Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, HaRav Yosef Shemuel ben HaRav Reuven Aharon, David ben Elazar Yehoshua, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Our parasha contains two pasukim (verses) that reiterate the prohibition of avodah zarah (idol worship) and its practices, the commandment to completely destroy all monuments associated with idol worship and the positive mitzvah to worship Hashem:

You shall not prostrate yourself before their gods, and you shall not worship them, and you shall not follow their practices, but you shall tear them down and you shall utterly shatter their monuments. And you shall worship the L-rd, your G-d, and He will bless your food and your drink, and I will remove illness from your midst. (Sefer Shemot 23:24-25, this and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
The Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270), in his Commentary on the Torah, explicated our verses’ conceptual underpinning. In doing so, he revealed much regarding the very nature of avodah zarah:

The intent of this passage [is dependent upon the notion] that the majority of idol worshippers recognize and know that Hashem, the Honored One, is the G-d of all the gods and the Master of all masters – and their intention, [therefore,] is really not to worship idols at all – it is just that they think that through these different kinds of idol worship they will find success. By way of illustration: There are those that worship the sun because they have found that it rules over their grain, and those that worship the moon since it rules over the springs and the murmuring depths [such as tides] - so, too, in the case of all the heavenly hosts. It is all the more so the case in their minds in regards to the angels, wherein they maintain that there is extra benefit to be derived through their worship, since they are, [in actuality,] honoring the servants of the great G-d.
 
At this juncture, Nachmanides proceeded to focus upon the meaning of our second pasuk:

This is the reason why this text states that it is solely through the worship of the Holy One Blessed be He that one will have success and protection. Moreover, the uprooting of avodah zarah will not cause injury, but, rather, it will add to their good fortune and blessings. [How so?] For the Holy One Blessed be He will bless your bread – inclusive of all foods that you will eat. In addition, He will bless your water, which is the “father” of all drinks that you will imbibe. This blessing will inhere in them [i.e. food and drink] and be added to them, so that you will have great quantities of them. (Translation and brackets my own)
 
In contrast to the Ramban, Talmud Bavli, Baba Metzia 107b did not emphasize the interrelationship between the verses, and instead, explained the phrase, “And you shall worship the L-rd, your G-d,” at face value, i.e. “worship,” equals “Kriat Shema v’Tefilah” (“the recitation of the Shema and the Amidah”). Moreover, when we carefully examine the pasuk, we are immediately struck by a grammatical incongruity, namely, the expression, “you shall worship…” (“v’avadatem”) is written in the plural, while “your food,” “your drink” and “your midst” are written in the singular. This naturally leads us to ask, “Why did the Torah mix plural and singular grammatical constructs in the same sentence, instead of limiting itself to one or the other?”
 
We are fortunate that our question was addressed by one of the great Chasidic masters, Rabbi Tzadok Hakohen Rabinowitz of Lublin zatzal (1823-1900), known as the “Pri Tzaddik” after the title of his famous Torah commentary of that name:

We know that “worship of the heart is Tefilah,” so, too, Kriat Shema has as its point of focus the acceptance of the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven in the heart and mind of each and every soul of the Jewish people. [It is crucial to note that] every individual has a unique manner and approach in their worship [of Hashem]. Therefore, the expression referring to worship of the heart [“v’avadatem,”] was written in the plural [indicative of the multiple approaches toward Hashem that are pursued by the Jewish people].
 
Now that we know that the plural formulation of “v’avadatem” is reflective of the multiple ways in which the Jewish people encounter Hashem, we need to turn to the second part of the verse and examine its use of the singular form in its grammatical construction. Once again, Rav Tzadok provides us with a deeply insightful analysis:

Once, however, all the [living] souls have united with the avowed purpose of worshipping His being and essence, may He be blessed, then, everyone will merit the Divine flow of the words of Torah as if they were one entity. Therefore the Torah states, “He will bless your food and your drink,” in the singular – since everyone is as one in the manner in which they will be blessed by the Divine flow of both the Written and Oral Torah. This is the case, since, when taken in tandem, they are called “bread and water” [i.e. the fundamental basis of all life]. (Translation, underlining and brackets my own)
 
With Hashem’s help, may we join in our worship of Him and be zocheh to have a portion in the true food and drink of life – the holy Torah! V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom,
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on YUTorah.org using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].
*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

