Parsha Shemos Part 2
We left off in the middle of the Parsha. HASHEM has spoken to Moshe and told him that he is going to be the redeemer of Am Yisrael. Moshe is a shy stutterer and does not really want such a mission. We return to conversation and the start of Chapter 4.
4:1 And Moses answered and said: 'But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say: The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.' 2 And the LORD said unto him: 'What is that in thy hand?' And he said: 'A rod.' 3 And He said: 'Cast it on the ground.' And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 4 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail--and he put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand-- 5 that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.' 6 And the LORD said furthermore unto him: 'Put now thy hand into thy bosom.' And he put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.
Why did Moshe’s hand become Leprous seeing that the disease is caused by Lashon HaRa? Because Moshe said, “They will not believe me”. That was Lashon HaRa on Am Yisrael.
7 And He said: 'Put thy hand back into thy bosom.--And he put his hand back into his bosom; and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.-- 8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe even these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land; and the water which thou take out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.'
This is the third sign or wonder for Am Yisrael. All will be insufficient for Pharaoh.
10 And Moses said unto the LORD: 'Oh Lord, I am not a man of words, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.' 11 And the LORD said unto him: 'Who hath made man's mouth? or who makes a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? is it not I the LORD? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt speak.'
The L-RD is extremely patient with Moshe and explains to him logically but still Moshe does not want the mission.
13 And he said: 'Oh Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send.' 14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: 'Is there not Aaron thy brother the Levite? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; and when he sees thee, he will be glad in his heart.
Aaron was a Levi and not a Cohain but because you refused to go gladly, he shall be the Cohain in your stead and you will be the Levi in his stead.
15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. 16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and it shall come to pass, that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shalt be to him in God's stead. 17 And thou shalt take in thy hand this rod, wherewith thou shalt do the signs.'
All your signs and wonders will come through this Shepherd’s Crook in your hand.
18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said unto him: 'Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren that are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive.' And Jethro said to Moses: 'Go in peace.'
There is a Derek Eretz protocol to ask permission to take leave from your (boss) or father-in-law. Yacov did not do so for he feared for his life but Moshe was very much at peace with Yisro and perhaps told him
19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian: 'Go, return into Egypt; for all the men are dead that sought thy life.'
You are no longer on their wanted list. You have been long forgotten.
20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. 21 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'When thou goest back into Egypt, see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand; but I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go. 22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh: Thus says the LORD: Israel is My son, My first-born.
When the Jewish teen fell into the hands of the Missionaries and he argued with Rabbi Glixman about ‘HE gave HIS ONLY SON’ (on the cross), Rabbi Glixman showed the youth this Pasuk in Hebrew and English so that it was clear in the boy’s mind what the meaning of the Pasuk was. The fellow dismissed his missionary friends and returned to Judaism. For one can believe in Judaism that everybody is a child of the L-RD created in HIS IMAGE but not in only children. Yisrael was to G-D as a first born son above and against Pharaoh’s first born son.
23 And I have said unto thee: Let My son go, that he may serve Me; and thou hast refused to let him go. Behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born.'
Since from MY standpoint Yisrael is MY Bechor, I will go after your Bechor.
24 And it came to pass on the way at the lodging-place, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said: 'Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me.'
Some Pasukim are easy to understand without commentary. Example “You should not murder” but others like this need a traditional explanation. How did the L-RD sort to kill Moshe? Via a snake that tried to swallow Moshe from the top and the bottom until he got to the point of his Bris. Then Tzipporah saw the hint and circumcised her son.
26 So He let him alone. Then she said: 'A bridegroom of blood in regard of the circumcision.'
As soon as she understood, the snake slithered away.
27 And the LORD said to Aaron: 'Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.' And he went, and met him in the mountain of God, and kissed him.
How did Aaron get to meet Moshe precisely here is unspecified. It is obvious that HASHEM told Aaron to meet Moshe. There is no indication that Aaron had been on the route to Har Sinai before. So I must conclude that when HASHEM told Aaron to meet Moshe, that specific directions were given or signs that the two would meet at this time and place.
