Parshas Beshalach 5778

Who Was Pharaoh Talking To?

The Torah writes (Exodus 14:3):

Pharaoh will say to the Israelites, “They are astray in the land; the wilderness has closed in on them.”

Rashi (ibid) explains:

לבני ישראל means על בני ABOUT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Similarly. (v. 14) “The Lord will fight לכם”, i. e. עליכם for you; (Genesis 20:13) “Say לי, he is my brother” i. e. say about me.

However, Targum Jonathan (ibid) explains differently:

And Pharoh said to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Israel, who had remained in Mizraim, The people of the house of Israel are bewildered in the land: the idol Zephon hath shut them in close upon the desert.

Midrashim (Midrash HaGadol Korach, Shemos Rabbah 1:29) also write that Dathan and Abiram ultimately rejoined the Jewish people prior to the Splitting of the Sea and they were the ones who complained to Moshe (2:11).

Beer Mayim Chaim writes that the Sea split for them a second time, because they cross AFTER the Egyptians were drowned and that's also explains the discrepancy of the order of the verses right before the Song.



(There is also discussion in Sefer haHefetz [2:13] that Moshe asked Hashem to save some of the Jewish children being killed, and Dathan and Aviram were choosen; also Sefer Rokeach writes that Dathan and Aviram did not die during the plague of Darkness because they believe in the Exodus)

(It is also interesting to note that Moshe's children and wife did not experience the splitting of the Sea according to the some opinions)

Why Did the Wind Blow Before the Sea Split?

The Torah writes (Exodus 14:21):

Then Moses held out his arm over the sea and the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind all that night, and turned the sea into dry ground. The waters were split

The Ramban (ibid) writes:

It was G-d's will that the sea should be split with an east wind so it looked like that wind caused the splitting .... for it was because of this the Egyptians thought that the wind caused the splitting and not the hand of G-d that did it because of the Jews...

The Rashbam (ibid) disagrees:

G’d used natural means, i.e. an east wind which always brings dryness and on occasions dries out ponds and rivers.

The Sforno (ibid) explains that it wasn't for the splitting:

the east wind had frozen the mud on the bottom of the sea

(see also this journal article that describes how a land bridge could have stayed open for 4 hours due to wind)

How Was the Manna Cooked?

The Torah writes (Exodus 16:23):

he said to them, “This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy sabbath of the LORD. Bake what you would bake and boil what you would boil; and all that is left put aside to be kept until morning.”

However, above it says it would melt (Exodus 16:21):

So they gathered it every morning, each as much as he needed to eat; for when the sun grew hot, it would melt.

Whom Did Amalek Attack?

The Torah writes (Exodus 17:8):

Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.

The Torah writes later on (Deu. 25:17-18):

Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt - how, undeterred by fear of God, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear.

Midrash Tanchuma (Ki Seitzei 10) explains:

Rabbi Yehuda says: anyone who gave up hope was attacked; Rabbi Nechemiah says: anyone who was expelled by the cloud was attacked; And the Rabbis say: the entire tribe of Dan was expelled by the cloud for they all were idol worshippers and they were attacked

Midrash Mekhilta (17:8) writes:

R. Elazar Hamodai says: "And Amalek came": Amalek "sneaked" under the edges of the cloud, kidnapped Jews and killed them

Haftorah - How Could Yael Kill Sisera if They Had a Peace Treaty?

(This question was originally asked by my daughter)

 

Tanach writes (Judges 4:17-21):

Sisera, meanwhile, had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was friendship between King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. Jael came out to greet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord, come in here, do not be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. He said to her, “Please let me have some water; I am thirsty.” She opened a skin of milk and gave him some to drink; and she covered him again. He said to her, “Stand at the entrance of the tent. If anybody comes and asks you if there is anybody here, say ‘No.’” Then Jael wife of Heber took a tent pin and grasped the mallet. When he was fast asleep from exhaustion, she approached him stealthily and drove the pin through his temple till it went down to the ground. Thus he died.

