Reb Ginsbourg: 'In your blood you shall live, in your blood you shall live'

Various commentators weigh in on a question on the Torah reading. Did Bnei israel in Egypt not have any Mitzvot, so that Hashem felt compelled to give them these two new Mitzvot - pesach and milah - in the merit of which they were redeemed from Egypt?

Our Parasha relates the Mitzvah of the Korban Pesach, of which Hashem commanded Moshe to ‘speak to the entire assembly of Israel, saying (12:2:12) ’They shall slaughter it in the afternoon.They shall take some of the blood and place it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they shall eat it..’

‘I shall go through the land of Egypt on this night, and I shall strike every first-born in the land of Egypt..The blood shall be a sign for you upon the houses where you are; when I shall see the blood and I shall pass over you; there shall not be a plague of destruction upon you when I strike in the land of Egypt.’

The Torah then relates, that Moshe relayed this commandment to Bnei Israel, but with some variations to Hashem’s words:(12:21-24 ) ’Moshe called all the elders of Israel and said to them: Draw forth or buy for yourselves one of the flock for your families, and slaughter the pesach offering.

‘You shall take a bundle of hyssop and dip it into the blood that is in the basin, והגעתם: and reach the lintel and the two doorposts with some of the blood that is in the basin, and as for you, no man shall leave the entrance of the house until morning.

‘Hashem will pass through to smite Egypt, and He will see the blood that is on the lintel and on the two doorposts; and Hashem will pass over the entrance and he will not permit the destroyer to enter enter your homes to smite.

‘You shall observe this matter as a decree for yourself and for your children forever.’

Rashi comments:’And I shall see the blood’: Everything is revealed to Hashem’, so why does the Torah mention that He will ‘see’ the blood? ‘Rather, He said:’I will focus My attention to see that you are engaged in My commandments, and I will skip over you.’

Rav David Pardo adds: This is what Hashem said:’And I saw the merit of the blood, and I will skip over you.

This can be seen alluded to in the use of the words: וראיתי, in the past tense, it does not mean ‘I saw’, but read as: ’I already saw this - earlier.’

The Chezkuni notes that Moshe, in his words to the elders, reversed the order of Hashem’s words to him, Hashem preceded the doorposts to the lintel, whereas Moshe preceded the lintel to the doorposts

He comments:This comes to teach that the order in which the blood is given, does not invalidate.

The Kli Yakar proffers a reason as to why Moshe changed the order of the giving of the bloods, in a homiletic exposition: We can say, that it was said (Eichah Rabba), that Hashem said to Bnei israel:’Return to Me,’ first, and afterwards, ‘I will return to you’ - and the assembly of Israel responded: We do not have the strength to return first, rather You begin, as it says:’Bring us back to You’, and only then:And we shall return.

In this manner, we can say that the lintel alludes to Hakadosh-Baruch- Hu, who is high above all, and the two doorposts, which support the lintel, are the merits of the Avot and the Imahot.

Therefore, Hashem wanted to give credit to the righteous: ’And first give on the doorposts’ - and then ‘on the lintel’, to say, that the righteous Avot and Imahot should start; but Moshe said:’Reach for the lintel’ first, ‘as we have no strength to begin'.

The Alshich Hakadosh brings the saying of our Sages, that:The lintel and the two doorposts allude to the three Avot: Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov.

To understand this, let us note that Moshe, added the mention of the hyssop, which Hashem had not said to him.

This, because Moshe opined, to count as a merit to Bnei Israel the merits of the Avot, Hashem commanded giving the blood on the two doorposts and on the lintel, the two doorposts alluding to Yitzchak and Yaakov, and the lintel alluding to Avraham.

Why did Hashem do so, to start with the doorposts, and not the lintel? Because of the paucity of the merits of Bnei Israel at this time, it was necessary to start from the bottom upwards, as only in this way, could they hope to attain the top.

Moshe therefore said: I will do this, so that they, from themselves, merit to attain the top, as they will thereby merit abundance, this by initially uniting the three Avot together by the Mitzvah of the blood, by ‘You shall take a bundle of hyssop’, its three stems as against the three Avot - and by they being bound together to be dipped in the blood, this would be a preparation to immediately reach to the top, to enable them, at the outset, ‘to reach to the lintel’.

This is why Moshe said:’והגעתם: ‘and you shall reach’, and not ונגעתם: ‘and you shall touch’, as by doing as we have said, from the outset they have a connection with the lintel, to attain the merit of Avraham, which could not be achieved had the union not been made.

And you, because of the paucity of your merits, do not ‘leave the entrance of’ your ‘house’, as only the merit of the blood will prevent the destroyer from smiting you.

Rav Elya Lopian, on our Rashi, asks: Since all is revealed before Him - as to whether or not those in the house had performed the Mitzvah of the pessach offering - what need was there for the merit of the blood having been given on the lintel and the doorposts?

To answer this, let us recall an earlier instance recorded in the Torah:(VaEira 8:21-22) ’Pharoah summoned Moshe and Aaron, saying: Go and sacrifice to your G-d in the land; Moshe answered: It is improper to do that, for we will sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to G-d our Lord. Will we sacrifice the deity of the Egyptians before their eyes, and they will not stone us?’.

We do not find that Pharoah replied to this, so presumably he admitted Moshe’s words.

We can now understand the Mitzvah of giving the blood on the doorposts and on the lintel, that Hashem commanded that Bnei Israel to perform in Egypt - was to test the completeness of their Emunah in Hashem, this being an extension of the earlier commandment, to take and slaughter the pesach offering, the Midrash commenting on this ‘taking’: Withdraw your hands from Avodah Zara.

What is the relevance of this, at this point?

Based on what we have brought, the answer is simple: by taking and slaughtering the ‘deity’ of Egypt, in their sight, they were clearly withdrawing from their avodah zara - and showing their faith in Hashem.

After the slaughter of the pesach offering, they continued with the Mitzvah of giving the blood on the doorposts and the lintel - as to which we find differing views in the Mechilta, as to whether the blood was given on the inside of the house - or on its outside, as Rabbi Yitzchak said, ‘so that the Egyptians should see it, and their insides curdling'.