28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD wherewith He had sent him, and all the signs wherewith He had charged him. 29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had remembered the children of Israel, and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Since Aaron did all the introductory talking Moshe was distanced from them and thus more mysterious and impressive. This might be good for slaves but will it work on the worldly Pharaoh?
5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said unto Pharaoh: 'Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness.'
Pharaoh probably thought to himself “Who is this guy and what sort of story is he trying to sell me?”
2 And Pharaoh said: 'Who is the LORD, that I should hearken unto His voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, and moreover I will not let Israel go.' 3 And they said: 'The God of the Hebrews hath met with us. Let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest He fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.'
Your warnings, scare tactics, fire and brimstone might work for the Hebrews but for a sophisticated and modern well educated person like myself they do not work.
4 And the king of Egypt said unto them: 'Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, cause the people to break loose from their work? get you unto your burdens.' 5 And Pharaoh said: 'Behold, the people of the land are now many, and will ye make them rest from their burdens?'
Pharaoh does not recognize an invisible G-D and sees the whole request as a labor dispute.
6 And the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying: 7 'Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish aught thereof; for they are idle; therefore, they cry, saying: Let us go and sacrifice to our God. 9 Let heavier work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard lying words.'
Give the people the same quota and diminish their supplies and this will keep them busy.
… 20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh; 21 and they said unto them: 'The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.' 22 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said: 'Lord, wherefore hast Thou dealt ill with this people? why is it that Thou hast sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath dealt ill with this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all.
See G-D I told you that I was no good now look what happened.
6:1 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh; for by a strong hand shall he let them go, and by a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.'
G-D is basically telling Moshe – Don’t worry about it for this is MY plan.
Parsha Va’era
We continue onwards after Moshe’s failure. Moshe is going again to meet Pharaoh this time with miracles and wonders but a few snake charmers will throw Pharaoh off the correct mindset. Pharaoh is about to have his heart get hardened by his will and a few times from HASHEM.
6:2 And God spoke unto Moses, and said unto him: 'I am the LORD; 3 and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name YHWH I made Me not known to them. 4 And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings, wherein they sojourned. 5 And moreover I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered My covenant.
I made a covenant between the pieces with Avraham that years would pass and I have not forgotten him, Yitzchak and Yacov.
6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel: I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments;
If this sounds familiar that means you have celebrated the Seder a few times. But to the enslaved it was above their ability to comprehend what would take place.
7 and I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning which I lifted up My hand to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for a heritage: I am the LORD.'
HASHEM is telling them of the promised redemption. But does anybody hear HIM? A few elders and those with the strongest amount of faith. For Emunah is either within you or you have lost it.
9 And Moses spoke so unto the children of Israel; but they hearkened not unto Moses for impatience of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
The Burden of Mitzrayim was so great and stressful that the people had no energy to listen to Moshe. Perhaps a few like Hoshea Bin Nun, Betzalel, and others had the strength and Emunah to listen. One had to be so fortified in Faith that he could listen above the Din of the Taskmasters.
10 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 11 'Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.' 12 And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying: 'Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?'
Very humble with no faith in his ability sort of like even G-D can’t help me. But that seems to be Moshe’s inability to understand the nature of G-D at this point.
13 And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. …23 And Aaron took him Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadav, the sister of Nachshon, to wife; and she bore him Nadav and Avihu, Eleazar and Itamar. 24 And the sons of Korah: Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites. 25 And Eleazar Aaron's son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites according to their families. 26 These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the LORD said: 'Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their hosts.' 27 These are they that spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are that Moses and Aaron. 28 And it came to pass on the day when the LORD spoke unto Moses in the land of Egypt,
Even though the land of Mitzrayim was Tamay, the L-RD spoke to Moshe there.