Chomas Anach (The Chidah - ibid 4:21) answers:

And Mahari z"l answers that there was peace with Jabin and no one else. And he also answers that Sisera attacked Yael and she killed him in self defense ...

The Malbim (ibid 4:17) answers:

And I say according to my opinion that the peace between Jabin and Heber was a general peace with the Kenites who dwelled in the desert of Judah ... but now that Heber separated from the rest of this brothers and pitched his tent among the Jews he was no longer obligated to keep the treaty of the Kenites for he left them.

Parshas Shemos 5778

Some interesting points regarding Parshas Shemos:

1. Who Was Exempt from the Labor in Egypt?

According to many Midrashim, the entire Shevet Levi was exempt, either because they were consider a priestly class and were exempt as per Joseph's original decrees, OR because they did not show up during the first day when the "volunteer" rebuilding efforts started, and were not enrolled as "volunteers" who later became slaves. In return, however, they population did not experience a great increase in numbers.

However, we also know that parts of Shevet Ephraim tried to leave Egypt 30 years before the Exodus, and they were killed during a war with the native population of Canaan. The valley where they were killed was the valley of "dry bones" that Yehezkel saw in his dream. How did they leave if they were slaves? Some midrashim state that parts of Shevet Ephraim were except from slavery because they were descendants of the royal viceroy - Joseph.

2. How Many Children Did Yocheved Have?

According to the Torah, she had three children: Miriam, Aharon and Moshe. However, Targum Jonathan writes that after the birth of Aharon, Amram and Yocheved were divorced, and she married someone else (Elizaphan) with whom she had two sons: Eldad and Medad. She divorced Elizaphan and re-married Amram, at which point she gave birth to Moshe. Thus, Yocheved had five children: Miriam, Aharon and Moshe with Amram, and Eldad and Medad with Elizaphan.

3. Yisro, Tziporrah and their relatives.

After Moshe ran away from Egypt, he ended up living in Yisro's house and marrying his daughter, Tziporrah. Many meforshim point out that Yisro is a descendant of Midian. It is interesting to note that Midian was a son of Avraham from his third wife, Keturah, which would make Moshe and his wife distant cousins.

There are also some Midrashim that discuss that Tziporrah and Basya, the daughter of Pharaoh, were in fact sisters who were orphaned and ended up being adapted by Yisro and Pharaoh respectively. This must have taken place when Yisro was still living in Egypt and was Pharaoh's advisor.

There is also an interesting connection between Tziporrah and Balak. According to the some midrashim, Balak was a grandson of Yisro, which would make his father, Tzipor a brother to Tziporrah, with their names being identical.

Parshas Vayechi 5778

How Could Yakov Give Shechem to Yosef?

The Torah writes (Genesis 48:22):

And now, I assign to you one portion more than to your brothers, which I wrested from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”

The division of the Land did not happen until the time of Yehoshua, about 14 years after they entered the Land. Thus, how could Yakov give away any part of the Land to Yosef prior to the division - was there a legal mechanism as to how Yakov came to posses Schechem?

1. As per Rashi here, this doesn't refer to the city of Shechem but rather the fact that the double inheritance that Reuven was supposed to get, instead went to Yosef. Thus, Yosef received two portions in the Land but they were given out by Yehoshua later on, and Yakov simply transferred one of the portions to him.

2. As per Rashi, Yakov and his children conquered Schechem by force.

3. As mentioned earlier, Yakov bought the field in front of the city of Shechem and that field is what he transferred to Yosef to be used for his burial in the future. The city itself wasn't transferred.

4. As per midrashim, Shechem gave the city to Dinah as part of her marriage contract when he married her. After he was killed along with the rest of the city, Dinah's daughter from Schechem inherited the city. She was Asnath who later became the wife of Yosef, and her two children who were Ephraim and Menashem inherited Shechem.

What Did Reuven Do?