This was the sign of merit to Bnei Israel, on withdrawing from Avodah Zara - and cleaving in Emunah, to Hashem.

This mesirut nefesh, not to fear the Egyptians, under whose rule they still were, and - despite this - to mock their deity, and them, and to anger them, was the sign which led to the destroyer passing over their houses.’

We have till this point understood that the blood that was placed on the doorposts and on the lintel was the blood of the pesach offering, which had been slaughtered, the meat of which was eaten, as the korban pesach.

However, Rashi brings the Mechilta on our Parasha, offering a different understanding

:’They’ - Bnei israel - had no Mitzvot in which to be engaged to merit to be redeemed, as it says:(Yechezkel 16:7)’And you were naked and bare’, and so they were given two Mitzvot: the blood of the pesach offering, and the blood of the milah, that they all were circumcised that night, as it says:(there 6) ’Wallowing in your bloods’: two bloods -in the merit of which, the prophet continues: ’In your bloods you shall live, in your bloods you shall live’, as it says (Zecharia 9:11) ’And as for you, because of the blood of your ברית: Covenant, I sent your prisoners free from the waterlesss well.’

Rav Dovid Hofstedter wonders: Did Bnei israel in Egypt not have any Mitzvot, so that Hashem felt compelled to give them these two new Mitzvot - pesach and milah - in the merit of which they were redeemed from Egypt?

Had they not already been commanded to observe the seven Noachide Mitzvot, and the Mitzvah of the gid hanasheh? What, then, did the two Mitzvot of the bloods add, to merit redemption ?

More surprising, did our Sages not teach that Bnei Israel had other merits, which was the reason for their redemption, ‘that they did not change their name, or their language, and were not tale-bearers, and abstained from immorality' - why, then, did Rashi write that they had no merits for them to be redeemed?

We have to, therefore, say that true, they did already have Mitzvot - apart from that of the two bloods - but they were all as individuals, and not as a nation, as we find that, until the exodus from Egypt, they were not called ‘a nation’, but only were individuals

This changed with the exodus, with the creation of the new entity of ‘עם ישראל: ‘the nation of Israel’, as our Sages praise Hashem for taking ׳גוי מתוךֶגוי׳: a nation from the midst of a nation - thereby choosing the seed of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov to be a nation for him, as we read (Va’era 6:6-8)’I will free you from the oppression of the Egyptians...I will took you to Myself as a nation’.

To merit this, their existing merits did not suffice, as they were merits as individuals, and there was therefore a need for other merits, in the nature of merits of the clal, distinct from the other nations, and united together, as ‘Hashem’s nation’.

To this end, Hashem gave them the two Mitzvot - of pesach and of milah - uniting them as a separate nation, with its own Emunah, and stamp of enslavement, as will become clear.

The pesach offering came to disengage them from the idol worship of Egypt - not just ny the offering, but by the very act of taking the sheep - the deity of Egypt, to sacrifice it in the sight of the Egyptians, as an offering to Hashem, a clear rejection of the avodah zara, which they had worshipped themselves.

The Mitzvah of milah also separates us from all other nations, marking their servitude to Hashem, in their bodies, as it is in their minds.

This is the purport of Rashi’s comment, that they were not, at this point, engaged in Mitzvot which merited their redemption- they did not have Mitzvot which would elevate them from individuals, to become ‘Hashem’s nation’, and be redeemed.

These two Mitzvot - the pesach offering, and the milah - are the only two Mitzvot, for which the failure to perform is כרת: ‘exclusion from the nation’, which is - from what we have brought - readily understandable, , as these two Mitzvot are what define a Jew, as Hashem’s servant, as they were given to us, so that we should become ‘Hashem’s nation’, and whoever nullifies them, disconnects himself from the community of Israel, and from our G-d.

As the prophet says, by these two Mitzvot - the ‘two bloods’ - we merit to be His eternally:’In your blood, you shall live, in your blood, you shall live’

The Netivot Shalom adds: The redemption from Egypt had two parts: the actual redemption from our enslavement to Egypt, AND the choice by Hashem, of Israel, to be His nation and portion.

In the affliction of the First-Born, there were elements of both of these: on the plain level, to afflict the first-born, leasing to the redemption from their oppression, and - at the same time - as the Torah relates:(Beha’alotcha 8:16) ’Since the day I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egyot, I have sanctified them for Myself’: that at the very same time, two things occurred: I smote the Egyptian firstborn, and also, ‘sanctified them for Myself’: that Bnei Israel became the ‘chosen people’.

This is the meaning of ‘the blood shall be a sign for you, on your houses’; clearly, this had no relevance to smiting the firstborn, but as to the choice of Bnei Israel, an internal sign was necessary to know and to verify who was a Jew, who was worthy to belong to the chosen people - and, so too, which was a Jewish home whose dwellers were worthy of this high honor.

The prophets whose words we have brought, teach that by these two Mitzvot - these two bloods - we were chosen to be Hashem’s nation.

We might say that the blood of the pesach offering alludes to Emunah, that on that night of Pesach, the השגחה פרטית: the Divine Providence, on every house, distinguishing between those of the Egyptians, and those of Bnei Israel; and the blood of the milah alludes to קדושה: sanctity - they being the foundations of Jewishness, and on which the Jewishness of every Jew, depends, determining if he is truly worthy of being counted as a member of the ‘chosen people’.

A parting gem, from Haktav veHakabalah: The need for further Mitzvot, so that Bnei Israel should merit redemption, indicates that there were in fact matters which precluded redemption - as our Sages point out: that there were idol worshippers amongst Bnei Israel, in Egypt.

Hashem’s Will was that they be purified, and, to this end, gave the Mitzvah of the pesach offering, by which Bnei Israel would show absolute proof that they had done Teshuva, by slaughtering the deity itself, that they had served.