29 that the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 'I am the LORD; speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak unto thee.' 30 And Moses said before the LORD: 'Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me? 7:1 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'See, I have set thee in God's stead to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. 2 Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
Moshe, I am showing the bigger picture. It is a bleak world before Moshiach but this is MY of running things.
4 But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay My hand upon Egypt, and bring forth My hosts, My people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, by great judgments. 5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth My hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.'
The whole purpose for the delay and the plagues is to make a Kiddush HASHEM that will echo centuries throughout the whole world.
6 And Moses and Aaron did so; as the LORD commanded them, so did they. 7 And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spoke unto Pharaoh.
8 And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 9 'When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying: Show a wonder for you; then thou shalt say unto Aaron: Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent.' 10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so, as the LORD had commanded; and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers; and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their secret arts.
They were real snake charmers with snakes straight as a rod.
12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents; but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. 13 And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken.
The standard trick of a snake charmer was to have a ‘rod’ turn into a snake but not only did Aaron’s rod turn into a snake but it swallowed up the real snakes and returned to be a rod. That should have shouted “a miracle”. However, it did not awaken them.
14 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Pharaoh's heart is stubborn, he refuses to let the people go. 15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goes out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand.
From Lifeline @ torah.org
Rabbi Meilech Biederman, a well-known teacher in Jerusalem, shared an incredible message this week, one that is worth sharing almost verbatim.
Hashem told Moshe to arise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, because that is when he goes out to the water [see 7:15].
Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki provides a well-known explanation from the Medrash (actually, that Rashi records it is undoubtedly why this is the well-known explanation): Pharaoh wanted people to believe that he was a god, and didn’t need to relieve himself. So he would secretly go out to the Nile in the morning to address his needs, and Hashem wanted Moshe to meet him there and show him that he knew he was no god.
But there is another Medrash, Rabbi Biederman says, with an entirely different explanation. This Medrash says that Pharaoh wanted to go out to pray. This is why Hashem told Moshe to go out early — before Pharaoh had a chance to pray — because after he prayed it would be too late!
This is said, of course, about the wicked Pharaoh who enslaved and tortured 600,000 Jews — saying that Moshe had better be sure to get there before he has a chance to pray. This means that even his prayers had power.
16 And thou shalt say unto him: The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto thee, saying: Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness; and, behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened; 17 thus says the LORD: In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD--behold, I will smite with the rod that is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. 18 And the fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river.'
When the babies drowned in the river 79+ years ago the river was loathsome to thee Bnei Yisrael. Now Mida Knegged Mida the Egyptians found the river loathsome. Now the life source of Egypt has become loathsome.
19 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Say unto Aaron: Take thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.'
If the Egyptians wanted to drink, they had to buy water from the Bnei Yisrael.
20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21 And the fish that were in the river died; and the river became foul, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river; and the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt.
One dead fish can stink up a large area for meters around now take hundreds perhaps thousands of fish stinking up all the river area. This also meant that part of the Egyptian food supply was affected.
22 And the magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their secret arts; and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken. 23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he lay even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river. 25 And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.
All the water supply was smitten except in Goshen.
26 And the LORD spoke unto Moses: 'Go in unto Pharaoh, and say unto him: Thus says the LORD: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 27 And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs. 28 And the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into thy house, and into thy bed-chamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs. 29 And the frogs shall come up both upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.' 8:1 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Say unto Aaron: Stretch forth thy hand with thy rod over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.' 2 And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.
Even Pharaoh was not immune from frogs jumping onto his meal plate or drink no matter how much was done by his servants to prevent this. It was over-whelming. His clothing, bed chamber, thrown, comb and brush, etc.
3 And the magicians did in like manner with their secret arts, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. 4 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said: 'Entreat the LORD, that He take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice unto the LORD.' 5 And Moses said unto Pharaoh: 'Have thou this glory over me; against what time shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, that the frogs be destroyed from thee and thy houses, and remain in the river only?' 6 And he said: 'Against to-morrow.' And he said: 'Be it according to thy word; that thou may know that there is none like unto the LORD our God. 7 And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.'
