SHINE LIKE A STAR We begin the second book of our Torah/ Shemot- Exodus this shobbes. And these are the names of the Children of Israel who were coming to Egypt… (1:1) At the end of Sefer Bereishis, the Torah enumerated the names of the Jews coming to Mitzrayim. Now, at the beginning of Sefer Shemos, the names of the tribes are repeated. Why? *Rashi explains that the names of the tribes are repeated to indicate how precious they are to Hashem, and in doing so, the Jewish people are compared to the stars. But what’s the connection between the Jewish people and the stars? Beis Aharon points out that when one looks into the sky, the stars seem small … but this is only because they’re far away. So too it is with the Jewish people. Every Yid has the potential to give off a tremendous amount of spiritual light and illuminate in the same fashion as a star. However, if our own light isn’t apparent, it’s only because we are far away from Hashem, much like the stars seems small only because of their own distance. When we properly approach Hashem, we shine! I often add the following to this thought: If a Yid you know appears no different than any other average person in the world, it’s either because you don’t know how to properly appreciate his qualities, or because this individual hasn’t yet draw himself closer to Hashem. When a Jew learns Torah and does mitzvos, that person’s spiritual light is guaranteed to burst forth and the difference between him and the rest of the peoples of the world becomes highly pronounced. LESSONS ON ANTISEMITISM And these are the names of the Children of Israel who were coming to Egypt… (1:1) Quite famously, this Parsha teaches us many lessons about anti-Semitism. That makes sense, because the Torah is an instruction manual, and the time we spent in Egypt was our first experience with a nation rejecting us, hating us, and seeking to harm us. Some of the hatred is based upon factors that we can never control, while others are in part brought about by our own behavior. Here are a few examples and lessons on anti-Semitism from our Parsha: Chizkuni comments on the words “who were coming to Egypt” in 1:1. Why are we described in this fashion? We had been there for quite a long time before the Egyptians promulgated their decrees! The answer is that when the Gentiles seek to find fault with the Jewish people, they always view us as recent arrivals that have done nothing for their country. They always turn a blind eye to our contributions and the length of time we’ve lived there. In 1:7, the Torah says “and the land became filled with them.” This was not literally true. The Jewish people did not represent the majority of the Egyptian population. However, when the Jews appear to be everywhere, and are very ‘in the face’ of the non-Jews, it breeds disdain. It feels as though the land has become filled with us. Even in modern times, despite representing a very small percentage of the United States population, one often hears anti-Semites complain, “The Jews are everywhere … they control the media, Hollywood, etc.” This was an accusation that was first levied in ancient Egypt. In 1:8, the Torah describes the Pharaoh who promulgated decrees against the Jewish people as one “who did not know of Yosef.” How could Yosef have been forgotten? He was a national hero! The commentaries explain that it doesn’t mean that he was literally forgotten. Throughout our 2,000 year exile, the Jewish people have always done a tremendous amount for our host nations. Even among those Jews who aren’t Torah observant, our contributions to the fields of medicine, education, culture, politics and the like are undeniable. As a result, it is impossible for Gentiles to come to hate us unless they allow themselves to become ungrateful and forget the benefits they’ve received from us. This is the intent of the phrase, “who did not know of Yosef.” In 1:9, Pharaoh tells his people, “The Children of Israel, are more numerous and stronger than we (Rav V’atzum Mee’menu).” Again, the Jewish people in Egypt were not the majority, so this was not literally true. If one puts a comma between the words Rav V’atzum and Mee’menu, it becomes easy to understand Pharaoh’s intent. He complaint was that we became Rav V’atzum (numerous, strong) Mee’menu (from us). They complained that the Jews had gotten wealthy from the Gentiles and drained their economy and had taken advantage of them. Jewish history has shown that this is a common complaint of the anti-Semite throughout the millennium. They never attribute our success to hard work or education. Instead, they claim we drained their country of their wealth and resources. This canard began in Egypt. In 1:10, Pharaoh explains his rationale for harming the Jewish people, “Lest it become numerous and it may be that if a war will occur, it, too, may join our enemies…” Notice the words: “lest … it may be … if … it, too, may…” The Jewish people in exile are almost universally productive and loyal citizens who make enormous contributions to their host country. To find fault with them, one has to stretch credulity and base it upon fanciful scenarios of maybes, possibilities, could-be’s, etc. Rabbi Bregman Shabbat Shalom. Like ·
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 21:12:56 +0000
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