Shemos - 1st Portion

Join me as we learn Kumish together. Today we'll begin the book of Shamos chapter 1 verse one. The Torah reading for Sunday para Shamay. In the previous Torah reading, which is last week parishes, we concluded the book of Genesis and it concluded with the passing of Joseph and Joseph reminding the Jewish people that when the time will come when they leave Egypt, they should take his bones with them. Today, the Torah recaps where the Jewish people are at in the land of Egypt. Torah reading begins chapter 1 verse one. Israel. These are the names of the Jewish people of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt. Yakov that came with Yakov is that each man came with his household. The question that we asked, didn't the Torah tell us already last week's Torah reading in the parishes and told us about the names of all the Jewish people that came to Egypt and the children of Jacob and even though he already accounted them while they were still alive saying their names and he counts them again here and telling us that they all passed to tell us how much they were loved by God that they are compared to stars that he brings them out every evening to shine on the on the shine on earth and then brings them back in the morning as it says in the verse. Therefore, he counts them and says their names again as it says in the verse of Isaiah, the one that brings them out that counts them by the stars and gives them all a name, thereby telling us all the tribes and their names of each one of the tribes of Yakov's sons. Verse two, verse three. Verse four, God and usher. Verse five and he called and all the Jacob's descendants that came came to Egypt were total number of 70 people these and Ysef who was included in this count was already in Egypt at the time when Yakov and his family came Rashi verse 5 was in Egypt him and children were part of the count of 70. So why then does the Torah say there were 70 and Yseph was in Egypt? So what's the verse telling us? Haven't we known over the past four Torah readings we've learned that Yseph was in Egypt? Why does it have to repeat it and tell it us again to let us know the righteousness of Yoseph? That though he was in Egypt, he nothing changed. Whoa. Who? It's the same Yoseph that was shephering his father's flock who this is the same Yoseph that while he was the viseroy and the king of Egypt and he became a king amongst all the nations of the world the still remained in his righteousness and did not assimilate amongst the Egyptians that were there. The Torah reading continues verse six. And Yseph and all his brothers died and all the people of that generation. Verse seven and the Israelites at the time, the children, the Jewish people, they were fertile and prolific and they increased and became exceedingly strong and the land was filled with them. What do these words mean? Why does the Torah enumerate different ways of how they continue to prosper and grow, especially in multiple numbers? So, he explains as follows. The word that they their wives did not have any miscarriages and they did not die. The children did not die while they were young. Why does it use the terminology means like the sprout? They were prolific. They increased exceedingly. What level of that? What level of uh what does this mean? The word yesu can sometimes come from the word sher as well. And he talks about and he says and that they would give birth to six at one like someone want to say this is also what rodents do as well that mice according to some commentaries the alumini brings down that mice give birth to six at a time. So therefore the Torah uses the wordhetses just like rodents give birth to six at a time. So through the the Jewish people gave birth to sixups at a time. Interestingly enough, there are actually some commentaries who say that not six at a time but actually 60 at a time that scorpions give birth to 60 at a time. Uh so either way there was a lot of them coming at that moment. Another thing you can see over here as well and why the number six if you look at the Torah tells us in this verse the Baluram notes there are six terminologies of the Jewish people having lots of children. Each one of those alluding to the fact that they had six children at a time. Verse eight and a new king got up rose amongst Egypt alime on Egypt arose over Egypt Ysef that did not know Yoseph. How is it possible that a king should become the king of Egypt and not know Yoseph? So Rashi explains as follows. There's a debate between Rav and one says that there was a new king. He was really a new king that the old pharaoh died and this is a new one. One says that it's the same king. He just started to make harsh decrees against the Jewish people but it really was the same king. The question is only how can it be that he never knew Ysef? It's like saying somebody in America doesn't know the king, the president doesn't know about George Washington. He made as if he didn't know and did not show and recognize any favor or uh acknowledgement to the Jewish people by the very fact that Yseph was the one that made Egypt the superpower that it was. Verse 10. Verse N. And he told his nation, "Behold, it look the Jewish people, the people, the Israelites are becoming more numerous and stronger than us." Verse 10, let us cleverly deal with them. Let us cleverly deal with them, lest they increase. And then they will in the event of a war the and they will join our enemies