Torah Tidbits

8 February 2012 / 15 Shevat 5772
Issue 0891
Issue 891 - Parashat Sh'mot 5770
January 07, 2010

Parsha Points to Ponder

Parsha Points to Ponder - Sh'mot

By Rabbi Dov Lipman

1) Why did Yocheved choose to hide Moshe specifically in the reeds near the sea (2:3)? Wasn’t this a dangerous place to place a baby, even with the sister watching?
2) Why does G-D tell Moshe that the Jews will take clothing from the Egyptians AND WILL PLACE THEM ON YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS (3:22)? Isn’t it obvious that the purpose of the clothing would be to clothe their families?
3) Why does the Torah relate that G-D told Moshe specifically in Midyan that the people who wanted to kill Moshe had died (4:19)?

Answers - Ponder the questions first and then look here

1) The S’forno explains that Yocheved understood that the decree from Par’o to have the baby boys thrown into the sea was somehow a reflection of a decree from God against the Jewish people. Thus, she hoped that placing him in the reeds of the sea would satisfy that decree while also hiding him from being found in the thickness of the reeds.
2) The Kli Yakar explains that they would be taking this clothing on their way out of Egypt after the plague of the death of the firstborn. G-D wanted to remove any fears among the Jews that the Egyptian clothing was contaminated from the plague which went through their homes. Thus, G-D reassured them that they could safely put the clothing on their children.
3) The Ohr HaChayim answers that the Torah is clarifying that when Moshe accepted the mission to return to Egypt, this was not because he felt safe knowing that his pursuers had died. He was first informed of their death IN MIDYAN, after returning to Midyan on his way to Egypt to fulfill this mission.


Parsha Points to Ponder is prepared by Rabbi Dov Lipman who teaches at Reishit Yerushalayim and Machon Maayan in Beit shemesh and is the author of “DISCOVER: Answers for Teenagers (and Adults) to Questions about the Jewish Faith” (Feldheim) and “TIMEOUT: Sports Stories as a Game Plan for Spiritual Success” (Devora) His Hagada commentary, “FOUNDATIONS” will be published by Targum before Pesach
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