1. Rashi says on “Moses grew up”; was it not already written the child grew up.  Rabbi Judah the son of Rabbi Illai says:  The first one (was Moses growth) in height, and the second one (was his growth) in greatness, because Pharaoh appointed him over his house,

2. Rashi says on “and looked at their burdens” He directed his eyes and his heart to be distressed over them.  Berashis Rabbah 1:27.

RAMBAN:

The Ramban argues on the first  Rashi on “Moses Grew Up” and says that Moshe grew up and became a man.  He matured.   The Ramban agrees with the second Rashi of  וַיַּרְא בְּסִבְלֹתָם – Moshe was told that he was a Jew, and he desired to see them because they were his brothers.  And he says their burden and work, and could not handle (their hardship), and therefore he killed the Egyptian hitting the oppressed (Jew).

The Ramban in Hebrew:

(יא): ויגדל משה ויצא אל אחיו –
שגדל והיה לאיש. כי מתחלה אמר ויגדל הילד (לעיל פסוק י), שגדל עד שלא היה צריך לגמלה אותו, ואז הביאתהו לבת פרעה ויהי לה לבן כי לפני מלכים יתייצב, ואחרי כן גדל ויהי לאיש דעת:

וטעם ויצא אל אחיו –
כי הגידו לו אשר הוא יהודי, והיה חפץ לראותם בעבור שהם אחיו. והנה נסתכל בסבלותם ועמלם ולא יכול לסבול ולכן הרג המצרי המכה הנלחץ:

The Seferno agrees with Rashi and the Ramban, as follows:

וַיַּרְא בְּסִבְלתָם. נָתַן לִבּו לִרְאות בָּעֳנִי אֶחָיו.

וַיַּרְא אִישׁ מִצְרִי מַכֶּה אִישׁ עִבְרִי מֵאֶחָיו. וּמִצַּד הָאַחֲוָה הִתְעורֵר לְהִנָּקֵם.

Rashi, the Ramban, and Seferno are based on the Medresh Rabbah, see attached for a beautiful Medresh.  See attachment #2 at the end of this post.

IBN EZRA:

Along comes the Ibn Ezra and says something that seems incomprehensible:

Translated in English – 11. “And he went out to his brothers.” The Egyptians“, because he (Moshe) was in the palace of the king.  And the reason for “from his brothers (the second time the Passuk says from his brothers) is that after the Passuk mentions, a Jew from his family, (the word “his brothers” in this Passuk is to mean the same as when Abraham spoke to Lot) like we are men who are relatives – brothers.

What does the Ibn Ezra mean – he went out to see “the Egyptians”?  All Reshonim and the Medresh say he went out to see his brothers, the Jews.  The Netter Mikros Gedolos has an explanation on the Ibn Ezra who explains the words “the Egyptians” are referring to the Jews, since they were living in Egypt, the Ibn Ezra referred to them as Egyptians.  Very difficult as the Ibn Ezra should have said that Moshe went out to see the Jews.

Comes along the Holy Klausinberger Rebbi and explains the Ibn Ezra magnificently.  The Klausingberger explains that the Ibn Ezra understands וַיִּגְדַּל משֶׁה  in  Passuk 11 the same as Rashi that Moshe was appointed a leader of Egypt.  He was appointed to oversee the land of Egypt.  What was Moshe’s first act when he was now in charge; he wants to understand his job and determine what he has to do; to meet with all his brothers – the government officials, the engineers, the workers.  This is the meaning of  וַיַּרְא בְּסִבְלֹתָם  to see the public works of Egypt.    ַבְּסִבְלֹתָם  here means the work needed in the land of Egypt (and not like Rashi and the Ramban who says this means the burdens of the Jews.)   The Klausingberger adds that these government officials were his brothers.  He identifies with them as an Egyptian.  He sees them “in the palace of the king” as moral, thoughtful, and decent men.  However, what happens.  Moshe sees cruelty. He sees these seemingly refined individuals behave with ultimately cruelty and everything changes.  Moshe is smacked in the face and he now identifies with the slave, the Jew, and now the Jew is his brother, and not the Egyptian.

Beautiful.  Unfortunately, I do not have the Klausingberger in front of me because I think he says it slightly differently and more gloriously.