                                      Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, HaRav Yosef Shemuel ben HaRav Reuven Aharon, David ben Elazar Yehoshua, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The final verses of our parasha focus upon the mitzvah of building a stone altar for the purpose of bringing korbanot (offerings) in the service of Hashem:

And when you make for Me an altar of stones, you shall not build them of hewn stones, lest you wield your sword upon it and desecrate it. And you shall not ascend with steps upon My altar, so that your nakedness shall not be exposed upon it. (Sefer Shemot 20:22-23, this and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
The first pasuk (verse) contains the prohibition of using metal-hewed stones to build the mizbeach (altar), since metal symbolically represents war and destruction – the polar opposites of the altar’s purpose. The second verse forbids the use of steps leading to the mizbeach, so that the Kohanim’s “nakedness shall not be exposed upon it” when they ascend to perform the avodah (service). Rashi (1040-1105), based upon the Mechilta, clarifies the halachically acceptable mode of the mizbeach’s construction: “And you shall not ascend with steps: When you build a ramp for the altar, do not make it with steps, eschalons in Old French, but it must be smooth and slanting.”
 
There is a logical problem with the phrase, “so that your nakedness shall not be exposed upon it,” however, that must be addressed. In point of fact, based upon Sefer Shemot 28:42, this issue could never arise: “And make for them linen pants to cover the flesh of [their] nakedness; they shall reach from the waist down to the thighs.” In other words, all the Kohanim wore linen undergarments beneath their mandated priestly clothes in order to guarantee that they would remain covered at all times while serving in the Mishkan and the Beit Hamikdash. If that is the case, why does the Torah stipulate, “And you shall not ascend with steps upon My altar, so that your nakedness shall not be exposed upon it?” Rashi, once again based upon the Mechilta, formulates this issue in the following fashion:

So that your nakedness shall not be exposed: Because due to the steps, you must widen your stride, although it would not be an actual exposure of nakedness, for it is written: “And make them linen pants.” Nevertheless, widening the strides is close to exposing the nakedness [of the one ascending the steps], and you behave toward them [the stones] in a humiliating manner. (Underlining my own)
 
On a certain level, Rashi’s observation is nothing less than amazing, and forces us to ask, “How sensitive must we be, as a nation and as individuals, to the world and everything therein?” Sensitive enough, it appears, that we are forbidden from “embarrassing” even the stones that are associated with the mizbeach! Upon due reflection, we instinctively feel that Rashi’s gloss contains a crucial life lesson that is waiting to be revealed. As always, the most renowned of all Torah commentators does not disappoint:

Now these matters are a kal vachomer [a fortiori] form of reasoning. This means that if in regard to the stones that have no intelligence to object to their humiliation, the Torah nonetheless stated … that you shall not behave toward them in a humiliating manner, all the more so in the case of your friend, who is [created] in the likeness of your Creator and who does object to being humiliated, [is it forbidden to behave toward him in a humiliating and deprecatory manner]. (Emendations and underlining my own)
 
By what star, then, should we set our moral compass so that we avoid the deep pitfalls of negative and embarrassing behavior toward our fellow man? I believe an answer to this “questions of questions” was formulated long ago in the thought of the Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204):

It is a positive Rabbinic Commandment to visit the sick, to comfort the mourners, to “bring out” (l’hotzi) the deceased, to provide for the needs of the bride, and to escort guests. [In addition, one] must involve himself in all aspects of the burial and carry the deceased on his shoulder, walk before him, eulogize him, dig his grave, and bury him. So, too, [one is obligated] to rejoice with the bride and groom, and to provide for all their needs [at the festive meal.] All of the aforementioned are in the category of physically demonstrated acts of kindness (gemilut chasadim she’b’gufo) and, as such, have no upward limit. Even though all of these mitzvot are Rabbinic in nature, they are in the category of  “…and you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (“v’ahavta l’reiecha kamocha”) …” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Aveilut 14:1)
 