As a sign of the complete love, and that there is no fear in his heart, of any worry from outside forces, in fulfilling the will of his Beloved, Hashem commanded that they perform three things in the sacrifice of their deity, in the sight of the Egyptians, without regard to the inherent danger in doing so - that the Egyptians might not stand idly by, on seeing the ‘outrage’, and, with this, they not desist from from doing as commanded — and, further, that they then bring the offering they have slaughtered, through the throngs, to their houses.

This, after the slaughtering having been performed with great fanfare, in the sight of all members of the family of the offerer, and yet do so with no fear of the Egyptians; further, again, that the consumption of the slaughtered offering, be at a festive meal, and the blood of the offering of their deity being placed on the doorposts and lintel of each house, to be seen by every passer-by, indicating to them, that at that moment, their deity is being eaten.

Despite the obvious danger in doing so - from the Egyptians - they nevertheless performed the Will of their Master, and did not allow fear to enter their hearts.

They will thereby show that they have done Teshuva fully, and have cleaved to Hashem, and rejected the Avodah Zara completely.

This is what the blood on their homes signifies:their faithfulness to Hashem, which awakened His mercy, that they not be afflicted by the destroyer.

This would spare them from the fate of the Egyptians, which, in fact, they also merited, as they too, had served the Avodah Zara.

This accords with the view of Rabbi Yitzchak - in the Midrash - that the blood was on the outside of the houses - not, as the other view, that holds that it was on the inside - so that it should be seen by the Egyptians, and their innards should curdle.’

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/403197

Eliezer Meir Saidel: Parshas BO (JP)

 When G-d first commands Moshe to address Pharaoh, the first words he is commanded to utter are “So says the L-rd, My firstborn son Israel – Beni Bechori Yisrael” (Shemot 4:22).

It is a peculiar opening statement. The reason it is strange is because Pharaoh is undoubtedly going to scoff at it (which he did). Israel? The firstborn son of G-d? Long before Israel became a nation, the nation of Egypt existed. In the book of Bereishit (10:6) the Torah lists the descendants of Cham, son of Noach and one of them is Egypt. The Egyptian nation preceded the Israelite nation chronologically. So how can Moshe claim that Israel is G-d’s firstborn nation?

Rashi (Bereishit 25:26) answers that there are two types of firstborn – first by conception and first by emergence. If you have twins in a mother’s womb, who is the true firstborn, the one who was first conceived, or the one that emerged first? Rashi compares it to a narrow tube. If you have two stones in the tube, one below the other, the first one in will be the last one out.

Rashi’s explanation pertains to the twins Yaakov and Eisav, that although Yaakov emerged second, he was conceived first. Although the nation of Egypt emerged first, the first nation by conception was Israel. When G-d created the world, Bereishit, His intention was to create the world for Am Yisrael who are called “Reishit.”

This is why Yaakov was obsessed with acquiring the birthright from Eisav, to formalize it in history, that the true firstborn nation is Israel. When G-d tells Pharaoh “My firstborn son Israel,” He is ratifying the sale of the birthright from Eisav to Yaakov, that there can be no doubt.

At the dawn of time, we have another, similar case – with Kayin and Hevel, also twin brothers. According to the Zohar, Hevel was conceived from Chava’s intercourse with Adam and Kayin by Chava’s intercourse with the serpent. Although Kayin emerged first, the first by conception was Hevel. Egypt is a descendant of Kayin and Israel a descendant of Hevel.

As we know Kayin killed Hevel, so Hevel’s neshama had to remerge when Adam and Chava later gave birth to Shet. The Ari, z”l, says that Moshe Rabbeinu was a “Gilgul,” a reincarnation of Hevel/Shet, while Pharaoh was a reincarnation of Kayin (the Hebrew name Moshe is an abbreviation for Moshe-Shet-Hevel).

Moshe’s opening statement to Pharaoh is “I am the true firstborn, by conception, not you!”

Sefer Meir Panim describes the sin of Adam and Chava with the Tree of Knowledge, according to the opinion of Rebbi Yehuda in the Gemara (Brachot 40a), that the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge was wheat. Meir Panim says that Chava’s sin was taking that fruit, grinding it up into flour and baking it into a chametz bread. Chava ate from this bread and later also caused Adam to sin by eating from it.

According to Meir Panim, the entire episode of Am Yisrael in Egypt and the Exodus, was to atone for this sin.

This is why we are commanded to eat matzos when we left Egypt, to atone for the chametz bread baked by Chava.

All Ten Plagues are measure for measure against Pharaoh, who is called the “large serpent” (Ezekiel 29:3), a reincarnation of the serpent in Gan Eden.

Blood; for causing Chava to emit blood (virginal/menstrual). Until the sin, the childbirth process was painless and blood free.

Frogs; for causing Adam and Chava to acquire knowledge when they ate from the Tree of Knowledge. The word “Tzefardeia,” frogs in Hebrew, is a combination of two words “Tzareif” and “Deia” – “acquire” and “knowledge.” Also, the Torah tells us that the frogs in the plague also invaded the ovens and the bread (Shemot 7, 28). Why specifically mention the ovens? To atone for Chava baking chametz bread in an oven.

Lice; for causing Chava’s braided hair (Brachot 61a) to become wild when the serpent had intercourse with her.

Wild animals; for reducing Adam and Chava to the level of animals (Kohelet 3:19).

Pestilence; for introducing death to the world, making Adam and Chava mortal. G-d in His mercy first wiped out the animals in the plague and not the humans.

Boils; measure for measure for the serpent defiling Adam and Chava’s skin. Until the sin they were clothed with coats of light, but following the sin G-d had to make for them clothes of skin (Bereishit 3:21).

Hail; fire inside the ice, reminiscent of the “flaming sword flashing back and forth” (Bereishit 3:24). The Da’at Zekeinim (ibid.) says that this is referring to hell which flips between fire and ice.

Locusts; for destroying Adam and Chava’s source of food – “By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread” (Bereishit 3:19).

Darkness; after the sin, Adam was exiled to a region called “Eretz,” a place of darkness (New Zohar, Sitrei Otiyot, Bereishit, 217).

