Pop Quiz: Who were Moshe's two grandfathers?
MAINTAINING THE IMAGE
Rabbi Shmuel Choueka
Many of the warnings given to Pharaoh took place early morning by the
Nile River. The Rabbis teach us that Pharaoh considered himself a god,
and as such could not be seen doing human activities such as relieving
himself. He therefore used to go early in the morning to the river to
relieve himself and then "hold it in" all day long, so as to maintain his
image of a god.
From our own experiences, we can well imagine his discomfort at not
being able to go to the bathroom when needed. Yet Pharaoh had to
maintain an image and in his eyes, it was worth all the discomfort to do
so. We, who see it from the outside, are amazed at how foolish he was
and to what extent he would go just to keep up with what others thought
of him.
We would do well to remember this when we do things just for the image.
Do we have to put ourselves in financial stress just to go away when
everyone else does? Does that not remind us of the '60's when air
conditioning wasn't standard in all cars and some people would ride
around in the summer with the windows closed to maintain their image?
Pharaoh lived with discomfort for his image; do we have to live with
financial pressures for ours? Shabbat Shalom.
'TEST ME'
Rabbi Reuven Semah
"Moshe said to Pharaoh, 'Glorify yourself over me - for when should I
pray for you?'" (Shemot 8:5)
One of the most riveting dramas of the Torah is the battle between Moshe
and Aharon on one side and Pharaoh on the other. Pharaoh endures the
terrible plague of frogs. The frogs brought intense suffering to Pharaoh
as well as to the Egyptians. Rashi explains Moshe's statement in the
verse above. Pharaoh tells Moshe to please remove this terrible plague!
Pray to G-d to remove them. Moshe responds by saying, "Test me! Ask me
for something I can't do and if you are right you will be able to say
that I failed your test." The Ramban explains that Pharaoh suspected
that Moshe, using the forces of nature, knew that the plague was going to
end now anyway. Consequently, Pharaoh thought that Moshe, knowing this,
was setting him up. Moshe would assume that Pharaoh would demand an
immediate end to the plague, and Moshe would come out looking great when
the plague would end exactly at the time Pharaoh requested of him. So
Pharaoh tried to outfox Moshe by saying, "tomorrow," a most unexpected
move by Pharaoh!
Pharaoh is truly amazing. The man is willing to endure another
excruciating day to prove himself right. He has the power, as the king
of Egypt, to kill both Moshe and Aharon. However, we don't find it
mentioned anywhere that Pharaoh tried to kill them but they were
miraculously saved. It seems that Pharaoh didn't try to kill them. He
was more determined to prove himself right and win the battle of
spiritual supremacy. It was all worth it not to admit to the truth of
Hashem's existence.
In a kind of backwards way, we can learn a lesson from Pharaoh. In the
same way that he struggled to deny the truth, we must struggle to know
the truth of Hashem and the real purpose of life. Pharaoh finally found
out at the Red Sea. Let us be convinced in a crystal clear way right
now. Shabbat Shalom.
MODERN TECHNOLOGY
Rabbi Yaacov Ben-Haim
"Go to Pharaoh in the morning when he goes out to the water" (Shemot
7:15)
"He goes to the water to attend to his bodily needs, for Pharaoh would
claim to be a god, who did not excrete. He would rise early and go out
to the Nile, and tend to his bodily needs there" (Rashi).
In his book, Imrei Shefer, Rabbi Shmuel Pinhasi describes how the
Egyptians were full of pride at their achievements and blinded by their
civilization's technology. They thought of themselves as supernatural
beings, able to control the world. This teaches us how easy it is for a
person to begin to believe in his own power. This attitude,
unfortunately, is consciously or unconsciously held by most of society.
Faced with multiple technological advances in every direction, it is not
difficult for man to share the outlook of Pharaoh, "My river is mine and
I created myself."
