![]() 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, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, the Kedoshim of Har Nof and Pittsburgh, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. Our parasha contains the mitzvah of sippur yetziat mitzrayim — the recounting of the story of the Departure from Egypt — that is fulfilled during the Pesach Seder experience. The 13th century anonymous author of the Sefer HaChinuch begins his discussion of this commandment in the following manner: The commandment to recount the exodus from Egypt: To tell about the Exodus from Egypt on the night of the fifteenth of Nissan — each person according to his own power of expression — to laud and to praise Hashem, may He be blessed, for all the miracles He performed for us there, as it is stated, “And you shall tell your son — v’he’gaddatah l’vinchah…” (Sefer Shemot 13:8, translation with my emendations, https://www.sefaria.org/Sefer_HaChinukh.21.1?lang=bi) The Sefer HaChinuch generally follows the approach of the Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) in his presentation of the mitzvot. Yet, when we examine the Rambam’s introductory words in the Mishneh Torah concerning sippur yetziat mitzrayim, we find that he bases this commandment on an entirely different proof text than that of the Sefer HaChinuch: It is a positive commandment of the Torah to relate the miracles and wonders wrought for our ancestors in Egypt on the night of the fifteenth of Nisan, as the Torah states: “Remember this day, on which you left Egypt — zachor et hayom hazeh asher y’tzatem m’mitzrayim” (Sefer Shemot 13:3) just as it states: “Remember the Sabbath day.” (Sefer Shemot 20:8, Hilchot Chametz u’Matzah 7:1, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger with my emendations) In truth, when the Sefer HaChinuch cites “v’he’gaddatah l’vinchah” as his source for sippur yetziat mitzrayim, he does so in congruence with the position of nearly every classic meforash (commentator) on the Taryag (613) Torah commandments. This leads us to ask, “Why does the Rambam in the Mishneh Torah act as an outlier in his selection of zachor et hayom hazeh asher y’tzatem m’mitzrayim for his proof text, rather than the universally accepted v’he’gaddatah l’vinchah?” This question is particularly apropos, since the Rambam did adopt v’he’gaddatah l’vinchah as his source for the mitzvah of sippur yetziat mitzrayim in his Sefer HaMitzvot! (Positive Commandment 157) In order to better understand the Rambam’s choice in the Mishneh Torah of zachor et hayom hazeh asher y’tzatem m’mitzrayim as the source for the mitzvah of recounting the story of the Exodus, we need to analyze how this verse is usually interpreted. In his Commentary on the Torah, Rashi (1040-1105), basing himself upon the Mechilta, Parashat Bo 16, states: “This teaches us that we have a daily [obligation] to mention the Exodus from Egypt.” It is noteworthy that while this is a daily, and for that matter, nightly chovah (obligation), the Rambam does not count it as one of the Taryag Mitzvot. Instead, he places it within the laws of kriat sh’ma: “There is a mitzvah to mention the Departure from Egypt during the day and at night…” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Kriat Sh’ma I:3). While the Rambam supports this statement with a citation from Sefer Devarim 16:3, my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, notes that “regarding the truth of the matter, the mitzvah [that is, the daily obligation to mention the Exodus] was really stated in the verse, ‘zachor et hayom hazeh.’” (Shiurim l’Zacher Abba Mori, II, page 152, translation and brackets my own) Why, then, did the Rambam chose zachor et hayom hazeh as the proof text for the commandment of sippur yetziat mitzrayim, when it seems its proper purview is the daily obligation to mention the Exodus? In his exploration of this question entitled, “The Conjunction of Sippur and Zechirat Mitzrayim,” Rabbi Michael Rosensweig, rosh hayeshiva at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, suggests the following answer to our question: The Rambam's carefully crafted articulation of the mitzvah of sippur yetziat mitzrayim subtly, yet artfully, conveys that the singular focus of the actual night of Pesach is further enhanced by its wide and pervasive impact, as expressed in daily zechirat mitzrayim…it is the ubiquitous zechirah…that determines sippur’s ultimate significance even as a concrete commemoration of the historical event of the Exodus. (www.Torahweb.org) At this point, Rav Rosensweig elaborates upon the symbiotic relationship that obtains between sippur and zechirat mitzrayim: Thus, zechirat yetziat mitzrayim and sippur yetziat mitzrayim are mutually enhancing, even mutually dependent. Without the detailed, intense and more concrete sippur practiced once a year, the more amorphous and abstract zechirah would be compromised; absent the continuous outlet and impact provided by daily zechirah, the anniversary of the Exodus would be nothing more than a nostalgic memory. Rabbi Rosensweig has provided us with the tools to gain a deeper understanding of the inextricable relationship between zechirat yetziat mitzrayim and sippur yetziat mitzrayim. Each informs the other, to the extent that neither could reach their full potential without the powerful light of the other shining upon it. May the Master of the Universe help us recognize the power and significance of zechirat yetziat mitzrayim, and in so doing, may we be zocheh (merit) to infuse our sippur yetziat mitzrayim with new and dynamic meaning. V’chane yihi ratzon. Shabbat Shalom Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria 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 mailto:[email protected]. *** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach 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.