Slaying of the firstborn; retribution for the firstborn of the serpent, Kayin, slaying the firstborn of Adam, Hevel. All the firstborn were killed, even those of the “maidservant next to the grindstone” (Shemot 11:5), reminiscent of Chava who ground the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, wheat into flour to make bread.

Why did G-d allow the other nations to emerge chronologically before Am Yisrael?

G-d wanted Am Yisrael to emerge into a “ready-made” world. That all the other nations would tame and build the world so that that when Am Yisrael would appear, they would not have to occupy themselves with building the world. As it was with Egypt, so will it be when Am Yisrael appear as the dominant nation in the time of Mashiach, we will assume control over a world already built by the other nations.

 

Parshat HaShavua Trivia Question: What is the first mitzvah in the Torah?

Answer to Last Week’s Trivia Question: Why did Hashem command Aharon to throw the staff on the ground and turn it into a snake in front of Pharaoh? The Egyptians were experts in black magic and “tricks” like these were trivial for them and unimpressive. Answer: To impress upon them that their witchcraft was mortal, while G-d’s miracles are limitless. Aharon’s staff swallowed the other staffs, a trick no Egyptian could perform.

National Catastrophe: Regavim Exposes PA's Destruction of the Judean Desert

National Catastrophic: New Regavim Video Exposes Palestinian Authority Destruction of the Judean Desert Ecosystem. Tractors instead of gazelles, cement bags instead of rock hyraxes: This is what the Wye- designated nature reserve in the Judean Desert looks like after years of destruction and massive illegal construction by the Palestinian Authority. In an historic move, the State of Israel has reclaimed enforcement in the reserve. We expect - we demand - substantial action to restore the fragile desert ecosystem, which has suffered too long from the Palestinian Authority's rampant illegal construction. Watch - and share!

Rav Kook: Parshas BO – The Special Pesach Offering

 The offering brought for the Passover holiday, the korban pesach, has special laws how it is to be cooked and eaten:

“They will eat the meat on that night ... Do not eat it raw, or cooked in water, but only roasted over fire.”     (Ex. 12:8-9)

Why may the korban pesach only be eaten at the nighttime? And why must it be roasted?

National Holiness in Each Individual

All Temple offerings fall into two categories. Some are korbanot yachid, personal offerings brought by an individual; while others are korbanot tzibur, communal offerings brought in the name of the entire nation. An individual brings a korban yachid for private reasons — to atone for a particular sin or express gratitude for a personal deliverance. The Jewish nation as a whole, on the other hand, is represented by communal offerings which commemorate national events and holidays.

Of all the Temple offerings, the korban Pesach is unique, since it combines characteristics of both types of offerings. It commemorates a national historic event; and yet the obligation to bring this offering is not on the nation but on the individual. Why is it not like other communal offerings?

This unusual offering teaches us an important lesson about the Jewish people. The korban pesach reveals the quality of national holiness that resides in the soul of every Jew. Our ties to Knesset Yisrael are so deep that each individual’s pesach offering is like a korban tzibur representing the entire nation. And this special connection of each individual to the nation is reflected in the laws regulating how the korban pesach is to be eaten.

The Unity of Israel

Our daytime activities are characterized by extensive social interaction, while at night we retire to our homes and private lives. By stipulating that the Passover offering be eaten at night, the Torah is emphasizing that our connection to the Jewish people is not based on some form of social contract, a utilitarian agreement to band together due to common interests. Rather, our ties to the Jewish people reflect a unique shared commonality that binds together all of Israel. These national ties persist even at night, a time when each individual retreats to the privacy of his home.

The manner in which the offering is cooked is similarly instructive. Were it boiled in water or cooked together with other foods, the taste of the korban would spread outside of the meat. Roasting, on the other hand, prevents the flavor from dispersing to other foods. This ensures that the offering’s qualities of holiness remain concentrated inside the korban pesach. Why should this experience be so intense?

The mitzvah of eating the roasted offering has the power to uplift each individual with an intensity of pure holiness, a powerful quality rooted in the national soul of Israel. This concentrated holiness deepens our awareness of the singular unity of Israel, a result of the communal holiness that resides within each and every individual, in all of his being.

(Silver from the Land of Israel, pp. 163-164. Adapted from Olat Re’iyah vol. I, pp. 178-179.)

Illustration image: Seder, the Passover Meal (Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, 1867)

Rabbi Glatstein – Parshas BO *****

Bo: The Chida Uncovers Why The Torah Should've Begun With Kiddush HaChodesh & Why It Didn't

 

Parshas Bo: The Brightest Darkness [gets really really good at the conclusion]

Eliezer Meir Saidel – First in Thought – Parshas Bo

First in Thought – Bo

 

וּמֵת כָּל בְּכוֹר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבְּכוֹר פַּרְעֹה הַיֹּשֵׁב עַל כִּסְאוֹ עַד בְּכוֹר הַשִּׁפְחָה 

אֲשֶׁר אַחַר הָרֵחָיִם וְכֹל בְּכוֹר בְּהֵמָה (שמות יא, ה).

 

The entire episode of the Exodus revolves around one central theme – firstborns. It begins with firstborns and ends with firstborns.

 

When HKB"H commands Moshe to stand before Pharaoh for the first time, what is HKB"H's first message to Pharaoh? וְאָמַרְתָּ אֶל פַּרְעֹה כֹּה אָמַר ה' בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל (שמות ד, כב), "My firstborn son is Israel!" 

Following that, the first warning to Pharaoh, before the Ten Plagues, is "If you do not set my son (singular) free, הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי הֹרֵג אֶת בִּנְךָ בְּכֹרֶךָ (שם, כג), I will kill your firstborn son". HKB"H does not say, "First I'll send blood, then frogs, then lice … etc. and, after all that, if you still refuse, I will kill your firstborn!" Right from the beginning, HKB"H tells Pharaoh what the end is going to be. 

 

The question is "What kind of strategy is that?" If you want to end the "war" quickly - start and end with the tenth plague, מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת. If that is the "Sword of Damocles" that cliches everything, like an atomic bomb, then why waste time with all the other plagues? Skip straight to the clincher!