I saw in the book, Margolios Hatorah. – the Gems of the Torah, that Rabbi Chaim Finkelstein says in his Sefer that Passuk 11 is telling us what Moshe gave to all future generations, the strength and innate ability to reject comfort, honor, and recognition, in the greater dominant and successful society to remain a faithful Jew.    Moshe  had the opportunity to live a life of Egyptian nobility, to be the cream of society, yet he  went out to his brothers to save them, to identify with their pain and suffering.  The result was that he was on the run, thrown out of Egypt, and his comfortable life a memory.   Rabbi  Finklestien says that from here we learn proper behavior, not like those who once they become promoted to a high position and become successful, they flee from their brothers and feel superior to them.  The actions of our forefathers are a sign to (baked into) their children.  Moshe could have remained as an Egyptian, turned a blind eye to the Jews, as he was raised as a prince of Egypt.  Yet, he rejected the recognition of greatness in the dominant society  that could have been his in Egyptian society  and identified and cast  his lot with the downtrodden Jews.

We know of many Jews who once they become successful and respected in the general society gave up their religion and identify with the greater society, completely cutting themselves off from the Jewish people and all of the issues we Jews have with being a nation alone.  Look at what the State of Israel has to suffer and many Jews have no trouble abandoning Israel to fit into society.  

This ability of rejecting acceptance in the greater society and identifying with the Jew,  is not only with Orthodox Jews who are unmistakable Jewish, but it also is baked into secular Jews who can easily melt into society and turn their back on the Jews.  During the 1800’s when the ghetto walls came down,  many Jews converted to gain acceptance into the greater society and forgot their Jewish roots.  Look at the Rothschild family.  

We have the example in Orthodoxy by the Abarbanel, who was offered to stay in Spain, yet chose exile with his community.  

We also have the example in secular society with Theodore Herzl.  Herzl was an assimilated Jew.  He was wealthy, successful, and identified himself as an Austrian, not as a Jew.  He was so assimilated that when he thought about the plight of the Jews, he approached with Archbishop of Vienna, with a plan to convert the Jews.  The Archbishop laughed at Theodore Herzl. Herzl went from being an Austrian to identifying with the Jews, returning to his religion, and trying to save them.  As my cousin, Martin Brody writes the following vignette about Theodore Herzl.

Leadership, Repentance and Going Home.

At last!

Teshuva literally means return. But return to what? There are several word for sin in Hebrew, the most well known perhaps being “Chet” which is used dozens of times in the Yom Kippur liturgy for example. With Judaism so concerned with self elevation, that this word for sin means missing the mark, as if one was not in the right place. The English word transgress is similar, meaning moving outside the border, away from one’s home. So Teshuva means returning home at least in a spiritual sense, and Judah introduced the concept, later to be repeated and amplified with Joseph, to whom he and his brothers had caused so much distress. This step alone earned him the right of leadership and the progenitor of kings and the future Messiah.

A young Austrian, thoroughly assimilated Jewish writer had invited the Chief Rabbi of Vienna over to his house one December evening to discuss a wild and crazy idea. On entering the home, the writer asked the Rabbi if he would like to join them for the lighting. As it was Chanukah, the Rabbi was delighted to attend, but on entering the family room was shocked to see the writer and his family about to light the Christmas tree. It was Christmas Eve! The Rabbi took the writer aside and had a long discussion about his Judaism, and convinced the writer to perhaps light a Menorah instead.

This young Austrian writer was none other than the great Theodor Herzl. This little known vignette with the Rabbi was to have a tremendous impact on his life. The wild and crazy idea, of course, was Zionism, the return of Jews after nineteen hundred years to sovereignty in their homeland. A movement to go home. This was spurred on by the horrific Dreyfus trial to which he was a reporter. So alienated from his religion he previously thought the answer to anti-Semitism was conversion to Christianity, but that was jettisoned by the events at the trial. But after the meeting with the Rabbi there was a new ingredient to the mix. Religious observance. He was repenting, returning. So much so, that in 1897 he publicly declared that there could be no return to Zion without a return to Judaism. How much he moved in the direction of observance is not our business, but move he did. And he did not physically return home to Israel, but through his genius, courage and leadership, millions did and will in the future.

