mah-shmo mah - And they say to me, "What is His name?" What shall I say?

The final letters of  (li mah-shmo mah) spell the Tetragrammaton.  G-d conveyed to Moshe His Ineffable Holy Name in a conversation that continues through verses 14 & 15.    Immediately thereafter, G-d told Moshe, "Go and gather the elders of Yisrael" (v16). For the pronunciation of this Name may not be transmitted except to the elders of the generation. (Kiddushin 71a; Peirush HaRosh to our verse; Gilyon HaShas to Sukkah 12a and Megillah 3a).

3:14Vayomer Elokim el-Moshe eheyeh asher eheyeh vayomer koh tomar livnei Yisrael eheyeh shlachani aleichem
G-d answered Moshe, "I Shall Be As I Shall Be." And He said, "So shall you say to the Children of Yisrael, 'I Shall Be has sent me to you.'"

Ekyeh asher Ekyeh - I Shall be As I Shall Be

The gematria of Ekyeh is 21.  That is also the gematria of the initial letters of the three Divine Names which begin the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, "Hashem, Hashem, G-d" (34:6); and the gematria of the initial letters of the names of the Patriarchs - Avraham, Yitzchak, Avraham; and the initial letters of the five books of the Torah: Bereishit begins with the ב of bereishit; Shemot with the  of ve'eleh; VaYikra with the ו of vayikra; BaMidbar with the ו of vaydaber; and Devarim with the א of eleh. (Peirush HaRokeach)

The gematria of two times Ekyeh is 42, which implies that G-d taught Moshe the forty-two letter Divine Name.

The Talmud (Kiddushin 71a) speaks of Divine Names of twelve letters and forty-two letters.  Rashi comments that these Names are not known to us.

The gematria of three times Ekyeh is 63.  The three appearances of the word contain twelve letters, alluding to the twelve tribes, whose names contain a total of fifty letters.  Combine them with the thirteen letters in the names of the Patriarchs and the sum will be 63. (Peirush HaRokeach.)

Thus the three appearances allude to the Patriarchs and their descendants.

3:15Vayomer od Elokim el-Moshe koh tomar el-bnei Yisrael HASHEM Elokei avoteykhem Elokei Avraham Elokei Yitzchak ve'Elokei Yaakov shlachani aleichem zeh-shemi le'olam vezeh zichri ledor dor
G-d said further to Moshe, "So shall you say to the Children of Yisrael, 'HASHEM the G-d of your forefathers, the G-d of Avraham, the G-d of Yitzchak, and the G-d of Yaakov has dispatched me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance from generation to generation.'

zeh-shemi le'olam - This is My Name forever.

The gematria of the word zeh is 12.  This teaches that G-d transmitted to Moshe the Divine Name of twelve letters.

4:14 Vayichar-af HASHEM beMoshe vayomer halo Aharon achicha haLevi yadati ki-daber yedaber hu vegam hineh-hu yotze likratecha vera'acha vesamach belibo
The wrath of HASHEM burned against Moshe and He said, "Is there not Aharon your brother, the Levi? I Know that he will surely speak; moreover, behold, he is going out to meet you and when he sees you he will rejoice in his heart.

yedaber hu vegam hineh - He will... speak; Moreover, behold.

The first letters of these words form the Tetagrammaton .  This indicates to you that Moshe transmitted to Aharon knowledge of that Name and all the other Divine Names.

4:24 Vayehi vaderech bamalon vayifgeshehu HASHEM vayevakesh hamito
It was on the way, in the lodging, that HASHEM encountered him and sought to kill him.

vayifgeshehu - and...encountered him.

The masoretic noteב׳ means that this word appears twice in the Tanach:

1. vayifgeshehu HASHEM vayevakesh - and HaShem encountered him and sought to kill him (4:24)
2. vayifgeshehu behar ha'Elokim - and [Aharon] encountered him at the mountain of G-d (4:27)

This indicates that at the time Moshe was lax to fulfill the mitzvah of circumcision, the angels named Af and Cheimah (Anger and Wrath), came to swallow him up. (Nedarim 32a)

The Talmud - Nedarim 32a - explains that Moshe's laxity in circumcising his son was apparent in his spending too much time establishing his lodgings before performing the circumcision.  It was during that period that the angels attached him.  There is a Talmudic dispute (Nedarim 31b-32a) regarding the angel's intended victim.  The Baal HaTurim's comment here is in accord with the opinion that the angel sought to kill Moshe.  However, his comment to 5:22 is in accord with the view that the angel sought to kill the uncircumcised baby.

But Moshe was unable to withstand them until Aharon came and assisted him.  As is stated, And [Aharon] encountered him at the mountain of G-d, and in Aharon's merit, he was saved.

The Baal HaTurim's source for Aharon's role in saving Moshe is unknown.  A simple reading of the verses seems to indicate that Aharon was first instructed to leave Egypt to meet Moshe after Moshe's life had already been spared thanks to his wife's quick action.  However, the Baal HaTurim has already stated that Aharon set out to meet Moshe even before Moshe departed for Egypt (v. 14).  If so, the sequence of events recoreded here follos the principle - the Torah does not necessarily relate events in their chronological order (see Pesachim 6b) 

The Talmud records a dispute regarding the validity of circumcision performed by a woman.  v25 states: "Tzipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son"  is adduced to prove that a woman may perform circumcision.  However, that proof is rejected because the verse may be understood as Tzipporah had someone take a kinfe, and she had the foreskin of her son cut off (Avodah Zarah 27a).  Mekorei Baal HaTurim suggests that the "someone" was Aharon.  That Talmudic passage is then the Baal HaTurim's source for Aharon's role.

--------------------------------------------
Baal HaTurim; MeAm Lo'ez; Rashi; Bachya

Parashat VaEra
Shemot 6:2 - 9:35
BaMidbar 28:9 - 15(Rosh Chodesh Shevat)

6:2Vayedaber Elokim el-Moshe vayomer elav ani HASHEM
G-d spoke to Moshe and said to him, "I am HASHEM:

At the end of the previous portion (Shemot), Moshe complained bitterly to G-d.  The Attribute of Justice (Middat HaDin) wanted to be angry at Moshe for speaking so harshly, but G-d knows every person's deepest motives. G-d knew that Moshe was neither complaining nor questioning G-d's justice, but merely pleading for his people because of his love for them.

Still, as a result of Moshe's complaining at this time, ti was decreed that he would not enter the Promised Land.  G-d therefore said to Moshe, "Now you will see what I will do to Par'oh (6:1).  Now, when I punish Par'oh and bring My people out of Egypt, you will see My miracles.  But later, when I punish 31 kings in the Promised Land, you will not see My great works."

Throughout the Torah, whenever G-d speaks to Moshe, the expression "HaShem spoke to Moshe, saying" (Vayedaber YKVK el-Moshe vayomer) is used.  This is the only place where we find the expression, "G-d spoke to Moshe, saying" (Vayedaber Elokim el-Moshe vayomer).  As is well know, YKVK denotes the Attribute of Mercy, while Elokim denotes the Attribute of Justice.  We thus see that at this time the Attribute of Justice was dealing with Moshe.

G-d's initial words to Moshe, "I am YKVK," appear to be redundant.  Moshe already knew that G-d's name was YKVK.  But G-d's message to Moshe was, "I am YKVK, Who exists beyond space and time.  You can be sure that I will reward those who walk in My ways." (Shemot Rabbah; Rashi)

Vayedaber Elokim - G-d spoke

The Torah has just stated, "[Par'oh] will drive them from his land" (6:1), and juxtaposed to that is, "G-d Spoke."  The sequence of the verses teaches that G-d would not speak to Moshe in Par'oh's land, i.e., in his city, rather he would speak to him only after he had departed from the metropolis.(Paaneach Raza; see Mechilta to 12:1)

The Mechilta does not adduce a proof verse, rather it bases this point on the following kal vachomer (a fortiori argument):  If Moshe would not utter his relatively simple words of prayer except when he was outside the city  (9:29), then certainly the more exalted Word of G-d would not be spoken in that city.  And why did G-d not speak to Moshe and why did Moshe not pray within the city?  Because it was full of idols.  The Baal HaTurim finds a Scriptural verse as the source for that which the Mechilta derives through the principle of kal vachomer.

6:3Va'era el-Avraham el-Yitzchak ve'el-Yaakov be'El Shakkai ushmi HASHEM lo nodati lahem
I appeared to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Yaakov as G-d Almighty, but with My Name HASHEM I did not make Myself known to them.  

4Vegam hakimoti et-briti itam latet lahem et-eretz Kenaan et eretz megureihem asher garu vah
Moreover, I established My covenant with them to give them the land of Kenaan, the land of their sojourning, in which they sojourned.

"I revealed Myself to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov many times, but the only Name I used was El Shakkai (G-d Almighty).  I never revealed to them the mystery of My Name, YKVK. Still, they had perfect faith in Me and never questioned My word."

"I could not reveal to them the true attribute implied by My Name YKVK, since it would have seemed false.  My Name YKVK implies that I exist in the future just as I exist in the present, and am therefore certain to keep any promise that I make.  But the Patriarchs could have had ample reason to suspect Me of breaking my promises."

"I told Avraham, 'Rise, walk the land, through its length and its breadth, for to you I will give it' (Bereishit 13:17). But when his wife, Sarah, died, he did not even own enough of the land to bury her.  When he needed a cemetery plot, he had to spend a great deal of money to buy one (Bereishit 23:16)."

"I told Yitzchak, 'Remain in this land... for to you and your offspring I will give all these territories' (Bereishit 26:3). Yet when he needed water, he could not even find land in which to dig a well.  Whenever he dug a well, the natives would fight him for taking their water (Bereshit 26:20)."

"I told Yaakov, 'The land upon which you like I will give to you and your offspring' (Bereishit 28:13).  Yet when he needed land upon which to pitch his tent, he could find none, and he had to purchase a plot for a hundred coins (Bereishit 33:19)."

"You see, I promised all the Patriarchs that I would give them the land, and they could have complained that I did not keep My promise.  Still, they never eve thought of questioning what I did."

"As many times as I demanded things of the Patriarchs, they never asked Me to reveal My Name.  But the very first time I spoke to you, you asked Me what My Name was (3:13)." (Sanhedrin, Chapter 10; Shemot Rabbah, p. 53; Kohelet Rabbah; Tanchuma)

"After all that, you complained that I was doing bad things to My people (5:22).  How could you say such things when you know that I am YKVK?  How could you have the audacity to even say such words?"(Zohar)

"The Patriarchs are very precious to me, precisely because they never questioned what I did." (Mizrachi; Yeffeh Toar, p. 50a)


Va'era - I appeared

וָאֵרָא can be read as ו׳ אֵרָא, six [times] I appeared, for the term  וָאֵרָא - and He appeared, is written six times with regard to G-d appearing to the Patriarchs; three times with regard to Avraham (Bereishit 12:7, 17:1 and 18:1), twice with regard to Yitzchak (Bereishit 26:2 and 24); and once with regard to Yaakov (Bereishit 35:9).

Va'era - I appeared

The gematria of this word (208) is equal to that of Yitzchak. As the Midrash states:  Yitzchak enabled the Benei Yisrael to leave Egypt at the time they did.

For the entire period that the Benei Yisrael were enslaved, the Patriarchs Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov stood before G-d praying for the nation's release.  G-d said to them, " Is any one of you ready to reduce the letters of his name so that I might reduce the years of slavery by the gematria of the diminished letters?"  Avraham and Yaakov replied, "No, we need all the letters of our names."  But Yitzchak answered, "in truth, my name should be spelled יִשְׂחָק  (as it is in Tehillim 105:9), yet I allow it to be spelled יִצְחָק (even though the gematria of שׂ  is 300 and that of צ is only 90, a difference of 210).  Therefore, you should reduce the term of enslavement by two hundred and ten years."  And so it was (cited by Peirush HaRosh to 6:1)

6:5Vegam ani shamati et-na'akat bnei Yisrael asher Mitzrayim ma'avidim otam va'ezkor et-briti
I have also heard the groans of the Children of Yisrael whom Egypt enslaves and I have remembered My covenant.

"The Egyptians have made the Benei Yisrael do all kinds of impossible tasks.  They even made them go out and trap lions and wolves, not because they need them, but only to torment the Benei Yisrael." (Shama Shlomo)

"If the Egyptians only made the Benei Yisrael do necessary work, it would not be so terrible.  But the Egyptains are making them do things merely to degrade them as slaves.  Their entire motive is to make them work in order to break their spirit." (Ibid; Etz HaChayim)

"If the Egyptians had enslaved any other nation, it would not have been so terrible.  Nations have always enslaved one another.  But here it is an act of gross ingratitude.  Yosef was the one who saved the Egyptians from extinction by famine, and they invited him to bring his family to Egypt.  This is the way they show their gratitude!"

"The Egyptians, whose lives Yosef saved, are now keeping his people as slaves.  Yosef was their great benefactor, and they are only alive now because of him.  If they have forgotten, I will remember.  They have forgotton what Yosef tid for them, but I will remember the promise that I made to the Patriarchs.  I will redeem the Benei Yisrael even though they themselves might not deserve it." (Etz HaChayim)

6:6Lachen emor livnei-Yisrael ani HASHEM vehotzeti etchem mitachat sivlot Mitzrayim vehitsalti etchem me'avodatam vega'alti etchem bizroa netuyah uvishfatim gedolim
Therefore, say to the Children of Yisrael: 'I am HASHEM, and I shall take you out from under the burdens of Egypt; I shall rescue you from their service; I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
7Velakachti etchem li le'am vehayiti lachem le'Elokim vidatem ki ani HASHEM Elokeichem hamotzi etchem mitachat sivlot Mitzrayim
I shall take you to Me for a people and I shall be a G-d to you; and you shall know that I am HASHEM your G-d. Who takes you out from under the burdens of Egypt.
8Veheveti etchem el-ha'aretz asher nasati et-yadi latet otah le-Avraham le-Yitzchak ule-Yaakov venatati otah lachem morashah ani HASHEM
I shall bring you to the land about which I raised My hand to give it to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov; and I shall give it to you as a heritage - I am HASHEM.'"

Moshe was very frightened when he heard G-d's harsh words.  He was concerned that he had done wrong and that his actions might have delayed the redemption.  Perhaps the merit of the Patriarchs would no longer be enough, and the Benei Yisrael would be doomed to remain in Egypt forever.  In order to reasure Msohe, G-d swore that he would free the Benei Yisrael, and He said, "Therefore (la-chen) say to the Benei Yisrael, I am HaShem, and I shall take you out from under the burdens of Egypt."  The word לָכֵן (la-chen) always indicates an oath.

"I am YKVK," was G-d's message to Yisrael.  "I transcend space and time, and can be trusted to keep My word.  I will free you from their subjugation, so that you will not even have to pay them tribute.  I will redeem you with such great acts of judgment that many Egyptians will want to keep you as hostages to escape My wrath." (Shemot Rabbah, p. 50b)

G-d told Moshe, "I have also heard the groans of the Benei Yisrael" (6:5).  The word "also: appears to be redundant.  It can be explained in terms of the following account.

In the time of the Talmudic leader, Shmuel (around 250, c.e.), there was no rain.  He decreed a fast, but before the fast was begun, it began to rain.  When the people began to boast of their great merit, Shmuel told them not to consider themselves so great.  He said, "Sometimes when a filthy slave comes in to the king, the king tells his men to give the slave whatever he wants, just to get him out of his presence.  The same is true of us." (Taanit, Chapter 3)

It is therefore sometimes best when G-d hears a community's prayers after they have prayed.  This shows that G-d considers them worthy.

G-d therefore said, "I have also heard the groans of the Benei Yisrael.  Besides redeeming them, I have taken time to listen to their prayers.  This itself is very significant, and it shows how highly I esteem them.  If I had redeemed them only because I was bound by My promise to the Patriarchs, I would not have taken the time to listen to their prayers.  It would have been as if I had no desire to look at them." (Etz HaChayim)


vehotzeti - I shall take out, vehitsalti - I shall rescue, vega'alti - I shall redeem, velakachti - I shall take

The Torah uses  four expressions of redemption, corresponding to the Four Kingdoms.  The last of these: velakachti - I shall take, thus refers to the final exile, the exile of Edom. velakachti - I shall take is used for Edom because it implies seizing by force (1Shmuel 2:16), for this is the most difficult exile. (VaYikra Rabbah 13:5)

Throughout the Talmud and Midrash, and based on the Sefer Dani'el (Chapter 8), Yisrael's long succession of exiles and persecutions are always treated as four main periods of subjugation to foreign oppressors - either in the Land of Yisrael or in the Diaspora.  These periods are known collectively as אַרְבַּﬠ מַלְכֻיּוֹת (the Four Kingdoms) (Dani'el 8:22), and each is called by the name of the empire dominant in the world at that particular time.  The first, called the גָּלוּת בָּבֶל (Galut Bavel) the Babylonian Exile, began when Nevuchadnetzar king of Bavel conquered the Land of Yisrael and destroyed the First Temple.  The second, called גָּלוּת מָדָי וּפָרַס (Galut Madai u'Faras) the Median-Persian Exile (Dani'el 8:20), began when that empire succeeded the Babylonians as the leading world power.  Although the Medes permitted the Jewish return to the Land of Yisrael and the building of the Second Temple, the early years of that Beit HaMikdash were still considered a part of the exile, because Yisrael was not sovereign in its land.  Paradoxically, during the entire third period, גָּלוּת יָוָן (Galut Yavan) the Greek Exile (Dani'el 8:21), Yisrael lived on its land and the Temple stood.  Nevertheless, it was a very turbulent era marked by  civil strife, foreign domination, vicious anti-religion campaigns, and the rejection of Torah values by a sizable number of Jews who adopted Greek culture with all its abominations.  The downfall of the Greek Empire and the rise of Rome marked the beginning of גָּלוּת אֱדוֹם (Galut Edom), the Edomite or Roman Exile. We are still trapped in the grip of this millennia-long exile today.

The Egyptians had issued four harsh decrees against the Benei Yisrael:

1. They had appointed slave drivers over them and had forced them to build Pitom and Rameses.
2. They had given them backbreaking work and had made their lives bitter with harsh labor.
3. They had decreed that every male infant be drowned in the Nile.
4. They had stopped giving them straw, demanding the same quota of bricks as before.

Paralleling these four decrees, G-d announced that He would rescue His people in four different ways:

1. "I shall take you out from under the burdens of Egypt."
2. "I shall rescue you from their service [slavery]."
3. "I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm."
4. "I shall take you to Me for a people [nation]."

It is also because of these four different steps of redemption that four cups of wine are drunk at the Pesach Seder. (Shemot Rabbah, p. 50c)

 morashah - heritage
The masoretic note, ב׳, means that this word appears twice in the Torah (a third time in Ezekiel 36:3):

1. "and I shall give it to you as a heritage..." (6:8)
2. in Moshe's final discourse: "[The Torah that] Moshe [commanded us is] the heritage of the Congregation of Yaakov" (Devarim 33:4)

Parashat Bo
Shemot 10:1-13:16

10:1Vayomer HASHEM el-Moshe bo el-Par'oh ki-ani hichbadeti et-libo ve'et-lev avadav lema'an shiti ototai eleh bekirbo
HASHEM said to Moshe, "Come to Pharaoh, for I have made his heart and the heart of his servants stubborn so that I can put these signs of Mine in his midst;

bo el-Par'oh - come to Par'oh

When G-d would tell Moshe to approach Par'oh in his palace, He would tell him בֹּא (bo) "come" (here and in 6:11, 7:26, and 9:1).  When He would tell Moshe to approach him at the water, He would say, לֵךְ (lech) "go."

bo - come.  The Gematria of this word is 3. Hint to [Par'oh] that three more plagues are yet to be visited upon him.