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![]() 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, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. Our parasha contains five instances of the term, “taida — that you know,” as found in the context of the eser makkot (10 Plagues). The Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270) focused his analytical efforts on three of them: And I [Moses] 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 [Pharaoh] know that I am the L-rd in the midst of the earth. (Sefer Shemot 8:18) Because this time, I [G-d] am sending all My plagues into your [Pharaoh] heart and into your servants and into your people, in order that you know that there is none like Me in the entire earth. (9:14) And Moses said to him [Pharaoh], “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 that the land is the L-rd’s. (9:29, all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) In his Commentary on the Torah, Sefer Shemot 13:16, the Ramban suggests that a considered reading of these pasukim reveals the eser makkot as essentially heuristic devices divinely designed to teach Pharaoh and his people crucial aspects of Hashem’s power and relationship to the world. Following this line of reasoning, he conceptualizes the phrase in 8:18, “that I am the L-rd in the midst of the earth,” as underscoring G-d's hashgacha — divine providence over the entire universe. In the Ramban’s view, it was necessary for the Torah to present this notion at precisely this time in order to teach Pharaoh and his nation that “He never abandoned the world to capricious happenstance as they had thought;” rather, Hashem was, and is, ever in control of the world. (All Ramban translations my own) For the Ramban, the expression in verse 9:14, “that you know that there is none like Me in the entire earth,” was uttered in order to teach the Egyptians that Hashem, and none other, is omnipotent: “He rules over everything and there is nothing whatsoever that prevents Him from so doing.” The Egyptians needed to learn this fundamental lesson, as we see succinctly formulated by Dovid HaMelech: “The L-rd established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.” (Sefer Tehillim 103:19) The Ramban interprets the phrase in 9:29, “that you know that the land is the L-rd’s,” as referring to Hashem’s role as the Creator, and His act of creating the Universe “...hechidush — out of absolute nothingness.” The Egyptians needed to understand that “everything that exists is His, since He created all things m’ayin — from nothing.” Here, too, we can cite a verse from Sefer Tehillim that strongly supports the Ramban’s exegesis: “The land and the fullness thereof are the L-rd’s; the world and those who dwell therein. For He founded it upon seas and established it upon rivers.” (24:1-2) The Ramban concludes his interpretation of our three pasukim by suggesting that: ...the Egyptians either completely denied, or at the very least, doubted, these essential principles of belief regarding the Almighty [hashgacha, omnipotence, and hechidush]. As such, the great signs and wonders [of the eser makkot] serve as true witnesses regarding proper faith in the Creator — and belief in the entire Torah. We live at a time when much of the world denies the Almighty’s existence, repudiates His hashgacha and omnipotence, and rejects the very concept of hechidush. Therefore, may we be guided by the stirring words of the prophet Yeshayahu: “You are My witnesses,” says the L-rd, “and My servant whom I chose,” in order that you know and believe in Me, and understand that I am He...” (43:10) In so doing, may we teach humankind the truth of His presence and omnipotence in the world. Then, with the Almighty’s help, we will truly become His “light unto nations,” and sanctify Him before all. (49:6) May this time come soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon. Shabbat Shalom Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria 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 mailto:[email protected]. *** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach 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. ![]() (Picture: Natalia Kadish) 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, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman zatzal (1874–1941) was one of the greatest disciples of the saintly Chafetz Chaim zatzal (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan, 1838-1933). In his hesped for his beloved rebbe, he noted that the Chafetz Chaim had at first wanted to change the world, then he lowered his expectations to his community, then to his family, and finally settled upon changing himself. According to Rav Wasserman, the Chafetz Chaim was so humble he failed to realize that this self-transformation ultimately did change his family, community and the entire world. Our parasha contains a similar narrative of change in the person of Moshe Rabbeinu (our teacher Moshe). As the Torah attests, Moshe’s youth was spent as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter. As such, he was raised amidst palatial opulence and received all the benefits befitting a prince. As Rashi (1040-1105) notes in his comment on Sefer Shemot 2:11, Pharaoh went so far as to designate Moshe the head of his household. Most people in this situation would have basked in the glow of luxurious living and repudiated their enslaved people and family of origin. Moshe, however, even at this early stage of development, acted quite differently than one might naturally have expected. The Torah is completely silent regarding the inner workings of Moshe’s mind and his actions as head of Pharaoh’s household. Nonetheless, we can deduce that he maintained a connection to his Jewish faith, identity, and people: Now it came to pass in those days that Moses grew up and went out to his brothers and looked at their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man of his brothers. He turned this way and that way, and he saw that there was no man; so he struck the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. (Sefer Shemot 2:11-12, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) Why did Moshe run to the rescue of his fellow Jew? After all, like any nobleman of his day, he could easily have ignored this all-to-common violence. Moreover, the next day, he went out of the palace once again to look after the welfare of his fellow Jews. Finding Datan and Aviram (Rashi 2:13) amid a heated argument that bordered