Peninim on the Torah – Hebrew Academy of Cleveland

ולא נחם אלקים דרך ארץ פלשתים כי קרוב הוא

Hashem did not lead them by way of the land of Plishtim, because it was near. (13:17)

Our lives are filled with miracles. Yet, we do not take the time or make the effort to study them and to employ them as a pathway for deepening our bitachon, trust, in Hashem. When Klal Yisrael left Egypt, two paths were before them: the short and easy route through the land of Plishtim; the long circuitous route through the wilderness. Rabbeinu Chananel (quoted by Rabbeinu Bachya) explains that Hashem chose the long way which, albeit took them through the wilderness, provided the opportunity for exposure to additional miracles. A trip straight through Plishtim would not have availed them the…

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וישאו בני ישראל את עיניהם והנה מצרים נסע אחריהם. וייראו מאד ויצעקו בני ישראל אל ד'

Sruly Schnair In Beshalach, 5786

And Bnei Yisrael raised their eyes and behold! Egypt was journeying after them, and they were very frightened. Bnei Yisrael cried out to Hashem. (14:10)

The euphoria connected with the liberation and exodus from Egypt lasted until the nation saw Pharaoh and his army in pursuit. Some prayed fervently to Hashem for salvation. Prayer is our key to reaching Hashem and petitioning Him to annul whatever decree hangs over our heads. Others were frozen in fear. They sadly complained that they would have settled for remaining in Egypt as long as their slavery would have ended. Hashem responded that this was not a time for prayer, but rather for positive action, for mesiras nefesh, a display of their faith in Him and a willingness to…

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ולא יכלו לשתות מים ממרה כי מרים הם ... ויצעק אל ד' ויורהו ד' עץ וישלך אל המים וימתקו המים

Sruly Schnair In Beshalach, 5786

But they could not drink the waters of Marah because they were bitter … He cried out to Hashem, and He showed him a tree, he threw it into the water and the water became sweet. (15:23,25)

Horav Yechezkel Abramsky, zl, related the following homiletic rendering of these pesukim. (Apparently, he had heard the exposition from a Chassidic Jew.) On the surface, the pesukim relate that, when Klal Yisrael came to a place which was (later) called Marah, bitter, they found the drinking water to be bitter. As a result, they were unable to drink, and they questioned the choice of rest area. Moshe Rabbeinu prayed to Hashem, Who instructed him to throw a certain tree into the water, and it became sweet. Water is a metaphor for Torah. Be’er chafaruah sarim, “Well that the princes dug”…

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עד מתי מאנת לענות מפני

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5786

How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? (10:3)

Horav Aharon Leib Shteinman, zl, asks, if we were to bring Pharaoh to trial before the International Court in The Hague — what would this evil man be convicted of? Pharaoh’s sins were monstrous, even by the standards of the most brutal, sadistic tyrants of history. Mass murder, enslavement, cruelty beyond imagination – all crimes against humanity, deserving of the most painful punishment. Yet, the Torah does not list these atrocities as an indictment against Pharaoh. The only thing the Torah writes is: “You refused!” Pharaoh refused to acknowledge Hashem as the One behind the punishment. He ignored the obvious…

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קדש לי כל בכור פטר כל רחם בבני ישראל באדם ובבהמה לי הוא

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5786

Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first issue of every womb, among Bnei Yisrael, of man and beast, is Mine. (13:2)

Chazal (Pesikta Rabbasi Parsha 14) cited by Horav Yitzchak Zilberstein, Shlita, relates the following story. A Jew owned a cow. This was his sole source of livelihood. Unfortunately, his small parcel of land was not producing sufficiently, forcing him to sell his cow to a gentile. He received a good price which would sustain him until his economic situation would take a positive turn. The gentile was very happy with the cow, and he had it plow his field on a daily basis. Come Shabbos, something strange happened with the cow: it refused to plow. No coaxing, no beating –…

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זכור את היום הזה אשר יצאתם ממצרים

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5786

Remember this day on which you departed from Egypt. (13:3)

Memory and the joy of remembering seminal moments in our history are among the cornerstones of Jewish life. As such, we are a nation who, although we live in the present, we neither forget nor take for granted the lessons of the past. As Klal Yisrael is about to prepare for its liberation from the Egyptian exile, they were repeatedly exhorted to remember that they were once slaves, and Hashem in His infinite kindness redeemed them from bondage. In the Haggadah, we underscore this obligation with, B’chol dor vador chayiv adam liros es atzmo k’ilu hu yatza mi’Mitzrayim, “In every…

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והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5786

You shall relate to your son on that day. (13:8)

