Shalom Friends;
This week, our Parshat HaShavua — Parshat Bo is being sponsored by Moshe and Lauren Pitzele of Ramat Beit Shemesh dedicated in honor of their son Yehuda Leib’s birthday and dedicated for the safety of the Chayalim and the liberation of the remaining deceased hostage and his return home for Jewish ritual burial, as well as for the good health and security of kol Am Yisrael. . To Mishpochat Pitzele, many thanks for your sponsorship and continued kindnesses.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShavua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShavua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
Subscribe to the Israel and the Sin of Expulsion blog, to ask questions or to sponsor a Parsha Vort at: olehchadash@yahoo.com
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As our Parshat Bo opens, Hashem tells Moshe that He has “made Pharaoh’s heart, and the hearts of his servants stubborn so that I can put these signs of mine in his midst.” (citing Sefer Shemos, Perek 10, posuk 1 as rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash)
Torah then records:
“And so that you may relate in the ears of your son and your son’s son that I made a mockery of Egypt and my signs that I placed upon them — that you will know that I am Hashem.” (Sefer Shemos, Perek 10, posuk 2 rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash)
Upon Pharaoh’s continued refusal to send the Jews out to serve Hashem, He [Hashem] tells Moshe to expect the eighth maka (plague), the maka of arbeh (locust swarms) that will cover the earth so that noone could see the earth, and that whatever remained from the maka of barad (hail), including all trees would be consumed and Egyptian houses and houses of all Pharaoh’s servants would be filled with them. (citing Sefer Shemos, Perek 10, posukim 5 – 6)
In response to the previous plagues, Torah records:
“Pharaoh’s servants said to him, ‘How long will this be a snare for us. Send out the men that they may serve Hashem, their G’d! Do you not yet know that Egypt is lost?'” (Sefer Shemos, Perek 10, posuk 7 as rendered to English in Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash)
Rabbi Dovid Feinstein renders to English Sefer Shemos, Perek 10, posuk 7 with the addition of one word, in his Sefer, “Kol Dodi” and provides commentary (page 107 – 108) :
“Pharaoh’s servants said to him, How long will this person be a snare for us?” (Sefer Shemos, Perek 10, posuk 7)
…Pharaoh’s servants refer to Moshe with the word “zeh,” this one. This seems to suggest that Moshe was still present, even though he already left. Also, what did they mean by calling Moshe a “mokeish”, a snare [noun: anything serving to entrap or entangle unawares; trap]? Did they really think that Moshe was responsible for their difficulties and that if only he would disappear everything would be fine? They must have known that the source of their problems was the fact that Hashem was angry with them for not releasing the Jews. If so, why did they blame Moshe?
…We can say that when Pharaoh’s servants spoke about Moshe, they really meant to refer to the Jews as a whole. This is why they said the same verse, “Send the people away and let them serve Hashem, their G’d.” (Sefer Shemos, Perek 10, posuk 7) The solution they proposed reveals that they saw that their problem lay in their failure to release the Jews.
There is an allusion to this interpretation in the choice of the word “zeh” — this one, to refer to Moshe. The gematria of “zeh” is twelve, suggesting that Moshe is nothing more than a representative of the twelve tribes (shevatim).
In another place, the Torah hints that Moshe, as a leader, is a representative of his followers. In his farewell address at the beginning of Devarim, Moshe recounts to the Jews the story of their wanderings through the desert. During the narrative, he says; “It was when all the warriors of that generation ceased to die from amongst the people, Hashem spoke to me…” (Rabbi Feinstein renders to English Sefer Devarim, Perek 2, posukim 16 – 17)
Rashi points out that this is the first time… since he alluded to the incident of the spies (Rabbi Feinstein referring to Sefer Devarim, Perek 1, posuk 1) that he mentioned how Hashem had spoken to him with affection and compassion.
According to Rashi, this shows… that while the rebellious generation was alive, Moshe never once had the same kind of loving “face to face” dialogue with Hashem that he did before and after [Yisrael’s rebelliousness]. From this we learn that prophets receive their Divine inspiration only in the merit of the people they lead. Because Hashem was angry with the Jews, He did not favor Moshe with the closeness he had otherwise enjoyed. Thus, we have another example of how Moshe, as a leader, personifies his followers.
Rabbi Feinstein cites examples in Torah where Hashem “hints” that a leader of the Jews is a representative of his people. Therefore, it would seem that leaders of other nations could view a leader of the Jews in a like manner. And when Hashem is angry with the Jews, this anger reflects upon their leader, while when the Jews fulfill Hashem’s will, in their merit Hashem is kind and compassionate toward their leader.
Therefore, are we to understand that over the centuries and generations of our galut, and particularly over the nearly seventy-eight years of Israel’s modern-day sovereign (adjective: independent of outside authority) nationhood, that leaders of the other nations would view a leader of the Jews as characteristic of his people and that divisiveness and discordant (Adjective: disagreeable to the ear; dissonant; harsh) ideologies and political agendas among factions of Am Yisrael would manifest itself in Hashem’s possible negativity toward the nation’s leader or leadership as representative of Am Yisrael?
As to the above question, perhaps an understanding can be traced back to the blessing that Yitzchak gave Eisev following Yaakov’s disguised “cleverness” in taking the blessing meant for Eisev:
“By your sword you shall live, but your brother you shall serve: yet it shall be that when you are aggrieved, you may cast off his yoke from upon your neck.” (Sefer Breish’t, Perek 27, posuk 40 as rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash)
The Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash cites Rashi on the above posuk (ibid, page 141) :
“When you are aggrieved.” If Israel ever transgresses the Torah, and is thus undeserving of dominion, you will have a right to be aggrieved that he has taken the blessings; “then you may cast off his yoke from upon your neck.”
May our government and military bring about the total and complete, Final and Decisive victory over Hamas, their 7 October so-called “civilians(sic)” collaborators and the entire terror cabal, B’Yad Hashem, and become Totally self-sufficient as to manufacture of military equipment and aircraft, weaponry, munitions — heavy munitions, as well as showing independence of actions responding to any threat, regardless of so-called “super powers.”
May we see, from here on, that border guard personnel at all points of possible danger are listened to and treated with respect and dignity. May we see our Chayalim totally eradicate Hamas, Islamic Jihad, those so-called “civilians(sic)” who collaborated on 7 October, as well as Hezbollah, the Houthies, the Mullahs of Iran and all their terror accomplices while liberating the remains of the one deceased hostage and his return home for Jewish ritual burial, B’Yad Hashem and mandated by a government secure in it’s foremost service of, and emunah in HaKadosh Borchu, B’Ezrat Hashem! And may we see the restoration of true unity within Am Yisrael. May these words come to fruition B’Esrat Hashem.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently re-settled in Gush Katif, once the IDF, by the Yad Hashem, destructs and eradicates the wild beasts of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, all other terror entities, and if necessary Iran, and that our brethren be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them, that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Homesh be rebuilt, as well as the buildings of Yishuv Elchanan, all at total government expense. May our Chayalim return from battle unharmed — physically, mentally and spiritually and may all of the remaining hostages brutally taken by the wild beasts of Hamas be liberated and brought home to their families. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now in his sixth year at home in Eretz Yisrael and continues in a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her spirit and memory continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. May the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, the recent recovery of the remains of Tzvi Feldman as well as the recoveries of the remains of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin from the Gaza War of ten years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
Good Shabbos and Chodesh Tov!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
Moshe is available for editing of English language documents, articles, manuscripts and more. Please be in contact with him at olehchadash@yahoo.com for your English language needs.
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