on physical violence, Moshe immediately asked them to refrain from striking one another. Unfortunately, they saw him as an interloper and rejected his intervention, and their harsh rebuke revealed to Moshe that his actions against the Egyptian taskmaster the day before had become public knowledge: He [Moshe] went out on the second day, and behold, two Hebrew men were quarreling, and he said to the wicked one, “Why are you going to strike your friend?” And he retorted, “Who made you a man, a prince, and a judge over us? Do you plan to slay me as you have slain the Egyptian?” Moses became frightened and said, “Indeed, the matter has become known!” (2:13-14) Now that Moshe realized “the matter has become known!” he had little choice but to run away from Egypt and seek asylum in Midian. This was a very wise choice, since when “Pharaoh heard of this incident he sought to slay Moses.” (2:15) In sum, Moshe had risked everything in his identification with, and defense of, his brethren. After Moshe fled Pharaoh, we find his focus on justice and righteousness had expanded to include the needs of non-Jews: … so Moses fled from before Pharaoh. He stayed in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well. Now the chief of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew [water], and they filled the troughs to water their father's flocks. But the shepherds came and drove them away; so Moses arose and rescued them and watered their flocks. (2:15-16) Herein we see that Moshe completed several crucial steps in becoming a consummate leader. At first, he changed himself and refused to be corrupted by the life of a palace prince. Next, he grew in his love of his fellow Jews. Now, in a true test of his moral rectitude, he demonstrated his desire for universal justice and fought to protect the non-Jewish daughters of the chief of Midian. With righteousness, conviction of purpose, and singular bravery, Moshe became a true representative of the Master of the Universe. With Hashem’s help, may we strive to emulate Moshe Rabbeinu as we seek to bring about positive changes in ourselves, our nation, and ultimately, our 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 http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria 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 mailto:[email protected]. *** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach 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, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, the Kedoshim of Har Nof and Pittsburgh, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. Parashat Vayechi is the final sidrah in Sefer Bereishit and the bridge to Sefer Shemot. Until this time, our forebears were a small family comprised of 12 tribes, yet, within the first chapter of Sefer Shemot, Pharaoh utilizes what will become classic fear-mongering and rabble-rousing rhetoric and proclaims to his nation: … “Behold, Am B’nai Yisrael — the people of the children of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we are. Get ready, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they increase, and a war befall us, and they join our enemies and wage war against us and depart from the land.” (1:9-10, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) Suddenly, we have become an am, a people, a recognized “nation within a nation,” that in Pharaoh’s twisted and hate-filled mind threatens the existential being of the Egyptian people. I believe that Ya’akov Avinu was well aware that his family of 70 individuals was destined to become an am. As such, prior to blessing his sons he declared: “…Hayasfu — Gather and I will tell you what will happen to you at the end of days. Hekabtzu — Join together and listen, sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel, your father.” (Sefer Bereishit 49:1-2, with my emendations) While hayasfu and hekabtzu have slightly different meanings, both suggest the idea of banding together into a singular entity, in this case, the nascent Jewish people. What is the essence of Am Yisrael? What makes us a unique nation? How, against all the “laws of history,” have we managed to not only survive, but to thrive? These are questions to which my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993) returned time and time again. During some of the darkest days of the Holocaust, the Rav penned, “U’vikashtem Misham — And from There You Shall Seek,” his most personally beloved theological work. Therein, he identifies and analyzes the idea of Knesset Yisrael: Knesset Yisrael — the Community of Israel — its definition: the inextricable connection between the first and last generations of prophet and listener, of Torah scholar and student, of the Revelation of G-d’s Divine Presence in the earliest lights of dawn, and the eschatological vision on that day to come. (Translation my own) At first blush, one might imagine that Knesset Yisrael is a homogeneous entity that is linked together by like-minded people and universally agreed upon concepts and patterns of thought. Yet, in his analysis of the term, “hekabtzu — join together,” the Rav presents an entirely different notion of what accounts for the continuation and greatness of Knesset Yisrael: “Jacob here [in his blessings to his sons] expresses the essence of Knesses Yisrael. According to Nachmanides, Knesses Yisrael connotes a community of contradictory, mutually exclusive ideas and people. … [with] many traits of character.” (Public lecture, Boston, 1979, cited in, Chumash Mesoras HaRav, Sefer Bereishis, page 357) I believe that Ya’akov Avinu profoundly recognized this constitutive aspect of the Jewish people, as demonstrated by his differentiated brachot (blessings) to each of his sons. Then, too, in my estimation, Ya’akov’s brachot represented the key to the Jewish future in which our many differences have become a dynamic source of strength, enabling us to survive the seemingly endless trials and tribulations that we have encountered throughout our storied history. May the Master of the Universe ever encourage us to embrace our myriad differences so that we may continue to join together and proclaim as one, “Am Yisrael chai!” V’chane yihi ratzon. Shabbat Shalom Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria 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 mailto:[email protected]. *** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach 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. |
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