V’ahavta l’reiecha kamocha thereby emerges, in Judaism in general and for the Rambam in particular, as the key to positive, sensitive and caring treatment of all mankind. Indeed, if we dedicate our lives to the pursuit of this mitzvah, we will be well along the path forged by Dovid Hamelech (King David) so long ago: “Distance yourself from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.” (Sefer Tehillim 34:15, with my emendations) With Hashem’s blessing and our fervent desire, may this be so. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom,
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on YUTorah.org using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, HaRav Yosef Shemuel ben HaRav Reuven Aharon, David ben Elazar Yehoshua, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The end of our parasha focuses upon the epic battle between our nascent nation and the marauding desert tribe of Amalek:

Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Pick men for us, and go out and fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of G-d in my hand.” Joshua did as Moses had told him, to fight against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur ascended to the top of the hill. It came to pass that when Moses would raise his hand, Israel would prevail, and when he would lay down his hand, Amalek would prevail… Joshua weakened Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. The L-rd said to Moses, “Inscribe this [as] a memorial in the book, and recite it into Joshua's ears, that I will surely obliterate the remembrance of Amalek from beneath the heavens.” Then Moses built an altar, and he named it “the L-rd is my miracle.” And he [Moses] said, “For there is a hand on the throne of the Eternal, [that there shall be] a war for the L-rd against Amalek from generation to generation.” (Sefer Shemot 16:8-11, 13-16 this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, underlining my own)
 
In sum, there was a battle between Amalek and the Jewish people that was fought on both the physical and spiritual planes. Joshua was the general who commanded our people’s troops, and Moses served as the viaduct through which G-d’s protective beneficence flowed. The final pasuk (verse), “For there is a hand on the throne of the Eternal, [that there shall be] a war for the L-rd against Amalek from generation to generation,” is very difficult to understand, however, since the tribe of Amalek ceased to exist as an identifiable ethnicity thousands of years ago. If that is the case, how can there be “a war for the L-rd against Amalek from generation to generation?”
 
My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his followers and disciples, answered this question in his famous essay of 1956 entitled: “Kol Dodi Dofek.” Therein, he presented a seminal idea learned from his father, Rav Moshe Soloveitchik (1879-1941) zatzal, regarding the future of the fledgling State of Israel:
 
Divine providence is testing us once again via the crisis that has overtaken the land of Israel. Let it be clearly stated: The matter does not just affect the political future of Israel. The designs of the Arabs are directed not just against the political sovereignty of the State of Israel but against the very existence of the Yishuv (settlement) in the land of Israel. They wish to destroy, heaven forbid, the entire community, “both men and women, infant and suckling, ox and sheep” (1 Samuel 15:3). At a Mizrachi convention I cited the view expressed by my father and master of blessed memory, that the proclamation, “The L-rd will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16) does not only translate into the communal exercise of waging obligatory war against a specific race but includes as well the obligation to rise up as a community against any people or group that, filled with maniacal hatred, directs its enmity against Kenneset Israel [the Jewish people].
 
The Rav continued his development of the concept of Hashem’s war against Amalek by noting that our enemy is not a time-bound genealogically homogeneous entity, but rather, any group whose purpose and goal is the destruction of klal Yisrael (the Jewish people):

When a people emblazons on its banner, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation: that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance” (Psalms 83:5) it becomes, thereby, Amalek. In the 1930's and 1940's the Nazis, with Hitler at their head, filled this role. They were the Amalekites, the standard-bearers of insane hatred and enmity during the era just past. (Pages 65-66 from the English translation entitled Fate and Destiny, underlining my own)
 
According to the opinion of Rav Moshe Soloveitchik, as presented and elaborated upon by the Rav, Amalek is not a tribe. Amalek is, instead, a state of mind. Consequently, Amalek has existed since time immemorial and, unfortunately, will continue to exist until Mashiach Tzidkanu (the true and righteous Messiah) arrives and destroys this force of evil in the world. As the Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) states:

If a king will arise from the House of David who diligently contemplates the Torah and observes its mitzvot as prescribed by the Written Law and the Oral Law as David, his ancestor, will compel all of Israel to walk in (the way of the Torah) and rectify the breaches in its observance, and fight the wars of G-d, we may, with assurance, consider him Mashiach. If he succeeds in the above, builds the Temple in its place, and gathers the dispersed of Israel, he is definitely the Mashiach. (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 11:4, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger, bolding my own)

The Rav underscores this point in footnote 23, as found in the original Hebrew edition of “Kol Dodi Dofek”: “…Amalek still exists in the world. Go and see what the Torah says: ‘a war of Hashem with Amalek throughout all of the generations.’ If so, it is impossible that Amalek will be destroyed from this world before the arrival of the Messiah.”
 
