These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: #1364 – The Halachic Issues Concerning Hearing Aids. Good Shabbos!
A New Insight Into the “Great Wealth” That Avraham Avinu Witnessed
The Gemara (Sotah 11b) says that in the zechus (merit) of the nashim tzidkanios (righteous women) of that generation (who encouraged their husbands to have children with them in the midst of the slavery), Klal Yisrael were zoche to (merited) beezas Mitzrayim (the spoils of Egypt).” This is a slight variation of another teaching of Chazal, also appearing in the same Gemara, that in the zechus of the nashim tzidkanios, Klal Yisrael were redeemed from Mitzrayim (Egypt).
In either case, the reference to the reward of the nashim tzidkanios in Mitzrayim relates to the fact that the Jewish men in Mitzrayim did not want to procreate. They did not want to bring children into the world because they felt such efforts would be in vain. The babies would be thrown into the Nile or they would be used as bricks in building the pyramids. The women, however, took a different approach. They argued “We need to do what we need to do.” As the Gemara relates, they would go out into the fields and entice their husbands, and as a result of that they would bring children into the world.
The Gemara says that as a result of the fact that the women had this emunah (trust and belief in Hashem), they were rewarded with beezas Mitzrayim. When Klal Yisrael left Mitzrayim, they left with all sorts of gold and silver that came to them as a result of the nashim tzidkanios, who encouraged their husbands to have children with them.
There are four questions that I would like to present on this Gemara:
- What is the connection between beezas Mitzrayim and encouraging their husbands to have children? The correlation is not at all obvious.
- The pasuk in Parshas Bo says “Daber nah (Please speak) in the ears of the people: Let each man request from his fellow and each woman from her fellow, silver vessels and gold vessels.” (Shemos 11:2). Rashi famously points out that the word “nah” indicates “request.” Hashem instructs Moshe: “Please ask them to take the silver and gold so that Avraham Avinu should not have a complaint that I fulfilled the promise of ‘they will be slaves for four hundred years’ but I did not fulfill the promise of ‘afterwards they will leave with great wealth.'” (Bereshis 15:13-14). The question is: Why would it be necessary to ask the people to “Please take the money”? Usually, people do not need to be encouraged to ask for money. Money is money. It is valuable. Was there going to be some kind of resistance on the part of the people to ask for “free money?”
- They are told to ask for the money so that the promise of the Ribono shel Olam that “afterwards they will leave with great wealth” will be fulfilled. Was there no other way for the Ribono shel Olam to allow His nation to leave Mitzrayim with great wealth other than to have them go through this sham of asking to “borrow” the silver and gold from the Mitzrim and then abscond with it? The wealth could have simply appeared magically on the doorsteps of every Jew before he or she left Mitzrayim!
- There appears to be a contradiction between pesukim. In our parsha, the Torah writes: “…And it will be when you will go you will not go empty-handed. Each woman shall request from her neighbor and from the one who lives in her house, silver vessels, golden vessels, u’smalos… (and garments)” (Shemos 3:21-22) In other words, at the same time that they asked for gold and silver, they were told to ask for smalos. However, in Parshas Bo, when this is again repeated, the pasuk says “Let each man request of his fellow and each woman from her fellow silver vessels and gold vessels.” (Shemos 11:2) However, smalos are not mentioned. Then, further on in Parshas Bo when they actually carried this out, it says “The Children of Israel did according to the word of Moshe; they requested from the Mitzrim silver vessels, gold vessels, and garments.” (Shemos 12:35). There, it again mentions that they asked for smalos. This is very peculiar. Was the wardrobe part of the package that they were to request or not?
Rav Elya Svei, z”l, in his sefer on Chumash, presents a beautiful inference from a comment of the Seforno (Shemos 11:2). The Seforno writes “So that they (Klal Yisrael) will not worry that because of the (“borrowed”) money, they (the Mitzrim) will risk their lives to pursue them.” Asking the Mitzrim for their silver and gold was an act of tremendous faith on the part of Klal Yisrael. After the initial shock of the Makkos (Ten Plagues), including the loss of their first-born sons, the Mitzrim would be going to their bank accounts and shouting “Hey! They robbed us!” This would encourage the Mitzrim to run after Klal Yisrael to try to retrieve the gold and silver that Klal Yisrael had taken from them without repayment!
Why did the Ribono shel Olam do this? He did this because he wanted Klal Yisrael to show their faith in Him – that He will take care of us. Yes, this may increase the chances that the Mitzrim will run after us – which indeed they did – but the Ribono shel Olam has taken care of us until now. He will somehow or other solve the problem – which he did, by Krias Yam Suf.
This answers why the Ribono shel Olam didn’t just make the silver and gold appear miraculously on their doorsteps. He wanted them to go through this sham of borrowing from the Mitzrim as a test. And it was not only a test. It was a way of actualizing this midah (attribute) of trusting the Ribono shel Olam. This was one of several lessons in emunah that were part of the process of Yetzias Mitzrayim. Hashem asked the Mitzrim to shecht (slaughter) the lamb for the Korban Pesach, even though lambs were the Avodah Zarah of the Mitzrim. This is another example.
This also answers the question of “Please speak in the ears of the nation…” It was necessary to ask them to please take money. As the Seforno writes, they were hesitant to take the items because they knew that with the Mitzrim‘s borrowed money in their possession, it would be much more likely that the Mitzrim would pursue them into the wilderness.
As far as the third question regarding the on again off again appearance of the word smalos in the list of things to be requested: Rashi mentions that of the three items (gold, silver, and clothing), the hardest item for the Mitzrim to give up was their clothing. It is harder to give away the shirt off your back or the suit you are currently wearing than to reach into your wallet and give away your money!