From Rabbi Y. Frand Shlita @ Torah.org
Prayer Helps
After Pharaoh begged Moshe to remove the plague of Frogs from Egypt, “Moshe cried out (Va’Yitz’ak Moshe) to Hashem concerning the Frogs He sent to Pharaoh” [Shemos 8:8]. The Torah does not use this expression of Va’Yitz’ak by the other plagues. The Torah says that Moshe prayed (Va’Ye’etar) when requesting the cessation of the other makkos, but not this expression of “crying out” (tz’a’kah).
The Zohar explains that tz’a’kah is a more dramatic or more panicked form of prayer. Va’Yitz’ak shows an urgency. What was Moshe Rabbeinu’s urgency in stopping the plague of Frogs? Why not let Pharaoh suffer a little longer?
In our minds, Hitler y’mach shmo (may his name be obliterated) is the personification of evil to Klal Yisrael. That is because the Nazi’s atrocities are relatively fresh in our memories. Pharaoh was as big a Rasha as Hitler, if not worse. He bathed in Jewish blood. He took Jewish babies and squashed them into the walls of the pyramids. It was no less horrible than the Holocaust. So – Pharaoh is feeling the pressure of the Tzefardim – what is the problem? Why didn’t Moshe take his time with a long leisurely Shmoneh Esrei when he prayed for cessation of the plague?
The Rebbe, Reb Bunim of Psische, asks this question. He answers that Moshe Rabbeinu was trying to prove another point. The whole purpose of the plagues was to demonstrate that there is a Ribono shel Olam that rules the world, and that He is the Master of the universe. He controls the world.
However, Moshe wanted to demonstrate here that there is another “Power” in the world as well, and that is the Power of Prayer (Koach haTefillah). Moshe Rabbeinu wanted to show that despite the fact that the Almighty wanted Pharaoh to suffer, there is something that – as it were – could stop the Will of the Ribono shel Olam. This is as much a fundamental of our faith as the fact that there is a Ribono shel Olam and that He runs the world and cares about what happens in the world. Another fundamental belief of our faith is the idea that prayer helps.
By employing the most intense form of Tefila – “Va’Yitz’ak,” Moshe wanted to show the amazing power of prayer. I can stop a steaming locomotive in its tracks. Let the plague of Frogs end immediately!
8 And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried unto the LORD concerning the frogs, which He had brought upon Pharaoh. 9 And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields. 10 And they gathered them together in heaps; and the land stank. 11 But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken. {S} 12 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Say unto Aaron: Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.' 13 And they did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and there were gnats upon man, and upon beast; all the dust of the earth became gnats throughout all the land of Egypt. 14 And the magicians did so with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not; and there were gnats upon man, and upon beast. 15 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh: 'This is the finger of God'; and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken.
For the Sidra Acher (dark side) cannot rule over things smaller than a lentil and therefore the lice had to be from HASHEM.
16 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him: Thus says the LORD: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 17 Else, if thou wilt not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are. – I left the mistranslation of flies instead of mixture of noxious beasts to show you that one cannot rely on the translation but only on Jewish Tradition.
Not flies but a mixture of beasts from Africa. Again from Rabbi Frand Shlita. A Novel Interpretation of an Ambiguous Pasuk
By the plague of Arov (Mixed Animals), the Pasuk says “Behold if you do not send out My people I will incite against you, your servants, your people, and your houses the mixture of wild beasts; and the houses of Egypt will be filled with the mixture of wild animals and even the ground upon which they are” [Shemos 8:17]. Egypt was invaded by an army of wild animals. But what is the pashut pshat (simple reading) of the above cited pasuk?
