Shemos - 4th Portion

Join me as we learn together Kumish for Wednesday. It's the fourth Torah reading of Parasha Shamimos. Yesterday's Torah reading we read we are Moshe came to Midian met Yro's daughters helped them by the well as well married Saporro who was Yro's daughter had a child by the name of Gersam and the Torah tells us how God heard the suffering of the Jewish people and Moshe was now the shepherd of Israel's cattle chapter 3 verse one And Moshe was tending to the flock of his father-in-law Jethro who was a ruler in Midian. And he would lead the sheepbar through the desert. And it came to be that it was by Mount Kore which was the mountain where God will eventually come to the Jewish people on Mount Si. Mount Kore which was also known as Mount Hashi. One of the reasons why he would take them to pasture in the desert was that they should be away from other people's properties. That they shouldn't be stealing from others. that they should not be sheep pasturing in other people's fields to the mountain of God. How is this the mountain of God? Because eventually in the future, this will be the place where the Torah will be given to the Jewish people and thereby known as the mountain of God where God's name is blessed on it. Verse two, a love and an angel of God appeared to him in a blazing fire in the midst of a Thor bush. Then he saw and he gazed. Mosha saw and he saw that the bush was on fire. However, something miraculous was happening here. But the fire the bush was not being consumed by the fire while it was on fire but it wasn't being consumed explains with a fiery flame with a blazing fire. The word shal is a flame comes from the word li from the word of heart the heart of an of the fire. heart of heaven believe like in the heart of the tree the center of the tree don't you ask the question why it says shall you have other places where the Torah uses the female connotation to the word heart for example in the book of Ezekiel where it talks about how destructive that heart is what kind of bush was this was a bush that was a not another type of tree. Why was God symbolizing that he was burning through this fire the thorny bush to [snorts] show that God is with them in the pain and the suffering just like the thorns are hurtful and and painful. So too God is so showing Moshe that God is suffering with the Jewish people. Ukl the word ukl comes from the word consumed burnt [snorts] and it's not being burnt from the flame similar connotation to a past tense activity was not working with it that was taken from there mosha sees this wondrous event and therefore he says says oh let me turn away from what he's doing here the and go over and this remarkable site. This one that's going on. Why doesn't the bush burn? You have the word, let me go astray. Let me go away. That means you're going away from where you are to come close to another place. Verse five. Verse four, sorry. When God saw that he turned aside to look that he got his attention and God called to him from the midst of the bush and he said Moses Moses replied here I am. Verse five. And God said to him, "Come no nearer. Remove your shoes from your feet." Because the place that you are standing upon is a holy ground. Shall what does the word shall mean? take your shoes off like we find in other places where it says that the axe the metal of the of the wood of the axe falls off when you'll take down your olives meaning the place you're on is a holy place verse six I am the god of your father the god of the god of the god of mo hit his face because he was afraid from seeing from looking at God. Verse seven and God says to Moshe, I have indeed seen the plight as of my people as the plight of my people that are in Egypt and I've heard their outcry. I heard I heard from their task masters and I'm very aware of their pains like God says why does he have to say that God know of course God knows what's he telling us meaning I've put attention to it to think about it and contemplate of the pains and suffering and I did not hide my eyes. I did not close my ears. I did not close my eyes or close my eyes to close my ears from hearing their pain and suffering and I have come and I've come down to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and to take them up from that land from that land and to bring them to bring them to a land of good and uh and ample land. A land that's flowing with milk and honey. Elani, the place that now the region of the Canananites, theites and theites and the Pites and the Heivites and the Jebusites. Verse 8, verse 9. And now the outcry of Israelites have reached me. And I've also seen the oppression that the Egyptians are subjecting them to. Verse 10. And therefore now go and I will send you to Pharaoh. Shall take my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. Verse 10. And you will go take the Jewish people, my nation, out of Egypt. What's he telling him? What is this commandment? If you Mosha will say what's it going to help that you what's it going to help? Because so therefore God says I'm guaranteeing you that you will be the one your words will actually make an impact and you will be able to take the Jewish people out from there. Verse 11. Moshe said to God, "Who am I that I should go to parro? Do I have the merit that I can take the Jewish people? And [snorts] by what merit can I take the Jewish people, the Israelites, out of Egypt?" Meaning, who am I? Why am I so special that I should be able to speak to people of great kingdom? Even more so more so the very fact that he was in danger of death. He was almost killed almost killed by Pharaoh. Another reason even if you're going to say I'm so important that I can go