After the plague of hail, Par'oh had said, "G-d is just, and I and my people are guilty" (9:27).  Moshe assumed that Par'oh had repented, and that there would not be the need to bring any more plagues to Egypt. (Mizrachi)

It is true that Par'oh had said, "G-d is just and I and my people are guilty."  But he had not actually confessed his wrong.  There was enough ambiguity in his words for it to be just the opposite of a confession of guilt.  What Par'oh had really meant was, "G-d is just and [so am] I - and my people are guilty."  In his stubbornness, Par'oh was claiming to be just as righteous as G-d Himself, placing all the blame on his people.  (Sifetei Kohen)

Earlier, G-d had also told Moshe, "I will harden Par'oh's heart" (7:3).  This being true, it may seem very difficult to understand why G-d then punished him for his stubbornness.  How could G-d make Par'oh stubborn, and then punish him this very stubbornness?

The concept is explained by the RaMBaM (Rabbi Moshe Maimonides).  Par'oh had initially been punished for treating the Benei Yisrael much worse then G-d had ordained in his decree to Avraham, "Your offspring will be foreigners in a land that is not theirs" (Bereishit 15:13).  Par'oh's punishment was that he should be made stubborn and thus be prevented from repenting.

G-d warned Par'oh each time, but this was only to show people how wicked he was, and how much he deserved to lose the opportunity to repent.  His sins were so extraordinary that G-d decreed that it be made next to impossible for him to repent.  He had openly spited G-d, and now he would die for his crimes. (Yad, Teshuvah 6:3; Bachya)

Obviously, G-d could have made the first plague so severe that Par'oh would have freed the Benei Yisrael immediately.  But G-d allowed each plague to continue until Par'oh agreed to release them, only to have him change his mind as soon as the plague was gone.

Regarding this, it is written "[G-d] makes nations great and destroys them" (Iyov 12:23).  If a nation commits terrible sins, G-d makes them great, repaying them for any good they may have done.  He then destroys them as they deserve.

G-d also lightened the plague each time so that Par'oh would think that the catastrophe was over.  He then became stubborn once again, so that he would receive the punishment he deserved. (Yeffeh Toar, p. 81c)

When a person does a wrong, G-d warns him many times.  The person may lose things, his children may become sick and die, or other calamities may befall him.  Each mishap is a warning, urging the person to repent and change his ways before worse catastrophes occur.

Many people try to take such calamities philosophically.  They rationalize that people are always dying and bring born.  If some people make money, others must lose.  They thus do not see their troubles as a signal to repent.

The punishment for such a person is that he is made stubborn and his heart is hardened, so that it becomes very difficult for him to repent and change his ways.  he is then fully punished for all his past sins.

This was true of Par'oh.  He had been warned five times, but had not even thought of himself as doing wrong and needing improvement.  G-d then said, "Until now you have made yourself stubborn.  From now on I will be the one to make you stubborn." (Yeffeh Toar, p. 74c)

There are a number of situations when it becomes very difficult to repent: (Yeffeh Toar, p. 74b)

1. When a person has committed many serious sins.
2. When a sin has been purposely repeated many times.
3. When one wishes to repent, but stubbornly refuses to.
4. When one sins against his fellow man. 

Even when a person repents under duress, the repentance is accepted.  But if a person returns to his old ways after the duress is gone, it is a clear sign that the initial repentance was meaningless.  Even if Par'oh had repented, it was not with his heart and soul.

It was for this reason that G-d hardened Par'oh's heart.  The whole world would know what a sinner he was.  Seeing his end, everyone would agree that G-d had acted justly.  Therefore, even though G-d knew how wicked Par'oh was, He warned him again and again.  Since Par'oh had ignored these warnings, no one could say that G-d had dealt unfairly with him. (Yeffeh Toar)

When a person commits a crime against G-d, he must seek forgiveness only from G-d.  However, when a person commits a crime against his fellow man, he cannot be forgiven for his sin until he gains forgiveness from the one he wronged.

Par'oh had obviously sinned against fellow human beings.  He had issued many monstrous decrees against the Benei Yisrael.  He had killed infants and had bathed in their blood.   He had also blasphemed G-d by saying, "Who is G-d that I should listen to His voice?" (5:2).  Even if he had repented when he said, "G-d is righteous, and I and my people are wicked" (9:27), he did not deserve his repentance to be accepted, so great were his sins. (Kli Chemdah)

We do not find any other case in the Tanach where G-d hardened a person's heart.  It is true that Sichon and Og were stubborn, but only against Yisrael, not against G-d.  It was obvious that G-d had given Par'oh every opportunity to repent, but he did not take advantage. (Zohar, BeShalach, p. 52)


The Eighth Plague: Locusts

10:3Vayavo Moshe ve'Aharon el-Par'oh vayomeru elav koh-amar HASHEM Elokei ha'Ivrim ad-matai me'anta le'anot mipanai shalach ami veya'avduni
Moshe and Aharon came to Pharaoh and said to him, "So said HASHEM, G-d of the Hebrews: Until when will you refuse to be humbled before Me? Send out My people that they may serve Me!
4Ki im-ma'en atah leshale'ach et-ami hineni mevi machar arbeh bigvulecha
For if you refuse to send forth My people, behold, tomorrow I shall bring a locust-swarm into your border.
5Vekhisah et-ein ha'aretz velo yuchal lir'ot et-ha'aretz ve'achal et-yeter hapletah hanish'eret lachem min-habarad ve'achal et-kol-ha'etz hatzome'ach lachem min-hasadeh
It will cover the surface of the earth so that one will not be able to see the earth; and it will consume the remaining residue that was left to you by the hail, and it will consume all the trees that grow for you from the field.
6Umal'u vateicha uvatei chol-avadeicha uvatey chol-Mitzrayim asher lo-ra'u avoteicha va'avot avoteicha miyom heyotam al-ha'adamah ad hayom hazeh vayifen vayetze me'im Par'oh
They will fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all Egypt, such as your fathers and your grandfathers have not seen from the day they came onto the earth until this day." And he turned and left Pharaoh's presence.

G-d literally said, Vekhisah et-ein ha'aretz - "The eye of the land will be covered".  The eyes of all Egyptian occultists would be covered, and they would cease to have any power.  Even if they had been able to use their preternatural powers to stop one kind of locust, there were so many different species involved with this plague, the occultists were essentially helpless. (Zohar Chadash; Yalkut Chadash, s.v. Keshafim)

G-d warned Par'oh that this would not be a normal locust attack.  Locusts usually arrive one by one, only then attacking in number.  Even then, they usually attack only one field at a time, devouring one and then moving on to another.  In this case, however, the locusts would attack the entire land at once, covering all visible ground.  Although Egypt was fairly large country, it would be covered in its entirety.

Although the locusts would denude Egypt of all vegetation, they would not attack any fields of the Benei Yisrael, even when they were in close proximity to Egyptian land.

Whenever Moshe came to Par'oh to present him with a divine warning, he would leave immediately without taking leave or saying goodbye. (RaMBaN)   Here the Torah states this explicitly, "he turned and left Par'oh's presence." This means that as soon as Moshe finished speaking, he turned his back on Par'oh and left.  He was careful not to back away in obeisance, as people usually do when leaving a king.  This was an important symbolic gesture, to show that as G-d's ambassador, Moshe was at least the equal of Par'oh.

10:12 Vayomer HASHEM el-Moshe neteh yadecha al-eretz Mitzrayim ba'arbeh veya'al al-eretz Mitzrayim veyochal et-kol-esev ha'aretz et kol-asher hish'ir habarad
HASHEM said to Moshe, "Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locust-swarm, and it will ascend upon the land of Egypt and eat all the grass of the land, everything that the hail had left."

The Ten Plagues were engraved on Moshe's staff. (Alshekh)  G-d therefore literally told Moshe, "Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the 'Locusts'-swarm." G-d was telling Moshe to grasp the staff in the place where it was inscribed with the word "Locusts."  The same was true when Moshe used his staff for the other plagues. (Derashot Yeshenim, Shemot)

10:14 Vaya'al ha'arbeh al kol-eretz Mitzrayim vayanach bechol gvul Mitzrayim kaved me'od lefanai lo-hayah chen arbeh kamohu ve'acharav lo yihyeh-ken
The locust-swarm ascended over the entire land of Egypt and it rested in the entire border of Egypt, very severely; before it there was never a locust-swarm like it and after it there will not be its equal.

There are 7 types of locusts mentioned in the Tanach:

1. אַרְבֶּה - Arbeh
2. סָלְעָם - Salam 
3. חַרְגוֹל - Chargol
4. חָגָב - Chagav
5. גָזם - Gazam
6. יֶלֶק - Yelek
7. חָסִיל - Chasil

All these destructive species of locusts attacked Egypt at once.  For this reason, the word "locusts" (arbeh) is mentioned seven times in this section.  The Torah refers to the plague in general as arbeh, since this species was by far the most numerous. (Shemot Rabbah; Tanchuma)

The Torah says that "never again" would there be such a plague, referring specifically to arbeh.  Never again would there be so many arbeh all at-once.  There might be plagues of other types of locusts, and altogether they might outnumber the arbeh of Egypt.  No single species, however, would ever outnumber these arbeh.

10:18Vayetze me'im Par'oh vayetar el-HASHEM
He left Pharaoh and entreated HASHEM
19 Vayahafoch HASHEM ruach-yam chazak me'od vayisa et-ha'arbeh vayitka'ehu Yamah Suf lo nish'ar arbeh echad bechol gevul Mitzrayim
HASHEM turned back a very powerful west wind and it carried the locust-swarm and hurled it toward the Sea of Reeds; not a single locust remained within the entire border of Egypt.

From the time that Moshe prayed that the locusts leave, there have never been locusts in Egypt.  Even when there are locusts in Yisrael, and some invade Egypt, they do not do any damage.  Moshe had prayed that there be no more locusts, and his prayer had a permanent effect.

One might think that the other plagues were more miraculous, since plagues of locusts are natural events.   But after all the other plagues were over, there was no evidence that they had ever existed.  However, every time locusts appeared in other lands and avoided Egypt, this plague would be remembered.  People would see that locusts invaded all other lands, but not Egypt.  Children would ask their parents the reason for this, giving the parent the opportunity to tell the entire story of how G-d sent a great plague of locusts against Egypt, and then decreed that the land never again be subject to locusts.  The children would tell the story to their offspring, so that all would know about G-d's miracles. (Sifetei Kohen)


The Ninth Plague: Darkness

10:21Vayomer HASHEM el-Moshe neteh yadecha al-hashamayim vyhi choshech al-eretz Mitzrayim veyamesh choshechHASHEM said to Moshe, "Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, and there shall be darkness upon the land of Egypt, and the darkness will be tangible."

The darkness was not like the darkness of night, but was something palpable.  Our sages state that it could be felt, just like a coin. (Tanchuma; Shemot Rabbah)

The measure of the "thickness of a coin (dinar)" is that which is considered to have substance; see Chulin 55b). Rashash on Shemot Rabbah writes that the darkness was like a thick curtain that could actually be felt with one's hands.

It was not the mere absence of sunshine and moonlight.  Rather, it was like a deep black cloud had enveloped all Egypt.  Even when many lamps and torches were lit, they did not provide any light.  Indeed, it soon became impossible to even light a lamp or torch; as soon as they were lit they went out.  It was as if the air would not support combustion, just as in some very deep mines or on high mountains. (RaMBaN; Abarbanel)

Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra writes that on the ocean there is sometimes such thick fog that one cannot distinguish between day and night.  He himself experienced such a fog which lasted for five days. (Ibn Ezra on 10:22)

When G-d ordered the Forces in charge of darkness to bring this plague on Egypt, they went far beyond His instructions.  This was not considered disobedience to G-d.  Since the Egyptians had committed such nefarious crimes, G-d agreed that the Forces had done right. (Tanchuma; Shemot Rabbah)

10:22 Vayet Moshe et-yado al-hashamayim vayehi choshech-afelah bechol-eretz Mitzrayim shloshet yamim
Moshe stretched forth his hand toward the heavens and there was a thick darkness throughout the land of Egypt for a three-day period.

 The darkness lasted for seven days. For the last three, the darkness was total and absolute. (Rashi)

The darkness was such that it was virtually impossible to breathe.  The fact that the Egyptians survived these seven days was in itself a miracle. (Ralbag)

During the first three days, the entire land became totally dark.  There was not even enough light to see a person standing close by. (Tanchuma; Shemot Rabbah; Rashi)  Even the stars were not visible. (Piyyut)

But then, during the last three days, it became even darker.  The very air became totally opaque.  If a person was sitting, he could not stand up; if a person was standing, he could not sit.  It was virtually impossible to move - as if the air had become like a solid wall.  This situation lasted for three days. (Toledot Yitzchak; Bachya)

This darkness was the result of an alteration of the elemental nature of light itself.

It was "the element of fire."  This can be interpreted as denoting the electromagnetic interaction, which is the force that allows light to exist.  This interaction is also responsible for all chemical and gross physical interactions.  The electromagnetic nature of air had been altered so that it would no longer transmit light.  This might also have made it difficult to move.

It was the same darkness as that which existed at the very beginning of creation, regarding which it is written, "darkness was on the face of the deep" (Bereishit 1:2) 

That is, the darkness that existed before light was created.  In scientific terms, the creation of light denotes the creation of the electromagnetic interaction, before which the world was "chaos and void" - nothing but a mass of non-interacting basic particles.  The darkness in Egypt was therefore the total absence of photons.

This elemental darkness precludes the very existence of light. (Shemot Rabbah; Tanchuma)

The reason for this plague was that at the time there were many Benei Yisrael who did not want to leave Egypt.  They had collaborated with the Egyptains, and gained much wealth.  G-d did not want to kill these people openly, since He did not want the Egyptians to say that the Benei Yisrael were no better than they.  G-d therefore brought darkness upon Egypt so that the Egyptians would not be able to see how these of Benei Yisrael died and were buried. (Shemot Rabbah, p. 76; Targum Yonatan; Tanchuma; Sefer HaYashar)

The main purpose of the Exodus was for Yisrael to receive the Torah.   If the Benei Yisrael had led a life of luxury, it would have been very difficult for them to have accepted the Torah and observed its many commandments.  When Moshe announced to the Benei Yisrael that they were going to be freed of their Egyptian bondage on the condition that they accept Torah, most of them gladly agreed.  Because of this, they deserved to be redeemed, even though they had committed terrible sins.  But the people who wanted to remain in Egypt were those who did not wish to accept the Torah.  Not having any merit, they had to die. (Kesef Nivchar)

Four-fifths of the Benei Yisrael died during the week of darkness. (Rashi on 13:18)  In all, 600,000 men over the age of twenty left Egypt in the Exodus (12:37).  Since there were at least four women and children for every man, the total number of people leaving Egypt was approximately three million.  From this we see that some twelve million people died during the week of darkness.

The plague of darkness began about 9:00 in the morning, when it is normally broad daylight.  If it had begun at night, the Egyptians might have thought that something had happened to extend the night.  But that morning, the sun rose as usual, brightly illuminating the entire land.  Then, as if a lamp had been extinguished, it suddenly became dark. (Bachya; Tzedah LaDerekh)

10:23Lo-ra'u ish et-achiv velo-kamu ish mitachtav shloshet yamim ulechol-benei Yisrael hayah or bemoshevotam
No man could see his brother nor could anyone rise from his place for a three-day period; but for all the Children of Yisrael there was light in their dwellings.

This is speaking of the second three days.  During the first three days, there was merely "total darkness" (10:22), when people could not see each other.  During the second three days, no one could even "rise from his place."

The reason for the first three days of darkness was so that the Benei Yisrael  would be able to bury their dead, without the Egyptians seeing them.  The second three days of darkness were to punish the Egyptians.

This darkness only existed for the Egyptians.  For the Benei Yisrael, it was perfectly light.  And not only in the land of Goshen, but wherever the Benei Yisrael went, they had ample illumination.  Even when the Benei Yisrael entered the house of an Egyptian, he was able to see perfectly. (Yeffeh Toar; Alshekh.  See Kesef Nivchar)

Another reason for this plague was that the Egyptians worshiped the sun as a god. The plague of darkness demonstrated the impotence of the sun when G-d so willed. (Yalkut Reuveni)

Ra and Aton were both Egyptian sun gods.  In general, the sun god was always the head of the Egyptian pantheon.

The Egyptians were also punished for making the Benei Yisrael toil day and night.  When they refused them straw for the bricks (5:7), the Benei Yisrael had to get up before dawn to gather enough straw for their daily quota of bricks.  Since the Egyptians made day and night the same for the Benei Yisrael, day and night were now the same for the Egyptians. (Kli Chemdah; Yad Yosef)

11:1Vayomer HASHEM el-Moshe od nega echad avi al-Par'oh ve'al-Mitzrayim acharei-chen yeshalach etchem mizeh keshalecho kalah garesh yegaresh etkhem mizeh
And HASHEM said to Moshe, Yet, I will bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go from here: when he shall let you go, he shall drive you out altogether from here:
2Daber-na be'oznei ha'am veyish'alu ish me'et re'ehu ve'ishah me'et re'utah klei-chesef uchelei-zahav
Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man ask of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, vessels of silver and vessels of gold.

As soon as G-d said these words, Moshe knew that He was speaking of the Death of the First-Born.  When G-d had told Avraham about the Egyptian exile, He had said, "I will also judge the nation who enslaves them" (Bereishit 15:14).  G-d had indicated that this would be a plague that He would handle personally, and as He explained to Avraham, this would be the Death of the First-Born. The tradition was then passed down to Yitzchak, Yaakov, Levi, Kehat, Amram, and finally to Moshe. (Yeffeh Toar, p. 91)

G-d had also told Moshe that Par'oh would not release the Benei Yisrael until after the killing of the first-born (5:23).  When G-d now informed Moshe that there would be one more plague after which Par'oh would release the Benei Yisrael, Moshe understood that this would be the Death of the First-Born. (Yeffeh Toar, p. 41)

Of all the plagues, the Death of the First-Born would be the worst.  In Hebrew, this plague is known as Makkat Bechorot.  Since each of the Ten Plagues was known as a Makkah, this tenth plague is literally the "Plague of the First-Born."  Unlike all the others, this one is specifically referred to as a plague.  This indicates that it was the worst of all.

11:3Vayiten HASHEM et-chen ha'am be'einei Mitzrayim gam ha'ish moshe gadol me'od be'eretz Mitzrayim be'einei avdei-Par'oh uve'einei ha'am
And HASHEM gave the people favor in the sight of Egypt; moreover the man Moshe was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.

G-d influenced the Egyptian's minds so that they did not hate the Benei Yisrael because of the catastrophes that they had suffered because of them.  Just the opposite, the Egyptians began to respect the Benei Yisrael admitting their guilt.

Moshe was also highly respected in the palace, even though it was he who had brought the calamities, and the Egyptians should logically have hated him.

The Benie Yisrael had previously ignored Moshe because of their impatience and harsh labor (6:9).  Now, however, that they had seen the great miracles that he had performed, they believed that he was G-d's emissary.

The Torah, however, does not mention that Par'oh respected Moshe.  G-d had hardened his heart to such an extent that such respect was literally impossible for him.  This had already caused him to insult Moshe and humiliate him twice.  Eventually, however, G-d would cause Par'oh to fall at Moshe's feet and beg his forgiveness. (RaMBaN; Tzeror HaMor; Kli Chemdah)


gam ha'ish moshe - moreover, the man Moshe

The final letters of these three words spell הַשֵּׁם (hashem) "the name," but in reverse order, as well as the name מֹשֵׁה (Moshe).  This is an allusion to the fact that Moshe's greatness was increased twofold.

According to the Peirush HaTur HaAroch, Moshe's greatness was recognized both in the eyes of the servants of Par'oh and in the eyes of the nation (that is, Yisrael), as the verse goes on to state.  Thus, his fame and greatness were doubly acknowledged, by his enemies and by his own people (veChur LaZahv).