The Vilna Gaon offers an incredible explanation. The Bartenura on the Mishneh in Kilayim [8:5] mentions that there is a type of animal (referred to as Adnei haSadeh in the Mishna), which obviously no longer exist today, that had an umbilical cord which was attached to the ground. If someone cut the umbilical cord of this animal, the animal would die. The pasuk reads as follows: All the wild animals that existed in the world at that time attacked Egypt, including this unique animal. But how would this animal come – since it is attached to the ground in some far away location? The pasuk therefore states that this animal came – together with the land upon which it resided! This is a fantastic interpretation.
However, I would like to share an interpretation which is a little closer to the simple reading of the Pasuk! Those who have an appreciation of Hebrew grammar should enjoy this interpretation immensely.
The sefer HaKesav v’Ha’Kabbalah – like the Malbim and Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch – analyzes the linguistics of a Pasuk. He asks – what is the simple interpretation of this Pasuk? He says that the phrase “the ground upon which they are” refers to the land upon which the houses that will be inundated with wild animals stand. But he then adds that it could refer to something else entirely. He says the word “v’Gam” (which literally means ‘and also’) could be a form of the word Gamam. (There are certain words in Hebrew that have double letters in the second and third position of the shoresh (root) of the word. For instance, the word Balal (Beis Lamed Lamed) can also be written with the last letter dropped – as Bal (Beis Lamed). Such words are called “kefulim” (doubled words). There is a word in the Hebrew language called Gamam (Gimel Mem Mem), which means to cut up or to dissect. He cites places in Mishnayos and in the Book of Daniel where we have such a usage.
The HaKesav v’Ha’Kabbalah explains the expression “v’Gam ha’Adamah asher ale-ha” (and also the land upon which it was), not as “and also” (v’Gam) but as Gamam – meaning these wild animals would rip up the land of Egypt to the extent that it would no longer be possible to plant there. According to this explanation, the word v’Gam is not a conjunction – and also – but rather it is a verb. V’Gam – as if to say v’Gamam es ha’Adamah asher ale-ha.
So, the HaKesav v’Ha’Kabbalah writes that part of the plague was that the wild animals would dig up and make holes in the ground to the extent that it would no longer be fit for agriculture.
18 And I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of beasts shall be there; to the end that thou may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. 19 And I will put a division between My people and thy people--by to-morrow shall this sign be.' 20 And the LORD did so; and there came grievous swarms of beasts into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses; and in all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by reason of the swarms of flies. 21 And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said: 'Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.' 22 And Moses said: 'It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God; lo, if we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?
Your god is a sheep and we sacrifice a sheep. Right before the 10th plague the Bnei Yisrael tied up this god for sacrifice and putting the blood on the lintels but right now this was the fact.
23 We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as He shall command us.' 24 And Pharaoh said: 'I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away; entreat for me.'
I accept and please pray for me. With lions, herds of elephants, tigers, leopards, panthers, bears, thousands of wildebeests running through the palace area Pharaoh was being driven mad and loosing servants to poisonous and constrictor snakes.
25 And Moses said: 'Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow; only let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.' 26 And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the LORD. 27 And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one. 28 And Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.
As soon as the plague let up, guest-what? Pharaoh returned to his bad ways.
9:1 Then the LORD said unto Moses: 'Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him: Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2 For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, 3 behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which are in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the herds, and upon the flocks; there shall be a very grievous murrain. 4 And the LORD shall make a division between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.' 5 And the LORD appointed a set time, saying: 'Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.' 6 And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died; but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.
One would have to be blind not to see the division and still Pharaoh was stubborn.
7 And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not so much as one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, and he did not let the people go.
Up until this point he hardened his heart on his own free will.
8 And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron: 'Take to you handfuls of soot of the furnace, and let Moses throw it heavenward in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 And it shall become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.' 10 And they took soot of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it up heavenward; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast.
Pharaoh’s servants, priests and magicians were hit hard by this plague and it was all over their faces and bodies.
11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.
12 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.
Up until now Pharaoh had hardened his own heart now the plagues were so bad that HASHEM had to help harden Pharaoh’s heart.
