Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Beshalach "The Big Send-Off" Volume 24, No. 16 15 Shevat 5770 January 30, 2010 Sponsored by Irving and Arline Katz on the yahrzeits of grandmother Henia Rachel bat Pinchas a"h (Tu B'Shevat) and mother Fradel bat Yaakov Shalom a"h (19 Shevat) The Marwick family in memory of Samuel and Reba Sklaroff a"h Micheline and David Peller in memory of his parents Hinda bat Yisroel Yechiel a"h and Efraim Fishel ben Avraham a"h Today's Learning: Nach: Yirmiyah 11-12 Mikvaot 1:3-4 O.C. 405:6-8 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Bava Batra 162 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Berachot 18 The Midrash Tanchuma comments on the opening verse of our parashah: "It happened when Pharaoh sent out the people . . ." - This "sending" means "accompanying," as in the verse (Bereishit 18:16), "Avraham walked with them to send them off." We read similarly (Bereishit 26:31), "Then Yitzchak sent them off." The midrash continues: Why did the verse use this expression? The same mouth (i.e., Pharaoh) who said (Shmot 5:2), "I do not know Hashem, nor will I send out Yisrael!" later had to acknowledge (8:24), "I will send you and you shall bring offerings to Hashem." Therefore the Torah says, "It happened when Pharaoh sent out the people." What was his reward? It is found in the verse (Devarim 23:8-9), "You shall not reject an Egyptian, for you were a sojourner in his land. Children who are born to them in the third generation may enter the congregation of Hashem." [This means that an Egyptian may convert to Judaism; however, he, his son, and his grandson may only marry other converts. Only his great-grandson is free to marry any Jew.] R' Mordechai Ze'ev Rosenthal z"l (rabbi of Kolbiel, Poland; died 1892) explains: When Pharaoh said, "Nor will I send out Yisrael!" his intention was to create distance between G-d and Bnei Yisrael. As a consequence, G- d placed distance between Bnei Yisrael and a first generation descendant of an Egyptian convert. When Pharaoh said, "I will send you," but he did not keep his word, he again attempted to create distance between G-d and Bnei Yisrael. As a consequence, G-d placed distance between Bnei Yisrael and a second generation descendant of an Egyptian convert. The third time the language of "sending" is used, however, Pharaoh actually did send them out. Moreover, he sent messengers to accompany Bnei Yisrael, thus indicating a desire to come closer to G-d and Bnei Yisrael. His reward is that a third generation descendant of an Egyptian convert is not distanced from the Jewish People. (Kol Ha'ramaz) ******** "Toward morning the water went back `l'aitano' / to its power." (14:27) Making a play on the similarity in Hebrew between "l'aitano" and "tenao" / his condition, the midrash derives from this verse that Hashem had made a condition at the time of creation that the sea must split at the appropriate time. Rambam z"l (1135-1204) writes: The reason that the midrash felt the need to given such an interpretation is that we are taught (Kohelet 1:9), "There is nothing new under the sun." Indeed, Rambam writes, Hashem created the physical world and then left everything within it--except man, who has free will and is subject to reward and punishment for the choices he makes--to operate according to the rules that He established at creation. Any miracle that ever occurred was necessarily programmed into nature at the time of creation. (Shemoneh Perakim ch.8) R' Moshe Chaim Luzzato z"l (Ramchal; 1707-1747; Italy; best known as the author of Mesilat Yesharim) disagrees. He writes: Hashem can change nature at any time and in any way He wants, and He can perform any miracle at will. What then is the meaning of the midrash cited above, which states that Hashem built conditions into creation? This means that, at the time of creation, Hashem revealed to the spiritual source of each creation [so-to-speak, its angel] the reason that that creation was made. The Yam Suf was shown that it was destined to split for Bnei Yisrael, the donkey was shown that it was destined to reprimand Bilam, and so on. Ramchal adds: This is the meaning of the statement in the Gemara (Chullin 60a), "Every creation was created with its consent." When Hashem showed each creation what its role in history would be, each creation rejoiced and was happy to be created. (Derech Hashem II:5:6) ******** R' Yerucham Levovitz z"l (mashgiach ruchani of the Mir Yeshiva; died 1936) taught: The miracle of the splitting of the Yam Suf was no more remarkable than the miracles that bring us our daily sustenance. What makes Kriat Yam Suf special is the fact that we recognize G-d's Hand at work in that event. Similarly, it was not remarkable that G-d gave us the Torah. That event is remarkable only if we accept the