So much was his importance that Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the Chief Rabbi of pre- State Palestine and the leader of the religious Zionist faction declared that Theodor Herzl could have been Messiah Ben Joseph, the precursor of Messiah Ben Yehuda.

The eight day festival of Chanuka begins this Friday night. Below I have reproduced the magnificent essay, Menorah, penned by Herzl shortly after that momentous meeting with the Chief Rabbi of Vienna..

 Shabbat Shalom and have a great Chanukah

Martin Brody

 Read Theodore Herzl’s essay titled, The Menorah:

THE MENORAH

 Deep in his soul he began to feel the need of being a Jew. His circumstances were not unsatisfactory, he enjoyed an ample income and a profession that permitted him to do whatever his heart desired for he was an artist. His Jewish origin and the faith of his fathers had long since ceased to trouble him, when suddenly the old hatred came to the surface again in a new mob-cry. With many others he believed that this flood would shortly subside. But there was no change for the better, and every blow, even though not directed at him, struck him with fresh pain till little by little his soul become one bleeding wound. These sorrows,  buried deep in his heart and silenced there, evoked thoughts of their origin and of his Judaism and now he did something he could not perhaps have done in the old days, he began to love his Judaism with an intense fervour. Although in his own eyes he could not, at first, clearly justify this new yearning, it became so powerful at length that it crystallized from vague emotions into a definite idea which he must need express. It was the conviction that there was only one solution for this moral misery and that was a return to Judaism.

 “The Jew of to-day had lost the poise which was his father’s very being. This generation, having grown up under the influence of alien cultures, was no longer capable of that return which he had perceived to be their redemption. But the new generation would be capable of it, if it were only given the right direction early enough. He resolved, therefore that his own children, at least, should be shown the proper path. They should be trained as Jews in their own home.

“Hitherto he had permitted to pass by unobserved the holiday which the wonderful apparition of the Maccabees had illumined for thousands of years with the glow of miniature lights. Now, however, he made this holiday an opportunity to prepare something beautiful which should be forever commemorated in the minds of his children. In their young souls should be implanted early, a steadfast devotion to their ancient people. He bought a Menorah, and when he held this nine-branched candlestick in his hands for the first time a strange mood came over him. In his father’s house also the lights had once burned in his youth, now far away, and the recollection gave him a sad and tender feeling for home. The tradition was neither cold nor dead, thus it had passed through the ages, one light kindling another. Moreover, the ancient form of the Menorah had excited his interest. Clearly the design was suggested by the tree, in the centre the sturdy trunk, on right and left four branches, one below the other, in one place, and all of equal height. A later symbolism brought with it the short ninth branch, which projects in front and functions as a servant. What mystery had the generations which followed one another read into this form of art, at once so simple and natural! And our artist wondered to himself if it were not possible to animate again the withered form of the Menorah, to water its roots, as one would a tree. The mere sound of the name, which he now pronounced every evening to his children, gave him great pleasure. There was a loveable ring to the word when it came from the lips of little children.

“On the first night the candle was lit and the origin of the holiday explained. The wonderful incident of the lights that strangely remained burning so long, the story of the return from the Babylonian exile, the second Temple, the Maccabees, our friend told his children all he knew. It as not very much, to be sure, but it served. When the second candle was lit, they repeated  what he had told them and though it had all been learnt from him, it seemed to him quite new and beautiful. In the days that followed he waited keenly- for the evenings, which became ever brighter. Candle after candle stood in the Menorah, and the father mused on the little candles with his children till at length his reflections became too deep to be uttered before them.

“Then came the eighth day, when the whole row burns, even the faithful ninth, the servant , which on other nights is used only for the lighting of the others. A great splendour streamed from the Menorah. The children’s eyes glistened. But for our friend all this was the symbol of the enkindling of a nation. When there is but one light all is still dark, and the solitary light looks melancholy. Soon it finds one companion, then another, and another. The darkness must retreat. The light comes first to the young and the poor, then others join those who love Justice, Truth, Liberty, Progress, Humanity, and Beauty. When all the candles burn, then we must all stand and rejoice over the achievement. And no office can be more blessed than that of a Servant of the Light.”

