Parsha Halacha – Parshat Shemot
Purity, the Key to Redemption
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Parshat Shemot tells us about the exile in Egypt and the first glimmerings of the redemption. According to our sages,[1] the Jewish people merited the redemption because they maintained their purity and didn’t intermarry (or have relationships) with the Egyptians.[2] The women were inspired by our matriarch Sarah who maintained her purity and rebuffed Pharaoh’s (and Elimelech’s) advances while the men were inspired by Joseph who did not succumb to the seduction of his master’s wife.[3] The fact that the Torah publicizes one rare case where a child was born from an Egyptian man and a Jewish woman[4] is evidence that this was the exception rather than a normal occurrence.[5]
According to the Midrash[6] the sea split when it “saw” the coffin of Yoseph. This means that the sea “agreed” to change its natural habits in the merit of Yoseph who had overcome his natural instincts. And since the Jews maintained their purity like Yosef, the sea split for all of them.[7]
Before the Time
Although the Exodus from Egypt was already promised by G-d to Abraham, the moral behavior of the Jewish people hastened the redemption and enabled them to leave after only 210 years instead of the predicted number of 400. Yosef alluded to this when he said פָּקוֹד יִפְקֹד which can be interpreted to mean deduct 190 from 40[8]
This is why the sea originally refused to split as it “claimed” that the time of the redemption had not yet arrived, and it therefore was under no obligation to split. When it “saw” (became aware) of the bones of Yosef and the standard of holiness that he and his descendants maintained, the sea understood that the Jewish people deserved to leave early, and it went ahead and split. This is why Moshe was so particular to take the bones of Yosef with him[9] because he knew that he needed Yosef’s merit for the nation to be able to cross the sea.[10]
The Main Battle Is to Avoid the Battle
The Ohr HaChaim writes[11] that, when a person is faced with a temptation, the desire for forbidden relationships can be so strong that a man may be powerless to overcome them (without Divine assistance). Which is why it is essential to avoid temptation in the first place by not looking at anything immodest or thinking lewd thoughts. There were great tzadikim who, despite their righteousness, had great difficulty in overcoming temptation once their desire was kindled by seeing a particular woman.[12]
Yosef Ran Out
When the wife of Potiphar attempted to seduce Yosef, the verse says that Yosef left his garment in her hand and ran out. The commentaries[13] wonder why he didn’t wrest the garment out of her hands before running away. The Ramban says that, out of respect, Yoseph didn’t want to overpower her with brute force. It has also been suggested[14]that Yoseph ran out without his coat because he didn’t want to remain in the situation of temptation for even one extra second.
Yoseph’s Reward
The Midrash says[15] that Yoseph was rewarded in various ways for refraining from sinning with his master’s wife. In the words of the Midrash:
● “His mouth, which did not kiss in transgression, rules over Egypt, as it says, ‘My entire people will be sustained at your directive.’ (Gen. 41:40)
● “His body that did not touch in transgression was ’dressed… in linen garments.’ (ibid. verse 42)
● “His neck that did not bend for transgression had a ‘gold chain’ [placed] on it. (ibid.)
● “His hands that did not grope in transgression had a ring placed on them, as it says, ‘Pharaoh removed his signet ring… and he placed it upon Joseph’s hand (ibid).’
● “His feet that did not stride in transgression came and rode in coaches, as it says, ‘He had him ride in the alternate chariot that he had.’ (ibid. verse 43)
● “The thoughts that did not think in transgression became very wise, as it says, ‘They cried before him, “avrech,” which means great [av] in wisdom, but tender [rach] in years.”
As such, since Yosef was already rewarded in so many ways, in what merit did the sea split, as mentioned above?
In the Merit of Running
Reb Chaim Shmulevitz explains[16] that the sea split in the merit that Yosef ran out immediately as mentioned above. The reward for this mitzvah which saved the entire Jewish people was much greater than the rewards mentioned above. This is because what’s most important and perhaps most difficult is to remove oneself from a situation of temptation completely.