Torah. (Quoted in Michtav M'Eliyahu, Vol. I, p. 104) ******** "On that day, Hashem saved Yisrael from the hand of Egypt." (14:30) The midrash Yalkut Shimoni relates that there was a great tumult in the Heavenly Court on the seventh night of Pesach, the night before the Splitting of the Yam Suf. Uza, the guardian angel of the Egyptians, argued that Bnei Yisrael were no better than the Egyptians, since even Bnei Yisrael had worshiped idols. Also, he asserted that the 400 years of exile that were decreed had not yet passed. Hashem was, so-to-speak, forced to answer Uza before He could save Bnei Yisrael. Why now? asks R' Shlomo Eliasoff z"l (1841-1926; leading early 20th century kabbalist; grandfather of R' Yosef Shalom Elyashiv shlita). Why didn't Uza object before the Exodus? R' Eliasoff explains: On the night of the Exodus, Bnei Yisrael were protected by two mitzvot that they had just performed. First, a mass brit milah had taken place on Erev Pesach (since Bnei Yisrael had previously stopped circumcising their children). Second, the Korban Pesach had been offered. Likewise, during the ensuing days, Bnei Yisrael were protected in the merit of blindly following Hashem into the desert (see Yirmiyah 2:2--"Thus said Hashem, `I recall for you the kindness of your youth, the love of your nuptials, your following Me into the wilderness, into an unsown land."). However, when it came time to split the Yam Suf, another accounting was performed, and, since there were no new mitzvot to weigh in the balance, G-d's special intervention to defend Bnei Yisrael was required. (Quoted in Niglot Leshem Shvo V'achlamah) ******** "[Give thanks] to Him Who divided the Yam Suf le'gezarim / in parts." (Tehilim 136:13) The midrash Yalkut Shimoni states that the word "le'gezarim" alludes to the brit milah. [The word comes from the root which means "to cut."] What is the connection between brit milah and the splitting of the Yam Suf? R' Yehonasan Steif z"l explains: The guardian angel of the sea argued, "How can the sea divide? That is against the laws of nature and therefore a violation of G-d's intent when He created the world!" In reality, however, that is not a good argument. Our Sages teach that, as far as nature was concerned, Avraham and Sarah were not capable of having children. However, Hashem lifted them out of the framework of nature and gave them a son at unnaturally advanced ages. Why? Because the world was created for Yisrael. Nature serves Yisrael, not the other way around; provided, of course, that we are observing the Torah. What is the ultimate proof that the Jewish People live outside of nature? It is the fact that a father and mother take their newborn son and subject him to brit milah. Indeed, in the blessing following the brit milah, that mitzvah is referred to as a chok / a commandment which is not understood. There is no natural explanation for the fact that parents not only perform this mitzvah, they do so happily. Therefore, the Yam Suf too could change its nature, and split. (Haggadah Shel Pesach Mahari Steif p. 212) ******** "Lechem Mishneh" R' Yaakov ben Asher z"l (the Ba'al Ha'Turim; died 1340) writes that one should recite Hamotzi on Shabbat over two loaves of bread (popularly known as "lechem mishneh") because of the verse (in our parashah--16:22), "It happened on the sixth day, they collected lechem mishneh," i.e., a double portion of mahn. (Tur O.C. 274) The Gemara (Shabbat 117b) records: "Rav Ashi said, `I saw Rav Kahana hold two loaves in his hand, but slice only one." Why did he do this? R' Shneur Zalman of Liadi z"l (the Ba'al Ha'Tanya; 1745-1813) explains that his behavior was based on the above verse, which does not say that Bnei Yisrael ate a double portion at one meal, only that they picked up a double portion. (Shulchan Aruch Harav 274:2) R' Mendel of Rimanov writes that the two loaves of bread parallel two aspects of Shabbat, which commemorates Creation and also the Exodus. They also parallel the two kinds of enjoyment one can get from food--tangible (touch) and intangible (smell, sight, and taste). These two pairs are not unrelated; our connection with the Exodus is "intangible" in the sense that we did not witness the Exodus; we know of it only through tradition. In contrast, Creation is "tangible" in that any thinking person who studies nature will immediately realize that it is too wonderful not to have been created by a Creator. (Menachem Zion) Some say that the reason for lechem mishneh is to parallel the twin commandments--"Shamor" / "Keep the Shabbat" and "Zachor" / "Remember the Shabbat." (Zemirot Shirin Ve'rachshin p.142, quoting Tola'at Yaakov) It should be noted that poskim / halachic authorities state that the requirement for lechem mishneh applies equally to men and women, since both men and women received the mahn.