The Torah writes (Genesis 49:4):

Unstable as water, you shall excel no longer; For when you mounted your father’s bed, You brought disgrace—my couch he mounted!

1. As per Talmud (Shabbos 55), this refers to the incident between Reuven and Bilhah earlier on. The Talmud cites multiple opinions as to the exact nature of the incident and what exactly was the sin of Reuven.

2. Other commentators explains that this refers to the story of the Dudaim which ended with Leah and Rachel trading.

3. Some Midrashim cite this as a reference to the switch between Leah and Rachel when Yakov married them originally, which caused Reuven to be born, although it is unclear why this is counted against Reuven since he wasn't born yet.

Where was Yosef buried?

The Torah writes (Genesis 50:26):

Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

1.  According to some Midrashim his coffin was placed in the Nile, until Moshe got it out before the Jews left Egypt.

2. Some opinions say he was buried on a river bank but in a place that was secret.

3. According to the Talmud (Sotah 11a), he was buried in the royal burial chambers of the Egyptian kings (pyramids?).

Parshas Mikeitz 5778

Did Benjamin Know about the Sale of His Brother Joseph?

It is unclear how much he actually knew. Midrash Tehilim earlier indicates that Benjamin knew that his brother was alive when Jacob was mourning for him, but doesn't explain whether he knew that he was sold. Sefer HaYashar in this week's Parsha explains that when Joseph saw Benjamin in Egypt and made a banquet with the brothers, it was during the banquet that he revealed himself and warned Benjamin about the upcoming plan to hide a silver goblet in his bags. However, Joseph doesn't tell him how he ended up in Egypt. Tzror haMor writes that after revealing himself to Benjamin, Joseph made up a story about how he was attacked by an animal, and eventually kidnapped and sold into slavery by some passing traders. However, other midrashim later on (Midrash Rabbah, Tanchuma, Aggadas Bereishis) write that when Benjamin's bags were searched and the goblet found, he rebuked the brothers using the example of Joseph's sale, thus indicating that he knew what happened.

Did Jacob know about the sale of Joseph?

It is also unclear how much he knew. Many learn that he never found out about the sale of Joseph, but there are some that learn that Joseph did tell him shortly before his death. Sefer Shemiras haLoshon writes that Jacob found out via divine inspiration and wasn't told by anyone. In any case, Rashi in Parshas Vayechi indicates that he did know because the blessings to Shimon and Levi, and the blessings to Joseph are interpreted in a way that directly relates to the sale of Joseph.

 

Additional interesting points:

- The Chasam Sofer learns that someone else should hold the candle during Bedikas Chametz because Menashe had a servant hold the candle while he searched the brothers' bags because it was Sabbath

- One of the reasons why it was easy for the Hashmonaim to become kings after their victory was because during the Second Temple era, the position of the High Priest was partly political since the empires that ruled Israel at that time treated the High Priest as a representative of the Jewish People (as seen from the story of Alexander the Great and Shimon haTzadik)

Parshas Vayishlach 5778

Isaac's Burial vs Abraham's Burial

The Torah writes (Genesis 35:28-29) about Isaac's burial, with Esau being first:

Isaac was a hundred and eighty years old when he breathed his last and died. He was gathered to his kin in ripe old age; and he was buried by his sons Esau and Jacob.

Earlier, the Torah writes (Genesis 25:7-10) about Abraham's burial, with Isaac being first:

This was the total span of Abraham’s life: one hundred and seventy-five years. And Abraham breathed his last, dying at a good ripe age, old and contented; and he was gathered to his kin. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre, the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites; there Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife.

Rashi (ibid) comments:

ISAAC AND ISHMAEL — From this we gather that Ishmael repented of his evil ways (cf. Bava Batra 16b) and yielded the precedence to Isaac. This is what is meant by the “good old age” mentioned in connection with Abraham (Genesis Rabbah 38:12).

Therefore, there are two indications that Ishmael repented: one is that Ishmael gave preference to Isaac, and that it says "good old age".

However, here we find that Esau comes first. There are several reasons for that.