One might ask why the Torah emphasizes bincha, your son, rather than talmidcha, your student? After all, every Jew bears the collective responsibility of v’shinantam l’vanecha, which is explained, “You shall teach Torah to all of Klal Yisrael” – not only to one’s biological children. Why is the father-son relationship underscored? Perhaps the Torah seeks to impart an important message. The foundation of Jewish continuity is bolstered in the yeshivah, bais ha’medrash, Bais Yaakov – but it begins at home. Before one can inspire a talmid he must first connect with his ben. The mitzvah of v’higadeta l’vincha is not…

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וגם אני שמעתי את נאקת בני ישראל אשר מצרים מעבדים אותם ואזכור את בריתי

Sruly Schnair In Vaeira, 5786

And I, too, have heard the wail of Bnei Yisrael whom Egypt enslaves, and I have remembered My covenant. (6:5)

What is the meaning of the added “I, too,” as if Hashem is also listening, when, in fact, Who else but Hashem listens? Hashem heard the cries emanating from the Jewish slaves. Why is this referred to as “also”? The Chasam Sofer explains that, “I, too,” teaches us that, indeed, Hashem is not the only one listening. In Egypt, each and every Yid listened to the painful cries of his neighbor and, as a result, they commiserated with one another. They did not think only of their pain, but also of the pain of other Yidden who were suffering. When…

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אמר אל אהרן קח מטך ונטה ידך על מימי מצרים

Sruly Schnair In Vaeira, 5786

Say to Aharon, “Take your staff and stretch out your hand on the waters of Egypt.” (7:19)

Rashi comments that, concerning the plagues of blood and frogs, Aharon HaKohen was the one who struck the water. Moshe Rabbeinu owed a debt of gratitude to the natural resource because it was the Nile that protected him as a newborn infant. The obvious question is: Does water have a mind? Does water have feelings? It is inanimate. Why does one have to maintain a sense of gratitude to it? Indeed, Chazal teach, Bira d’shasis bei maya al tizrok bo even, “The well from which you drink, do not throw a stone into it.” It would seem that this is…

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ושמתי פדות בין עמי ובין עמך למחר יהיה האות הזה

Sruly Schnair In Vaeira, 5786

I shall make a distinction between My people and your people – tomorrow this sign will come about. (8:19)

Simply speaking, Moshe Rabbeinu informed Pharaoh when each plague would begin. This was meant to underscore the miraculous nature of the plague. Horav Shalom Bentzion Felman, zl, explains this pasuk homiletically: “I will make a distinction between My people and your people.” What is this distinction? In which area of belief do we see a separation between Jew and non-Jew? Tomorrow, this sign will come about. It is with regard to the concept of “tomorrow” that we differ. The Jew who believes in Hashem lives with a constant awareness of “tomorrow.” Even if today appears bleak and filled with hardship,…

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ולא נחם אלקים דרך ארץ פלשתים כי קרוב הוא

Hashem did not lead them by way of the land of Plishtim, because it was near. (13:17)

וישאו בני ישראל את עיניהם והנה מצרים נסע אחריהם. וייראו מאד ויצעקו בני ישראל אל ד'

And Bnei Yisrael raised their eyes and behold! Egypt was journeying after them, and they were very frightened. Bnei Yisrael cried out to Hashem. (14:10)

ולא יכלו לשתות מים ממרה כי מרים הם ... ויצעק אל ד' ויורהו ד' עץ וישלך אל המים וימתקו המים

But they could not drink the waters of Marah because they were bitter … He cried out to Hashem, and He showed him a tree, he threw it into the water and the water became sweet. (15:23,25)

עד מתי מאנת לענות מפני

How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? (10:3)

קדש לי כל בכור פטר כל רחם בבני ישראל באדם ובבהמה לי הוא

Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first issue of every womb, among Bnei Yisrael, of man and beast, is Mine. (13:2)

זכור את היום הזה אשר יצאתם ממצרים

Remember this day on which you departed from Egypt. (13:3)

והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא

You shall relate to your son on that day. (13:8)

וגם אני שמעתי את נאקת בני ישראל אשר מצרים מעבדים אותם ואזכור את בריתי

And I, too, have heard the wail of Bnei Yisrael whom Egypt enslaves, and I have remembered My covenant. (6:5)

אמר אל אהרן קח מטך ונטה ידך על מימי מצרים

Say to Aharon, “Take your staff and stretch out your hand on the waters of Egypt.” (7:19)

ושמתי פדות בין עמי ובין עמך למחר יהיה האות הזה

I shall make a distinction between My people and your people – tomorrow this sign will come about. (8:19)

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