The 50th Gate
Our sages say[17] that the Jewish people reached the forty-ninth gate of impurity in Egypt and that if they had reached the fiftieth gate (level) of impurity it would have been impossible for them to be redeemed. The sins of immorality are associated with the 50th gate of impurity. Thus, the exodus was only possible due to their adhering to moral purity.[18]
The Blood of Pesach and Milah
Our sages say that at the time of the Exodus the Jewish people were bare of mitzvot and hadn’t done their part to merit the redemption.[19] As such, G-d gave them the mitzvot of the Pesach sacrifice and the Brit Milah. Why were those mitzvot chosen? Pesach was chosen to answer the claim of the angels that the Jews were idolators just like the Egyptians.[20] By sacrificing the god of the Egyptians–the Egyptians worshipped the ram–the Jewish people disproved that claim. The Brit Milah, which symbolizes purity in relationships,[21] represented the fact that the Jewish people had remained morally pure and therefore merited the redemption.[22]
This is also why the Jewish people tied the Pesach sacrifice to their beds[23] – to symbolize that the merit of the purity in their bedroom matters together with the rejection of idolatry (by sacrificing the Egyptian idol) would bring about the exodus.[24]
No Barking Dogs
The Talmud says[25] that when a person sins, the effect of the sin remains attached to him like a dog (which follows its owner). According to the Midrash,[26] the reason the Torah instructs us to throw treif (non kosher) meat to the dogs[27] is in appreciation for the fact that on the night of the exodus the dogs barked at the Egyptians but not at the Jews. Rabbi Shalom Abuchatzera (a cousin of the Baba Sali, 1893 – 1974) explains[28]that the dogs barked at the Egyptians symbolizing the many transgressions they had done but didn’t bark at the Jews because they had remained pure.
The Future Redemption – in the Merit of Purity
It has been suggested that, just as their moral purity gave the Jewish people the merit that brought about the Exodus, so too, will we merit the final redemption because of our maintaining the integrity and fidelity of the Jewish family.[29]
May We Fulfill the Above Lessons and Merit to See the Immediate Redemption!
[2] This Midrash cites another opinion that maintaining purity was one of the good behaviors for which the Jewish people merited redemption. The other three were: they didn’t change their names or language and they didn’t gossip about each other. See Etz Yosef that there are several other opinions regarding which merits they had.
[3] According to the Shvilei Pinchas (5778 page 108), the fact that Yoseph was buried in Egypt gave the Jewish people continued inspiration to follow in his holy path.
[4] Numbers 24:11. Some say this was a result of coercion while others say it was consensual (Etz Yosef).
[5] But see Pirkei DeRabi Eliezer 48:15 who says that the Egyptian would take advantage of the Jewish women. See Radal who writes that there may be a mistake in the text there.
[6] Midrash Tehillim on Psalms 114:3.
[7] Agrata DeChedvata (48, page 152) by Rabbi Mordechai Gross.
[8] Tur Ha’aruch on Gen. 50:25. See here.
[10] Minchat Yitzchak al HaTorah (By Rabbi Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss, Jerusalem 2017) page 262.
[12] See Kiddushin 81 regarding Rav Amram Chasida, Yalkut Shimoni (Parshat VaYechi 161) regarding Rabbi Matya ben Charash and II Samuel 11:2 and on (as explained in Sanhedrin 107a and Yalkut Shimoni II Samuel 148) regarding King David.
In Pirkei Avot (4:15) Rabbi Matya ben Charash teaches that one should be the first one to greet people. Certainly, Rabbi Matya followed his own teachings and would greet everyone before they could greet him. Despite this, the Midrash says (Yalkut Shimoni, Parshat VaYechi 161) that he never looked at the face of a woman. (Presumably this refers to women other than his wife and immediate family.) [Avnei Chefetz by RabbiNaftaly Tzvi Brody, Benei Berak 2014 on that Mishnah]
[14] Keshoshana Bein HaChochim by Rabbi Shmuel Klein (Detroit 2020) page 257.
[16] Quoted in Keshoshanah Bein HaChochim, ibid.
[17] Zohar Chadash, beginning of Parshat Vayechi.
[18] Imrei Shmuel by Rabbi Shmuel Berger, son of the Mishkoltzer Rebbe, page 521.
[19] Yalkut Shimoni on the Torah 195 based on Ezekiel 16:8.
[20] Yalkut Shimoni on the Torah 238.
[21] See Moreh Nevuchim 3:49.
[22] Imrei Shmuel ibid.
[24] Haggadah shel Pesach – Beit Yisroel by Rabbi Yisrael Tousig, the Rabbi of Mattersdorf, Jerusalem (Jerusalem 1970), page 14.
[27] See Exodus 23:30.
[28] Klei Chesef (Jerusalem) 1973, page 231.
[29] Leket Halachot by Rabbi Chaim Sholom haLevi Segal (vol. 4) page 229 based on Tehillim 68:7. See Sanhedrin 22a.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom UMeVorach!