Radak (also mentioned by Bechor Shor, Chizkuni, Ibn Ezra and Rashbam):

Esau is mentioned first, seeing that he was the firstborn although he had sold his birthright to Yaakov.

and

Moreover, Yaakov had been in the habit of according the honour due to a firstborn to Esau, ever since the two had made peace between themselves.

and

On the other hand, when describing the funreal of Avraham, the Torah names Yitzchok first, seeing that Yitzchok had been the son by the major wife of Avraham, Sarah, whereas Yishmael had only been the son of the servant maid (25,9)

The Alshich explains somewhat differently:

And the fact that it doesn't mention "good old age" like it does by Abraham, is because he was buried by Esau who was wicked, unlike Abraham where Ishmael repented. And a hint to the fact that he did not repent, is the fact that it doesn't say "Jacob and Esau" like it does by Ishmael who repented and gave honor to Isaac. By Esau on the other hand, he did not honor Jacob and that's why it says "Esau and Jacob". And this is the meaning of what the Talmud writes (B"B 14)

Bela and Bilaam

The Torah writes (Genesis 36:32):

Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

Sefer Tziuni (ibid) writes:

He was Bilaam the son of Beor

The Ibn Ezra (ibid), however, disagrees:

This is not Bilaam, and Bilaam is also not the same as Laban the Aramean, however he may have been a sorcerer like the other one for nothing falls to the earth from the words of our Rabbis. And also Bela was an Edomite, while Bilaam was an Aramean

This is referring to the Talmud (Sanhedrin 105a):

We learned in a Braisa that Beor was the same person as Cushan-Rishasaim and the same person as Laban the Aramean

Parshas Vayeitzei 5778

What are the Teraphim?

The Torah writes (Genesis 31:19):

Now Laban was gone to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father’s.

and later on (Genesis 31:30):

Very well, you had to leave because you were longing for your father’s house; but why did you steal my gods?”

This seems to imply that these objects were idols of some sort, and Radak (31:30) explains similarly:

he called his Teraphim “my gods,” as he and his kind of people relied on them just as we rely on the true G’d.

This is also implied by Rashi (31:19) which explains Rachel's motivation:

her intention was to wean her father from idol-worship

Daas Zeikinim (31:19) explains that they were oracles of some sort that can provide information:

“Rachel stole the teraphim; what precisely are “teraphim”? According to Pirke de rabbi Eliezer chapter 36, they were deities that people like Lavan worshipped. How did they originate? A firstborn male human being was slaughtered; they cut off his head, salted it (to preserve it from decomposing) using both salt and oil. They inscribed on the forehead of that slain person the name of a deity such as a demon, hung it up under the tongue of the slain person on the wall, lit candles in its honour, prostrated themselves before it, and it would start speaking to the worshipper. (presumably answering questions addressed to it, like to an oracle.) These teraphim are referred to as doing this in the Book of Zecharyah 10,2: כי התרפים דברו און, “for the teraphim spoke delusions.” Rachel stole them so that they could not speak to their father and tell him that Yaakov had fled and where he was going. Not only this; she may have used the opportunity to destroy all idols in her father’s home.

(Other commentators also explain that Rachel's motivation was to make sure Laban can't tell where they went)

However, as the Ramban and others ask, we find teraphim in the house of King David, so they cannot be idol-related. As it says later on (Samuel I 19:11-16):

Saul sent messengers to David’s home to keep watch on him and to kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal told him, “Unless you run for your life tonight, you will be killed tomorrow.” Michal let David down from the window and he escaped and fled. Michal then took the teraphim, laid it on the bed, and covered it with a cloth; and at its head she put a net of goat’s hair. Saul sent messengers to seize David; but she said, “He is sick.” Saul, however, sent back the messengers to see David for themselves. “Bring him up to me in the bed,” he ordered, “that he may be put to death.” When the messengers came, they found the teraphim in the bed, with the net of goat’s hair at its head.