and fight us and get us out of and go up out of the land and get us and go up out of the land. What does this mean? Let us be clever. Anytime the word is in the verse, it means to prepare. Usually the word means to give. But in this case, what are you giving? So it also means to prepare. Let us get ready. We should be ready for such an event. If you look at the terminology, if he's talking about the Jewish people, he should have said, let us out be clever with him. Why does it say with them? Why does it say with him singular term to the nation as one or some let us think malas what to do with these people with the general idea with the concept that we that they're getting stronger than us the rabbis explained that why did why did pharaoh use such a terminology actually he was referring to one and only let us try to be clever to the savior of the Jewish people to judge the Jewish people with water and that's why later on he makes the decree that they should be thrown into the Nile River. The reason why they said river water would be the best option because God already made a promise he wouldn't bring a flood against the world and therefore he's not going to punish us with water. They did not understand on the whole world maybe God won't bring a flood but he can still bring a flood on one nation and they will force us out of the land meaning that they will join the other nations fight against us alu against our will to the land of they will go to and they will take all their spoils that they have from us they will take it with them the rabbis explained that what is this talking about. It's like a person who's cursing himself because he's afraid to say clearly what's going to happen. So therefore, he really is talking about himself, but he changes the language to be about others. It's as if they're saying that the Jewish people are going to join our enemies. They're going to be victorious and they're going to chase us out of the land. But they reference it as the Jewish people because they don't want to speak negative and thinking so low about themselves and they will then eventually inherit the land of Egypt. Verse number 11. So what did they do to be able to try to get the Jewish people under their control? They appointed draft officers over them in order to afflict them with chores. Well, those shores meant that the Jewish people will then have to build up the existing cities of Pisam the as well as storage cities making them making storage cities for Pharaoh. Which storage cities? Taking and making them storage cities. Rashi number 11. Who are they appointing these draft soldiers over? Draft officers on the Jewish people on the people. The word comes from attacks meaning there were officers that would collect from them attacks. And what was the tax that they collected? It was not necessarily a tax of money, but it was a labor force tax. They had to go and build these warehouses for Pharaoh in order to make them suffer under these chores of Egypt of Egypt. This way when they would so be so busy taking all these things, this would cause them to become subservient to Pharaohs. What is the word? Like the says as we find it also and go to the person who's in charge of the warehouse gives the treasurer who was in charge of the warehouses that were in the holy temple was called he was like the businessman he was the dealer to make sure that the things that were there were needed as says go build the cities of because initially these cities were not befitting they were not set up that they should be able to be warehouses. The Jewish people then had to make it strong and for and fortified that they should be fitting that they should be able to be warehouses. However, this did not work because the more they oppressed the Jewish people, the more they increased and they spread. Israel. The Egyptians became frustrated over the Israelites because the more they tried to be able to harm them, the more they continued to grow and prosper. Verse number 12, the more they were trying to weaken the Jewish people. The God made that the Jewish people should continue to be strong and to multiply. That's that's the way they multiplied. They continue to be strong, increase and spread. That's that is the simpler interpretation. The medishes the divine spirit was saying the response to Pharaoh's uh thoughts. You want to be able to enslave them and give them chores and give them what to build and thereby not allowing them to continue to grow. This is what you're talking about. The Jewish people they might continue to prosper and increase. Guess what? I say yes, they will continue to increase. They were disgusted by the life of the Israelites. The rabbis explain why this word comes from the word. They were like thorns in the eyes of the Egyptians that they weren't able to see anything good in the Jewish people. Verse 13. And the Egyptians enslave the Israelites with backbreaking labor. What does the word backbreaking labor mean? So as Rashi explains with very difficult work that demoralizes the individual's body and breaks them apart. Verse 14 and they embited their lives with hard labor with mortar and with bricks and all kinds of work in the field do all the work that they were subjected to do with crushing harshness and hard work. Over here you see that they gave him the doom the the thing that they one of the things that the exile of Egypt was about that the Jews had to make bricks. The Reb explains why