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.
R' Frand began his first vort by quoting R' Tzvi Cheshen who asks, where is the source for the concept of Hiddur Mitzva - doing a Mitzva in the most beautiful way? He answers that we learn it from Az Yashir and specifically Shemos 15:2 - זֶ֤ה אֵלִי֙ וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ . This pasuk is the source that we should buy a more beautiful Lulav, or silver Menorah, or beautiful Sukkah. But why is this rule not taught by the Torah where these Mitzvos are commanded? Why is it learned from Az Yashir?
He answers by quoting Pirkei Avos 5:4 which states that there were 10 miracles performed in Egypt and 10 at Yam Suf. The Rav M'Bartenura explains some of the miracles on Yam Suf, including that the waters formed a tent over the Jews when they walked through and that the ground in the sea bed was as dry as a desert and was not muddy.
But why were these additional miracles necessary, beyond just the splitting of the sea? Hashem does not generally perform supernatural miracles when they are not required! And certainly, the Jews who were escaping Egypt would not have complained about having their feet muddy.
R' Cheshen answered that Hashem performed these additional miracles to show his love for the Jewish people. R' Frand gave an example of buying a piece of jewelry for a loved one. You don't simply hand them the bracelet. Instead, it is given in a fancy box, perhaps wrapped in special paper and adorned with a bow. This is the way that you show someone that you love them - its not just the present, its how the present is given.
When we perform Mitzvos Aseh we express our love for Hashem. And while we can fulfill the mitzva of Hadlakas Neiros with any Menorah, using a fancy silver Menorah shows how much more we appreciate the Mitzvah and Hashem.
The second vort that R' Frand said related to a pasuk earlier in the parsha (Shemos 13:18) - וַֽחֲמֻשִׁ֛ים עָל֥וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם. R' Frand quoted four explanations for the word וַֽחֲמֻשִׁ֛ים. Rashi provides two of the explanations - that the Jews left Egypt armed, or that 1/5 of the Jews left Egypt as the other 4/5 had dies during Makkas Choshech.
R' Frand then quoted the Targum Yirushalmi who explains the term "armed" means that the Jews were armed with good deeds. He also cited the Targum Yonasan Ben Uziel who explains that וַֽחֲמֻשִׁ֛ים means that each family left with five children. But how is it possible that each family had exactly five children?
R' Frand quoted the Sefer Be'er Yosef who weaves together all of the four explanations in one. He cites Rashi who explains that the Jews who died were those who did not want to leave Egypt. But these were adults, not children who had no opinion in the matter. After the parents of these children died, leaving 4/5 of the Jewish children orphans, the remaining Jews agreed that each family would adopt four parentless families. Thus, when the Targum Yonasan Ben Uziel says that each family had five children, it means that they had five sets of children - their own natural children and the children of four other families whose parents had died. These are the "good deeds" mentioned by the Targum Yerushalmi.
R' Frand mentioned the story of Nicholas Winton, a British gentleman who arranged for 669 Jewish children from Czechoslovakia to be saved from the Holocaust in 1939. There is a video showing him sitting in the front row of an audience of people, without realizing that he had saved all of them. During the video, he is introduced to the now grown up people who he saved - the video is quite powerful and can be found here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqqbM1B-mPY.
R' Frand said a final vort related to this week's parsha and connected to Tu BShvat in 1944. The Belzer Rebbi had emigrated and was having a program in a small shul in Chaifa. He quoted the famous statement of Rashi that Az Yashir refers to the future singing at the time of Mashiach. But why was it necessary to refer to Mashiach now? He explained that the Jews who sang were the same Jews who must have lost most of their relatives in Choshech in which 80% of the Jews died. How did they say Shira? He answered that they sang that in the future there will be Techiyas HaMeisim - when everyone will be together with those who they lost.
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