Parshas Sh'mos 5766

Commentary by Rabbi Ephraim Nisenbaum

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When Jacob and his sons first came to Egypt they were respected as the family of the viceroy, Joseph. That quickly changed after Joseph and his brothers died. A new Pharaoh rose to power who did not want to remember Joseph’s great accomplishments. He saw the proliferation of the Jewish people throughout Egypt as a threat, and was concerned they would try to overthrow the government. The exile of the Jews now began in earnest.

Pharaoh enacted various decrees against the Jewish people. He enticed them to help build new cities for the country. Gradually the people’s freedom was severely limited and they became enslaved to Pharaoh. The Egyptians began to oppress the Jews with backbreaking labor. Pharaoh also ordered the Hebrew midwives to abort the Jewish male fetuses shortly before birth. When they refused to follow his orders, he decreed that every male infant be killed. Despite these evil decrees, and actually, as the Rabbis explain, because of these decrees, the people continued to multiply and populate the land.

In this setting, a baby boy was born to a couple from the tribe of Levi. The man’s name was Amram and his wife’s name was Yocheved. The child’s mother was afraid the Egyptian authorities would find him, so she put him in a lined basket and set it in the reeds by the river. Pharaoh’s daughter, Bisyah, came to bathe in the river. She saw the child and took pity on him, and brought him to the king’s palace. The child’s sister who had been standing nearby offered to bring a Jewish nursemaid to nurse the child. Bisyah agreed and the child’s own mother was brought to help raise the child. Bisyah called the child’s name Moshe, because he was drawn ("mishisihu") from the water. This would be the name by which he would be known for all times.

As Moshe grew older he began to empathize with his brothers’ pain. He saved a Jewish slave from his taskmaster’s beatings, and as a result he had to flee Egypt for his own life. He settled in Midian where he married the daughter of Yisro, a former adviser to Pharaoh and a deeply religious man who had dedicated his life to seeking out G-d. He would later convert to Judaism.

When Moshe was eighty years old, G-d appeared to him in a burning bush, and instructed him to lead the Jewish nation out of slavery. Moshe did not feel himself worthy of this task. He argued that he was not an orator. He was also concerned that the people would not believe him. G-d insisted that Moshe go, and said that his brother Aharon would assist him. Although the exodus would not happen for another year, the process leading to it was now ready to begin.

…the Jewish people were fruitful and multiplied… (Exod. 1:6)

A Chassidic couple with their large family were waiting to meet a guest in the airport. A middle-aged woman with a decidedly German accent passed them and clucked to the parents, “You should be ashamed of yourselves, having such a large family when so many people in Africa are starving.” The husband replied, “Don’t worry, when we reach six million we’ll stop!”

The Chazon Ish once remarked that he could think of no greater pleasure than returning home at the end of a long day, finding the front door blocked by his children’s toys and briefcases. What a shame it is that society cannot appreciate the great wealth of a large family.

Did You Know...

One may use a hearing aid on Shabbos, as long as it was turned on before Shabbos. There is difference of opinion among the authorities whether one may wear a hearing aid in a public domain on Shabbos, as it may be considered carrying. Most authorities are stringent, distinguishing between it and eyeglasses which are considered like clothing. Within an eiruv, where carrying is permitted, it is clearly permissible.

There is also a question whether one may fulfill his obligation listening to the shofar on Rosh Hashana, or the Megillah on Purim, with a hearing aid, since he is not hearing the original sound but rather an echo of the sound. Preferably one should be stringent and remove it, if possible.