The Tenth Plague: Death of the First-Born

11:4Vayomer Moshe koh amar HASHEM kachatzot halailah ani yotze betoch Mitzrayim
And Moshe said, Thus says HASHEM, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
5Umet kol-bechor be'eretz Mitzrayim mibechor Par'oh hayoshev al-kis'o ad bechor hashifchah asher achar harechayim vechol bechor behemah
and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beast.

Moshe told Par'oh that G-d had said that He would strike the first-born "about midnight."  G-d had told Moshe that he would strike exactly "at midnight."  Moshe changed the wording, since he was concerned that Par'oh's astrologers would not calculate the time of midnight precisely, and would say that the plague was premature or belated. (Berachot 3b. Cf. Tzedah LaDerech)

Clocks did not exist in those days, and the common people, who did not have access to even the crude astronomical sightings of the time, relied on the barking of dogs to tell them when it is was approximately midnight.  On the night of this plague, however, "no dog would even growl" (11:6), therefore, people wold not have any idea when midnight arrived, and would consider Moshe a liar if they were expecting the plague precisely at midnight.  Moshe therefore gave only an approximate time, "about midnight."

"All the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die," said Moshe, "from the firstborn of Par'oh that sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill."

Even slaves would be punished, since they also enjoyed seeing the Benei Yisrael suffer.  Now that the Benei Yisrael were enslaved, they formed an underclass who were dominated even by the Egyptian slaves.

The animals were also punished, since in Egypt animals were worshiped as gods.  When G-d punishes a nation, He first destroys their deities, so that all should know that they are powerless. (Rashi)

11:6Vehayetah tze'akah gedolah bechol-eretz Mitzrayim asher kamohu lo nihyatah vechamohu lo tosif
And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.
7Ulechol benei Yisrael lo yecheratz-kelev leshono leme'ish ve'ad-behemah lema'an ted'un asher yafleh HASHEM bein Mitzrayim uvein Yisrael
But against any of the children of Yisrael not a dog shall move its tongue, neither against man or beast: that you may know that HASHEM does differentiates between Egypt and Yisrael.

The plague would strike at midnight, when dogs usually begin barking.  This is the time when the Angel of Death is abroad, and dogs can sense his presence.

A talmid of Rabbi Yehudah HaTzaddik once saw a dog slinking alongside a wall, barking at something.  The dog had its tail between its legs, as if it was terrified of something that it could see.  Suddenly a man came along and bumped into the place at which the dog had been barking.  The man collapsed dead on the spot. (Sifetei Kohen)

"It will be a night of terror for Egypt," said Moshe, "for there will not be a home that will not experience death.  There will also be mass confusion among the Benei Yisrael, preparing to leave the country.  You might expect the dogs to be barking with all their might.  But I am telling you now, that out of fear and respect for the Benei Yisrael, a dog will not even whimper. (Ibid.; Toledot Yitzchak; Tzedah LaDerech)

On the gates of the Egyptian capital, there were various statues of animals, a different creature on every gate.  These statutes had magical powers, so that when a slave attempted to escape through a gate, the animal would begin to make noise, sounding the alarm.  Every similar animal would then join in.

G-d planned for the Benei Yisrael to leave Egypt through the gate protected by statues of dogs.  Although dogs usually make even more noise than other animals, on this night they would remain perfectly silent. (Sifetei Kohen, Shemot; Yad Yosef)

Moshe therefore said in G-d's Name, "Against any of the Benei Yisrael not a dog shall move its tongue, neighter against man or beast."  Whether the dog was born naturally from a beast, or formed as a statue by man and given magical powers, it would remain silent. (Sifetei Kohen; Shama Shlomo; Tzedah LaDerech)  Although the voice of these thaumaturgical dogs could normally be heard hundreds of miles aay, on this night they would not make a sound. (Yalkut Reuveni)

Our sages teach that when a person maligns another, he deserves to be cast to the dogs. (Pesachim 118a).  As we have seen, there were many slanderers among the Benei Yisrael.  Nevertheless, at this time, dogs will not even bark at the Benei Yisrael.  G-d will be present in Egypt among the Benei Yisrael, and this will be evidenced by the silence of the dogs. (Yad Yosef)

11:10UMoshe ve'Aharon asu et-kol-hamoftim ha'eleh lifnei Par'oh vayechazek HASHEM et-lev Par'oh velo-shilach et-benei-Yisrael me'artzo
And Moshe and Aharon did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and HASHEM hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not send out the children of Yisrael from his land.

Moshe and Aharon had performed all the miracles rounted until this point.  Since the catastrophes were on the verge of ending, the Torah gives credit to Moshe and Aharon for doing everything as they had been instructed.  The next catastropes, the death of the first-born and splitting of the Red Sea, would be accomplished by G-d alone. (RaMBaN)

The Torah informs us that Par'oh did not free the Benei Yisrael, but not because Moshe and Aharon had not fulfilled their mission.  Rather, it was because G-d had hardened Par'oh's heart.  Moshe and Aharon had done everything that G-d had told them. (Tzeror HaMor)

12:1Vayomer HASHEM el-Moshe ve'el-Aharon be'eretz Mitzrayim lemor
And HASHEM spoke to Moshe and Aharon in the land of Egypt, saying,
2Hachodesh hazeh lachem rosh chodashim rishon hu lachem lechodeshei hashanah
This month shall be for you the beginning of the months: it shall be for you the first of the month of the year.

G-d spoke to Moshe outside the city. As we have seen, Moshe never prayed in the city, because idols were found everywhere. Obviously then, G-d never spoke to Moshe within the city.

The Torah therefore says, "G-d spoke to Moshe and Aharon in the land of Egypt," and not merely, "in Egypt." They were not in the city, but in the surrounding territory.

Usually, G-d spoke to Moshe alone.  Here, however, He spoke to both Moshe and Aharon.  The Torah earlier honored Moshe and Aharon together by saying that they had performed all the wonders of G-d had instructed (11:10). Now G-d again honored both of them by addressing them together. (Shemot Rabbah, p. 78; Rashi)


The Calendar

G-d spoke to Moshe in the month of Nissan, and told them that this would be the first month of the year.  The New Year is in Tishrei, the month in which Adam was created.  But from now on, the Benei Yisrael were to consider Nissan to be the first month. (Rashi)

The Hebrew months are then as follows:

1. נִיסָן - Nissan
2. אִייָר - Iyyar
3. סִיוָן - Sivan
4. תַּמוּז - Tammuz
5. אָב - Av
6. אֶלוּל - Elul
7. תִּשְׁרֵי - Tishrei
8. מַרְחֶשְׁוֹן - [Mar]cheshvan
9. כִּסְלֵו - Kislev
10. טֵבֵת - Tevet
11. שְׁבָט - Shevat
12. אֲדָר - Adar

This can be explained through a parable:

A king had an only son, and made a great feast when he was born.  From then on, the boy's birth was celebrated with huge banquets.  One day the boy was kidnapped, and was away from home for a long time.  When the child was finally ransomed, the king made a greater celebration than when he was born.  From that day on, the anniversary of the son's return was a greater celebration than his birthday.

It was the same here. At first, the months were counted from Tishrei.  Since it was the month in which Adam was created, it was the birthday of the human race.

When G-d made the B'rit Bein HaBetarim (Covenant Between Halves) with Avraham (Bereishit 15), his descendants began counting from this covenant. They counted "year 1 from the decree," Year 2 from the decree," and so forth.  Whenever they referred to a year, they would count it from this decree.  Although true oppression had not begun, the 400 year period began with the birth of Yitzchak.

Now the Benei Yisrael would gain their freedom in Nissan.  G-d therefore ordered them to count Nissan as the first month of the year.  It was like the day the entire human race was redeemed, since G-d had selected Yaakov and his descendants to be His chosen people.

Nissan also had other significance.  It was the month in which Yitzchak was born. Some say that it was the month in which Yaakov received the blessing from his father, Yitzchak.  It is also the month in which the final redemption is destined to come. (Rosh HaShanah 11a)

In Hebrew, the days are not named.  Instead:

1. Sunday is called "the first day after Shabbat"
2. Monday "the second day,"
3. Tuesday "the third day,"
4. Wednesday "the fourth day,"
5. Thursday "the fifth day,"
6. and Friday "the sixth day."

Years were counted from the Exodus for 1000 years, until 3448, when the reckoning of "Shetarot" began;  Avodah Zarah 9a.  At a later day, people began to simply count the years from the creation of Adam.

They continued doing this until after the Babylonian exile.  When the Benei Yisrael returned from the Babylonian exile they adopted the names of the month then in current usage. (Yerushalmi, Rosh HaShanah 1:2; Bereishit Rabbah 48)  Instead of merely referring to "the first month," etc., Jews began to call them by names, Nissan, Iyyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av, Elul, Tishrei, Cheshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat and Adar.  These are Persian names that Jews learned during the Babylonian exile.  Very similar names are still in use in Persia (Iran). (RaMBaN; Bachya; Rabbi Moshe ibn Chabib, Get Pashut 126:35.  Cf. Yeffeh Toar, Shemini, p. 79)

Although these names are not found in the Torah, Jews began to use them to commemorate their redemption from the Babylonian exile.  Thus, in the Book of Ester, we find such references as, "in the first month, that is, the month of Nissan" (Ester 3:7) (Also see Nechemya 2:1;. Cf. Zecharya 1:7; 7:1; Ester 2:16, 3:7, 8:9; Nechemya 1:1)

The sages said, "We brought the names of the months with us out of Babylonia," for initially we had no names for the months, because we counted the months as a remembrance of the Exodus [as in the first, second, the third month...].  But when we came up from Babylonia, the words of the prophet, "A time is coming when it shall no more be said, 'As HaShem lives Who brought Benei Yisrael out of the land of Egypt,' but rather, 'As HaShem lives Who brought Benei Yisrael out of the north land,'" (Yirmeyahu 16:14, 15) were fulfilled.  From that time on, we called the months by the Babylonian names to remind us that we stayed there during the 70 year cycle and that G-d brought us up from there to Eretz Yisrael. (RaMBaN) 

G-d literally told Moshe, "This month shall be for you as the head of months."  G-d was saying, "It is for you - for your sake - that this month is being designated as the first of months.  It is so that you may always recall the Exodus from Egypt." (Lekach Tov)

This is the first mitzvah that G-d instructed Moshe to give to Yisrael.  G-d told Moshe that when the new moon is seen, this is the "rebirth" (molad).  At this time, a new month is designated.  The ritual of declaring a new month is known as Kiddush HaChodesh (Sanctification of the Month). (Mechilta; Rashi)

The molad is the very first sliver of moon to be visible at the beginning of the lunar cycle.  Since hardly anything can be seen, Moshe found it difficult to understand on the basis of a mere oral explanation.  He did not know how to differentiate between the first sliver of the moon and optical illusions that are sometimes seen in the sky.

G-d then showed Moshe a minimal new moon and said, "This type of new moon shall determine the beginning of months for you.  When you see such a moon, you can designate a new month. (Ibid.; Menachot 29a)

G-d told Moshe, "This new moon shall be the first of months for you." Whenever G-d says "this," it indicates that He was showing something to Moshe. G-d showed Moshe the first visible sliver of the new moon and said, "When you see this, you will be able to designate a new month.  The moon will then have finished it cycle and begun a new one."


Designating Months

The Shabbat is known to all, and does not require any special designation. At the end of every seven day cycle, the final day is designated as the Shabbat for all Yisrael.

This, however, is not true for the months.  The individual does not have the power to decide on which day of the new month will start.  This can only be cone by a duly ordained tribunal (bet din).

This bet din must consist of the greatest Torah scholars of the time.  To them alone does the Torah grant authority to designate a new month.

This is alluded to in G-d's statement, "This new moon shall be for you the beginning of months."  It as if G-d were saying, "The authority to designate new months is given over to you."  Moshe and Aharon were the greatest Torah scholars of their time.  Similarly, in generations to come, only the greatest Torah scholars would have the authority to declare a new month.

These sages have the responsibility to make astronomical calculations to determine the exact times of the various phases of the moon and in what part of the sky the new moon will be seen.  Most important, they calculate whether or not the new moon will be visible in its proper time, on the 30th day of the previous month.  If they determine that it will be visible, they wait until two witnesses come and testify that they saw the new moon.  The witnesses are properly examined to see if their testimony is true and precise, and to see if they are valid witnesses.  If the testimony is valid, the bet din declares it a new month.

If the moon could not be seen, or if two witnesses did not testify, then the 30th day is counted as the last day of the previous month, and the 31st day is automatically the first day of the new month. Both the 30th and 31st days are considered Rosh Chodesh.

If the astronomical calculations determine that hte new moon will not be visible until the 31st day, the bet din does not sit on the 30th.  Even if witnesses testify on the 30th, the bet dincan be certain that they are testifying falsely, or that they merely saw some illumination in the clouds.  It obviously could not have been the new moon.

Therefore, two conditions are required before a new month can be declared: astronomical calculations, and testimony of witnesses who actually saw the new moon.  If either of these two conditions is lacking, the new month cannot be declared on the 30th of the previous month.

It is one of the mandatory commandments (mitzvat asseh) of the Torah for the bet din to calculate where and when the new moon will be visible.  They also have the responsibility to examine the witnesses carefully, asking all pertinent questions.  They furthermore have the responsibility to send notice and inform all the people of which day was declared the first of the new month.  Unless the people know when the month begins, they cannot keep such holidays as Pesach and Sukkot, which are always on the 15th of the lunar month.  All other festivals are also calculated according to this lunar calendar. (Yad Kiddush HaChodesh 1)


Sanctifying the New Moon

There would normally be a large crowd of people waiting for the bet din to sanctify the new month.  After all the witnesses were examined and testimony accepted, the head of the bet din would announce, "The new month is sanctified (me-kudash ha-chodesh)

The bet din must be a tribunal consisting of three duly ordained judges.  As in the case of all judicial actions, the sanctification of a new month can only take place by day.  Even if the new moon is seen by all Yisrael, the new month does not begin until the bet din announces that "the new month is sanctified."   The new month does not begin until this announcement is made, and in such a case, it then automatically begins on the 31st day.  G-d thus commanded that designating the new month does not depend on the new moon being visible, but on the announcement made by the bet din.  Only when they announce that "the new month is sanctified," is a new month designated.

Months could only be designated by the Sanhedrin itself, the supreme court and legislative body of Yisrael consisting of 70 elders (BaMidbar 11:16) - specially ordained in an unbroken chain from Moshe, or by a special bet din duly ordained for this purpose by the Sanhedrin.

The new month can only be designated by a bet din situated in Yisrael, not elsewhere.  It is thus written, "Out of Tziyon shall come Torah; G-d's word from Yerushalayim" (Yeshayahu 2:3)

Therefore, this entire discussion regarding designating months through witnesses only applied to the time when the Sanhedrin existed.  Now, however, when the Sanhedrin no longer functions, we no longer designate new months on the basis of sightings of the new moon.  Instead, the months are determined by astronomical calculations.  The set of calculations is known as the Chalilah.

The word chalilah for the calendar was used by the Sefardim in Yerushalayim the author originated.

The Molad is the time when the new moon first becomes visible in Yisrael.  Sometimes the new month begins before the molad, and sometimes afterwards.  The calculation that we use was set up by the sages who lived int he time that Yisrael was destroyed, toward the end of the Talmudic period.

We know that Rav Hillel, a descendant of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, arranged the calendar calculations that are used to this very day.  He was a great sage who lived in Yisrael, and one of the last to receive the unbroken chain of ordination (semicha).  The calendar that he designated was first used in the year 4118 (358 c.e.)  Through these calculations, we will be able to set up the Hebrew calendar until the coming of Mashiach. (Sefer HaChinuch)

Although these calculations are universally known today, and the day upon which the new month begins can be readily calculated, the festivals are still kept for two days outside Yisrael. The Torah demands that we keep the customs of our ancestors, and celebrate the holy days just as in the time of the Sanhedrin.

In Yisrael, however, only a single festival day is observed.  The only exception is Rosh HaShanah; even in Yisrael it is kept for two days.  Since Rosh HaShanah is the first of the month (of Tishrei), it would always be impossible for the messengers to announce the designation of the new month before this holy day.

Even in Yerushalayim, Rosh HaShanah was often kept for two days.  The 30th day would always have to be considered a festival, since the witnesses might come any time before sunset.  If witnesses did not come, then both the 30th and the 31st day would be Rosh HaShanah.  Thus, today, Rosh HaShanah is universally celebrated for two days.   In general, all areas outside Yisrael must keep every festival for two days.  This is true of the first day of Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, the first and last days of Pesach and Shavuot.

According to many authorities, the calendar did not originally depend on the sighting of the moon, but completely on astronomical calculations. We thus see that during the forty years that the Benei Yisrael  were in the desert, they were covered by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, making it impossible for them to make any astronomical sightings.  Since both the sun and moon were invisible to them, it would have been impossible for them to construct a calendar based on actual observation.  This is clear evidence that calculation was the original means of determining the calendar.

On Mount Sinai, G-d taught Moshe that the length of the lunar month is 29 days, 12 hours and 793 "parts" (chelakim), there being 1080 chelakim to an hour.  Hence, the lunar month is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 3 seconds.


There is further evidence from Yonatan's statement to David, "Tomorrow is [Rosh] Chodesh" (1Shmuel 20:18).  If the designation of Rosh Chodesh depended entirely on the sightings of the moon, how could Yonatan know that it would be visible the next day, and that witnesses would come before the bet din?  The new moon could have been covered by clouds and not visible.

This is clear evidence that, in those days, there was a predetermined calendar based on calculation.  Witnesses were not used.  This situation existed for 1100 years, from the time of Moshe until the time of Antigonos of Sokho in  3548 (213 b.c.e). (Bachya, quoting Rabenu Chananel)

Antigonos was the greatest sage of his time, and the head of the Sanhedrin.  He had taught his students a very important moral lesson, "Do not be like slaves who serve their master for the sake of reward" (Avot 1:3).  Two of his students, Tzadok and Betos misunderstood his teaching to mean that there is no reward for virtue and good deeds. They began to organize heretical sects which did not accept the authority of the Oral Torah.

The first major clash between the sectarians and the Orthodox involved the calendar.  The sectarians began to claim that the traditional rules to calculate the time of the new moon were not accurate.  In order to refute their claims, the Sanhedrin legislated that the new month also be designated on the basis of the testimony of witnesses who actually saw the new moon. 

Many years later, Rabban Gamaliel was the head of the Sanhedrin.  He used to have pictures of the moon and stars and other devices with which he would examine the witnesses.  First, he would carefully calculate exactly how the new moon would look, and where in the sky it would appear. After carefully examining the witnesses, he would show them in a drawing exactly how the moon would appear, and in proximity to which astronomical bodies.  His calculation would always agree with the sighting.  Everyone then began to realize how accurate these calculations could be. (Ibid. See Rosh HaShanah 2:8 [24a])

In later times (around 760 c.e.) a new sect of heretics arose, known as the Karaites, who also did not accept the authority of the Oral Torah.  Like their predecessors, they refused to accept the veracity of the traditional rules for constructing the Hebrew calendar.  Disassociating themselves from the general Jewish community, they once again began constructing the calendar on the basis of lunar sightings, but in a very primitive way.  There is also division in their ranks, and Karaites from Damascus living in Constantinople and Egypt can keep different days as their festivals. Thus, when the Karaites in Egypt are keeping Yom Kippur, those in Constantinople may be feasting.  This is what happens when tradition is abandoned. (Abarbanel)

12:3Daberu el-kol-adat Yisrael lemor be'asor lachodesh hazeh veyikchu lahem ish seh leveit-avot seh labayit
Speak to the entire assembly of Yisrael, saying, On the tenth of this month they shall take for themselves each man, a lamb or kid for each father's house, a lamb or kid for the household. 