Anti-Semitism, and the denial of the existence and supremacy of Hashem, are the principles by which Amalek lives. Moreover, he has one undeniable goal: to destroy each and every one of the Jewish people so that G-d’s name, chas v’shalom (G-d forbid), would be obliterated from the world. Therefore, we must ever be vigilant and stand shoulder to shoulder to ensure the physical and spiritual safety of our fellow Jews, wherever they may be. Perhaps, then, no truer expression was ever spoken by Chazal (our Sages of blessed memory) than kol Yisrael arevim zeh l’zeh (all of the Jewish people are responsible for one another). May these words, in our hearts and on our lips, serve as a beacon of light and a call to action forevermore. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom,
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on YUTorah.org using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].
​
*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, HaRav Yosef Shemuel ben HaRav Reuven Aharon, David ben Elazar Yehoshua, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Our parasha contains two pasukim (verses) that initially appear to be quite similar:

It came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, and it came to pass in that very day, that all the legions of the L-rd went out of the land of Egypt. (12:41)
 
It came to pass on that very day, that the L-rd took the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt with their legions. (12:51, quotes from Sefer Shemot, Parashat Bo; these and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Both of these pasukim (verses) contain the Hebrew words “va’y’he b’etzem hayom hazeh” (“it came to pass in that very day”) and make reference to “legions.” In the first verse, however, the legions are given the appellation “of the L-rd,” while in the second this terminology is not found. Then, too, in the first verse, “the legions of the L-rd went out (yatzu) of the Land of Egypt,” and in the second instance, Hashem took them out directly (hotzi). Let us now turn to an analysis of these similarities and differences in order to understand the lessons the Torah is conveying to us.
 
Rashi (1040-1105) addressed the singular import of the expression, “b’etzem hayom hazeh,” in several sources, including his commentary to Sefer Devarim 32:48. Therein, he utilized the Sifrei, the halachic Midrash to Sefer Devarim, to clarify the “story behind the story” as to why our two verses stressed this expression:

… regarding Egypt, Scripture states, “On that very day (בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה), the L-rd brought [the children of Israel] out [of the land of Egypt]” (Sefer Shemot 12:51). The Egyptians said: “We swear by such and such, that if we notice them about to leave, we will stop them! And not only that, but we will take swords and other weapons, and kill them!” So, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: “I will bring them out in the middle of the day, and let anyone who has power to prevent it, come and prevent it!”
 
In sum, according to the Sifrei and Rashi, “on that very day” is deployed in our two verses in response to the Egyptians’ manifest challenge to Hashem’s authority when they refused to accept the Divine decree of the Master of the Universe. He, therefore, acted in a completely public manner that demonstrated the abject futility of man’s rebellion against Him. In a word, no force or power can stand before the Master of the Universe.
 
We are now ready to examine the differences between the terms, “the legions of the L-rd” and “their legions,” and “yatzu” and “hotzi.” Rav Yaakov Yosef ben Tzvi ha-Kohen Katz of Polonoye, Russia zatzal (1710-1784) was the author of the first published Chasidic work entitled, “Sefer Toldot Yaakov Yosef,” and the most celebrated student of the Baal Shem Tov (1700-1760) zatzal. In the course of his Kabbalistically-imbued explication of Parashat Masei in Sefer Bamidbar, Rav Yaakov Yosef discussed our pasukim:

“All the legions of the L-rd went out (yatzu)” [connotes the idea] that through their own positive choice they went out of Egypt. This means that they separated themselves from the materialism of this world, which is called “Egypt…” [At this point,] they became completely spiritual, almost as if they were separate angelic intelligences – to the point wherein they were called “the legions of the L-rd” as a result of their [volitional] departure from Egypt. Afterwards, they came to sanctify themselves, and the Holy One blessed be He helped them to do so. Therefore, “the L-rd took (hotzi) the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt” when they reached the highest level possible, namely, “their legions,” which was an even higher level than the ministering angels had attained in [the sefirah of] Yetzirah (Formation)… (Translation, underlining, parentheses and brackets my own).
 