Theodor Herzl

(Trans. B. L. Pouzzner.)

January 25, 1904: Herzl Finally Meets the Pope, but the meeting did not go well for him!

Herzl wrote in his diary that the Pope received him standing, and held out his hand, but Herzl refused to kiss it. Herzl also wrote in his diary that the go-between Lippay had told him in advance that he must kiss the Pope’s hand, but Herzl said he wouldn’t do it. “I believe that this spoiled my chances with him, for everyone who visits him kneels and at least kisses his hand. This hand kiss had worried me a great deal and I was glad when it was out of the way”.

Herzl begun the meeting with the Pope by thanking him for the opportunity. Herzl put forth the request that brought him to seek audience with the Pope. But the Pope replied by saying:

“We are unable to favor this movement. We cannot prevent the Jews from going to Jerusalem – but we could never sanction it. The ground of Jerusalem, if it were not always sacred, has been sanctified by the life of Jesus Christ. As the head of the Church, I cannot answer you otherwise. The Jews have not recognized our Lord, therefore we cannot recognize the Jewish people. Jerusalem cannot be placed in Jewish hands.”

Herzl then asked the Pope if he had any problem with the Holy land being under the control of the Muslims? The Pope relied:

“I know it is disagreeable to see the Turks in possession of our Holy Places. But we simply have to put up with it. But to sanction the Jewish wish to occupy these sites, that we cannot do.”

However, Herzl attributed the Pope’s answer due to Herzl’s refusal to kiss the Pope’s hand.

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During the week, no words of Torah hit me on this week’s Torah portion of Chaya Sorah.  However, Shabbos morning, I needed a walk, and decided to walk to Anshe Sholem for health reasons and hear the Torah of the Synagogue.  I ended up walking 4 miles and decided to go to my regular Synagogue to make sure we had a Minyan.  I was able to think about the Torah portion and the following six items is  the result.

1)      Chapter 23, Verse3:

Abraham in addressing the people of Ches said:

ד  גֵּר-וְתוֹשָׁב אָנֹכִי, עִמָּכֶם; תְּנוּ לִי אֲחֻזַּת-קֶבֶר עִמָּכֶם, וְאֶקְבְּרָה מֵתִי מִלְּפָנָי.

4 ‘I am a stranger and an inhabitant with you: give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.’

גר ותושב אנכי עמכם: גר מארץ אחרת ונתישבתי עמכם. ומדרש אגדה אם תרצו הריני גר, ואם לאו אהיה תושב ואטלנה מן הדין שאמר לי הקב”ה (לעיל יב ז) לזרעך אתן את הארץ הזאת:

I am a stranger and an inhabitant with you: [I am] a stranger from another land, and I have settled among you. [Consequently, I have no ancestral burial plot here (Rashbam, Sforno).] And the Midrash Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah 58:6) [states]: If you are willing [to sell me burial property], I am a stranger, but if not, I will be as an inhabitant and will take it legally, for the Holy One, blessed be He, said to me, “To your seed I will give this land” (above 12:7).

Rashi explains the words, “I am a stranger and an inhabitant”.    The first explanation is the simple meaning of text.  However, in explanation two Rashi brings in a Medresh Rabbah that is very difficult to comprehend.  Is this a threat?  Did Abraham actually say this to the inhabitants of Ches that if you do not  agree, I will take the cave of Hamachpelah by force?  This Medresh is inconsistent with the entire dialogue with the inhabitants of Ches in which Abraham treats them with personal humility.

I have no answer for this Medresh, however I would like to suggest  that this Medresh is a   very Zionistic Medresh.  Of course, Abraham never threatened the Bnei Ches.  The Medresh is saying to the world,  especially to Jews, that Israel belongs to the Jews, now and  forever – even when we are not in the land.   When Binyamin Ze’ev – Theodore Herzl told world Jewry that Europe is burning, community upon community should have been set up in Israel, as my Zedi wanted, based on this Verse.