G-d spoke to Moshe and Aharon on the 1st of Nissan, instructing them to tell the Benei Yisrael that each must acquire a lamb for the Pesach sacrifice on the 10th of Nissan.  It would not be adequate if the lamb was purchased on the day that it was to be sacrificed. This, however, was only true of the first Pesach; in later generations it could be bought on the day before the festival. (Pesachim 96a)

After G-d gave Moshe instructions, he would stand before the assembled leadership of Yisrael with Aharon to his right.  Aharon's son Elazar would stand at Msohe's left side, while his other son, Itamar, would stand at Aharon's right.  It would seem as if the voice speaking to the Benei Yisrael came from all of them.

12:4Ve'im-yim'at habayit miheyot miseh velakach hu ushcheno hakarov el-beito bemikhsat nefashot ish lefi ochlo tachosu al-haseh
And if the household be too small for a lamb or kid, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the souls; according to every man's eating shall you make your count for the lamb.

If a family is too small to eat a lamb completely, it may be shared with a neighbor. (Rashi)

The word "if" here indicates that this is not a preferable situation.  it is better for an entire family to come together for the Pesach.  If a man is wealthy, he should invite his poor relatives to enjoy the festival with him. Since they are his relatives, he cannot simply ignore them.  If his house is too small to hold all his relatives, he must send them the wherewithal with which to celebrate the holiday completely.  It is not G-d's will that one person should fully enjoy the holiday while his relatives suffer because of their poverty.

However, if the household is too small to eat a lamb completely, the leftover portion will have to be burned (12:10).  Therefore, it should be shared with a next-door neighbor.  The partners in the lamb should share the cost according to how much each individual will eat.  They should then celebrate Pesach together so that nothing remains form the lamb. (Mechilta; Bachya; Ralbag)

12:5Seh tamim zachar ben-shanah yihyeh lachem min-hakvasim umin-ha'izim tikachu
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: you shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats:

The animal must be flawless, without the slightest blemish.  It must be a male born that year.  Only then is the animal valid for the Pesach-sacrifice.

Although the Torah designates a "lamb" (seh), the animal can be a young sheep or a young goat.  The Hebrew word שֶׂה (seh) is also occasionally used to designate a young kid. (Rashi)

Even the poorest Jew would not neglect this observance [while the Temple stood]. The lamb is designated to recall the merit of the binding of Yitzchack (Bereishit 22).

Here for "one year old" the Torah uses the expression ben shanah, which is literally translated, "the son of a year."  In other places, however, the Torah uses the expression ben shanato, literally, "a son of its year."

Thus, when the Torah says that the lamb must be a "year old" it merely means that it must be within a year of its birth.  If it had to be exactly one year old, it would have been very difficult to find enough animals for everyone to bring the Pesach-sacrifice. (Ralbag)

Usually, an animal must be at least 30 days old before it can be offered as a sacrifice.  There are only three exceptions to this rule, one of which is the Pesach-sacrifice.  For the Pesach-sacrifice, the animal can be as young as eight days (VaYikra 22:27). (Yad, Maaseh Karbanot 1:12)

The reason that the Pesach-sacrifice is more lenient is that it is a sacrifice that must be brought by every Jewish family.  If the law demanded that the animal be at least 30 days old, it is possible that there would not be sufficient animals, or that they would be too expensive for some families.  Therefore, it was permitted to bring an animal as soon as it was 8 days old, so that every Jew would be able to fulfill this mitzvah.

12:6Vehayah lachem lemishmeret ad arba'ah asar yom lachodesh hazeh veshachatu oto kol kehal adat-Yisrael bein ha'arba'im
and it shall be yours for examination until the fourteenth day of this month; the entire congregation of the assembly of Yisrael shall slaughter it in the afternoon.

The animal must be carefully watched for the four days between the time it is purchased and when it is sacrificed so that it will not become blemished.  Every day until 14 Nissan it must be examined to make sure that it is still flawless. (Mechilta)

On the 14th of Nissan the Pesach-sacrifice was slaughtered after noon. (Pesachim 61a;
Yad; Karban Pesach 1:1)

The Torah thus states that it should be slaughtered toward evening.  The day is divided into three unequal parts: boker (morning), tzohoraim (noon) and erev (afternoon) in Hebrew.

The first third of the day (until 10 a.m. in a 12 hour day) is considered boker.  During this period, the sun is obviously toward the east.

The next two hours (from 10 a.m until noon) are considered tzohoraim.  This is the time of the day when the sun shines most strongly, illuminating the sky.  Hence, the term tzohoraim indicates light, as in G-d's instruction to Noach, "You shall make a skylight (tzohar) for the ark" (Bereishit 6:16).  During this time of day the sun is in the middle of the sky, just like a "skylight."

From noon (12:00) until sunset is erev.

The Torah literally states that the animal should be sacrificed "between the two evenings" (bein-ha-arbayim).  The first of these two "evenings" is immediately after noon, when the sun begins to appear to move toward the western horizon.  The second is when the sun actually sets.  It is between these two "evenings" that the Pesach-sacrifice must be slaughtered. (RaMBaN)

Although special slaughterers killed the sacrifices, the Torah states that "the entire community of Yisrael shall slaughter it", indicating that every individual must participate in slaughtering the animal.  This indicates that a a person's agent is exactly like himself.  (Kiddushin 41b)

12:7Velakechu min-hadam venatenu al-shtei hamezuzot ve'al-hamashkof al habatim asher-yochlu oto bahem
And they shall take some of its blood and place it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they will eat it.

The blood of the Pesach-sacrifice had to be placed on the two doorposts and the lintel (the post over the door) of the houses in which it was eaten.  It would also have to be placed on the houses in which people would sleep. (Targum Yonatan; Mechilta)

The blood was to be placed on the doorposts and lintel on the inside of the house, where the Egyptians outside would not be able to see it.  The Torah thus later says, "the blood shall be a sign for you in the homes where you remain" (12:13).  That is, it shall be a sign for you, and not for those standing outside. (Rashi)

According to another opinion, however, the commandment was to place the blood outside.  Since the sheep was an animal sacred to the Egyptians, the sight of its blood would make them cringe. (Targum Yonatan)

G-d instructed the Benei Yisrael to procure a lamb and keep it tethered in their houses for 4 days.  The Egyptians would hear it bleating, but be helpless to rescue the animal.  If the sheep were purchased at the last minute, the Egyptians might argue that they did not have time to take action.  G-d thus instructed that the young sheep be held for several days in order to demonstrate the impotence of the Egyptians. (Chizzkuni; Chen Tov)

Moshe thus instructed the Benei Yisrael, "Lead and take sheep for yourselves" (12:21). This meant that they were to purchase sheep and lead them through the streets where all the Egyptians would be able to see them.  The lamb was also to be slaughtered publicly, with the entire community participating, men, women and children.

The entire ritual was meant to taunt the Egyptians.  They would be expected to react very strongly to the descration of their sacred animal, where it was bound and roasted.  They might be expected to come with drawn swords and attack the Benei Yisrael.  In doing this, the Benei Yisrael would place their lives on the line by denying the Egyptian deities, and would thus atone for their sin of worshiping these gods.  G-d would then protect the Benei Yisrael, making the Egyptians as meek as lambs, not daring even to protest what the Benei Yisrael were doing. (Binah LeIttim; Derush 17)

Another reason the Benei Yisrael had to procure the lamb four days in advance was because they had to circumcise themselves before eating this sacrifice (12:48).  When a man is circumcised, he is in pain for three days, during which he can hardly move.  The Benei Yisrael therefore had to purchase the sacrifice on the 10th, and then circumcise themselves, allowing three days for the circumcision to heal.  By the 14th, they would be sufficiently well to celebrate the Pesach and participate in the Exodus. (Kesef Mezukak)

This also explains why the order to buy the lamb on the 10th of Nissan only applied to this first Pesach, which was celebrated in Egypt.  Since none of these reasons existed in later years, the lamb could be purchased on the same day it was sacrificed.

12:8Ve'achlu et-habasar balaylah hazeh tzli-esh umatzot al-merorim yocheluhu
And they shall eat the flesh on that night, roasted over the fire, and unleavened bread; with bitter herbs shall they eat it.

G-d further instructed the Pesach-sacrifice be roasted over fire, and that it be eaten together with matzah and bitter herbs.  The lamb could only be eaten together with matzah and such bitter herbs as romaine lettuce, endives [or horseradish]. (Rashi)  The bitter herbs were to commemorate the bitter lives that the Benei Yisrael had had in Egypt, so that they would realize what a great favor G-d did for them in freeing them.

The sacrifice could not be eaten until nightfall.  It had to be eaten after the meal, when one was already satisfied and satiated.  As soon as one has eaten an olive-sized piece, he has fulfilled the mitzvah. (Pesachim 96a; Mechilta)

12:9Al-tochlu mimenu na uvashel mevushal bamayim ki im-tzli-esh rosho al-kra'av ve'al-kirbo
You shall not eat it partially roasted or cooked in water, only roasted over fire: its head, its legs, and with its innards.

The sacrifice could not be eaten rare, or even if it was not fully roasted.  It also could not be cooked in water or any other liquid. (Pesachim 41a)  One violates this mitzvah if he eats the sacrifice raw or cooked.  this is a negative mitzvah, carrying the penalty of flogging.  Even if the lamb is first roasted and then cooked or vice versa, eating it is a violation of this mitzvah.  The same is true if it is roasted in a pot, even without water or oil.  It cannot be placed in any kind of pot. (ibid., Yad, Karban Pesach 8:7, 8)

It was also forbidden to hang the lamb over a hot stove from which the coals had been cleared.  The Torah therefore emphasizes that it must be "roasted over fire."  If it is roasted without actual fire, it is forbidden to eat it.  It is therefore forbidden to roast it over hot stones or in a hot oven without fire or coals.

When the lamb was roasted, it was placed on a spit of pomegranate wood.  It was then hung over a pot filled with burning coals.  The internal organs were placed on the outside so that they would also be roasted directly over the fire. If the were left inside, they would be considered "cooked," and the mitzvah was that every part of the body be roasted.

Pomegranate wood was used because even when heated, it does not exude any moisture.  Since other types of wood exude moisture, the flesh would be considered "cooked with water," and would be forbidden.

The lamb could not be cooked on a metal spit.  The metal conducts heat, and the spit would become hot enough to cook the animal internally.  G-d, however, commanded that the lamb be "roasted over fire" - and not through any metal conductor.

For the same reason, if any part of the animal touches the side of the oven, that portion must be cut off.  Rather than being roasted by the fire, it was roasted by its contact with the stove.

12:10Velo-totiru mimenu ad-boker vehanotar mimenu ad-boker ba'esh tisrofu
And you shall not leave any of it until morning; and that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with fire.

G-d said, "On this night I will kill all the first-born of Egypt, not leaving over a single individual. You too must not leave over any of the Pesach Lamb." (Shemot Rabbah)

In the event that the lamb is not completely eaten on the eve of the 15th, it must be burned on the eve of the 16th of Nissan, after the first day of Pesach is over.  The entire day of the 15th is a festival (Yom Tov) during which the portions left over from a sacrifice (notar) may not be burned. (Targum Yonatan; Rashi)

12:11Vechachah tokhlu oto motneichem chagurim na'aleichem beragleichem umakelchem beyedchem va'achaltem oto bechipazon pesach hu l'HASHEM
And thus shall you eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste; it is a Pesach offering to HASHEM.

This instruction only applied to the first Pesach celebrated in Egypt, and not to future years. (Targum Yonatan)

In those days, it was the custom to remove one's sash or belt before eating, as is done in many middle eastern countries today.  People would also remove their shoes and wash their feet.  This would be a sign of relaxation.

On this night, however, the Benei Yisrael were not to be relaxed when they ate the Pesach Lamb.  They were to be like people anxious to embark on a journey, who do not have time to relax. (Ralbag; Abarbanel)

This was also highly symbolic.

The Benei Yisrael were to have their loins girded to commemorate how G-d had strengthened their loins so that they maintained a high fertility rate even though they were harshly treated.  The Torah thus states, "The more [the Egyptians] oppressed them, the more [the Benei Yisrael] increased in number" (1:12).  Although their fertility rate would be expected to be reduced, it was actually increased.

They were to have "their shoes on their feet" to remind them of the sin of selling Yosef, where the brothers used the purchase money to buy themselves shoes.  Because of this, the Benei Yisrael would have to knead the clay for the bricks with their bare feet.  As a symbol that this sin was now atoned for, G-d told the Benei Yisrael to have their shoes on their feet when they ate the sacrifice.

They were told to have their staffs in their hands to symbolize their independence.  Until now, the staffs were in the hands of the Egyptians, who would beat them each time they were short even a single brick from their quota.  Now they could have the staffs in their own hands to show that they were their own masters.

The sacrifice was to be eaten quickly so that they would not enjoy its taste.  If they could eat it slowly, they would enjoy the meat, and would be thinking more of their own pleasure than of the fact that they were observing a Divine mitzvah.  This would not be a full observance.  By eating it in haste, they would derive no physical enjoyment from eating this meat, and it would be eaten as an offering dedicated to G-d alone. (Eshel Avraham)

There is also a mystical reason for their haste.  There are 50 gates of defilement, and the Benei Yisrael had already passed through 49.  If they would have passed through the 50th gate, they never would have been able to leave.

The redemption of the Benei Yisrael took place through Moshe, and he would not have been able to do battle with the Forces of evil that exist beyond the 50th gate.  Moshe himself had been allowed to pass through 49 gates of holiness.  Each gate through which he ascended gave him the power to overcome the Forces of the corresponding gate of defilement.  Since he was given access to only 49 gates of holiness, he could only bring his people out through the 49th gate of defilement.  If the Benei Yisrael had passed through the 50th gate, no human being would have been able to lead them out.

G-d had given Avraham a choice for his descendants between exile and purgatory.  Avraham had chosen exile so that his descendants would not be eternally damned to purgatory (gehenom) if they sinned.

If was for this reason that they had to be redeemed by Moshe, and not by G-d Himself.  If G-d Himself had freed the Benei Yisrael, no nation ever again would have been able to subjugate them.  Avraham's choice of exile would then not have been able to be fulfilled.

The final redemption, however, will be through G-d alone.  The prophet therefore predicted, "You will not leave in haste (chipazon); you will not be running away, for G-d will be going before you" (Yeshayahu 52:12). The final redemption will be through G-d alone and not through a mortal like Moshe.  When the Benei Yisrael left Egypt they had to leave quickly, since if they had entered the 50th gate of defilement, Moshe would not have been able to take them out.  The final redemption, on the other hand, would be through G-d Himself.  Even if the Benei Yisrael have gone far beyond the 50th gate, He will be able to redeem them, and therefore there will be no further exile, since no man will ever again dare to subjugate the Benei Yisrael.

12:12Ve'avarti ve'eretz-Mitzrayim balailah hazeh vehikeiti chol-bechor be'eretz Mitzrayim me'adam ve'ad-behemah uvechol-elohei Mitzrayim e'eseh shfatim ani HASHEM
I shall pass through the land of Egypt on this night, and I shall strike every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast: and against all the gods of Egypt I shall mete out judgment: I am HASHEM.

"I will pass through the land of Egypt like a king traveling from place to place. Even when the king goes alone, all flee his presence. (Rashi)  But when I come, I will have with Me tens of thousands of destructive angels. (Targum Yonatan)

"With this, I will kill all the first-born in Egypt.  Even the first-born of the foreigners visiting Egypt will be struck down.  Egyptians who are first-born will be killed no matter where in the world they may be hiding.  Even first-born animals will die.  I am G-d, coming alone, and not sending any agent to do My work." (Mechilta; Rashi)

Although all the previous plagues involved various agents, this one would be done by G-d Himself.  No one but G-d, not even angels could know who was a first-born and who was not. Even in the case of twins, G-d would know which was conceived first. (Zohar, VaYera)

If G-d had allowed an agent to deal this blow, the Benei Yisrael who sinned would not have been spared.  Once authority would have been given to the forces of destruction, no distinction would have been made between Egyptian and Yisraeli.  G-d, however, could make such a distinction. (Bachya; Abarbanel)

12:13Vehayah hadam lachem le'ot al habatim asher atem sham vera'iti et-hadam ufasachti alechem velo-yihyeh vachem negef lemashchit behakoti be'eretz Mitzrayim
And the blood shall be a sign for you upon the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

G-d told the Benei Yisrael: "The blood shall be for you as a sign on the houses in which you are staying. I know all your sins, and know that you deserve to be punished.  But I am giving you this mitzvah of the Pesach-sacrifice so that you can repent.  You must realize that whatever you do to this lamb - slitting its throat, skinning it, roasting it - all this should really be done to you.  It is therefore a sign for you - for you to experience vicariously the punishment you deserve.  I am therefore telling you to place the blood on the doorposts and lintel.  Every time you look toward the door and think about what is happening to the Egyptians outside, you will see the blood.  It shall be your sign -  a sign that it is really your blood that should be on the wall.  See the blood and realize how much mercy I have on you, and how much I love you.  Then you will come close to Me and be My people.

12:14Vehayah hayom hazeh lachem lezikaron vechagotem oto chag l'HASHEM ledoroteichem chukat olam techaguhu
And this day shall be a remembrance for you; and you shall celebrate it as a festival for HASHEM; for your generations, as an eternal decree shall you celebrate it.

This 15th day of Nissan is destined to be a religious festival for all to come.  You must always remember that this was the day on which you left Egypt.  You must therefore celebrate it as a festival to G-d, not for just one or two generations, but forever.  This is a rule that you must obey forever. (Rashi)

12:20Kol-machmetzet lo tochelu bechol moshvoteichem tochelu matzot
You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings shall you eat unleavened bread.

This verse teaches a new law, that it is forbidden even to eat anything mixed with leaven. (Mechilta)

12:22Ulekachtem agudat ezov utvaltem badam asher-basaf vehigatem el-hamashkof ve'el-shtei hamezuzot min-hadam asher basaf ve'atem lo tetz'u ish mipetach-beito ad-boker
You shall take a bundle of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with some of the blood that is in the basin, and none of you shall go out the entrance of his house until morning.

The Benei Yisrael were to take a bunch of oregano consisting of three branches, and dip it into the blood of the lamb in a basin. (Shemot Rabbah, Bo)

The branches were to be dipped into the basin three times, once to place blood on the lintel, and once for each of the two doorposts.  It could not be placed on all three places after dipping only once; each dabbing of blood required its own dipping. (Shemot Rabbah)

Hyssop or oreganol is a very low shrub.  It was chosen for this purpose just for this reason, since people normally step on it.  It was therefore a perfect sign of degradation.  It was used for the Pesach-sacrifice to show that its purpose was degrade the symbol of the Egyptian cult.

Moshe then warned all the Benei Yisrael to not leave their houses until morning.  Once authority is given to the Destoryer, it does not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked.  It destroys all that it meets, sometimes even striking the righteous first.  Since this night would be a time of death, no one was to leave his house. (Bachya)

This teaches that in a time of plague, one should not go abroad in the streets. (Sifetei Kohen) This is especially true at night.

The reason for this is that no man is perfectly innocent of sin.  Whenever a person commits a sin, he creates a Destroyer (Mash'chit).  In times of catastrophe, authority is granted to these Destroyers to do harm, and when a person leaves his house, he is vulnerable to their power.

These Forces of destruction can see a person's sins on his forehead.  This is why it was an ancient custom to cover one's forehead in a time of plague.  It was also customary to seal the windows.

It was for this reason that G-d wanted to bring the last plague Himself, and not through any agent.  The Benei Yisrael at that time had committed many sins.  Since the Forces of destruction do not even distinguished between the righteous and the wicked, they certainly would not have distinguished between Benei Yisrael and an Egyptian.

Although myriads of destructive angels came along with G-d on this night, he did not give them any authority to do harm. They merely formed His retinue, like armies accompanying a king.