Rav Yaakov Yosef’s statement, “Afterwards, they came to sanctify themselves, and the Holy One blessed be He helped them to do so,” is highly reminiscent of the following Talmudic passage:

Reish Lakish said: What is the meaning of: “If [one goes] to the scoffers, he will scoff; but [if he goes] to the humble, he evokes grace?” (Sefer Mishle 3:34). This means, if a man comes to defile himself, the doors are opened to him, but if he comes to purify himself, he is helped (ba l’tahare m’sayin lo). In the school of R. Ishmael it was taught: It is as when a man sells naphtha [an ill-smelling oil product] and balm: If [a purchaser] comes to measure naphtha, he [the shopkeeper] says to him: “Measure it out for yourself;” but to one who would measure out balm he says: “Wait, till I measure together with you, so that both you and I may become perfumed.” (Talmud Bavli, Yoma 38b-39a, translation, The Soncino Talmud with my emendations, some brackets and underlining my own)

At this juncture we may well ask, “What is the conceptual content of the expression ‘if one comes to purify himself, he is helped (ba l’tahare m’sayin lo)?’” I believe an answer may be found in the thought of my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as the “Rav” by his followers and disciples. The Rav repeatedly emphasized his interpretation of the phrase “He is the One who extends His hand to effectuate teshuvah (repentance) in order to accept the purposeful and inadvertent sinners…” (Source: the complete Tachanun supplication). As Rav Soloveitchik noted, while it is most assuredly man’s obligation to initiate the teshuvah process, once a person has done so, the Almighty does everything in His power to foster and encourage the efforts of the penitent – a crystal clear example of haba l’tahare m’sayin lo.
 
In my estimation, the significance of haba l’tahare m’sayin lo gains further strength when viewed in the light of Dovid Hamelech’s (King David) famous declaration:

What is man that You should remember him, and the son of man that You should be mindful of him? Yet You have made him slightly less than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and majesty. (Sefer Tehillim 8:5-6)
 
Rashi explained Dovid Hamelech’s pronouncement of man’s status as “slightly less than the angels” in the following manner:
 
Yet You have made him slightly less than the angels, etc.: Heb. מאלהים, which is an expression of angels, for You gave power to Joshua to still the sun and to dry up the Jordan, and to Moses to split the waters of the Sea of Reeds and to ascend to the heavens, and to Elijah to resurrect the dead.
 
Based upon these additional sources, the chidush (novel idea) in Rav Yaakov Yosef’s explanation is now quite clear: True, mankind was created slightly lower than the angels, in that we can serve as the vehicle for miraculous deeds and wonders. Yet, with Hashem’s assistance, we are capable of achieving “an even higher level than the ministering angels had attained,” as illustrated by the Talmudic statement, haba l’tahare m’sayin lo. With Hashem’s blessing and our heartfelt desire, may we fulfill our ultimate potential to become even greater than the angels in our service and dedication to the Almighty. V’chane yihi ratzon.
Shabbat Shalom,
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on YUTorah.org using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
                 Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, HaRav Yosef Shemuel ben HaRav Reuven Aharon, David ben Elazar Yehoshua, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Our parasha contains five pasukim (verses) that incorporate a variation of the phrase, “in order that you know:”

So said the L-rd, “With this you will know (b’zot taida) that I am the L-rd.”

Behold, I will smite with the staff that is in my hand upon the water that is in the Nile, and it will turn to blood. (7:17)
 
“… in order that you should know (l’ma’an taida) that there is none like the L-rd, our G-d.” (8:6)
 
And I will separate on that day the land of Goshen, upon which My people stand, that there will be no mixture of noxious creatures there, in order that you know (l’ma’an taida) that I am the L-rd in the midst of the earth. (8:18)
 
Because this time, I am sending all My plagues into your heart and into your servants and into your people, in order that you know (ba’avur taida) that there is none like Me in the entire earth. (9:14)
 
… When I leave the city, I will spread my hands to the L-rd. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, in order that you know (l’ma’an taida) that the land is the L-rd's. (9:29, all quotes from Sefer Shemot, Parashat Va’era, these and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, underlining my own)
 
These pasukim (verses) refer to the plagues of blood, frogs, wild beasts and hail that the Almighty unleashed against Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Moreover, the content of what is to be known, and the message that Moshe delivered to Pharaoh, are quite parallel: the existence and uniqueness of G-d is the subject of the first four verses, and the concept of G-d’s absolute sovereignty over the earth is found in the final verse.  