bricks out of all things and we have to learn from this es especially from one exile to the next in the actual building of the holy temple. There were two items that were allowed to be used either stones or bricks. The difference between stones and bricks stones are godmade brick bricks are man-made. And over here we see something unique when it comes to the building of the holy temple that God wanted specific the exile that God wanted specifically bricks was the thing that they chose that they made because the purpose of exile is that while a person is in exile is to take the physical items and utilize them and make them into something holy. So too while we're in our exile we have to make bricks taking the physical the material and transforming it into something of holiness. That's the way we bring about the ultimate redemption. Verse 15. And the king of Egypt said to the Jewish midwives, to the Hebrew midwives, that one of them their name was called Shifra is Pua and the second one was called Pua Rashi. These are women. What does it mean? comes from the terminology to give birth. There are different types of words in in Hebrew in the Hebrew grammar that can help you easier understand and sometimes they're closer to the interpretation or not. Everyone there's one that breaks, one that is broken or a breaking speaking spoken to. And so to in this case giving birth and the one that helps to give birth as well. Who were these two people? That was why was she called Shifra that she would clean the child? The baby when the baby was right away born she would clean the child make the child beautiful pua ziriam pua happens to be Miriam Alu which was the daughter of y the sister of Moshe that she would make and sounds with her mouth and calm down the baby while it was crying the way it's usually done that women try to calm the baby down while the baby's crying making these funny sounds and that's why she was called pua another interpretation of why she was called pua comes from the word to scream like it says in Isaiah that when the person's born they make a great noise. What did Pharaoh want from them? So verse 16, he said, "When you deliver Hebrew women and you look at the birth stool, if it's a boy and you will kill him, but if it's a girl, if it's a daughter and you will let her live verse 16, when you will be there to assist them to give birth of what are these of It was a special seat that the woman that would give birth would sit on. Another place also the seat that a woman giving birth or while in labor will be sitting on it. So we have a place that they would do their work on these stones. The place where a person sits to do his work. Why if it's a boy will you kill them? Why was Pharaoh so concerned about the male boys? So Rashi explains what happened here. Pharaoh was only concerned about the males because the stargazer sold him because since there's going to be born a boy to the Jewish people who's going to save them from your wrath from the difficulties of Egypt. So therefore, Pharaoh did not know who the boy was. His first step was any boy being Born should be killed. It's the the female connotation of letting them live. Verse 17. However, the midwives feared God. And did not follow the instructions that Pharaoh gave them. The king of Egypt said, and they helped the boys live. doesn't say that they just didn't kill them. They would actually give them food and water to help their boys live not following Pharaoh's decree. Rashi then explains why does it use the terminology. So Tarum gives the explanation and they let them live. What does this mean? Then the second one that's mentioned afterwards and they allow them to live means the current meaning that you have in Hebrew you have the way it works is when you're speaking to multiple females then you use a female terminology in plural you can use it sometimes that they've done and sometimes of what they're going to accomplish. meaning every word that has in the beginning it av or at the end a nun and a hey it can either be that you don't see what's happening that they did xy or can also mean currently that they're doing whatever may be for example we have it later on Egyptian told us and also you have which is that you see what they said they said to males and I spoke to them into their mouth means current that he's talking to somebody in front of him. You spoke and they spoke to have past back and forth rashi showing different examples and samples of where we find different ways of using it for male and female. Over here we see something unique where Pharaoh's decree was against the boys as the Reb explains the boys the male should be thrown into the Nile sea. That was a physical death that he wanted. However, you should let the females live. That was a spiritual death that they wanted. They should be assimilated within the Egyptian society. Pharaoh was looking on a dual a dual exile and punishment against the Jewish people. Number one, to hurt them physically as well to hurt them spiritually. However, Shifra and Shifra and Pua Yv and Miriam stood up against Pharaoh's decree. Not only did they help the Jewish boys that they should survive and live, but they gave them the ability to continue to live on good. That was the way and that was the ability as the Torah tells us in the merit of the righteous women we were redeemed from exile that they stood up against Pharaoh. This concludes the first Torah reading for Sunday para shamos.