2)  Every year when I read the words “I am a stranger and an inhabitant”; I always think that this is a message to the children of Israel in the diaspora over the last 2,000 years.   Jews always become inhabitants of the land.  We grow up in the culture of society around us, we identify with it, we will join the army; however, we must always realize that at the same time we are strangers.  We have to be loyal to the Torah, set up Yeshiva’s and Kolleleim, we have to understand that we have to be, collectively, a light to the nations.  However, we better have one foot in Israel.  We have to understand that nations change, events change, leaders change, and there may come a time when we have to leave.  Watch again the last 15 minutes of Fiddler on the Roof.   This took place in the 1880s+.  It got worse under communism in 1917.  I repeat. when Binyamin Ze’ev – Theodore Herzl told world Jewry that Europe is burning, community upon community should have been set up in Israel, as my Zedi wanted.

2)      Verses 5 -16:

Verse 9 states: 

“That he may give me the Machpelah (double) Cave, which belongs to him, which is at the end of his field; for a full price let him give it to me in your midst for burial property.”

Abraham handled the negotiations skillfully.  He was humble; he never said I want to purchase the land.  He always called it a gift to appeal to the local’s sense of generosity, meaning it  is more than a purchase.  Abraham is saying, it is a favor to me, and in return I want to give you a gift of money.   Abraham also described  the land in verse 9,  “ which is in the end of his field” – meaning it really has no use and it does not break up Ephron’s land.  The Hebrew word is “Ketz” which implies something of no value. He is telling the people of Ches that they are not giving up anything, it cannot be developed, etc.

3)   Chapter 24, Verse 15:

“Now the maiden was very pretty”.  Although we believe that the proper  beauty is  inner beauty – one who has proper manners,  kindness, generosity, and has a Neshamah; however, never forget that physical beauty is important.    As we know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so everyone has the ability to make themselves physically beautiful.

4)  Chapter 24, Verse 30:

The verse describes Lavan approaching Eliezer and states:

וַיְהִ֣י ׀ כִּרְאֹ֣ת אֶת־הַנֶּ֗זֶם     –  23:30.

30. And it came to pass, when he (Lavan) saw the nose ring and the bracelets on his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebecca, saying, “So did the man speak to me, ” that he came to the man, and behold, he was standing over the camels at the fountain.

Notice, the Torah Trop right after the word, V’Yehi, is a Yisef P’sik, which is a stop.  What is this doing here,  as the proper reading for the first line of this verse is one thought. The V’yehi goes along with the next word and it should be read as “and it was when he saw”.

I think the answer is that the word “V’yehi” in usage by the Bible means something bad is happening or going to happen.  I think the Yisef P’sik is telling you and when Lavan saw the wealth of Abraham, it was not good.  V’Yehi – it was bad.  There was jealousy.  A person should not openly display riches.  Evil, jealous, nasty people set their eyes on the wealth and they want to take it away from  you.  Even not an evil person, it can be interpreted as you are trying to show someone up.

5)  Eliezer does a masterful job relating to Rivkah’s family the events and at the end of his narration, both Bethual and Lavan, who are say, this is from God.  However, in Chapter 24, Verse 53 it says:

53. And the servant took out silver articles and golden articles and garments, and he gave [them] to Rebecca, and he gave delicacies to her brother and to her mother.

Rivka gets gold and silver and Lavan gets as Rashi says, fruits of Israel.  What is Eliezer doing.  Lavan gets a few grapes from Israel?  It could be that the fruits of Israel have curative powers and were very valuable, however, it seems that Eliezer blew it.  In fact I believe the Alshiach says that when Bethual saw that Eliezer was giving them these fruits, he wanted to renege on Rivka marrying Yitzchok and  was killed.

The answer as suggested by Rabbi Montel from Sefas that after Eliezer got the agreement from Rivkah’s family and made the Shiddach, Eliezer was rebuking Lavan, trying to impart to him the lesson that it is always not about gold and silver, it is about appreciating life, spirituality, tasting delicious fruits of Israel, things that appeal to the soul.

6)  Rashi on Chapter 25, Verse 6 brings down a Medresh to  explain the gifts that Abraham gave to the children of Ketura was the gift of Tumah, of uncleanliness, of demons.  Abraham, who represented decency to the world and spread the morality of God is giving them uncleanliness.  What is the explanation.  This I have no answer for this question.