This does not mean that we must shun technological advancement. There
is no inherent conflict between technology and Torah. The Torah does not
require us to be ascetics, but to extract the positive and valuable from
any situation and utilize it to better worship G-d. How wonderful are
the words of Rav Kook on the verse, "With trumpets and shofar sound, call
out before the King, Hashem" (Tehillim 98:6). The shofar is the symbol
of natural activity, while the trumpet represents the technological
world. Man must strive to make a choir of the two, a choir that sings in
harmony before the King. We are obligated to see and worship the Holy
One Blessed is He everywhere - in nature, in science, in technology and
in the cosmos. We have but two options - either to see Him everywhere,
or to see Him nowhere. Shabbat Shalom.
FAMILY TREE
"These are the heads of their father's houses" (Shemot 6:14)
Because of Moshe and Aharon, the Torah provides a genealogy to tell us
how they were born and to whom they were related. Why is it necessary to
record their pedigree?
Contrary to the belief of the gentile world regarding their own leader,
the Torah wants to emphasize that a Jewish leader is not one who is born
in a supernatural way. He is a normal person who has a father and a
mother and who has spiritually elevated himself to be worthy of his rank.
Every Jewish boy has the potential to become a Moshe Rabenu - a leader
of the Jewish people in his generation. (Vedibarta Bam)
A HIDDEN MESSAGE
"And Pharaoh sent for Moshe and Aharon and he said to them, 'I have
sinned this time. Hashem is righteous and I and my people are wicked'"
(Shemot 9:27)
Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel of Slobodka noted that although Pharaoh
verbally admitted his guilt when he was under the pressure of the plague,
he reverted to his old ways as soon as the pressure was off. The problem
was that he viewed suffering with a limited perspective. He viewed
suffering merely as a punishment for wrong. That is why he said, "Hashem
is a righteous judge and His punishment is fair because I have done
evil." But the reality of Hashem's suffering is that there is a strong
element of kindness. Suffering is a divine message telling a person that
he has something to improve. It is a reminder that one needs to improve
oneself. The goal of suffering is to motivate a person to improve his
behavior. Because Pharaoh viewed suffering only as a punishment, as soon
as the punishment was over he made no changes.
When you view suffering as a means to elevate yourself, you will find
meaning in your suffering. While there is still pain involved, it is
much easier to cope with. Whenever you find yourself suffering, ask
yourself, "How can I use this as a tool for self-improvement?" (Growth
through Torah)
SPEAK SOFTLY (BUT CARRY A BIG STICK)
"[Hashem] commanded [Moshe and Aharon] regarding the children of Israel
and regarding Pharaoh, the king of Egypt" (Shemot 6:13)
Rashi explains that the fact that this pasuk refers to Pharaoh as the
king of Egypt teaches that Hashem commanded Moshe to treat him with
respect. This seems strange. We know that Moshe approached Pharaoh in
order to warn him about the plagues which would come if Pharaoh would not
release B'nei Yisrael. This entire episode, and the encounters that
followed, brought tremendous disgrace to Pharaoh. How much of a
difference would it make if Moshe did not give him the proper respect due
to a king?
From here, we can learn two lessons. First, the punishment that Hashem
brings on a person is precisely measured, and a person never receives a
greater punishment than he deserves. Imagine the scene: during the
plague of frogs, the frogs were everywhere, croaking constantly, even in
the Egyptians' stomachs! Picture Pharaoh sitting on his throne with his
officers gathered around him. Pharaoh opens his mouth to speak, and a
frog jumps into his mouth! He tries again, and instead of his voice, all
that is heard is a loud croak! Can we say that there is even a remnant
left of the honor of the king? Still yet, even though the humiliation
and disgrace that Pharaoh was immense, the additional disrespect of being
spoken to in an improper manner was more than he deserved.
Another lesson we can learn is that one must be very careful about his
manner of speech when rebuking or punishing another person. If Moshe was
commanded to speak respectfully to the wicked Pharaoh, how much more so
must we use caution when speaking to a fellow Jew! And if this is what
is required when we are rebuking a fellow Jew, how much more so in our
normal daily conversations. (Lekah Tob)
Answer to Pop Quiz: Levi (Yochebed's father) & Kehat, the son of Levi
(Amram's father).