 

The answer is – only one plague was really aimed specifically at Pharaoh - מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת, the other nine were not intended for Pharaoh at all, but for Am Yisrael. Yes, there are perushim that the Ten Plagues were a punishment for the Egyptians  מִדָּה כְּנֶגֶד מִדָּה for all the wrongs they inflicted on Am Yisrael during our slavery and this is true. However, this was a secondary reason. 

The main reason for the first nine plagues were a wakeup call for Am Yisrael, that they should do teshuva and merit יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם. Unfortunately, only one fifth woke up. Four fifths died during the plague of darkness and did not experience the Geulah.

 

In this shiur we will be exploring the significance of the firstborn, the concept called רֵאשִׁית and hopefully obtain a deeper insight into the impending Geulah, which we hope and pray is speedily approaching, בבי"א.

 

HKB"H has a special "fondness" for the first of everything. The entire Torah is peppered with examples - the first piece of dough from bread רֵאשִׁית עֲרִסֹתֵכֶם (חַלָּה), the first fruits (בִּכּוּרִים) רֵאשִׁית בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתְךָ, the first grains from the harvest רֵאשִׁית קְצִירְכֶם (עֹמֶר), the firstborn son רֵאשִׁית אוֹנִי, the firstborn kosher animal for korbanot בְּכוֹר בְּהֵמָה, the firstborn donkey פֶּטֶר חֲמֹר, etc.

 

HKB"H is so fond of this concept רֵאשִׁית, that He began the Torah with it - בְּרֵאשִׁית, to teach us that the purpose of creating the universe was for the "first".

 

The universe was not the first of HKB"H's creations, another creation preceded it by 974 generations (Shabbat 88b) – the Torah. Therefore, the Torah is also called רֵאשִׁית, the first creation.

 

Am Yisrael are also called רֵאשִׁית, as it says קֹדֶשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל לַה' רֵאשִׁית תְּבוּאָתֹה (ירמיה ב, ג).

 

The reason why HKB"H created the universe, was for all these things that are called רֵאשִׁית!

 

Of all the above, the most difficult to understand is Am Yisrael. How can Am Yisrael claim to be the "first nation"?  

 

Another nation was called רֵאשִׁית long before Yirmiyahu called Am Yisrael רֵאשִׁית – Amalek רֵאשִׁית גּוֹיִם עֲמָלֵק (במדבר כד, כ), Bilam lived a few hundred years before יִרְמְיָהוּ. This was actually Amalek's claim, that they were HKB"H's true רֵאשִׁית. 

In fact, both Am Yisrael and Amalek are called רֵאשִׁית, because when HKB"H creates a force, at the same time He creates the opposing force. Am Yisrael is the positive pole of the magnet, Amalek the negative.

 

Chronologically speaking, there were other nations long before even Amalek! One of these is Egypt. Egypt is, chronologically speaking, one of the oldest nations on earth. מִצְרַיִם was a son of Cham, the son of Noach. Egypt was already a nation with a king in the time of Avraham. 

Contrast this with Am Yisrael who only became a nation at Har Sinai, 2448 years after Creation - 325 years after Avraham died!

 

One can only imagine the scorn on Pharaoh's face when Moshe first appeared to him with HKB"H's message בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל. "Israel, the firstborn? What a joke!"

 

Pharaoh said to Moshe "Seriously, let's get down to the nitty gritty of who is the firstborn and who is not. Let's go all the way back! The first 'firstborn' in history was Adam HaRishon, he was חַלָּתוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, the first רֵאשִׁית! HKB"H did Hafrashat Challah רֵאשִׁית עֲרִסֹתֵכֶם from the earth to create him. 

Who was Adam's firstborn? Kayin! The Torah says it explicitly וְהָאָדָם יָדַע אֶת חַוָּה אִשְׁתּוֹ וַתַּהַר וַתֵּלֶד אֶת קַיִן (בראשית ד, א). I, Pharaoh, am a descendant (gilgul) of Kayin (חומת אנך, חבקוק פרק א). I am very sorry my 'wayward grandson' Moshe (Moshe was raised by Pharaoh as his grandson), but you are barking up the wrong tree!" 

Pharaoh's "genealogy" claim seems watertight, it certainly follows logic. Pharaoh is a descendant of Kayin, Am Yisrael is descended from the younger Shet. So how can HKB"H send Moshe to Pharaoh with such a claim? Firstborns are firstborns by birth, not by preference. You cannot switch firstborns simply because you do not like them! It says so explicitly in the Torah לֹא יוּכַל לְבַכֵּר אֶת בֶּן הָאֲהוּבָה עַל פְּנֵי בֶן הַשְּׂנוּאָה הַבְּכֹר (דברים כא, טז). A firstborn is firstborn by virtue of physical birth, not character!

 

So how is possible that HKB"H can claim בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל?

 

Let us first address Pharaoh's claim, that he was descended from Kayin and therefore has firstborn preference over Am Yisrael, who are descended from the younger Shet.

 

It may seem that Kayin was Adam HaRishon's firstborn by virtue of physical birth, but this is not true. Kayin's biological father was not Adam HaRishon, but rather the נָחָשׁ. The Gemara (Yevamot 103b), says בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּא נָחָשׁ עַל חַוָּה הֵטִיל בָּהּ זוּהֲמָא. Part of the sin with the עֵץ הַדַּעַת is that Chava had intercourse with the נָחָשׁ and the resulting offspring was Kayin.

 

According to Yalkut Shimoni (בראשית פרק ד, סימן לה), Kayin and Hevel were twins! רַבִּי אוֹמֵר: קַיִן וְהֶבֶל תְּאוֹמִים הָיוּ. In other words, after the sin with the עֵץ הַדַּעַת and after Adam and Chava were expelled from Gan Eden, the passuk says וְהָאָדָם יָדַע אֶת חַוָּה אִשְׁתּוֹ. 

Adam had intercourse with Chava and then twins were born, Kayin and Hevel – Kayin from the seed of the נָחָשׁ and Hevel from the seed of Adam! So, who was Adam's firstborn? Hevel. Kayin was the firstborn of the נָחָשׁ, not Adam.