Rav Svei explains as follows: The first time the Ribono shel Olam gave Moshe the instructions as to what Klal Yisrael was to ask for, He had faith in Klal Yisrael that they would do even the most difficult of the three things (asking for the smalos). But the Ribono shel Olam knew that Moshe Rabbeinu did not have as much faith in Klal Yisrael as He had. So when Moshe gave the people the instruction, he did not mention smalos because he knew that was the hardest thing to ask for. However, when the time came, they actually did ask for smalos. (They must have known that Hashem had included smalos when He originally told Moshe what would happen, back in Parshas Bo.) That is why when they actually asked the Mitzrim, it says that they asked for gold, silver, and clothing – because Klal Yisrael met the test set up for them by the Ribono shel Olam.
The answer to the original question about the connection between the women encouraging their husbands to have children with them and the reward of beezas Mitzrayim is that they are indeed connected. The source of this emunah that Klal Yisrael demonstrated when leaving Mitzrayim is the original emunah demonstrated by these women. The men learned from the women. The lesson they learned was that when someone has emunah in the Ribono shel Olam, things turn out alright. The women in Klal Yisrael imbued in their husbands this concept that a person needs to do what the Ribono shel Olam asks and whatever will occur will occur.
Therefore, in the zechus of “those women,” they were zoche to the beezas Mitzrayim.
Based on this, Rav Svei says a new pshat in the concept “so that the righteous one (Avraham) will not say to Me that I fulfilled the part of the prophecy that they would suffer for four hundred years, but did not fulfill the prophecy that they would leave b’rechush gadol” (with great wealth). The “rechush gadol” that Avraham Avinu saw them go out with was NOT the gold and silver. It was their demonstration of emunah.
Rashi and the Ramban say that part of the reason that Klal Yisrael had to go down to Mitzrayim was because of the “aveira of Avraham Avinu.” What was this “aveira?” After being given Hashem’s promise that he would get the Land of Canaan (Bereshis 15:7), Avraham asked “How will I know that I will indeed inherit it?” (Bereshis 15:8).
If it is even possible to say such a thing about Avraham Avinu, this represented a slight deficit in his emunah. The Ramban says that when Avraham left Eretz Canaan (due to the famine) and went down to Mitzrayim, “chet gadol chatah” (He sinned a great sin). Avraham should have had emunah! You don’t have food? Don’t worry! The Ribono shel Olam will take care of you. According to these commentaries (and others), the whole Galus Mitzrayim was precipitated – to a certain extent – because of Avraham’s imperceivable lack of emunah.
So when Klal Yisrael emerges “b’rechush gadol” (with great wealth) because of their faith in the Ribono shel Olam, what could be a greater wealth for Avraham Avinu after he slipped up slightly in the matter of emunah, than to see that his descendants withstood the test and had full faith in the Ribono shel Olam. That is the rechush gadol that Avraham witnessed.
Transcribed by David Twersky; Jerusalem [email protected]
Edited by Dovid Hoffman; Baltimore, MD [email protected]
This week’s write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissochar Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Series on the weekly Torah portion. A listing of the halachic portions for Parshas Shemos is provided below:
- # 038 – Husbands at Childbirth
- # 081 – Cholov Yisroel: Necessary or Not in America?
- # 129 – Giving English Names
- # 176 – Shalosh Seudos in Shuls: Is There a Problem?
- # 222 – Disposal of Shaimos
- # 266 – The Laws and Customs of Chupah
- # 312 – The Do’s and Don’ts of Naming Babies
- # 356 – Turning Offender Over to the Secular Authorities
- # 400 – Sh’nayim Mikra V’echad Targum
- # 444 – The Deaf Mute In Halacha
- # 488 – Marrying Cousins
- # 532 – Learning On Shabbos — A Good Idea?
- # 576 – Davening With Shoes
- # 620 – Kosher Cheese: What Is It?
- # 654 – The Woman Mohel; Laser Milah
- # 708 – Your Child as a Shabbos Goy?
- # 752 – Saving Your Life – How Far Must I Go?
- # 796 – English Names Revisited
- # 840 – Baby Naming – Whose Privilege, Father or Mother?
- # 884 – The Corrosive Effect of Non-Kosher Foods
- # 928 – The Heinous Crime of Mosair
- # 971 – Kissing People in a Shul — Mutar or Asur?
- # 1015 – Ma’avir Sedrah – Why? When?
- # 1059 – “How Do You Get Called Up to the Torah?”
- # 1102 – Dressing Jewishly: Is There Such A Thing?
- # 1145 – Shomer Shabbos Vs Non-Shomer Shabbos Doctor – Revisited
- # 1188 – Cho’shaid Be’kesharim – Not Giving The Benefit of the Doubt
- # 1232 – Placing A Person in a Non-Kosher Mental Institution
- # 1276 – Cap and Gown at Graduation: Is There An Halachic Problem?
- # 1320 – Sitting Next to Someone Who is Davening Sh’moneh Esria –Is it Permitted?
- # 1364 – The Halachic Issues Concerning Hearing Aids
- # 1408 – How Does One Pronounce and Write the Name Yissocher?
- # 1452 – Ours is Not to Question Why, Ours is Just to Do and Die – Do We Always Say That?
- # 1496 – Should You Make a Sh’hechiyanu When You Get the Corona Vaccine?
- # 1582 – Can a Used Car Be Called New?
- # 1620 – The Dos and Donts of Giving Names
A complete catalogue can be ordered from the Yad Yechiel Institute, PO Box 511, Owings Mills MD 21117-0511. Call (410) 358-0416 or e-mail [email protected] or visit http://www.yadyechiel.org/ for further information.