At this point, we might well ask, “Why did the Torah place such singular emphasis upon the phrase ‘in order that you know’?” The Torah is almost always succinct in its use of language, even when the subject at hand is of far-reaching import. One of the great Sephardic Torah commentators, Rabbi Don Yitzhak Abarbanel zatzal (1437-1508), provided a solution to this question is his elucidation of the famous Brit Bein Habetarim (Covenant of the Pieces, Sefer Bereishit 15:7). Moreover, in the course of his exposition, he presented an overarching rationale as to why our ancestors were exiled to the Land of Egypt.
 
The Abarbanel began his explication by noting that the 13th century BCE was a time in which the vast majority of the world embraced the stars as gods and denied the existence (metziut) of the Almighty. Moreover, even those people who recognized G-d’s existence denied His Divine providence (hashgachato). A third group, who recognized G-d’s reality, denied His omnipotence and ability to effectuate change in the world (yacholato). The Abarbanel maintained that the Jewish people served as the means whereby each of these false doctrines could be expunged from the collective consciousness of mankind:

In order that the truth of these principles of belief [i.e. metziuto, hashgachato, yacholato] should become known in the world, the Holy One saw fit to bring His chosen people into the exile of Egypt – to be in the land that was totally absorbed with every manner and variety of false and twisted beliefs. [Moreover,] it was filled with witchcraft and machinations [against the Almighty] – more so than any other land.
 
Next, the Abarbanel conceptualized Moshe’s role in the Divine drama as one dedicated to teaching the world accurate perceptions regarding emunah b’Hashem (belief in G-d):

And the Holy One blessed be He, through the agency of His prophet [Moshe], warned [Pharaoh] “Send forth My people so that they will serve Me” – the Egyptians, [however,] did not listen to His voice, and consequently, He multiplied wonders and signs in their midst. It was through this [i.e. the wonders and signs] that the truth of the fundamental principles of faith, namely, metziuto, hashgachato, yacholato were made manifest in the world.
 
At this juncture, the Abarbanel focused squarely upon the repetition of our initial phrase, “in order that you know,” and its variants:

Therefore, we find regarding the Makkot (Plagues) in Egypt that it initially states, “With this you will know (b’zot taida) that I am the L-rd.” [This was in order to teach] the principle of G-d’s existence (metziuto). Afterwards the Torah says, “… in order that you know (l’ma’an taida) that I am the L-rd in the midst of the earth, [this was in order to teach] the principle of G-d’s Divine providence (hashgachato). Following these first two instances, the Torah states, “… in order that you know (ba’avur taida) that there is none like Me in the entire earth.” [This was in order to teach] the principle of G-d’s omnipotence (yacholato). (Translation, brackets and parentheses my own)
 
Based upon the Abarbanel’s incisive analysis, we now have a working hypothesis as to the role of Galut Mitzraim (the Egyptian Exile) in human history. It is crucial to remember that Egypt was the most technologically sophisticated and powerful nation of its time. As such, it ruled over much of the known world. Therefore, our forebears were chosen to be the vehicle whereby the truth of the Master of the Universe’s existence, Divine providence and omnipotence could be recognized and accepted by all mankind. Though we must never minimize the anguish and unrelenting pain of the 210 years of servitude that our ancestors endured in Egypt, it is vital to note the unprecedented role the Jewish nation played in teaching the world, “Ein ke-lokeinu, Ein ka-doneinu, Ein k’Malkeinu Ein k’Moshieinu” (“There is none like our G-d, There is none like our L-rd, There is none like our King, There is none like our Savior.”) Therefore, at the very dawn of our deliverance and nationhood, we were zocheh (merited) to be the Almighty’s “light unto nations” in order that the world would know that His dominion and salvation extend “until the end of the earth.” (Based upon Sefer Yeshayahu 49:6)
 
With the Almighty’s help and never-ending kindness, may we continue to be His emissaries and “light” unto the entire world. V’chane yihi ratzon.
Shabbat Shalom,
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on YUTorah.org using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.