Torah Teasers
Parshas BO
Paroh Dares Moshe To Take The Kids To Shul After having second thoughts and calling back Moshe and Aharon after their warning of the upcoming Makas Arbeh, Paroh tells them (Bo 10:10), “Yehi CheinHashem Imachem Ka’asher Ashalach Eschem V’Es Tapchem.”
“So be it. May Hashem be with you just as I will send you and your little ones.” This seems to imply that just as he will not send their children, he will not send them. Then right after that, he says, “Take only the men.” Was he letting them go or not?
If you’ve ever taken a child to Shul, or anywhere for that matter, you know that in order to serve Hashem properly you need peace of mind. Peace from the children that is. The Shalal Rov brings Rav Moshe Yehuda Leib MiKutna who explains with this concept the above enigmatic conversation between Paroh and Moshe and Aharon.
Paroh asked Moshe, “Do you think Hashem will be with you if you take the children? With them around, it will impossible to get any real service done. Therefore, if you are serious and not just using this as a ploy to escape then you will take only the men. Your demand to take the children undermines your secret intention to escape.”
Moshe’s Impact On Modern Day Egypt’s Locust & Crocodiles During Makas Arbeh, Paroh asked Moshe to daven to take away the dreadful locust. Moshe davened and the Torah says (Bo 10:19), “Lo Nishar Arbeh Echad Bichol Gvul Mitzrayim; “Not a single Arbeh remained in Egypt’s borders.”
Rabbeinu Bichaye, who lived in the 13th century, says that Moshe’s tefila helped to this day. “It is well known,” he writes, “that locust do not do damage in Mitzrayim. Even when there are locust that ravage Eretz Yisrael, when they cross the border to Mitzrayim, they do not eat anything. The tefilos of Moshe are trustworthy forever,” says Rabbeinu Bichaye.
“Similarly,” he says, “to conclude Makas Tzfardei’a, Moshe told Paroh (Vaeira 8:5) that he can rid Mitzrayim of Tzfardei’a, ‘Rak BaYi’or Tishoarna.’ They will remain in the Nilus.’ ” “Even to this day,” says Rabbeinu Bichaye, “there is an animal called an ‘Altimasa’ or crocodile that lives in the Nilus. Every now and then it will come out and swallow two or three people in one shot. It cannot be killed with spears or arrows unless it is struck in its stomach. It has a poison on its body that can harm people even after it is already dead. These are the Tzfardei’a of the Makos. True to Moshe’s words, they still remain in the Nilus.”
The Four Hundred Years Ended On The Night Of Pesach Hashem told Avrohom that his children would be enslaved in Mitzrayim for 400 years. Yet they left after 210. Many Meforshim offer explanations justifying how Bnei Yisrael were able to leave before their time. However, the Ben Ish Chai has a problem with this whole approach. When they left Mitzrayim the Pasuk says (Bo 12:42), “Leil Shimurim Hu Lashem L’Hotzium MeiEretz Mitzrayim; This was the night that Hashem waited for as they were destined to leave Mitzrayim.” This implies that they were always scheduled to leave Mitzrayim on this night even though it was not yet 400 years.
The Ben Ish Chai explains with a Mashal. A father tells his son he must empty out an entire warehouse from the junk that has been accruing there. He tells him he has the whole night and it must be done by daybreak. The father knows that this is an impossible task to accomplish so in the dark of the night as the son is working with all his effort, the father goes in and helps him. The son comes to the father proudly in the morning, telling him the job is done. He has no idea that his father did most of the heavy lifting for him.
The four hundred years in Mitzrayim was the workload Hashem gave Bnei Yisrael to be Misaken what needed to be fixed and to be mivarer the nitzotzos that were trapped in the galus of Mitzrayim. Although there was 400 years of work there, Hashem set a deadline to take them out on the night of Pesach. How did they manage? They did their best, and Hashem in His compassion did the rest for us by shining His Shechina.
This is a lesson for all generations as the end of the pasuk says, “Shimurim L’Chol Bnei Yisrael L’Dorosam; In every generation Hashem gives us a job.” We struggle to survive each Galus and be Mikadesh Shem Shamayim. If we give 100% effort and try to accomplish the impossible, Hashem will do the rest, just like He did in Mitzrayim.
Tefilin, Who’s Speaking Whose Language? The Torah tells us to wear Totafos Bein Einecha. Totafos mean Tefilin Shel Rosh. Chazal explain that they are called Totafos because there are four compartments in them for the four Parshiyos, Shema, V’Haya Im Shamo’a, Kadesh Li, and V’Haya Ki Yivi’acha. Tat in the language of Katfi is two and Pas in Afriki is two, adding up to the four parshiyos. Why would the Torah call our Holy Tefilin a name comprised of a numerical equality of two foreign languages?
The Shanyim Mikra brings in the name of the Shela HaKadosh explains that each of the seventy languages has a bit of Lashon Kodesh mixed in to it. No language is totally bereft of the Holy tongue. Bnei Yisrael however received the Holy language in its entirety. Tat and Pas are both Lashon Kodesh used in another language. It is for this reason we say, “VRomemanu MiKol Lashon;” Hashem elevated us with our pure undiluted language from all the other nations that only merited bits and pieces.
When The Clock Strikes Midnight… “V’Hikeisi Kol Bechor B’Eretz Mitzrayim” (Bo 12:12). Rashi says that from these words we learn that any bechor that was in Mitzrayim, regardless of his nationality, was killed. Rashi asks, how do we know that Mitzri bechorim who were in foreign lands also died? He says from the Pasuk in Tehilim (136:10), “L’Makeh Mitzrayim Bivchoreihem.” The Maskil L’Dovid asks, “Why does the pasuk in Bo itself, not allude to bechorim who were in foreign lands?” He answers that the Mitzrim in more western countries were killed only when midnight struck in their location. Our pasuk is only referring to those that were killed at the moment of Chatzos in Mitzrayim.

Created By Avrohom Sherman
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