This Week In The Torah



Parsha Shemos Exodous/Shemos Ch.1 - 6/1

From Raamses to Steiglitz
by Rabbi Yechezkel Fox

The Egyptians enslaved the children of Yisrael with crushing labour. Ch.1/13

What we have translated here as crushing labour comes from the Hebrew word, parech, and this is how Rashi translates the word here. However, Rashi gives a different definition elsewhere: Work that is not for a need, in order to torment . Vayikra 25/43

There is nothing more soul-destroying than having to do useless tasks. The Nazis (may their name be blotted out) experimented with this in the Steiglitz Concentration Camp. They would force Jews to make a pile of stones, then remove them, and then make the pile again, having them repeat this over and over again. There were more suicides in that camp than in any other.

The reverse of the principle is also true: The more useful we feel we are, the more contented and happier we feel. This is especially true in our service to G-d, which has no equal in terms of usefulness to ourselves and the world around us.

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Aliens In A Land Of Their Own

In our Parsha we see the beginning of the enslavement of the Jewish people in Egypt. The decree for this enslavement was told to Avraham back in Parshas Lech Lecha.

And He said to Avram, "Know with certainty that your offspring shall be aliens in a land not their own - and they shall serve them and oppress them - four hundred years. Gen. Ch.15/13

If they were to be aliens, does it not follow that they would be in a land not their own?

Actually, Pharoh gave the Land of Goshen to Yaakov's family to live in. It was their land and in it they lived a fully independent life, separate from the Egyptians. There, they kept to the laws and customs that had been passed on to them from their forefathers. So they were indeed aliens, as it was not their ancestral home, but it was nevertheless their own land.

However, the Jews began to assimilate into Egyptian society and that is when the decree of enslavement began.

The Children of Israel were fruitful, teemed, increased and became strong - very, very much so; and the land became filled with them. (Ch.1/7)

They moved out of Goshen, and the land became filled with them, showing that their main concern in life was not to live the life of a Jew, but rather to seek comfort and prestige, mingling in the Egyptian host culture. So then G-d arranged that A new king arose, who did not know Yosef. (Ibid, 8) and hence began the process of enslavement.

Sources: Maharil Diskin

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Goodbye, Pharaoh!

And it happened during those many days, that the king of Egypt died, and the Children of Yisrael groaned because of their work and they cried out. Their outcry because of work went up to G-d. Ch.2/23

When the cruel, oppressive king died, we would have expected them to have felt some relief. Instead, it seems that things got worse, for only then did their groans reach to heaven. Why was this?

According to the Shlah HaKodesh, Pharaoh knew that if he gave the Jews the opportunity to pray to G-d, their prayers would be answered. That is why he never let up on their back-breaking work, so that they would never have the time or energy to pray. However, when he died, everyone in Egypt had to attend his funeral. At the funeral, the Jews groaned and cried along with everyone else. However, unbeknownst to the Egyptians, they were using their day off as a rare opportunity to cry out to G-d. And immediately their prayers were answered.



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