 

OK, so maybe Hevel was Adam's firstborn, but Hevel was killed before he had any children! That left Kayin and then later Shet – Kayin was 130 years older than Shet! So How can Am Yisrael (who are descended from Shet) claim precedence over Pharaoh (who was descended from Kayin)? 

The answer is that Shet was a gilgul of Hevel, the neshama of Hevel came back down in Shet (מגלה עמוקות, ואתחנן יא). Moshe (and Am Yisrael) who are descended from Shet are therefore, in fact, descended from the firstborn to Adam HaRishon – Hevel.

 

So, Pharaoh's genealogical claim is baseless. However, Pharaoh may still have a "historical" claim. I Pharaoh, Egypt, were a nation long before Am Yisrael. At the time of Moshe confronting Pharaoh, Am Yisrael were not even yet a nation – that only occurred at Har Sinai, months later. So how can HKB"H send Moshe with the claim בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל?

 

The answer to this may be found in the story of Eisav and Yaakov. Rashi (בראשית כה, כו) explains why Yaakov was the true firstborn and not Eisav. Rashi uses the analogy of a pipe with two stones. If you place two stones in a narrow pipe, the stone that went in last will come out first and the stone that went in first will come out last (in computer terminology that is called LIFO – last in first out).

 

According to Rashi, when there is more than one child in the uterus, the one that was fertilized first is called רִאשׁוֹן לַיְּצִירָה and the one that comes out first is called רִאשׁוֹן לַיְּצִיאָה. When the father has the intention of bearing a son, his intention is the רִאשׁוֹן לַיְּצִירָה, the one first fertilized – that is the true firstborn, the child first conceived.

 

Therefore, the fact that Eisav emerged first רִאשׁוֹן לַיְּצִיאָה, did not make him the true firstborn, he was not Yitzchak's intention when he bore a child, Yaakov was.

 

You may ask - Eisav physically emerged first and a firstborn is halachically determined by who emerges first, i.e the right of firstborn is halachically defined as the רִאשׁוֹן לַיְּצִיאָה.

 

According to Chazal there are two types of firstborn rights – the right to double share and the right to Kehuna/leadership.

 

The right to double share is halachically determined as the first child to emerge, רִאשׁוֹן לַיְּצִיאָה. Eisav physically emerged first, therefore he has the rights of the firstborn to double share of the inheritance and there is no way to take that from him, not by sale, nor any other means לֹא יוּכַל לְבַכֵּר אֶת בֶּן הָאֲהוּבָה עַל פְּנֵי בֶן הַשְּׂנוּאָה הַבְּכֹר (דברים כא, טז).

 

However, there is another firstborn right – the right to Kehuna and leadership. This right can be transferred to another son – who is more worthy, it can be sold by Eisav to Yaakov. When Eisav killed Nimrod, he relinquished the right to Kehuna, because a Kohen who has taken a life cannot serve as a Kohen. 

Yaakov's purchase of the firstborn birthright was not that of the double share of the inheritance, it was the birthright to the Kehuna, the role of leadership, the role of continuation of the ways of his father.

 

Who is Kehuna inherited from, the mother or the father? Everyone automatically will say the father and it is true, the halacha is that if a son is born to a father who is a Kohen and a mother who is not the daughter of a Kohen, the son goes according to the father and is also a Kohen (קידושין סו, ע"ב; שו"ע, אבן העזר, סימן ח, א). 

However, this is not the end of the story, some rights of the Kehuna are also passed down from the mother. If a firstborn son is born to a father who is a Yisrael and the mother who is a daughter of a Kohen, that child does not need to have a פִּדְיוֹן הַבֵּן, by virtue of his mother (רמב"ם, הלכות ביכורים יא, ט-יא).

 

The fact that Eisav disqualified himself from the Kehuna by killing Nimrod and in addition to that, he despised the Kehuna, gave Yaakov the right to purchase that aspect of the firstborn rights from Eisav.

 

When HKB"H sent Moshe to say to Pharaoh בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל, Rashi (שמות ד, כב) says that here HKB"H was giving His stamp of approval of the sale of the firstborn birthright to Yaakov, who is also called Yisrael.

 

By stating this to Pharaoh, HKB"H was also saying that although Egypt emerged as a nation prior to Am Yisrael chronologically, Am Yisrael were the רִאשׁוֹן לַיְּצִירָה, the "first in thought". 

Am Yisrael were the purpose which HKB"H had in mind when He created the universe and although Egypt emerged first רִאשׁוֹן לַיְּצִיאָה, they were not the purpose of Creation. They are like Eisav, the second stone in the narrow pipe.

 

The question remains, "Why did HKB"H not create Am Yisrael both רִאשׁוֹן לַיְּצִירָה and also רִאשׁוֹן לַיְּצִיאָה? Why was it necessary for a "multiple birth", Kayin and Hevel, Eisav and Yaakov? Why not simply give birth to the one, intended firstborn child, Am Yisrael, straight from the beginning? Why was it necessary for all the other nations to emerge before Am Yisrael emerged as a nation?

 

The answer is given in HKB"H's first blessing to Adam HaRishon - וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱ-לֹקִים וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱ-לֹקִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁהָ (בראשית א, כח). The purpose of Am Yisrael in this world is spiritual, not physical. The purpose of Am Yisrael is to maintain the world by virtue of the Torah. It is not Am Yisrael's primary role to be involved with כִבְשֻׁהָ – building houses, cities, bridges, roads, markets – civilization! 

That is the role of the other nations. HKB"H allowed the other nations to physically emerge first, to build civilization - so that when Am Yisrael emerged as a nation, the world would already be fully built! HKB"H could have allowed Am Yisrael to emerge and bequeathed Eretz Yisrael to them before the Canaanites. 