13 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him: Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 14 For I will this time send all My plagues upon thy person, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. 15 Surely now I had put forth My hand, and smitten thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou had been cut off from the earth. 16 But in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand, to show thee My power, and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth.
You think that you are so great, you will see that I, THE L-RD, am great.
17 As yet exalt thou thyself against My people, that thou wilt not let them go? 18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the day it was founded even until now.
Plagues 1, 4, 7 and 10 were pre-announced, 2, 5, 8 there was a warning but not what the plague would be. 3, 6, 9 came as a surprise plague. Each plague came a month apart and lasted 7 days unless Moshe prayed to stop it.
19 Now therefore send, hasten in thy cattle and all that thou hast in the field; for every man and beast that shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.' 20 He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses; 21 and he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.
You have been warned. You can believe in the power of HASHEM and save yourself, your animals and your servants or not and have them perish.
22 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.' 23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down unto the earth; and the LORD caused to hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire flashing up amidst the hail, very grievous, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
There was fire or electrical fire within the baseball or larger size hail. Such as been recorded without the fire in recent times.
25 And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail. 27 And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them: 'I have sinned this time; the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
28 Entreat the LORD, and let there be enough of these mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.' 29 And Moses said unto him: 'As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread forth my hands unto the LORD; the thunders shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou may know that the earth is the LORD'S. 30 But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.'-- 31 And the flax and the barley were smitten; for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bloom. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not smitten; for they ripen late.
Two crops were completely destroyed.
33 And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread forth his hands unto the LORD; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. 34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
A human being could not withstand what was going on so HASHEM had to harden his heart to make more and more miracles and wonders.
35 And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.
Mr. Eitan Lev retired Mossad Agent Interview from Chabad JEM
https://jemcentral.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/417.-Shemos-5781.pdf
For close to twenty years, during the 1960s and 1970s, I was stationed in New York, serving in a senior position with the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency.
During one of these years — I believe that it was in the end of 1967 — a few of my colleagues at the Israeli consulate in New York invited me to join them on an excursion to Brooklyn. They explained that they were going to visit the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s synagogue to participate in the celebration of Simchat Torah there.
“Who? What? What is this about?” I asked, but they assured me that it would be a very nice, festive event. “Can I bring my wife?” I asked, and to my delight they said that she could join. I was so totally unprepared for where we were going and what was going to happen.
When we got to Chabad Headquarters, we saw a big commotion. It turned out that the hakafot — the dancing with the Torah — had not yet begun, but a farbrengen with the Rebbe was taking place, and it seemed that the place was too small to accommodate the thousands of chasidim who had shown up. However, our visit had been arranged in advance, and seats had been saved for us inside.
We were led into the big hall where the excitement was palpable — the crowd was singing with great joy, and the Rebbe was beating out the rhythm on his table.
Suddenly a chasid approached me, saying, “The Rebbe would like to speak with you.” I was very surprised. The Rebbe? Speak to me? How does the Rebbe even know who I am?
“There must be a mistake,” I said. But he insisted that the Rebbe wanted to converse with me.
I turned to my colleagues and asked if anyone had informed the Rebbe’s secretariat that I would be coming. Of course, due to my position, I always made sure to keep a low profile. No one was supposed to know my identity nor my location. But they all shrugged their shoulders, as if to say, “We didn’t say a thing. We have no idea what this is about.”
I was led to the platform where the Rebbe was sitting. “It is nice to see you here,” he greeted me, speaking Yiddish. Beyond the surprise of being summoned to the Rebbe, I was shocked that he was talking to me in Yiddish.
“How do you know that I speak Yiddish?” I asked the Rebbe.
I realize that it was audacious of me to interrogate him like that, but he just smiled and began to shower me with blessings that I should succeed in the work that I was doing, that I be healthy and have a good livelihood. “Be careful and take care of yourself. Your job is very important for the Jewish people,” he said.