12:23Ve'avar HASHEM lingof et-Mitzrayim vera'ah et-hadam al-hamashkof ve'al shtey hamezuzot ufasach HASHEM al-hapetach velo yiten hamashchit lavo el-bateychem lingof
For HASHEM will pass through to strike the Egypt; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, HASHEM will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.

This should provide an object lesson.  G-d gave a mitzvah that blood be placed on the doorposts and lintel.  This was a simple act, and the blood did not have any intrinsic holiness.  Still, it was enough to protect the Benei Yisrael against death.

Therefore, the mezuzah placed on the door must provide even greater protection, day and night.  A good mezuzah may be fairly expensive, and it has intrinsic holiness, containing G-d's Divine name ten times.  G-d's name appears five times in the first paragraph of the mezuzah(Devarim 6:4-9), and five times in the second paragraph (Devarim 11:13-21)

Obviously, anyone having a proper mezuzah on his door should not be harmed. But even if one is careful in this observance, his sins can cause him to be harmed.  It is thus written, "Your sins separate you from your G-d" (Yeshayahu 59:2). Although the Divine Names in the Mezuzah are protective, one's sins separate a person from their protection.

It is obvious that a mere sprinkle of blood would not prevent the Forces of destruction from entering a home.  But the blood was a symbol that the people within believed in G-d, and were willing to risk their lives by defying the Egyptian deities.  Because of this faith, no Force would be able to harm them. (Bachya)

12:24Ushmartem et-hadavar hazeh lechok-lecha ulevaneicha ad-olam
And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever.
25Vehayah ki-tavo'u el-ha'aretz asher yiten HASHEM lachem ka'asher diber ushmartem et-ha'avodah hazot
It will come to pass when you come to the land which HASHEM will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service.

The ritual of the Pesach-sacrifice is one that must be kept forever.  However, as long as the Benei Yisrael were in the desert, they were exempt from this rite. The obligation did not begin until they entered the Promised Land. (Rashi; Mechilta)

12:28Vayelchu vaya'asu benei Yisrael ka'asher tsivah HASHEM et-Moshe ve'Aharon ken asu
Then the children of Yisrael went away and did so; just as HASHEM had commanded Moshe and Aharon, so they did.

The Torah states that the Benei Yisrael did as G-d had instructed Moshe and Aharon, and then repeats that "so they did."   This indicates that they did not merely keep the commandment in a perfunctory manner, but with all its details.  They exerted great effort in order to keep this commandment perfectly.  Besides the merit for keeping the commandment, they also had merit for their effort.

Similarly, it is taught that doing a good deed at home is not the same as traveling to do it.  When one travels to do a good deed, he has merit for every step (sechar pesiot) (RaMBaN)


The Final Blow

12:29Vayehi bachatsi halailah va'HASHEM hikah chol-bechor be'eretz Mitzrayim mibechor Par'oh hayoshev al-kis'o ad bechor hashvi asher beveit habor vechol bechor behemahAnd it came to pass at midnight that HASHEM struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock.

This decree had long been sealed against the Egyptians.  When Par'oh became enraged at the first appearance of Moshe and Aharon, he decreed that the Benei Yisrael should no longer be given straw for making bricks (5:7).  They had to go in the fields and walk upon sharp stubble, until their feet bled.  when they kneaded the clay with their feet, the blood mixed with the water, until the bricks were redeemed by Hebrew blood.

There was a woman by the name of Rachel, a granddaughter of Shutelach, who was in an advanced state of pregnancy.  After spending a grueling day in the field gathering straw, she and her husband were kneading clay for bricks in a huge vat.  Suddenly her time came, and she miscarried her first-born child into the clay.  Before she could even recover her child, the Egyptians drove her and her husband to a new job, and the dead infant was formed into one of the large clay bricks.

The archangel Gavri'el then descended and snatched up the brick with the dead infant, and presented it before the Throne of Glory.  That night, G-d took council with the heavenly Tribunal, and it was decreed that all the first-born of Egypt be killed. (Yalkut Shemoni; Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer).

Another reason for this decree was that when Par'oh had contracted a severe skin disease, he had thousands of Hebrew infants slaughtered so that he would be able to bathe in their blood.  The physicians advised that first-born Hebrew infants would be particularly effective cure.  Later Par'oh also plotted to kill the Hebrew first-born.  However, G-d did not give them a chance, and killed the Egyptian first-born first.  Regarding this it is written, "There are many thoughts in a person's heart, but it is G-d's council that endures" (Mishlei 19:21)

12:30 Vayakom Par'oh lailah hu vechol-avadav vechol-Mitzrayim vatehi tse'akah gedolah beMitzrayim ki-ein bayit asher ein-sham met
So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egypt; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

At midnight, there was loud screaming and weeping all through Egypt.  Not a single house had been spared.

This might seem somewhat surprising.  Since only first-born were killed, there should have been many houses where the eldest son was absent.  But when there was no first-born in a house, either the oldest one present or the head of the household died.  For this purpose, they too were considered "first-born." (Mechilta; Rashi; Shemot Rabbah)

The term "first-born" also included the product of any first liaison between a man and a woman.  Since sexual immorality was rampant in Egypt in those times, many such children existed.  For this reason there was no house where there were no dead. (Yalkut Shemoni; Sefer HaYaShar; Mechilta)

12:31 Vayikra le-Moshe ule-Aharon lailah vayomer kumu tse'u mitoch ami gam-atem gam-benei Yisrael ulechu ivdu et-HASHEM kedaberchem
Then he called for Moshe and Aharon by night, and said, "Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Yisrael. And go, serve HASHEM as you have said.
32Gam-tsonchem gam-bekarchem kechu ka'asher dibartem valechu uverachtem gam-oti
Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also."

 Par'oh investigated the situation, going to his officials' homes to determine the extent of the plague.  Realizing what a catastrophe had stuck Egypt, he realized that there were not time to send word to summon Moshe and Aharon.  Besides, they had said that they would not return to him.  With no other choice, Par'oh began to run through the streets of the city, trying to find the two brothers. "Moshe! Aharon!" he cried, "where are you?" (Mechilta; Rashi)

Moshe and Aharon had remained in the Egyptian capital.  Moshe was waiting for the fulfillment of his prediction, "All your servants will come and prostrate themselves to me" (11:8). Msohe was actually saying that Par'oh himself would come, but out of respect for royalty, he did not say it outright.  Moshe and Aharon kept themselves handy so that Par'oh would be able to find them. (RaMBaN)

12:33Vatechezak Mitzrayim al-ha'am lemaher leshalcham min-ha'aretz ki amru kulanu metim
And the Egypt urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, "We shall all be dead."

Although Par'oh had only agreed to let the Benei Yisrael leave for three days, his officials begged them to go and not come back.  The other plagues might have gone away, but for this there was no cure.  Once a man was dead, he was dead.  If the plague lasted any longer, they all would be dead. (Alshekh)

12:34Vayisa ha'am et-betseko terem yechmatz mish'arotam tsrurot besimlotam al-shichmam
So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders.

The Benei Yisrael could not have any leaven in their houses until midnight.  Now they were just beginning to bake bread for their journey.  But the Egyptians rushed them so much to leave, they did not have time to let their dough rise. Each one therefore carried his dough on his head.

The leftovers from the matzah and bitters eaten this night were also too precious to be left behind.  These were wrapped in their cloaks and slung over their shoulders.  Although they had animals to carry the belongings, the Benei Yisrael carried the matzah and bitters themselves, to show how much they had cherished this observance. (Mechilta; Rashi)

As the Benei Yisrael prepared to leave, the Egyptians were preparing to bury their dead.  So many had died that this task would take them a full three days. (Sefer HaYashar)

12:37Vayis'u venei Yisrael meRamses Sukkotah keshesh-me'ot elef ragli hagevarim levad mitach
Then the children of Yisrael journeyed from Rameses to Sukkot, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children.

Sukkot is on the Egyptian border. (Alshekh)

Right after midnight on 15 Nissan, Moshe went with Par'oh's officials to inform the Benei Yisrael that they must leave the country. From the old city of Egypt, where "Yosef's Granaries" is found, until Rameses is a journey of six or seven hours.

Los sileros de Yosef in Ladino.  The word "silero" is Spanish for a subterranean granary.  Also possible, is that the word "silleria, which in Spanish denotes thrones or buildings of hewn stone. The reference may be to Yosef's Well, a well-known landmark in the old Cairo Cidatel. This was near Memphis, the old capital of Egypt.

Moshe and the Egyptian officials therefore arrived in Rameses just around dawn.

Rameses itself encompassed a large are, some 24 miles in diameter.  Those closest to Egypt heard the news immediately around dawn, and left immediately.  Those further away did not leave until after sunrise.

This resolves an apparent conflict in texts.  In one place, the Torah states, "On that very day, all of G-d's masses left Egypt" (12:41).  In the very next verse, it states, "It is a night of vigil for G-d, to bring them out of Egypt" (12:42). Furthermore, G-d had ordered the Benei Yisrael not to leave their houses until morning (12:22).

Actually, the Benei Yisrael began to leave at dawn.  In this sense, it was already "morning".  However, since it was before sunrise, it was still night.  Those who were further away did not leave until after sunlight, and hence "all of G-d's masses" did not leave until "day."

Furthermore, although many Benei Yisrael did not leave until daylight, the redemption began during the night. Hence G-d says that on that night He brought the Benei Yisrael out of Egypt. (Ibn Ezra; See Yeffeh Toar, p. 102)

G-d sent seven Clouds of Glory to accompany the Benei Yisrael. From Rameses to Sukkot is 68 miles, normally a three day journey.  However, because the Clouds were carrying the Benei Yisrael along, they made the entire journey in an hour.

Some say that the Clouds of Glory brought the Benei Yisrael to Mount Moriah in Yerushalayim so that they would be able to sacrifice the Paschal lamb in the place where the Temple would someday be built.  Then the Clouds brought them back to Rameses, where they would begin their journey into the desert.

Alluding to this, G-d later told the Benei Yisrael, "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I carried you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Me" (19:4) (Rashi; Mechilta; Targum Yonatan)

This opinion also explains why G-d told the Benei Yisrael to eat the Pesach Lamb "with your shoes on your feet and your staff in your hand" (12:11).  It is normally forbidden to enter the Temple Mount wearing shoes or carrying a staff, so the Benei Yisrael needed a special dispensation from G-d.

Leaving Egypt, there were 600,000 adult males over the age of twenty.  These were men who were able to travel on foot.  The ratio of women and children to men was five to one, so that the total number of people leaving Egypt was approximately three million. (Targum Yonatan)

The number of boys under twenty was 800,000.  Regarding this, King Shlomo said, "There are sixty queens and eighty concubines" (Shir HaShirim 6:8).  The "sixty queens" are the sixty  myriad (600,000) males over twenty, while the "eighty concubines" are the eighty myraid (800,000) males under twenty.

Of course the figure of 600,000 was not a precise one.  The Torah therefore states that "there were about 600,000 adult males."

12:38Vegam-erev rav alah itam vetson uvakar mikneh kaved me'od
A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds--a great deal of livestock.

Besides the native-born Benei Yisrael, a huge number of proselytes  left Egypt with them.  These were Egyptians and other gentiles, who had seen Yisrael's glory in Egypt, and had converted to the Hebrew faith.  There were 2,400,000 such converts among those who left Egypt. (Targum Yonatan; Shir HaShirim Rabbah on 6:9)

As mentioned earlier, the Clouds of Glory brought the Benei Yisrael to Sukkot in a very short time.  One might wonder how these many proselytes, who had but recently abandoned paganism, would have been worthy of such a miracle.  The Torah therefore tells us that G-d did not treat them any differently from the other Benei Yisrael.  Not only that, but even the sheep and cattle were carried along miraculously.

The next verse states that the dough that the Benei Yisrael brought from Egypt did not have time to rise, although the Benei Yisrael were already to Sukkot.  Although it is a three or four day journey to Sukkot, the Benei Yisrael were able to arrive there in less than the (18 minutes) it takes dough to become leaven. (Alshekh)

Although the converts still maintained many of their pagan ways, Moshe agreed to let them join the Benei Yisrael.  Just as a good fruit must be protected by a rind, so the Benei Yisrael were protected by the mized multitude.  Whenever the Benei Yisrael sinned in the desert, the converts were the instigators, and when punishment came, they bore the brunt of it.  Thus, the vast majority of people who died after the spies returned from the Promised Land (BaMidbar 14:45), at Taberah (BaMidbar 11:3), and at Kivrot HaTaavah (BaMidbar 11:34), were from the mixed multitude.

Although the Clouds of Glory completely covered the Benei Yisrael protecting them from all harm, they did not completely cover the mixed multitude. (Sifetei Kohen)

The expression "erev rav" used here is usually translated as "mixed multitude," or "great mixture of nationalities."  Other authorities, however, state that this multitude consisted exclusively of Egyptians.  The word here for "went [up]," is therefore alah which is in the singular, rather than alu, which would be plural. The singular is used to indicate that this multitude consisted of only one nationality, the Egyptians.

This multitude included the greatest occultists of Egypt.  These were the ones who had initially laughed at Moshe's "magic tricks" (7:11, 7:22, 8:3), but had become convinced of his greatness when they saw him do wonders that they could not duplicate (8:15).  Seeing these wonders, they wanted to convert to the Hebrews religion.

Shemot 13:17-17:16
Shabbat Shirah
Tu B'Shevat (New Year for Trees)

13:17Vayehi beshalach Par'oh et-ha'am velo-nacham Elokim derech eretz Plishtim ki karov hu ki amar Elokim pen-yinachem ha'am bir'otam milchamah veshavu MitzraimahThen it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that G-d did not lead them by way of the land of the Pelishtim, although that was near; for G-d said, "Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt."

The logical route from Egypt to Kenaan would take the Benei Yisrael along the Mediterranean Coast through the Pelishtim territory.  Although this was the shortest path, G-d did not let the Benei Yisrael use it. (Rashi; Kesef Nivchar)

G-d did not let the Benei Yisrael take this road precisely because it was short.  If anything had frightened them, it would have been too easy for them to return to Egypt.  G-d knew that the slightest hostility might cause them to regret leaving Egypt, and drive them to return. (Bachya)

13:18Vayasev Elokim et-ha'am derech hamidbar yam-Suf vachamushim alu venei-Yisrael me'eretz Mitzrayim
So G-d led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Reed Sea. And the children of Yisrael were armed when they left Egypt.

Because of these considerations, G-d led the Benei Yisrael along a roundabout route. Instead of bringing them along the Mediterranean coast, He led them into the desert, toward the Reed Sea (Red Sea).

chamushim (armed).  This alludes to five (Targum Yonatan ben Uzziel; Pesikta DeRav Kahanna 10; Yerushalmi, Shabbat 6:4) types of weapons: shield, buckler, spear, [bow and] arrows and mace. (Yechezkel 39:9)

 The reason for the Reed Sea route was that G-d had plans for the great miracle of the parting of the sea.  For this reason alone, however, He would have had to lead them by such a roundabout way.  There is also a sea along the Pelishtim route that could have been split.  As we shall see later, an arm of the Reed Sea (the Gulf of Aqaba) is to the east of the Holy Land, while the Pelishtim Sea is to its west (23:31).

The "Pelishtim Sea" may be Lake Sirbonis, just off the Mediterranean coast.

 Since the road through the land of the Pelishtim was so close, the Egyptians would not have bothered to pursue the Benei Yisrael.  G-d, however, wanted to drown the Egyptians in the sea, as a fitting punishment for their having drowned the Hebrew infants.  G-d therefore directed the Benei Yisrael through the desert toward the Reed Sea.  This was bait for the Egyptians, tempting them to pursue the Benei Yisrael, setting the state for the miracle of the parting of the Reed Sea.

When the Benei Yisrael left Egypt, Ammon, Moav and Amalek made a mutual treaty to wage war against them.  G-d, however, watched over Yisrael and overturned their plans. (Shemot Rabbah 112)

The Benei Yisrael heard about this treaty, and therefore left Egypt well armed. (RaMBaN)  They were armed like men going off to war. (Targum)

In saying that the Benei Yisrael were armed, the Torah uses the expression "chamushim" which can also be interpreted to mean that they "were one-fifth." This alludes to the fact that only a fifth of all the Benei Yisrael actually left Egypt.  The other four-fifths had died during the days of darkness. (Rashi; Zohar)  According to one opinion, only one out of 500,000 Benei Yisrael actually left Egypt. (Mechilta; Shemot Rabbah)

Although the Benei Yisrael had seen many wonders, they did not depend on miracles, but armed themselves. G-d does not want people to rely on the suspension of the laws of nature.  If, after one does everything in his power, he still must rely on a miracle, this is a sign that he had no other choice.  King Shlomo thus said, "The horse is prepared for the time of war, but victory belongs to G-d" (Mishlei 21:31). All the necessary equipment must be ready in time of war, but who will be the ultimate victor depends wholly on G-d.  Man should not depend on miracles. (Bachya; Cf. Sifetei Kohen)

There is also another allusion in the word "chamushim".  Although a mixed multitude left Egypt with the Benei Yisrael, the native-born Yisraelim outnumbered them five to one.

The word חֲמֻשִׁים (chamushim) is written without a ו (vav) , rather than חֲמוּשִׁים.  Since there are no vowels in the Torah, it can therefore also be read as חֲמִשִׁים (chamishim), meaning fifty.  It was through the Torah, which would be given after fifty days, that the Benei Yisrael were able to leave Egypt.  Without the merit of the Torah, they would have never deserved such great miracles. (Zohar; Bachya)

13:19Vayikach Moshe et-atsmot Yosef imo ki hashbea hishbia et-benei Yisrael lemor pakod yifkod Elokim etchem veha'alitem et-atzmotai mizeh itchem
And Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him, for he had placed the children of Yisrael under solemn oath, saying, "G-d will surely remember you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you."

Yosef had bound his brothers by this oath, and had instructed them to make this oath binding on their descendants (Bereishit 50:25).  Moshe therefore made the effort to find Yosef's remains.

Yosef doubled the words, pakod yifkod, literally, "remember, He will remember."  Although the Benei Yisrael were suppose to be in Egypt 400 years, they only remained there for 210. The numerical value of pakod is 190, the number of years reduced from the decree.  It was thus as if Yosef had said, "190 years early, He will remember you."

For this reason, even though in Bereishit 50:25, the word פָּקוֹד (pakod) is written without a ו (vav), here it is written with the vav.

The Torah relates that Moshe took Yosef's remains at this point to teach how careful one must be to keep an oath.  The Benei Yisrael left Egypt with so much hurry and confusion that they did not even have time to prepare provisions for their journey.  Even so, they forgot about food, and became involved in transporting Yosef's remains in order to keep their oath to him.  The sin of violating an oath is very great. (Akedat Yitzchak)

The remains of the rest of Yaakov's sons were also carried out of Egypt. (Rashi)

13:20Vayis'u miSukkot vayachanu ve'Etam biktzeh hamidbar
So they took their journey from Sukkot and camped in Etam at the edge of the wilderness.

The first leg of the Benei Yisrael's journey was from Rameses to Sukkot (12:37).  Now the Torah tells us that the second leg of their journey was from Sukkot to Etam.  The journey took place on 16 Nissan, the second day of Pesach.  On the first day, they had traveled from Rameses to Sukkot. (Rashi)

13:21V'HASHEM holech lifneihem yomam be'amud anan lanchotam haderech velailah be'amud esh leha'ir lahem lalechet yomam valailah
And HASHEM went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.

Once, a king was judging his people, with his sons at his side.  On the way to the palace, the king took a torch and walked in front of his sons to illuminate the way for them.  The royal ministers asked to hold the torch, saying, "We would like to walk before your sons and light the way for them."  "No," replied the king.  "The reason I am holding the torch is not because I lack servants.  I want to show the world how much I cherish my children.  When people see this, they will honor my sons."