Tur HaAruch explains differently, that these were astrological or clock-like devices that can predict the future, but not idol-related:

It is most likely that the teraphim were objects which enabled people to know the time of day, and in that connection they were also used to help them to predict future events  The root of the word is from רפה, “weak” as in רפי ידים, “weak-handed,” or נרפים אתם, “you are weak” (in the sense of lazy, not pulling one’s weight.) The reason people call these objects תרפים is to hint that the reliability of these objects in predicting future events is not very strong, although in the majority of instances the predictions prove more or less accurate. Only people who do not pray to the Lord, the Creator, would be foolish enough to put their trust in them. Some people argue that astrologers possess the power to summon up certain images at a time which they can accurately predict. Ibn Ezra writes that teraphim are objects made of copper which are designed to help us determine portions of an hour, such as minutes. Some people claim that some astrologers possess the skill to raise some life-like shapes at a predetermined hour, and that apparition appears to speak intelligently.

Metzudas Dovid (Samuel I ibid) explains that they were statues of people:

Teraphim are made in the shape of people, and some are used for idol worship and some are made in the shape of someone known, and women used to make them in the form of their husbands, so they can lovingly gaze on them [i.e. these figures]

Ibn Ezra (Genesis 31:19) also cites another explanation:

Some say these are copper vessels that are made in order to know the time, and others say that they are astrological and speak at certain times, but to me it seems that they are made in the shape of a person and are made to accept Heavenly powers and more than that I cannot explain

What are the Dudaim?

The Torah writes (Genesis 30:14):

Once, at the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben came upon some dudaim in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s dudaim.”

Rashi (ibid) explains:

דודאים are violets: it is a plant. In Arabic it is called Jasmin.

Rashbam explains differently:

flowers of the fig tree; In Song of Songs 7,14 these flowers are described as rich in fragrance.

Ibn Ezra and others explain that the root of this plant had a shape like a person, seemingly referring to a plant called the "mandrake"

The Radak and other commentators explain that this herb was thought to help in having children:

Perhaps Reuven had heard some place that this herb is supposed to help women get pregnant, and that seeing his mother had not had any babies lately, he meant to help her in this regard. The popular belief in the efficacy of the dudaim in this respect is not based on fact. If it had been true, why did Rachel not get pregnant after eating them? Also Leah did not get pregnant as a result of eating dudaim, for the Torah says: וישמע אלוקים אל לאה, that G’d listened to Leah’s prayer. (verse 17)

The Ramban and others explain that it used because of a good smell and not to help to have children

Otzar haMidrashim cites a Midrash that explains that the donkey that Reuben was leading ended up being tied to the dudaim, and while trying to escape, it pulled out the root and died; and as the result of that, Reuben found it and brought it to Leah, thus causing Issachar to be born. That is how the Midrash explains "יששכר חמר גרם" (Genesis 49:14).

(There may be a scientific explanation for this phenomenon, for the plant currently known as "mandrake" has highly toxic leaves, so it is possibly that the donkey ate the leaves at the some point and got poisoned, but it was also the pulling of the root caused Reuben to know that the plant was by its shape like a person)

Parshas Toldos 5778

We know based on the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream in the Book of Daniel, that there are four eras of exile. Chazal equates these four eras to Babylon, Persia and Media, Greece and Rome. This is followed in the end of days by Rome and Ishmael. However, Rome is equated with the nation of Edom. This is somewhat problematic since it is clear from later in the Torah, that Edom was located to the south east of the Land of Canaan, to the east of the Dead Sea.

There are two possible ways to answer this:

1. Several Midrashim cite the fact that small groups of Edomites left their original place and traveled across the sea to settle in Italy. There they mixed with the existing populate and eventually created Rome. In particular, Tzafo, the grandson of Esau, is cited as becoming one of the kings of what was to become Rome.

2. Another way to answer is that this is not necessarily referring to the ethnicity of the nations but their culture, religion and customs, which where transferred to Rome at some point.