However, if that would have been the case, Am Yisrael, instead of devoting their entire time to the service of HKB"H, would have been involved in building the country – cities, houses, bridges, roads, agriculture etc. By allowing the Canaanites to emerge first, they built all the infrastructure and when Am Yisrael entered Eretz Yisrael with Yehoshua, everything was already in place –

 

וְהָיָה כִּי יְבִיאֲךָ ה' אֱ-לֹקֶיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹב לָתֶת לָךְ עָרִים גְּדֹלֹת וְטֹבֹת אֲשֶׁר לֹא בָנִיתָ. וּבָתִּים מְלֵאִים כָּל טוּב אֲשֶׁר לֹא מִלֵּאתָ וּבֹרֹת חֲצוּבִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא חָצַבְתָּ כְּרָמִים וְזֵיתִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא נָטָעְתָּ וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבָעְתָּ (דברים ו, י-יא).

 

That was the prologue to the Exodus, בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל - establishing Am Yisrael as HKB"H's true firstborn, the "firstborn of thought", the purpose for which the universe was created.

 

The epilogue to the Exodus was the plague of killing the Egyptian firstborns, the first warning to Pharaoh and the last to be executed chronologically.

 

Egypt was "closure of a circle" for Creation. The Ten Plagues were a replay of the six days of Creation. There were no human witnesses to the first five days of Creation. No humans bore witness to HKB"H creating light, Heaven and earth, plants, the sun and the moon, fish, birds and animals. When Adam HaRishon was created, he was given a "ready made world".

 

An apikoros could claim "How do we know HKB"H created the sun and the moon, the sea and the land, etc.? It could have just been here! Did anyone actually see HKB"H create it?" 

The Ten Plagues were therefore a replay of Creation, that was witnessed by humans. According to the sefer Torat HaMincha (פרשת בא, דרשה כב, עשר המכות כנגד עשרה מאמרות), written by R' Yaakov Skili, (a talmid of the Rashba, 14^th century), each plague paralleled a component of Creation (בַּעֲשָׂרָה מַאֲמָרוֹת נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם, אבות ה, א) –

 

דָּם הָיָה בְּכֹחַ מַאֲמָר - יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם וְכוּ'. צְפַרְדֵּעַ הָיָה בְּכֹחַ מַאֲמָר - יִשְׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם שֶׁרֶץ וְכוּ'. כִּנִּים הָיוּ בְּכֹחַ מַאֲמָר - תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא וְכוּ'. עָרוֹב הָיָה בְּכֹחַ מַאֲמָר - תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה וְכוּ'. דֶּבֶר הָיָה בְּכֹחַ מַאֲמָר - יְהִי מְאוֹרוֹת וְכוּ'. שְׁחִין הָיָה בְּכֹחַ מַאֲמָר - וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱ-לֹקִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וְכוּ'. בָּרָד הָיָה בְּכֹחַ מַאֲמָר - יְהִי רָקִיעַ בְּתוֹךְ הַמָּיִם וְכוּ'. אַרְבֶּה הָיָה בְּכֹחַ מַאֲמַר - בְּרֵאשִׁית (כִּי בְּרֵאשִׁית מַאֲמָר הוּא) וְכוּ'. חֹשֶׁךְ הָיָה בְּכֹחַ מַאֲמָר - יְהִי אוֹר וַיְהִי אוֹר וְיַבְדֵּל אֱ-לֹקִים בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ וְכוּ'.

 

What about מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת? The purpose of מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת was also closure of a circle from Creation. The Torat HaMincha says that this plague paralleled the creation of Adam HaRishon. Why does killing the firstborn of Egypt have anything to do with creating Adam HaRishon?

The entire episode of יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם was to atone for the sin of Adam and Chava that was caused by the נָחָשׁ (אלשייך, תורת משה, שמות א:א, ד). Because of the נָחָשׁ - Kayin was born, the "so called" firstborn. 

Kayin was Chava's firstborn, not Adam's. As we saw above, Kehuna has hereditary aspects both from the mother and the father. However, the Rambam (הלכות ביכורים יא, ט-יא) says that if the mother is a daughter of a Kohen and marries a non-Jew, the son of that union does have to have a פִּדְיוֹן הַבֵּן, because by marrying a non-Jew, the daughter of a Kohen cancels any rights she has to the Kehuna. 

By Chava "marrying" the נָחָשׁ (הַנָּחָשׁ הִשִּׁיאַנִי וָאֹכֵל, בראשית ג, יג), Kayin forfeited any rights to the Kehuna, even by virtue of his mother.

          

             As a result of this sin, Adam and Chava and all humanity after them, were "sentenced to death" – they became mortal. Pharaoh and מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת were atonement for this. Pharaoh, who was a gilgul both of Kayin and the נָחָשׁ (פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם הַתַּנִּים הַגָּדוֹל, יחזקאל כט, ג), created closure for their part in Adam and Chava's sin. 

Kayin, the firstborn of the נָחָשׁ (Pharaoh) killed Hevel, the firstborn of Adam. Thus, Pharaoh's firstborn - had to die in מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת to atone for this sin (מאיר פנים, פרק טו).

It was a circle within a circle – the larger circle of Creation-Exodus and the inner circle of the Ten Plagues, beginning with בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל and ending with מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת.

 

Now that we better understand the mechanics of the first Geulah, the Exodus from Egypt, we can obtain a deeper insight into the upcoming Geulah. Just as HKB"H brought Am Yisrael to a Land of Milk and Honey, which was completely built and "ready for occupancy", so too will be the final Geulah. Just as HKB"H preceded the first Geulah by all the other nations creating the infrastructure for Am Yisrael, so too will be the final Geulah.

If you closely examine how the modern State of Israel has been built, most of it was not built by Jews – it was overseen by Jews, but the physical building work, for the most part, was done by Arab labor. In the 1800's there was a large influx of migrant Arab workers in search of work, developing the new Jewish settlement. 

This gave rise to what we now consider to be the "Palestinian problem", but it could not have been otherwise! The modern Land of Milk of Honey, like in the first Geulah with the ancient Canaanites, has to be built by the modern version of the Canaanites before the impending Geulah. 

The other nations have to prepare Eretz Yisrael for Am Yisrael. This is why when I see illegal building by the Arabs in Yehuda Ve'Shomron it doesn't bother me so much, because those buildings will eventually be ours. They think they are building it for themselves, but that is not the case.