talk to kings. Why were the Jewish people what did they do so special that they should have a miracle that should take them out of Egypt? Verse 12. So God respond for I will be with you and this will be your sign that I will be with you that I have sent you because when you will take the Jewish people out of Egypt, they will all serve. They will all serve God on this exact mountain that I am talking to you right now. Rashi verse 12 here God is responding to Moshe God is responding to Moshe is two issues on the first one first that he says who are you to speak to Pharaoh and number two why the Jewish people meritorious that they should be able to come out of Egypt he says number one the fact that he said who are you to go to Pharaoh that's not your errant you're coming in my name it's not because of who you are it's because of who you're representing. I'll be with you. The very fact that you saw this vision of me in the burning bush. This is a sign to you that I sent you and you are going to be successful in the errand and I have the ability to save the Jewish people from everything. Just like you see this burning bush. You see this bush is consumed with the fire and it's doing what I need to do what I asked it to do and its message but at the same time it's not being consumed. So too you can go to the king of Egypt and tell him what to do and you were afraid that you might get harmed. You're not going to get harmed by it. Now to your second question. What merit did the Jewish people have that they should come out of Egypt? You asked what merit did the Jewish people have that they should go out of Egypt. So I'll tell you the very fact that they're going to come. I have great benefit. They have a great merit that they're going to come out of Egypt. Number one, because they're going to be receiving the Torah on this mountain after three months of them being out of Egypt. Another way to explain this verse I will be with you this that you will be this is the guarantee that God is telling him that you will be successful in your errand this will be the sign that about the second promise that I'm going to give you which is when you take them out of Egypt they will serve me on this mountain. What's the service? That they will serve me on this mountain. They will accept the Torah. That acceptance of the Torah that is already a merit for the Jewish people now that they should be deserving to go out of Egypt. Even though yes, maybe right now you're going to ask what that merit is. Eventually, this is your sign because on this mountain they will receive the Torah. Similarly, we find this kind of language. This will be your sign where it talks about the blessing that will come to the Jewish people after the fall of that over there. He talks as well. the very fact that will fall then you know that the second promise will happen as well that your land will now have uh won't have any fruit because they're going to be destroyed by the kingdom of therefore I will bless that they should be able to have fruit and they will grow afterwards. So we see a similar terminology later on by where God says one promise is contingent or will be seen based on the other promise and Moshe said to God I'm going to come to the Israelites and I will tell them the God of your forefathers sent me to you. When they will hear this they're going to say they'll say to me what's his name? What kind of God allows his children to suffer in the land of Egypt for so many years? Who is he? Where was he until now? And when they ask this, what should I tell them? 14. So God says to Moshe, tell them that I shall be just as I shall be. That means I will be with them in this exile as I will be with them in the future exiles as well. Meaning that God didn't ignore them as we'll soon see. Rashi explains and he says, "So you shall say to the Israelites, I shall be sent me to you." What's this that God is talking about? And he says as follows in Rashi 14, I was with them. I will I was with them in this pain and suffering. I will also be with them in the future exiles that they will have. So Moshe when he hears this, he tells God, "Omighty God, why should I mention to them about other pain and suffering they're really dealing with what's going on right now? It's enough that they're suffering right now. I have to tell them that there's going to be suffering later. So God says to Moshe, "You're right. You said well." Therefore, God continues and says, "I that was with them sent them to you." And God continues to say to Moshe further says to Moshe, "So you shall send to the Israelites, the God of your forefathers of the God of the God of Yakov, the God of Jacob, sent me to you. This is my name for all times to be concealed. It's not something which you see, but it will be by the final redemption. And this is how I am to be recalled for all generations. What is he's telling us here? So Rashi tells us if you look at the word it's missing meaning my name that is concealed that you're not supposed to read God's name the way it's written. don't read it and pronounce it as we read it as the name of not in the name of and over here Moshe was taught two names by God the first one and the second one should be one that has to be written and one the way it is remembered he taught Moshe how God's name is mentioned and recalled and so too telling him how it should be said and how it's written so too he God is your name for eternity. Hashem remembers you for eternity. It shall be recalled for all generations. So you see again just alluding to about the different names of how we recall God's name and how God's name is written. This concludes the fourth Torah reading for Wednesday, Pares Shabbis.