The same was true here.  G-d wanted to show all the world how much He cherished the Benei Yisrael.  He wanted all nations to respect and honor His children.  He therefore carried the "torch" before them, the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night. (Mechilta)

As it were, G-d personally escorted the Benei Yisrael into the desert.  This was the merit of Avraham, who escorted the angels when they were leaving his house, as the Torah relates, "Avraham went with them to escort them" (Bereishit 18:16) (Shemot Rabbah, p. 132)

The pillar of fire was not like an ordinary large torch.  The light of a torch is not very strong.  It merely provides illumination for those who are fairly close to it.  The pillar of fire, on the other hand, provided illumination that was as bright as day.  The Torah thus says, "so as to go by day and by night."  Their illumination by night was just as bright as it was by day. (Alshekh)

One might be very surprised at what was happening here.  The Torah states that the Benei Yisrael traveled by day and by night.  This, however, would have exhausted them even more than their work making bricks in Egypt.  Traveling day and night for several days without rest in thoroughly exhausting.

But, the Benei Yisrael were completely surrounded by the Clouds of Glory on all sides and above and below.  These clouds protected them from heat, cold, and rain.  The clouds also carried the Benei Yisrael along, like a chariot.  They traveled like passengers in a large ocean liner, who are not even aware that they are moving. (Sifetei Kohen. Cf. Zohar; Bachya)

13:22Lo-yamish amud he'anan yomam ve'amud ha'esh lailah lifnei ha'am
He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

At the instant of nightfall, the pillar of fire appeared, and at the instant of daybreak, the pillar of cloud was there.  The Benei Yisrael were not without these pillars for even an instant. (Rashi)

The mixed multitude traveled behind the clouds, together with the livestock.  They did not deserve to be carried along by the clouds. (Zohar, Ki Tisa)

14:1Vayedaber HASHEM el-Moshe lemor
Now HASHEM spoke to Moshe, saying:
2Daber el-benei Yisrael veyashuvu veyachanu lifneI Pi haChirot bein Migdol uvein hayam lifnei Baal Tzefon nichecho tachanu al-hayam
Speak to the children of Yisrael, that they turn and camp before Pi-haChirot, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal- Tzefon; you shall camp before it by the sea.

At first, the Benei Yisrael were traveling along the seashore.  However, when they saw the sea begin to whip up huge storms, they retreated, and headed into the desert. G-d then caused wild animals to confront the Benei Yisrael, closing off the route into the desert. (Shemot Rabbah, p. 83; Mechilta)

On the third day of the Exodus, G-d told Moshe to inform the Benei Yisrael that they were to turn around and camp by Pi HaChirot (Freedom Valley).  This was the coastal city of Pitom, where the Benei Yisrael had previously worked as slaves (1:11).  Now, when the Benei Yisrael returned there, they renamed the city Pi HaChirot, literally "Mouth of Freedom."  In the same place where they had been slaves, they were now able to celebrate their freedom. (Rashi)

Freedom Valley (Pi HaChirot) was a plain between two huge natural pillars.  One had the form of a man, while the other looked like a woman, and both seemed to have large eyes.  Although they had remarkably human form, they were natural formations. (Mechilta; Targum Yonatan; Rashi)

Facing these formations was a huge idol known as "Lord-of-the-North," or Baal Tzefon.  This idol had the form of a gigantic snarling dog. (Yalkut Reuveni)


Although G-d destroyed all the idols of Egypt, He allowed this one to survive.  This allowed the Egyptians to believe that this deity had true power. G-d does such things to preserve the free will of the pagans. (Shemot Rabbah, Bo; Mechilta)

A Jew once visited a city by the name of Keder, where the people worshiped a live volcano, thinking that its fire came from the netherworld.  They considered this fire sacred, saying that fire was the first thing that was created, and that in this fire all souls were judged.  They therefore worshiped this fire.

In their temple, there was a place where this volcanic fire welled up, forming a sort of altar.  Each morning, they would place two huge logs on this altar, and each evening, another two logs.  The volcanic heat was so intense that the logs were completely volatilized, not even leaving any ashes.  Seeing this, the people thought that the fire was supernatural, and had divine powers.

When people in that city became old, they had the custom of throwing themselves into the volcano.  They believed that such self-immolation would result in complete atonement for any sins that they might have committed.  It was said that one who threw himself into this volcanic fire would go straight to Paradise, which was directly opposite the volcano in the netherworld.  If one did not sacrifice himself to the volcanic fires, he would have to be judged in Hades for all his sins.  This constituted the religious belief of these people.

Arriving in this city, the Jew stayed with an old man.  He rested for a few days before continuing on his journey.  His next stop was to be a nearby town, but the road was known to be infested with highwaymen and robbers.  Realizing that it would be dangerous for him to take his wares along with him, he left everything, including his money and extra clothes, with the old man.  He knew that although these people were pagans, they were extremely honest with regard to the belongings of others.

The Jew went to the nearby town, and after a few days, returned to the old man to pick up his belongings.  Upon returning, he learned that the old man had suddenly become sick, and had thrown himself into the volcano.  When he asked for his belongings and merchandise, the Jew was told that no one knew anything about them.  The Jew was thunderstruck.  He had traveled all over the civilized world trading and doing business, and now everything he had gained was lost.  He was totally impoverished, without even the wherewithal to return home. 

Seeing his despondent state, the old man's relative said, "Do not worry.  Whenever a person sacrifices himself to the volcano, he returns on the third day and makes his last will and testament.  He then goes back to where he was.  When he arrives, you will be able to find out about your belongings.

Knowing that these pagans were honest and would not lie, the Jew waited in the old man's house.  On the third day, an apparition appeared, looking exactly like the deceased old man.  The apparation sat in the house with the old man's wife and children, and told them exactly how the estate should be divided.  To all appearances, the old man had actually returned from the dead.

The Jew stood there astounded.  Finally he gained enough courage to ask the apparition where his belongings were.  The apparition opened a large concealed drawer and gave them to him.

Not knowing what to think about this uncanny phenomenon, the Jew asked the shade, "Is it true that you were in Hades?"

"Yes I was."

"You actually threw yourself into the volcano?"

"Yes I did.  And anyone who sacrifices himself in the volcano has all his sins atoned, and is not judged in the world beyond."

"I would like to go and see how you jump into the volcano again."

"That can easily be arranged.  If you come with me, you can also come into the volcano and descend to Hades with me."

"I am still young.  I would like to see.  Then I'll make up my mind."

"If you are not sure, do not go."

The apparition completed his duties, divided the estate, and left his last will and testament to the family.  He then blessed them and walked off.  When he saw the Jew following him, the shade said, "Do not follow me."

"What concern is it to you?" asked the Jew.  "I am going to follow you to see where you go, even if it takes many days.  I must find out how you returned from the dead."

Seeing how stubborn the Jew was, the shade asked, "Are you a Jew."

"Yes I am," replied the Jew.  "I am a Jew, and my father was a Jew."

"Do you think that I am a human being?"

"I'm not sure.  That's one thing that I'm trying to find out."

"Then let me tell you now.  I am not really the old man.  I'm not a human being at all.  I am one of the agents of Satan, the master of hell.  He sends me to confuse the fools who abandon the true living G-d, and worship hell fire.  When one of these pagans throws himself into the volcano, I return after three days, and draw up his will, just as he would have desired.  I also tell the people how great it is to sacrifice oneself in the volcano.  If people wish to follow the wrong path, they are given ample opportunity.

"We have methods of reinforcing all sorts of idolatrous beliefs.  This is alluded to when your scripture states, 'He lifts up nations, and destroys them' (Iyov 12:23).  Things are done to reinforce the beliefs of the pagan nations, but only to destroy them. 

"Over Yisrael, however, we have no power.  They believe in the Creator of the universe, and they accepted the Torah at Mount Sinai.  We have no power over them as long as they walk the straight path.  It is thus written, 'Not this is the portion of Yaakov, for He is the maker of all things, and Yisrael is His inheritance' (Yirmeyahu 10:16).  The descendants of Yaakov have no portion in this foolishness, for they believe that G-d is the Creator of all."

Upon hearing this, the Jew was very happy.  He continued on his journey in peace.

G-d allowed this idol, Lord-of-the-North, to remain standing. This would preserve the free will of the Egyptians who still wanted to believe in idols.

This idol was allowed to survive for a special reason.  Every idol parallels an astronomical body, and its worshipers believe that through the idol they can communicate with the genius of that body.  Lord-of-the-North, which the Egyptians believed was the god of wealth, paralleled the North Star.  Gold was seen as coming from the power of the north, as it is written, "out of the north comes gold" (Iyov 37:22).

G-d let this idol remain standing, so that the Egyptians would think that it would return to them the treasure that the Benei Yisrael had taken when they left Egypt (12:36).  In the days of darkness, the Benei Yisrael had helped themselves to the Egyptians' jewelry, precious stones, and garments.

All the other plagues did not disturb the Egyptains morally, since they felt that they had deserved them.  They could see how each plague was a fitting punishment for the wrongs they had committed.  But in the case of darkness, the Egyptians could not see how it was a fitting punishment, and they assumed that it had been an unfair blow.

G-d therefore left Lord-of-the-North standing.  The Egyptains would think that this god would restore their wealth and punish the Benei Yisrael if they only remained faithful to it.

It was for this reason that the Benei Yisrael were given instructions to camp right in front of this idol.  The Egyptians would suffer their final downfall before their last idol, and they would see how helpless it was to help them. (Kli Yekar. Cf. Tzedah LaDerech; Commentary on Mechilta)

14:3Ve'amar Par'oh livnei Yisrael nevuchim hem ba'aretz sagar aleihem hamidbar
For Pharaoh will say of the children of Yisrael, 'They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.'

"When he sees you heading back toward Egypt, Par'oh will assume that you are disoriented in the desert.  He will say that the desert has shut you in, where you cannot go one way or the other.  He will also think that Lord-of-the-North has confused you, closing all paths before you."

The Egyptians believed that this idol had great power to prevent slaves from escaping. They attributed great occult powers to it, thinking that it would prevent anyone from leaving Egypt without permission.  Now they thought that it had confounded the Benei Yisrael, causing them to get lost in the desert. (Shemot Rabbah)

Baal Tzefon was thus the god of property, and slaves are considered property.

This being true, one may ask how the Efrayim had been able to leave thirty years earlier.  They left Egypt prematurely, only to be killed by the Pelishtim.  How could they have gotten by Lord-of-the-North, if it had such great occult power to prevent unauthorized exits?

The Efrayim had never actually been slaves.  They were of noble birth, direct descendants of Yosef, who had been ruler of Egypt.  The Egyptians would never have had the audacity to enslave them and make them work with bricks and mortar.  Since the Lord-of-the-North only stopped slaves, it would do nothing to prevent the Efrayim from leaving. (Sifetei Kohen; Cf. Yefeh Toar)

14:4Vechizakti et-lev-Par'oh veradaf achareihem ve'ikavdah bePar'oh uvechol-cheilo veyad'u Mitzrayim ki-ani HASHEM vaya'asu-chen
Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egypt may know that I am HASHEM.  And they did so.

"Par'oh is hesitating; he is not able to make up his mind to pursue you.  I will harden his heart and cause him to try to bring you back to be slaves.  I will then us Par'oh and his armies as the means through which I will make My strength known in the world." (Mechilta)

G-d was alluding to an important principle.  Whenever G-d punishes the wicked, people become aware of His power.  They realize that the world has a Master, who punishes those who deserve it. (Rashi)

G-d instructed the Benei Yisrael to turn back and camp on a narrow peninsula in front of Freedom Valley.  At one end of the peninsula, they would be confronted by Lord-of-the-North and the sea, while at the other end, the Egyptians would be attacking.  Seeing them trapped, with no place to escape, Par'oh would be bold enough to mount an attack.

G-d had planned the strategy well.  If the Benei Yisrael had remained out in the open field, Par'oh would never have attacked them. Even if he could have captured them, they were already far from Egypt, and it would have been impossible to bring them back.  Besides, they might have allies in the desert, who would fight at their side.  Par'oh remembered how he had been punished for harming the Benei Yisrael, and he therefore would not have tried to recapture them.

But now, Par'oh received reports that the Benei Yisrael were trapped on a narrow peninsula  obviously afraid to venture into the desert.  Even if they wanted to fight back, the narrow area would not leave them any place to maneuver.  The men were together with their women and children and could not disengage to wage war.

"Now is the time to go after the Benei Yisrael," said Par'oh.  "They are trapped on a narrow peninsula, where they can neither escape nor fight back.  Besides, Moshe told me in G-d's Name that they were merely going to leave on a three day journey, and he informed me exactly where they were going.  Now that they have turned around, we see that Moshe's claim to be G-d's ambassador was not true.  G-d never told him to do this.  He merely made it up as an excuse to flee with the Benei Yisrael, taking all our treasures.

"I can now see that this was their intention all along.  They are turning back because they left so quickly that they did not even have time to plan a route.  If G-d were actually leading them, they would never be so unsure of their way."

It was working out exactly as G-d had planned.  He wanted Par'oh to have a logical reason to go after the Benei Yisrael.

G-d's expression, "I will harden Par'oh's heart," is therefore understandable.  Obviously, G-d never forces a person to do bad.  As we have seen many times, G-d always gives a person free choice.  But G-d gave Par'oh a logical reason to pursue the Benei Yisrael.  Par'oh was sure that he would be able to recapture them.  If they had trapped themselves on a narrow peninsula, they obviously were no longer under Divine guidance.  With this, Par'oh would forget all the evil that had befallen him for harming the Benei Yisrael.  The wicked never learn a lesson.

"I will bring Myself glory through Par'oh," said G-d.  "Through all the Ten Plagues, Par'oh and his armies were not completely destroyed.  The plagues only lasted seven days, and then there was a respite.  But now I will drown the entire army in the sea, not allowing even one to survive.  All the world will know that I am the Master of the Universe."

"Par'oh once said, "Who is G-d that I sould obey His voice?" (5:2).  Now all Egypt will know that I am G-d. All will know that I created the universe, and I am now delivering Yisrael, My beloved people, from their enemies." (Kesef Nivchar; Abaranel. Cf. Yeffeh Toar, Shemot, p. 32a)

14:5Vayugad lemelech Mitzrayim ki varach ha'am vayehafech levav Par'oh va'avadav el-ha'am vayomru mah-zot asinu ki-shilachnu et-Yisrael me'ovdenu
Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, "Why have we done this, that we have let Yisrael go from serving us?"

Chronology of the Exodus

15 Nissan - Thursday, first day of Pesach, the Benei Yisrael left Egypt and came to Rameses.
16 Nissan - Friday, they left Rameses and arrived in Sukkot.  They remained there over the Shabbat.
18 Nissan - Sunday, they left Sukkot and came to Etam.  Their intent was to continue straight ahead.

G-d had instructed that they revese their march and camp at Freedom Valley so that Par'oh would assume that they were lost in the desert and will try to pursue them.  G-d will punish them and the Benei Yisrael will truly be free.

Par'oh and his advisers began to regret that they had let the Benei Yisrael leave the land.  Once the Benei Yisrael were out of their power, it would be very difficult to get them back. (Rashi; Mechilta)

There were also master occultists in Egypt who conjured up visions and saw that the Benei Yisrael were traveling by day and by night.  This was a sure indication that they were trying to flee.  Then when they saw the Benei Yisrael turning around and heading toward Freedom Valley, they assumed that they were confused and lost.  They occultists passed this information on to Par'oh. (Zohar)

The tribes of Amalek also sent messages to Egypt that the Benei Yisrael were fleeing and were confused.  They had high towers on the mountains, and would light signal fires to inform Egypt of what was happening to the south.  Although the Benei Yisrael were now a three day journey away from Egypt, the signal fires quickly passed along the message, confirming what the occultists had said. (Mechilta. Cf. Sifetei Kohen)

In the temple of Baal Tzefon (Lord-of-the-North) there wree many magical glyphs which were known to the Egyptians hieroglyphists.  The idol itself was made of copper, and inscribed on it were the names of many occult forces which the Egyptians would summon.  With these esoteric powers, the Egyptian sorcerers were able to know everything that was happening all over the world.

Through the priests of Baal Tzefon, Par'oh learned that G-d had decreed to Avraham that his descendants should remain in Egypt for four hundred years.  Knowing that only 210 years had passed since Yaakov and his sons had arrived, Par'oh assumed that the Benei Yisrael were fleeing without Divine protection.

The Torah thus says, "Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled (barach)" The numerical value of בָּרַח (barach) is 210, the number of yeas the Benei Yisrael had been in Egypt.  Knowing this number, he assumed that the Benei Yisrael had fled prematurely, and he became determined to recapture them. (Sifetei Kohen; Bachya; Toledot Yitzchak; Yad Yosef; Kesef Nivchar; Kli Yekar)

14:6Vayesor et-richbo ve'et-amo lakach imo
So he [Par'oh] made ready his chariot and took his people with him.
7 Vayikach shesh-me'ot rechev bachur vechol rechev Mitzrayim veshalishim al-kulo
Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them.

 The next day, the fifth day of Pesach, Par'oh called a meeting of all his generals, sorcerers, astrologers, elders, and government ministers in order to devise a plan against the Benei Yisrael.

600,000 Benei Yisrael left Egypt. Since four-fifths died during the days of darkness, the original number was 3,000,000.  Counting three troops for ever one of the Benei Yisrael, Par'oh therefore attacked with 9,000,000 troops.

This is alluded to in the verse, which can be translated, "The entire chariot corps of Egypt, with three (shalishim) for each of the Benei Yisrael. (Bachya; Paaneach Raza)

Each Egyptian was armed with three different kinds of weapons.  Par'oh's intent was to attack and kill.

Paralleling each of Par'oh's troops, G-d sent an angel of destruction to protect the Benei Yisrael.

14:8Vayechazek HASHEM et-lev Par'oh melech Mitzrayim vayirdof acharei benei Yisrael uvenei Yisrael yotze'im beyad ramah
And HASHEM hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Yisrael; and the children of Yisrael went out with boldness.

The Yisrael scholars were marching triumphantly. (Zohar, Naso)  They were not slinking away like slaves, but were marching boldly and openly. (Rashi; Mechilta)

14:9Vayirdefu Mitzrayim achareihem vayasigu otam chonim al-hayam kol-sus rechev Par'oh ufarashav vecheylo al-Pi haChirot lifney Baal Tzfon
So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi haChirot, before Baal Tzefon.

At this time, the Benei Yisrael were involved in an important undertaking.  As we have seen, the Pishon River runs through fields of gold and precious stones in Gan Eden (Bereishit 2:11).  In those days, the Pishon fed into the Gichon River, which followed a subterranean course into the Reed Sea (Red Sea).  The waves washed these jewels on the shore, and the Benei Yisrael were busy gathering them up.  They gained tremendous wealth through this effort. (Targum Yonatan)

During the years of famine, Yosef had amassed great wealth and had also hidden it in this vicinity hear Baal Tzefon (Lord-of-the-North).  Much of Egypt's treasures was also stored there, since this was considered a safe place.  All the Egyptian aristocracy also stored their wealth here.  All this was taken by the Benei Yisrael.

This was fulfillment of G-d's promise to Avraham that after the Egyptian exile, his children would leave with "great wealth" (Bereishit 15:14).   The treasure that the Benei Yisrael brought out of Egypt was not the fulfillment of G-d's promise that they would leave with "great wealth."  Rather, it was merely in fulfillment of G-d's promise to Moshe that they would not "leave empty-handed" (3:21).  This is severance pay (ha-anakah) which must be given to a Hebrew slave.  When freeing a Hebrew slave, it is forbidden to let him go empty-handed.  One must provide him with severance pay, and outfit him with livestock, grain and wine (Devarim 15:14).  What the Benei Yisrael took out of Egypt, then, was, in effect, their severance pay.