 

When the Geulah arrives בבי"א, the other nations will depart, just as the Canaanites "departed" in the time of Yehoshua. How will they depart? HKB"H has His plans how that will happen. 

Perhaps they will relocate to Indonesia, perhaps to Egypt, perhaps to Turkey (not to Jordan – Jordan is part of Eretz Yisrael). Perhaps HKB"H will bring someone like a Donald Trump to make it happen, contrary to anything anyone else could ever have dreamt of.

Why is the final plague called מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת and not simply בְּכוֹרוֹת, like the other nine plagues which were not prefaced with the word מַכַּת? Because this plague was performed directly by HKB"H Himself, with no intermediaries (Moshe and Aharon). 

The pre-planned "clincher" that resulted in the Geulah had to be devoid of human intervention. Unlike the previous nine plagues where Moshe and Aharon were participant, this final plague had to clearly be only HKB"H, with not even the faintest suspicion of involvement of any other "party". 

HKB"H said to Moshe and Aharon "Step aside! This one's on Me! Close yourself in your homes, do not go out, do not allow yourselves to be seen".

The toughest act of faith is to relinquish control, to step aside and place total trust in HKB"H. It was this ultimate leap of faith that resulted in the Geulah.

Why do the factions in Am Yisrael today so fear and deride the מְשִׂיחִים, the "Messianic" Jews? It is because they lack that total faith. They fear that without their own efforts, things will not get done according to their perception of how reality should be. 

They do not trust that what HKB"H has planned for us is the best possible outcome. They have become tired of waiting for HKB"H, they feel they need to preempt HKB"H. When these people look at people of faith, it is not that they fear us, it is that they fear relinquishing control over their own reality.

For this reason, they feel the need to make their own plans – the Oslo accords, the מִזְרָח תִּיכוֹן חָדָשׁ, etc. Even if these plans are counter intuitive and even though they know deep down in their hearts that such things will never succeed, they continue to deceive themselves and push ahead regardless, because the alternative, relinquishing control, is unthinkable to them.

It was the same dispute between Datan and Aviram, שוטרים in charge of Jewish slaves, and Moshe in Egypt. Datan and Aviram looked at the "reality" and came to the conclusion that the only recourse was to do your best within the system, to try make your own plans to improve conditions for Am Yisrael. 

When Moshe "interfered" and things realistically became worse for Am Yisrael, they attacked Moshe. Although their intentions may have been well meaning, their "plan" did not correlate with HKB"H's plan. It was the same thing in Shushan, when Achashveirosh invited the Jews to attend the feast. Mordechai said "Don't go, it won't end well". 

The leaders of the community lacked faith, they tried to make their own plans to work "within the system" and this resulted in one of the worst potential disasters to ever befall the Jewish people.

The first nine plagues left the Egyptians weakened and reeling. They suffered blow after blow until the whole house of cards came falling down - the greatest superpower in the world was on its knees. We are experiencing a similar phenomenon today, prior to the impending Geulah. 

The monsters that we so feared, Hamas in Gaza with their tunnels, Hezbollah in Lebanon with their hundreds of thousands of sophisticated missiles, Iran approaching nuclear capability … they have all been weakened by "plague after plague" – exploding beepers, assassination of their leaders, destruction of their air defense systems, etc. All these plagues were with our active participation, just like with Moshe and Aharon in Egypt. They alone cannot bring the Geulah.

For the impending Geulah to come, we need to step aside. We need to have the faith required to relinquish control. We need to leave it up to HKB"H to wrap things up – on His own. Only in that way will it alter the entire world. 

There cannot be even the faintest suspicion that Israel's victory over our enemies is because of our own military power, technology or even bravery. When HKB"H "wraps things up", it will be apocalyptic and on a scale that leaves no room for doubt. It will leave not only "Egypt", but the entire world without any doubt, shaking in fear of HKB"H.

The Geulah in Egypt, the restoration of the world to the state of Creation before the sin of Adam and Chava, was not completed with מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת. It was completed at Har Sinai where we, Am Yisrael, fixed our part in the sin, by re-establishing our connection with HKB"H and accepting His Torah, by relinquishing control and taking a leap of faith - by saying נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמַע.

Then and only then did we truly become בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל and merit the Geulah.

Avot De'Rebi Natan (נוסח ב, פרק מד) says that both Am Yisrael and the angels are called עֲבָדִים –

כִּי לִי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבָדִים (ויקרא כה, נה)

הֵן בַּעֲבָדָיו לֹא יַאֲמִין וּבְמַלְאָכָיו יָשִׂים תָּהֳלָה (איוב ד, יח)

Who are HKB"H's "favorite" עֲבָדִים? The answer is עֲבָדַי הֵם אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם (ויקרא כה, נה). Am Yisrael are more חֲבִיבִין than the angels.

Also, both Am Yisrael and the angels are called בָּנִים –

בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל - בָּנִים אַתֶּם לַה' אֱ-לֹקֵיכֶם (דברים יד, א)  בְּ

מַלְאָכִים - וַיָּבֹאוּ בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים (איוב א, ו)

Who are HKB"H's "favorite" בָּנִים? The answer is בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל. Am Yisrael are more חֲבִיבִין than the angels.

HKB"H is constantly doing His part to orchestrate the Geulah. If we just step aside for a moment and observe what is happening through the "correct lens", we will actually see the cogs turning and will come to realize that what might appear "worse", is actually better, not only better,but essential  to achieve the final goal, just like when Moshe first appeared to Pharaoh and things seemed to get temporarily worse.

            

             HKB"H is just waiting for us to do our part. הַכֹּל בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם חוּץ מִיִּרְאַת שָׁמַיִם, only we can do it. It takes a leap of faith. The Geulah is just waiting to happen, all the mechanisms are in place. All that remains is the last step - from us.

  

Shabbat Shalom

Eliezer Meir Saidel

Machon Lechem Hapanim    

www.machonlechemhapanim.org