Thursday, January 12, 2023

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Shemos

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

In Shemos 1:15, the Torah identifies the midwives -  אֲשֶׁ֨ר שֵׁ֤ם הָֽאַחַת֙ שִׁפְרָ֔ה וְשֵׁ֥ם הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית פּוּעָֽה. The Gemara explains that Yocheved was called שִׁפְרָ֔ה because she swaddled the babies and Miriam was called פּוּעָֽה because she cooed to calm down the babies.

R' Frand then asked - this is normal motherly behavior - why did this define who these women were to the point that they are called by these names? R' Frand answered by quoting R' Shimshon Pincus who observes that if a baby is brought to a hospital for an emergency, all the medical personnel will be busy doing their jobs to save the baby's life, but will not be looking to calm and comfort the baby. Meanwhile, the mother will do her best to comfort her child while the medical personnel do their jobs.

Yocheved and Miriam were in an intense, pressure filled situation as they were trying to deliver these babies without being caught by Pharaoh's overseers. Yet, they still were able to calm and comfort the babies - thus they earned these names. 

R' Frand closed this vort by noting that Rashi explains that their rewards were to become the mothers of kehuna and malchus - they were the "mothers" of these progeny because they acted motherly towards the babies in a time of great stress.

R' Frand said a second vort on the pasuk in Shemos 2:6 - וַתִּפְתַּח֙ וַתִּרְאֵ֣הוּ אֶת־הַיֶּ֔לֶד וְהִנֵּה־נַ֖עַר בֹּכֶ֑ה. The pasuk uses two different terms - יֶּ֔לֶד - which is a baby and נַ֖עַר  which is an older child. How is this possible? The Ba'al HaTurim quotes the Yalkut which explains that the baby was Moshe, but the נַ֖עַר  seen by Basya was Aharon. For this reason she says מִיַּלְדֵ֥י הָֽעִבְרִ֖ים זֶֽה because its a very Jewish trait to stand and worry for another Jew. 

The Ba'al HaTurim further writes that the gematria of וְהִנֵּה־נַ֖עַר בֹּכֶ֑ה is Zeh Aharon HaKohain. But the problem with the gematria is that Aharon was not yet a Kohain. That did not come until later when he rejoiced when Moshe was made the leader of the Jewish people!

R' Frand quoted the Sefer Abir Ya'akov who quoted his rebbi - R' Aharon Dovid Willner who explains that Aharon's receipt of the Kehuna was because he genuinely emoted with others - he was Nosei B'Ol Im Chavero. Where we do see that? This is the very first example - even at this young age he was genuinely concerned for his brother.

Lastly, R' Frand said a vort on the pasuk in Shemos 2:1 - וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ אִ֖ישׁ מִבֵּ֣ית לֵוִ֑י וַיִּקַּ֖ח אֶת־בַּת־לֵוִֽי. The meforshim all ask - why are Amram and Yocheved not identified? 

R' Frand gave two answers. The first answer was from R' Ya'akov Kaminetzky who explains that this was meant to show that Moshe was not the product of immaculate conception. Moshe, the leader of the Jewish people who spoke directly with Hashem, was the child of a man and a woman.

The second answer was said in the name of R' Moshe Feinstein who explains that a parent can't take credit for the greatness of a child until the child actually accomplishes something. At this point, Moshe was just a baby, but later when he became Moshe, the Torah identifies his parents.

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