Actually, the wealth that the Benei Yisrael found at Baal Tzefon was rightfully theirs.  As we have seen, the entire famine was for the sake of Yisrael, so that Egypt would become a wealthy nation.  Furthermore, Yosef had been the one to amass all this treasure, and he did so for the sake of his people. Seeing prophetically that they would camp at Baal Tzefon, he hid the treasure there.

The Egyptians overtook the Benei Yisrael on 20 Nissan, the sixth day of Pesach.

14:10UPar'oh hikriv vayis'u venei-Yisrael et-eineihem vehineh Mitzrayim nosea achareihem vayir'u me'od vayitz'aku venei-Yisrael el-HASHEM
And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Yisrael lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egypt marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Yisrael cried out to HASHEM.

Par'oh thus campled his army at the neck of the peninsula with no place to escape.  When Par'oh's army attacked, ti would force the Benei Yisrael into the sea. All would be drowned; none would escape.  Par'oh had no doubt that he would now exterminate the Benei Yisrael completely.

When the Benei Yisrael looked up, they saw the Egyptians marching after them.  The Torah literally says that they saw Egypt (Mitzrayim) marching, in the singular.  The Benei Yisrael saw the great unity among the Egyptians - all were marching with a single heart, as if they were but one man. (Rashi)

The Mitzrayim ("Egypt") that the Benei Yisrael saw also denotes Egypt's genius (sar).  Seeing Egypt's genius flying through the heavens to help the Egyptians, made the Benei Yisrael very frightened.

This explains how, after seeing all the miracles that G-d did for them, the Benei Yisrael could still be afraid. if the Egyptians along had been attacking, they would have had no cause for fear.  But now that Egypt's guardian angel was also mounting an attack, they were terrified.  This meant that the battle was being waged on a spiritual front, and their sins would be held against them.

The Torah thus says, "Egypt (Mitzrayim) marched after them."  It is known that Egypt's genius is called Mitzrayim. (Shemot Rabbah, Bo; Cf. Sh'nei Luchot HaBrit; Devarim Rabbah)

Although the Benei Yisrael were aware that G-d had done great miracles to punish the Egyptians, they were afraid that it was not for their sake, but because Par'oh had blasphemed and said, "I do not know G-d" (5:2).  G-'d's fearing them would then have also been merely a punishment for Par'oh.  Now they assumed that G-d had abandoned them.  This seemed obvious, since the Egyptians were marching after them, and they were trapped on all sides. As we saw earlier, it was a similar logic that led Par'oh to attack. (Divrei Shalom; Kesef Nivchar)

14:15Vayomer HASHEM el-Moshe mah-titz'ak elay daber el-benei-Yisrael veyisa'u
And HASHEM said to Moshe, "Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Yisrael to go forward.
16Ve'atah harem et-matcha uneteh et-yadecha al-hayam uveka'ehu veyavo'u veneI-Yisrael betoch hayam bayabashah
But lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Yisrael shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
17Va'ani hineni mechazek et-lev Mitzrayim veyavo'u achareIhem ve'ikavdah be'Par'oh uvechol-cheilo berichbo uvefarashav
And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egypt, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen.
18Veyad'u Mitzrayim ki-ani HASHEM behikovdi bePar'oh berichbo uvefarashav
Then the Egyptians shall know that I am HASHEM, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen."

"Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it."  When G-d told Moshe to raise his staff, why did He then tell him to stretch out his hand over the sea?  G-d told him to raise his staff, cast it aside, and then stretch out his empty hand over the sea. (Kesef Nivchar)

More than all the other punishments, G-d wanted this one to be done through Moshe's hand and not through the staff.  Here, G-d wanted everyone to see Moshe's power.  The Egyptian occultists had foreseen the birth of the redeemer of Yisrael, and for this reason Par'oh had decreed, "Every son that is born shall be cast into the Nile" (1:22).  The Egyptians chose this form of death, since they knew that G-d punishes measure for measure.  They felt that G-d could not retaliate by drowning them, since He had made an oath that He would never again bring a flood upon the world (Bereishit 9:11).

G-d therefore said, "I will not bring a flood upon the Egyptians.  Instead, I will bring them right into the sea, and drown them there. I will show them that what they wanted to do to you, Moshe, will now be done to them.  Moreover, they will see the Benei Yisrael actually going into the sea without being harmed.

"Now, raise your hand.  Let the Egyptians see that this is all coming about through the very person they wanted to drown.  Let them see that your power alone can open the sea and close it again.  They wanted to drown you; but they will see that I have given you complete power over all the water in the world. (Alshekh, Cf. Akedat Yitzchak)

According to another opinion, however, the sea was split by the use of Moshe's staff. (Targum Yonatan)

14:19 Vayisa mal'ach ha'Elokim haholech lifnei machaneh Yisrael vayelech me'achareihem vayisa amud he'anan mipneihem vaya'amod me'achareihem
And the malach of G-d, who went before the camp of Yisrael, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.
20Vayavo bein machaneh Mitzrayim uvein machaneh Yisrael vayehi he'anan vehachoshech vaya'er et-halailah velo-karav zeh el-zeh kol-halailah
So it came between the camp of the Egypt and the camp of Yisrael. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

 The pillar of cloud which had been leading the Benei Yisrael through the desert now moved to their rear.  This was to separate the Benei Yisrael from the Egyptians.  The Egyptians were shooting arrows and catapulating stones into the camp of the Benei Yisrael, but all these missles were absorbed by the pillar of cloud. (Targum Yonatan; Zohar; Rashi)

Normally, the pillar of cloud would remove itself at night, making way for the pillar of fire (13:21), but on this seventh night of Pesach, the pillar of cloud did not depart.  Instead, it moved to the rear of the camp of the Benei Yisrael, separating them from the Egyptians. (Rashi)

The pillar was half dark and half glowing.  The dark, cloudy side was toward the Egyptians, while the glowing side faced the Benei Yisrael.  Since the Egyptains were in total darkness, they could not even see to aim their weapons.  They were totally disoriented. (Targum Yonatan; Targum Yerushalmi; Midrash, Tehillim 27)

The darkness was so palpable that the Egyptians were literally paralyzed.  If an Egyptian were standing, he could not sit, and if he were sitting, he could not stand.  When the Torah says, "They could not approach one another all that night," it is speaking of the Egyptians.  One Egyptian could not come close to another, since they were totally paralyzed.

On occasions, the cloud would clear enough for the Egyptians to see the Benei Yisrael eating, drinking and celebrating.  The Egyptians' paralysis would leave long enough for them to fire a number of arrows and catapult a number of missiles, but all would be absorbed by the clouds. (Mechilta)

This was a double miracle.  Although the darkness was so palpable that it prevented the Egyptians from moving, they were still able to see the Benei Yisrael brightly illuminated.  Seeing the Benei Yisrael celebrating their victory, the Egyptians were totally frustrated.  Their enemies could be seen, but they could do nothing even to come near them.

Usually, when the Torah speaks of an "angel of G-d," it uses the expression Malach HaShem (Malach Y-H-V-H).  As we know, the Tetragrammaton, Y-H-V-H always indicates the attribute of Mercy (Middat HaRachamim).  Here, however, the Torah uses the expression Malach Elokim, where the Divine name (Elokim) denotes the Attribute of Judgment (Middat HaDin).

The Torah states that "The angel of Elokim, who went before the camp of Yisrael, moved and went behind them." This indicates that the Benei Yisrael were also being judged at this time.  The judgment was very close, and it was also decreed that the Benei Yisrael drown in the sea along with the Egyptians. (Mechilta; Rashi; RaMBaN)

Samael, the angel of evil, stood up in the Divine Tribunal and said, "Master of the Universe, until now the Benei Yisrael worshiped idols just like the Egyptians.  Why should you show them favoritism over the Egyptians?  Although they repented, submitted to circumcision, and offered the Pesach-sacrifice, this only enough to atone for their sins.  They certainly do not deserve that You perform for them a miracle that violates the very laws of nature."

"It is true that My children worshiped idols,"  answered G-d.  "But they only did so after their minds had become totally confused because of their subjugation.  They did not willingly rebel against Me.  They are not like the Egyptians, who worship idols blatantly and willingly."

Even though there is an obligation to suffer martyrdom rather than worship idols, if one does so under duress, he does not deserve to die.  It is considered an involuntary act. (Yad, Yesodei HaTorah 5:4)  G-d therefore answered Samael, "The Benei Yisrael may have worshiped idols, but they did so under duress.  The Egyptians do so voluntarily."

The Attribute of Judgment wanted to punish the Benei Yisrael, but G-d had mercy on them.  The Torah thus says, "The angel of Elokim (judgment) who went before the camp of Yisrael, moved and went behind them." The Attribute of Judgment which was previously confronting the Benei Yisrael now stood behind them against the Egyptians.

14:21Vayet Moshe et-yado al-hayam vayolech HASHEM et-hayam beruach kadim azah kol-halailah vayasem et-hayam lecharavah vayibak'u hamayim
Then Moshe stretched out his hand over the sea; and HASHEM caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.

As soon as Moshe lifted his hand over the sea, a powerful east wind began to blow.  This is the wind that G-d uses to punish the wicked.  This wind blew the entire seventh night of Pesach with such strength that it was able to hold back the sea.  The sea bed was transformed into dry land, and the waters were divided. (Rashi)

One reason for this wind was so that the Egyptians would think that the splitting of the sea was a natural phenomenon, caused by the wind.  This was part of G-d's plan to "harden Par'oh's heart" (14:17).  The Egyptians would think that the wind split the sea, and that it was not a miracle made specially for the Benei Yisrael. (RaMBaN)

Furthermore, G-d always minimizes miracles.  To the greatest extent possible, He makes use of natural law, bending it only when absolutely necessary. (Ralbag)

As a result of the powerful wind, the Egyptians were unable to light lamps and torches.  Without illumination, they were helpless all night, and could not prepare to attack the Benei Yisrael. (Olat Shabbat)

14:22Vayavo'u venei-Yisrael betoch hayam bayabashah vehamayim lahem chomah miyeminam umismolam
So the children of Yisrael went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Standing on the seashore, all the tribes began to argue as to who should go in first.  While they were debating, the tribe of Binyamin marched forward into the sea ahead of all the rest.  Seeing this, the leaders of the tribe of Yehudah began to throw stones at them.  Still, all the tribes deserved reward for their actions.

A good parallel is the story of a king who had two sons, an older one and a younger one.  One night, he told the younger one, "Be sure to wake me up at sunrise."  To the older son, he gave instructions, "Wake me up at nine o'clock in the morning."
At sunrise, when the younger son was going to wake up his father, the older one stopped him and said, "Father told me to wake him up at nine." "But Father told me to wake him at dawn," retorted the younger.
While they were arguing, the king woke up.  He said, "You both wanted to obey my instructions.  I will therefore reward you both."

Here too, both tribes were amply rewarded.  As a reward for sanctifying G-d's Name and entering the sea first, Binyamin was worthy to have the Divine Presence reside in its portion.  The Holy Temple (Beit HaMikdash) was half in Binyamin's portion, and half in Yehudah's, but the Holy of Holies (Kodesh HaKedashim) was in the portion of Binyamin.

For protesting Binyamin's impetuousness, the tribe of Yehudah was also rewarded.  They royal line was given to the tribe of Yehudah.

This is the opinion of Rabbi Meir.

According to Rabbi Yehudah, none of the tribes wanted to enter the sea first.  Each was waiting for the other.  Finally, Nachshon ben Aminadav of Yehudah, jumped into the sea.  Seeing him, the entire tribe of Yehudah followed.  Then the rest of the tribes entered the sea. (Sotah 37a; Mechilta; Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer; Midrash Tehillim 76,114)

Nachshon was the leader of Yehudah (BaMidbar 1:7).  He was also Aharon's brother-in-law (Shemot 6:23).  David was his direct descendant (Rut 4:20).

Jumping into the sea, Nachshon cried out, "Save me, O G-d, for the waters are threatening my life" (Tehillim 69:2)

As a result of Nachshon's great faith, leadership was given to the tribe of Yehudah.  Nachshon was to have as his direct descendant King David, to whose offspring the throne of Yisrael was given for all times.

Regarding this, it is written, "When Yisrael went out of Egypt, Yaakov's family from a strange-speaking people, Yehudah became his holy one, Yisrael his domain" (Tehillim 114:1, 2).  When the Benei Yisrael left Egypt, and stood on the shore of the Reed Sea, they did not have faith that the sea would split; they were afraid to enter the sea.  The leader of Yehudah then sanctified G-d's Name by literally jumping into the sea, and as a result, he was worthy of fathering the royal line, making Yisrael his domain. (Ibid.; BaMidbar Rabbah, Naso, Chapter 13)

The waters of the sea congealed, forming protective walls on both sides of the Benei Yisrael.  The pillar of cloud and pillar of fire were behind them, so they were prefectly protected from the Egyptians. (Targum Yonatan)

Moshe was the last to enter the sea.  This would reassure the Benei Yisrael that the sea would remain divided until all had crossed.  If he had gone first, those at the end might have been afraid to enter.  Since many Benei Yisrael were totally without merit, the sea might have closed up as soon as Moshe had crossed over.  But since Moshe was at the rear, the sea remained divided until he and all his people crossed. (Ralbag).

14:23Vayirdefu Mitzrayim vayavo'u achareihem kol sus Par'oh richbo ufarashav el-toch hayam
And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
24 Vayehi be'ashmoret haboker vayashkef HASHEM el-machaneh Mitzrayim be'amud esh ve'anan vayahom et machaneh Mitzrayim
Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that HASHEM looked down upon the army of the Egypt through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egypt.

This took place on the seventh day of Pesach, during the morning watch.  This is the third of the three watches of the night.

The night is divided into three watches.  During each one a different group of angels sings to G-d. It was during the third watch that the Egyptians were drowned. (Targum Yonatan; Rashi)

The verse, "They did not approach one another all night" (14:20) is interpreted as speaking to the angels.  When the angels sing to G-d, they communicate with each other, as it is written, "They called to one another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is G-d of Hosts, the whole world is filled with His glory" (Yeshayahu 6:3).  On this night, however, they did not come together to sing to G-d, since He would not let them.  This shows how much G-d loves his people.  Because of their trouble, He did not want to hear the song of the angels.  G-d thus said, "I am with [Yisrael] in times of trouble" (Tehillim 91:15). (Megilla 10b; Yeffeh Toar, p. 123)

It is also for this reason that we do not recite the full Hallel on the seventh day of Pesach. (VaYikra Rabbah, VaYikra in Yeffeh Toar, p. 14)

Since the Egyptians drowned before dawn, no one could see it, and there was no sanctification of G-d's Name.  G-d therefore would not let the angels sing.  If they sang now, it would seem that they were celebrating the death of the Egyptians. Rather let them wait until daybreak, when all could see G-d's power, and then they would celebrate the sanctification of His Name. (Maharimat)

14:25Vayasar et ofan markevotav vayenahagehu bichvedut vayomer Mitzrayim anusah mipnei Yisrael ki HASHEM nilcham lahem beMitzrayim
And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the face of Yisrael, for HASHEM fights for them against the Egyptians."

The heat of the Pillar of Fire melted the bearings holding the wheels, causing the wheels to fall off the Egyptians' war chariots.

The Pillar of Fire was to one side of the Egyptians, causing only one wheel to fall off each each chariot. If both wheels had fallen off, the chariots would have been able to drag smoothly on the ground.  But now, since only one wheel was missing, the heavy chariots swung one way and then the other.  The verse therefore actually says, "He removed the wheel" in the singular.

The word for chariot, "מֶרְכָּבָה" (merkavah) also had the connotation of a spiritual structure, as in the Merkavah-chariot seen by Yechezkel. (1Divrei HaYamim 28:18).  The "wheel" of the chariot denotes the lower angels of this structure.

There is an allusion here that Samael came to help the genius of Egypt, but G-d cast him aside.  This is the significance of the verse, "He removed the wheel of their chariot."

It is for this reason that the word for wheel, "אֹפַן" (ofan) is spelled without aו (vav), rather than its usual spelling "אוֹפַן".  The numerical value of אֹפַן (ofan) spelled this way is 131, the same as that of Samael "סַמְאֵל".

G-d also cast down the genius of Egypt, and when it fell, Egypt fell.  Whenever G-d punishes a nation, He first casts down it guardian angel.  This is also alluded to in the verse, "He removed the wheel of their chariots." (Zohar, p. 49)

14:26 Vayomer HASHEM el-Moshe neteh et-yadcha al-hayam vayashuvu hamayim al-Mitzrayim al-richbo ve'al-parashav
Then HASHEM said to Moshe, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen."

G-d informed Moshe that the waters that were now standing like a wall on both sides of the Benei Yisrael would return to their original position and cover the Egyptians. (Rashi)

G-d saw this as a fitting punishment.  The Egyptians had decided initially to drown the Hebrew infants, because G-d had sworn that He would never again bring a flood to destroy all the world (Bereishit 9:11).  Thus, they felt, G-d would not be able to punish them in a similar manner.  They felt that in this manner they had outsmarted G-d, and they said, "Come, let us outsmart Him" (1:10).  But G-d did not have to bring a flood.  He merely led the Egyptians into the sea and drowned them there. (Shemot Rabba; Mechilta; Sotah 11a)

Besides, G-d had only sworn that He would not destroy the world.  He had never sworn that He would not destroy a single nation by flood. If the Egyptians deserved to be drowned, they would receive this punishment.

The Torah literally says, "The water returned to Egypt."  The Egyptians' plan to kill the Benei Yisrael by water now backfired on them, and they were the ones who drowned.

14:27Vayet Moshe et-yado al-hayam vayashov hayam lifnot boker le'eytano uMitzrayim nasim likrato vayena'er HASHEM et-Mitzrayim betoch hayam
And Moshe stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So HASHEM overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

It was now daybreak of the seventh day of Pesach.  The waters began to close, and, instead of fleeing, the confused Egyptians ran toward the closing waters.  The Torah thus says, "The Egyptians were fleeing into it."

The Egyptains were following the Benei Yisrael.  When the sea began to close, ti began behind the Egyptians.  Logically, the Egyptians should have continued in the direction of the Benei Yisrael, away from the closing waters.  But in panic, they began fleeing from the Benei Yisrael, and running right into the closing waters.

G-d tossed the Egyptians in the midst of the sea, stirring it up, as one stirs a pot.  The waters tossed the Egyptians around like balls.  The waves threw the horses and riders into the air, over and over.  The Egyptians deserved punishment; death did not come quickly. (Shemot Rabbah, Bo; Rashi)

At first G-d took the genius of Egypt and threw it into the sea.  The Torah literally says, "G-d tossed Egypt in the midst of the sea."  As always "Egypt" denotes the genius of Egypt.  G-d removed the genius from its position, broke its power, and then drowned the Egyptians. (Shemot Rabbah, p. 117, 120, 126)

The Torah states, "The sea returned to its full eytan (אֵיתָן)." The Midrash interprets eytan to denote the precondition that G-d had made with the sea at creation, to part wen the Benei Yisrael would have to cross. Now G-d brought the sea back to this stipulation. (Shemot Rabbah)

This Midrashic teaching might seem somewhat difficult to understand.  It is understandable that G-d would recall the stipulation when the sea split.  But now that it returned to its original state, why did G-d have to remind it of the stipulation?

This teaches that another time would come when G-d would call upon the sea to fulfill this agreement.  All the miracles that happened at the Exodus are destined to be repeated on a much greater scale in the Messianic age.  It is thus written, "As in the days when you came out of Egypt, I will show you wonders" (Michah 7:15). Although the waters had parted once, the stipulation was still in effect for the future. (Kesef Nivchar; [Rabbi Moshe Almosnino,] Hanhagath HaChaim (Regimiento de la Vida; Salonika, 1564).  Cf. [Rabbi Aaron (ben Avraham) ibn Chaim,]  Lev Aaron (Venice, 1609), p. 78; Imrey Shefer, p. 70.)