As a member of the Mossad, I suddenly felt very exposed. I was bewildered and didn’t understand what was going on. I was not used to being surprised — usually the only surprises that I experienced were the ones that I had orchestrated myself. So I was convinced that my colleagues had told the Rebbe about me. They must be lying to me, I thought. After all, they are trained experts at hiding the truth! I resolved to take care of them later.
Then the Rebbe began to ask me about my family. He asked me about my father, about my mother, and about my sister. How did the Rebbe even know that I had a sister? He also asked me about my wife and children. I told him that my wife came with me, and he responded, “Yes, I know. She is sitting with the women upstairs.
”Of course, my wonderment only grew. It started to feel like someone was mocking me. Maybe the connection between the consulate and the Rebbe ran so deep that they worked together to play a prank on me. I simply didn’t know what to think.
Another question that the Rebbe asked me was, “How do you feel as a Jew?” I assume that he was asking me this because I didn’t look Jewish, which was one of the reasons that I was able to work in intelligence. But I felt Jewish in every fiber of my being, and I told the Rebbe so.
He then asked me how it felt to travel the world as a Jew. I answered that, while stationed in the United States, I made sure to send my children to a Jewish school. As far as keeping kosher, I have been careful in this regard my whole life, and when my work put me in a challenging situation, I avoided non-kosher foods by claiming to be vegan.
I don’t know exactly how long this conversation with the Rebbe continued, but I am certain that it seemed longer to me than it actually was. I felt that I was standing there for at least a half hour, but it must have been much less, probably just a few minutes. At a certain point, sensing that the whole crowd was waiting for me to finish, I started to feel uncomfortable. So I tried to wrap up the conversation by saying, “We have been speaking for a long time and everyone is waiting...”
I know this was another audacious statement on my part — who was I to be telling the Rebbe what to do — but he was in no rush to finish talking.
At the end, the Rebbe gave me a piece of cake and then blessed me again that I should succeed in everything I do and that I should be healthy and strong. This blessing held special meaning for me because I had gotten injured a few times during my service.
As I made my way back to my seat, everyone along the way asked me for a small piece of the Rebbe’s cake, so that by the end, I had barely a few crumbs left.
When I reached my colleagues I demanded, “Guys, what’s going on here?” But they seemed just as puzzled as I was.
I continued to interrogate them the next day until they finally convinced me that none of them had spoken to the Rebbe or his secretariat about me. So I still do not understand how the Rebbe knew that I spoke Yiddish, or how he knew what I was doing. And my sense was that he knew even more than he revealed.
All this was very strange for me. Was I so transparent? That would pose a serious problem. But, if I really was so transparent, why couldn’t everyone see it? Why only he?
These questions were on my mind for a long time and I didn’t find any answers until I met a Chabad chasid who explained it to me in three words: “That’s the Rebbe.”
The fact that until today, more than fifty years later, this event is still engraved in my memory is testimony to how impressed I was by the experience. I left feeling that I met a brilliant man, with vast knowledge and understanding, and exceptional analytical thinking power. I also learned from the Rebbe how to listen. When he asked me something and I answered, he was silent, letting me speak while he listened attentively.
He was an outstanding person, one in a generation. There is a lot to learn from him, and I feel too small to truly understand this great man. I was fortunate to meet a true leader, and I thank G-d for that.
Mr. Eitan Lev served in the Mossad for many years. In the 1960s and 1970s, he filled confidential positions in North America and South America. He was interviewed in his home in Tel Aviv, in December of 2013.
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Mazel Tov to my grandson Noam and Chana Pasternak on the birth of their second son this week. May the boys grown into Talmidei Chachamim and continue to spread Torah and Mitzvos in Am Yisrael.
A good peaceful and healthy Shabbos to all. Happy that there will be a Shalom Zachor for my new great grandchild but sorry that I cannot attend due to Covid Restrictions.
Rachamim Pauli