14:30Vayosha HASHEM bayom hahu et-Yisrael miyad Mitzrayim vayar Yisrael et-Mitzrayim met al-sfat hayam
So HASHEM saved Yisrael that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Yisrael saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
31Vayar Yisrael et-hayad hagdolah asher asah HASHEM beMitzrayim vayir'u ha'am et-HASHEM vaya'aminu b'HASHEM uveMoshe avdo
Thus Yisrael saw the great work which HASHEM had done in Egypt; so the people feared HASHEM, and believed HASHEM and His servant Moshe.

From this verse until the end of the Song of the Reed Sea is said every day as part of the morning service.  It should be chanted out loud, with the same joy that it was sung at the time of the Exodus.  Pious Jews have the custom to say it while standing.

This song has intrinsic powers to atone for sin.  Therefore, if one is repenting a serious sin, he should recite it each day with great feeling. (Sh'nei Luchot HaB'rit [Cf. Cheredim, Teshuvah, Chapter 7])

If one recites this song with emotion and joy, he will be worthy to sing it in the next world. He will also be worthy to sing it when he greets Mashiach. (Zohar, p. 50b; Zohar, Terumah; Yalkut Reuveni)

King David would chant this song every day. As a result, he was worthy of becoming king of Yisrael. (Zohar, Lech Lecha; Yalkut Reuveni)

The main thing is not merely to recite the words, but to believe in G-d's promise, and to recognize that He has the power to perform the greatest miracles.  Our sages teach that in the merit of their faith, the Benei Yisrael were worthy of experiencing the Divine Presence, giving them the power to compose this great song.

It is also for this reason that the Redemption Blessing must be said immediately before the Amidah, without interruption. One must recite the concluding blessing for the Shema', "Blessed are You, HaShem, Who redeemed Yisrael" and then immediately begin the the Amidah.  In this respect, we emulate the Benei Yisrael, who sang to G-d immediately after they had been redeemed. (Shemot Rabbah, p. 120)

On the even of the seventh of Pesach, one should chant all ten songs found in the Tanach.  Each one was said on a different occasion.  In many communities, there is a custom to get up before the dawn, cleanse one's body and wash, recite the morning blessings, and then chant the songs.

The Ten Songs:

1. The song for the Sabbath Day (Tehillim 92).  This was sung by Adam after G-d forgave him for the sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge.
2. The Song of the Reed Sea.  It is recited from the beginning, until after teh account of the bitter waters (14:30 - 15:26)
3. The song for the well in the desert (BaMidbar 21:17-20)
4. The song chanted by Moshe before he died, admonishing Yisrael to keep G-d's word.  This is the entire portion of HaAzinu (Devarim 32).
5. The song chanted by Yehoshua after the great miracle when the sun stood still for 36 hours until the battle could be won (Yehoshua 10:12-14).
6. The song chanted by Barak and Devorah after the defeat of Sisra (Shoftim 5).
7. The song chanted by Channah when G-d heard her prayer and granted her a son, even though she was sterile. (1Shmuel 2:1-10).
8. The song chanted by David for the miracles G-d had done for him (2Shmuel 22).
9. The entire Song of Songs composed by King Shlomo with prophetic inspiration.
10. The song that Yisrael is destined to chant upon redemption from the present exile.  It is thus written, "You shall have a song as on the night when the festival was sanctified; there shall be heartfelt joy as when one goes with flute, coming to G-d's mountain, to the rock of Yisrael" (Yeshayahu 30:29).  That is, there will be a song as on Pesach, when the first festival was sanctified to G-d, and as on the Three Festivals when all Yisrael makes a pilgrimage to the Temple Mount.  This song consists of Tehillim 30 and 98.

-MeAm Lo'ez, Bachya, Rashi, RaMBaN

Parashat Yitro
Shemot 18:1 - 20:23

Parashat Mishpatim
Shemot 21:1 - 24:18
Shabbat Shekalim
Shemot 30:11-16

 21:1Ve'eleh hamishpatim asher tasim lifneihem
"And these are the ordinances [laws] which you shall set before them:

ve'eleh hamishpatim asher - and these are the ordinances that.  The final letters of these words can be rearranged to spell the name Marah.  For even before the revelation at Sinai, the Benei Yisrael  were taught the Torah's civil laws at Marah. (Mechilta; Sanhedrin 56b, cited in Rashi to 15:25) 

Mishpatim includes all types of laws administered by the court, referred to in Hebrew as the beit-din or Sanhedrin.  These mishpatim include laws of slavery, theft, liabilities of various types of custodians, and laws of damages.  Also included here are capital crimes, such as murder, idolatry, kidnapping, and witchcraft.  Although laws of jurisprudence are not unique to the Benei Yisrael, no other nation at this time or at any other time had divinely ordained laws of jurisprudence.

The laws are given here to illustrate that the Ten Commandments are not to be understood just as they were given, but that they include many other commandments, statutes, and ordinances.  Thus, these ordinances are the elaborations of the Ten Commandments.  For this reason, the sidrahcommences with "And these are the ordinances which you shall set before them" referring only to qualified judges, who understand the scope of the Ten Commandments, not to unversed judges, who believe that the Ten Commandments include only what is stated in them explicitly.

This is demonstrated by the stringent rules of the Talmud (Gittin 88b), which demands that these laws be tried exclusively by duly ordained Jewish judges, not by civil courts nor by judges who were not ordained by judges whose ordination could be traced back to Moshe.  When the chain of ordination was interrupted during the period of the Amoraim, capital punishment and laws dealing with penalties and fines could no longer be adjudicated.  Even if local civil courts rule exactly as prescribed in the Torah, law suits between Jews may not be brought to these courts, but must be brought to a rabbinical court.


Tanchuma Mishpatim 2: Wherever it says, "these" in the Torah, this word is used to separate from what has been stated previously.  Where it says, "And these," it means that it is adding to what has been previously stated.

Rashi from Mechilta: Thus just as what has been previously stated, namely the Ten Commandments, were from Sinai, these too were from Sinai.  Now why was the section dealing with laws juxtaposed to the section dealing with the altar?  To tell you that you shall place the Sanhedrin adjacent to the Beit HaMikdash (other editions: the altar).

Mesiach Illemim explains that it would have been sufficient for the Torah to have merely stated, "These are the ordinances," without the word "and."  To this, Rashi replies from the Mechilta that the conjunction "and" connects this parsha with that of the Ten Commandments, to explain that just as the Ten Commandments were given at Har Sinai, so too were the laws of jurisprudence.

Mizrachi and others explain that wherever the word eleh, (these), is used in the Torah it is meant to disqualify whatever was mentioned previously, i.e., to imply that whatever was previously mentioned is of lesser importance.  This is totally inappropriate here, since the laws previously mentioned were the Ten Commandments.  Hence, Scripture could not have stated:  "These are the ordinances" without the word "and."  It could, however, have omitted the word eleh completely.  The fact that the word eleh is written, with the conjunction, indicates that it is to connect these laws with the aforementioned ones in order to inform us that they are equally important.

Zeh Yanachameinu explains that Rabbi Ishmael, who states that the laws of jurisprudence were given at Sinai, disagrees with the view that they were given in Marah (see Rashi on Shemot 15:25).  He suggests that perhaps Rabbi Ishmael does believe that they were originally given in Marah, but that they were repeated at Sinai.  This latter view appears also in Tosafot Hashalem.

Rashi also explains why the section dealing with the altar (Shemot 20:21-23) intervenes between the Ten Commandments and the section dealing with jurisprudence, and why this section was not placed immediately after the Ten Commandments.  Rashi comments that this order teaches us that the Sanhedrin, the seventy-one-member court that executes the laws, should be located adjacent to the Beit HaMikdash.

Be'er Mayim Chayim supports the version, "adjacent to the Sanctuary."  He argues that the Sanhedrin could not be located adjacent to the altar since that area is off limits to anyone but a Kohen.  the juxtaposition of the section dealing with the altar to this section dealing with the laws of jurisprudence alludes to the law that the Sanhedrin should convene adjacent to the Temple court, which housed the altar, not adjacent to the altar itself.  Indeed, the Great Sanhedrin was located in the Chamber of Hewn Stone, which was adjacent to the Temple court.


Zeh Yenachameinu suggests two reasons for this location of the Sanhedrin:

1. It is to teach us that the Torah, represented by the laws of jurisprudence, is just as important as the Temple service.  These are two of the pillars that support the world, as in the words of Shimon the Righteous (Avot 1:2):  "The world stands on three things:  on the Torah, on divine service, and on acts of kindness." Lest we believe that civil and criminal laws were enacted merely to preserve civilization, the Torah requires the placement of the Sanhedrin adjacent to the Sanctuary, in order to teach us that the execution of justice is no less of a mitzvah than the divine Temple service.
2. It is to teach us that just as the altar makes peace between Yisrael and G-d, so too does the Sanhedrin make peace between one person and another by judging who is right in their differences. The latter idea is also presented by Gur Aryeh.

Rashi (from Mechilta, Eruvin 54b): The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe:  Do not think of saying, "I will teach them the chapter or the law (both terms seemingly refer to the Oral Torah) two or three times until they know it well, as it was taught, but I will not trouble Myself to enable them to understand the reasons for the matter and its explanation."  Therefore, it is said:  "you shall set before them," like a table, set with food and prepared to eat from, placed before someone.

Ramban explains that out of all the laws of the Torah, G-d wished to give the Benei Yisrael the laws of jurisprudence first because they are related to the Ten Commandments.  The first of the Ten Commandments deals with knowledge of the existence of the Deity, and the second commandment deals with the prohibition of idol worship.  These are followed by "You have seen that from the heavens I have spoken with you" (Shemot 20:19), which corresponds to "I am Hashem, your G-d" (Shemot 20:2); "You shall not make images of anything that is with Me.  Gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves" (Shemot 20:20) corresponds to "You shall not have the gods of others in My presence" (Shemot 20;3). The laws delineated in the following section corresponds to "You shall not covet" (Shemot 20:14), for if one does not know the law governing a house, a field, or other property, he may believe he can take it for himself.  Therefore, the Torah states:  "And these are the ordinances which you shall set before them." Fair and just ordinances will guide the Benei Yisrael among themselves, and teach them not to covet what is not rightfully theirs.

Abarbanel explains that in various ways the laws set forth in the following chapters are superior to the Noachide laws and to the laws agreed upon by the nations.  Abarbanel notes that they are superior in two ways:

1. They include many elements not found in the laws devised by the nations.
2. Since these laws were given by G-d, one who observes them is rewarded just as he is rewarded for keeping other commandments.  

The section commences with:  "And these are the ordinances which you shall set before them." the conjunction "and" connects these laws to the Ten Commandments, denoting that these ordinances are included in the Ten Commandments.  Although the Ten Commandments are ten brief statements, many laws are derived from them.  Therefore, the Rabbis teach us (Sanhedrin 2b) that only expert judges may rule concerning these ordinances.  Simple judges may not rule concerning ordinances, since they believe that "You shall not murder" includes only its literal meaning, that one may not kill another human.  The wise person, however, understands that all these ordinances and more are included in the Ten Commandments, but G-d deemed it sufficient to list only these as the pattern for the other laws derived from them.

Abarbanel comments that the end of the sidrah teaches us the reward for those who keep these ordinances, as the Torah says:  "Behold, I am sending an angel before you, etc." (Shemot 23:20).


lifneihem - before them.

Rashi from Tanchuma 3: Before them, but not before gentiles.  Even if you know that they (gentiles) judge a certain law similarly to the laws of Yisrael, do not bring it to their courts, for one who brings Jewish lawsuits before gentiles profanes the Divine Name and honors the name of idols to praise them (other editions:  to give them importance, as it is said:  "For not like our Rock (G-d) is their rock, but yet our enemies judge us" (Devarim 32:31).  When we let our enemies judge us, this is testimony to our esteem of their deity.

Sefer Hazikkaron: Since the gentiles should know that "their rock is not like our Rock," how could the Benei Yisrael submit their litigation to the gentiles?  It must be that, G-d forbid, the Benei Yisrael think their (the gentiles') deities has importance.  Therefore, the Torah forbids taking lawsuits to gentile courts.

Rashi explains because the antecedent of "before them" is obscure (Gittin 88b), that this refers to the seventy elders who ascended to Har Sinai with Moshe before the giving of the Torah, mentioned in Shemot 24:1.  The Tosafists, however, explain that "before them" refers to "the judges" mentioned in v6 and other places in these chapters.

Ramban:  From this verse the Talmud derives that only those ordained by Moshe or by those who trace their ordination back to Moshe may officiate as judges. Even if un-ordained judges are knowledgeable in the case brought before them, they may not judge it unless both litigants agree to accept their decision.  Should the litigants agree to accept the decision of a non-Jewish judge, however, they may not submit their case to these judges.

Mechilta: Should Jewish judges issue a verdict and a litigant refuses to abide by their decision, the court may resort to coercion through non-Jews until the litigant obeys.

Hence, according to the Rashi, following the Rabbis, the expression of setting or placing the ordinances (tasim) can be interpreted in two ways:

1.  G-d commanded Moshe to teach Yisrael the ordinances and explain them thoroughly, so that they would be like a table that is set, ready for a meal.  
2. G-d commanded Yisrael to submit their lawsuits to qualified Jewish judges.

Ibn Ezra, in his brief commentary explains tasim lifeneyhem as analogous to "and placed before them all these words" (Shemot 19:7) and "And this is the law that Moshe placed" (Devarim 4:44), meaning that Moshe was to present these ordinances before the people either orally, in writing, or both.

In his long commentary, Ibn Ezra explains that after the Benei Yisrael said to Moshe, "You speak with us" (Shemot 20:16), and Moshe entered the opaque darkness, G-d said to him, "So shall you say to the Benei Yisrael" (Shemot 20:19), and He admonished the Benei Yisrael not to make gods of silver or gold.  He instructed Moshe that after his descent from the mountain, he should form a covenant with Yisrael that their G-d should be the Master alone.  G-d also instructed Moshe concerning the details of the laws of jurisprudence and the commandments that he should tell the Benei Yisrael.  If the Benei Yisrael agreed to accept them, G-d would then form a covenant with them.  At the termination of this parsha, after the laws, G-d said, "Behold, I am sending an angel before you" (Shemot 23:20). This parsha's main theme is the Benei Yisrael's eradication of idolatry from their land as soon as they entered it, as Moshe had told them before they formed the covenant.  Thus, the beginning of the section warns the Benei Yisrael against worshiping other gods, and the end of the section admonishes them to eradicate pagan worship from their land in order that they will not "...worship their gods" (Shemot 23:33).

Source: Mikraoth Gedoloth - Shemot



Ve'eleh hamishpatim asher tasim lifneihem - And these are the ordinances [laws] which you shall set before them

The previous section described how the Torah was given.  But there the Torah spoke on of the Ten Commandments. (Mechilta; Rashi)  It must be understood that, just as the Ten Commandments were given with thunder and lightening (19:16), so were all the laws mentioned in this section. (Mizrachi; Yeffeh Toar, p. 152; Tzedah LaDerech)

All the laws that are in this section were also given at Sinai.  They were given on the same day as the Ten Commandments, with similar thunder and lightning.  There is no difference between the manner in which these laws were given and that of the Ten Commandments. (Cf. Etz HaChayim)

These social laws were given before the rest of the Torah.  And even before the Benei Yisrael came to Sinai, G-d gave them social laws (mishpatim) at Marah (15:25).

The reason for this was that before the Torah could be given, all the Benei Yisrael had to be unified.  They had to have one heart, with peace, friendship and brotherhood, with no needless hatred whatsoever.

In order to learn the Torah, one must have peace.  If people discuss the Torah, it must be to attain truth, not to win arguments or display one's knowledge.

Thus, the basis of the entire Torah is peace; and this is the foundation upon which everything else rests.  Therefore, G-d gave social laws before He gave any of the other commandments of the Torah.  If a person has claims or arguments against his neighbor, there will be strife between them.  But through a system of justice, it is determined who is liable and who is innocent, and strife is avoided.

It is taught that the world is sustained by three things:

1. by law
2. by truth
3. and by peace

King Shlomo's only request to G-d was that he be given wisdom to be able to judge the people fairly and justly (1Melachim 3:9).  He did not ask for wealth or fame.  G-d was pleased with this request, and gave Shlomo so much wisdom, that he became famous throughout the world as a fair and just ruler.

Similarly, when the Scripture speaks about the greatness of Mashiach, it says, "He will judge the poor with righteousness, and decide for the meek of the land with fairness" (Yeshayahu 11:4).

Yerushalayim, too, will only be rebuilt through the merit of justice. It is thus written, "Tziyon will be redeemed through justice" (Yeshayahu 1:27).  G-d desires justice more than any sacrifice. (Tur, Choshen Mishpat 1; Bet Yosef ad loc.)

The Torah was given at Har Sinai in the morning, as it is written, "It was the third day in the morning, and there was thunder and lightning" (19:16). On that day, G-d also gave the Benei Yisrael a legal code, which included both monetary laws and a criminal code. (Shemot Rabbah)

It is written, "The strength of the King is that He loves justice" (Tehillim 99:4).  G-d loves those who administer justice.  The Torah was given only so that justice would be carried out.  If there were no justice, everyone would do what he desired, because he would have no one to fear.  Little by little, he would commit many sins, and the Torah would be forgotten.

But when justice is administered, and the law is upheld, people learn; and in such an honest environment, civilization flourishes.  When people deal lawfully in business, they also keep all the other laws of Judaism.  Crime and wrongdoing then cease to exist. (Shemot Rabbah.  Cf. Akedat Yitzchak; Derash Moshe)


The Death Penalty

The courts of Yisrael were given the authority to impose the death penalty as a punishment for certain crimes.  The death penalty could take four forms:

1. sekilah - stoning
2. serefah - burning
3. hereg - decapitation
4. chenek - strangulation

If this was the penalty imposed, when the condemned person came to within four cubits (approx. 6 feet) of the stoning platform, he would be stripped of all his clothing except his pants.  A woman would also be allowed to wear a shirt. 

The stoning platform was twice the height of a man.  The two witnesses (through whose testimony he was condemned) would lead him to the top of this platform.  His hands would be tied, and one of the witnesses would push him down from the platform so that he would fall down face forward.  

If the condemned person died of this fall, he was considered to have been killed by "stoning," because in describing this penalty, the Torah says, "He shall be stoned or thrown down" (19:13).  This teaches that throwing a person from a high place is the same as stoning him. It makes no difference whether stones are thrown on him or he is thrown down on stones.  

If the condemned did not die immediately upon being thrown down, the two witnesses would take a large stone prepared especially for the purpose and throw it on his chest.  The stone had to be so heavy that it took the two of them to lift it. (Tanchuma, Pekudai)   

If the condemned was still alive, all the onlookers would pelt him with large stones until he was dead.  It is thus written, "The hand of the witnesses shall be the first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people" (Devarim 17:7)

There are eighteen crimes for which the penalty is death by stoning:

1. Incest between a man and his mother.
2. Incest between a man and his father's wife.
3. Incest between a man and his daughter-in-law.
4. Adultery with a betrothed girl.
5. Homosexual sodomy.
6. Bestiality.
7. A woman submitting to an animal.
8. Blasphemy.
9. Idolatry (as explained in Yitro, on v20:5)
10. Giving one's seed to Molech (VaYikra 20:2). This was a type of idolatry where a fire was burned, and one's children had to pass through it.
11. Sorcery through necromancy (ov, VaYikra 20:27)
12. Pythonism (yid'oni, Ibid.)
13. Enticing individuals to idolatry, even if no act is committed.
14. Instigating communities to idolatry.
15. Witchcraft.
16. Violating the Shabbat through any of the 39 categories of forbidden work.
17. Cursing a parent.
18. A rebellious son (Devarim 21:18-21).

Parashat Terumah
Shemot 25:1 - 27:19