Parshas
Shemos
Great
Minds Think Alike...And Fools Never Differ
By:
Daniel Listhaus
וַיִּשְׁמַע
פַּרְעֹה אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה וַיְבַקֵּשׁ
לַהֲרֹג אֶת משֶׁה וַיִּבְרַח משֶׁה
מִפְּנֵי פַרְעֹה וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּאֶרֶץ
מִדְיָן וַיֵּשֶׁב עַל הַבְּאֵר
“Pharaoh
heard about this matter and sought to kill Moshe; so Moshe fled from
before Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midyan. He sat at the
well.”
-Shemos
2:15
Despite
the fact that Moshe grew up in the palace of Pharaoh, he was unable
to just sit quietly living a luxurious lifestyle when he knew that
his fellow brothers and sisters were being worked hard on a daily
basis. Moshe felt compelled to go leave the security of the palace
walls to watch the Jews work so he could get at least a small sense
of the feeling of how hard it must be on them physically and
emotionally.1
One day, he witnessed an Egyptian beating one of the Jews and, after
determining that the right thing to do would be to kill this
Egyptian, Moshe indeed got involved by killing the Egyptian using the
Holy Name of Hashem.2
Unfortunately, Dasan and Aviram informed Pharaoh of Moshe's actions
and their lashon
harah (evil
speech) resulted in Moshe being forced to flee Mitzrayim for his
life. Moshe ran to Midyan and headed straight for the town well.
It
is quite peculiar that Moshe ran to the well. One would think that
someone running away from home would spend his time looking for a
good hotel to check into. So, why did Moshe set his GPS to the well
in Midyan?
Rashi3
writes that Moshe learned to go to the well from Yaakov, who met
Rachel at the well. It is interesting that Moshe decided to do this
based on what happened to Yaakov in his life, because if one were to
zoom out and compare the stories of Moshe and Yaakov, one would find
that they are really remarkably similar in much more than just this
aspect. The passuk
(verse)4
testifies that Pharaoh sought to kill Moshe; similarly we find that
Eisav wanted to kill Yaakov.5
Moshe was subsequently forced to leave Mitzrayim,6
and Yaakov too was forced to run away from home.7
Both ran straight for the well of the town to which they had fled:
Moshe found himself by the well in Midyan,8
and Yaakov by the well in Paddan-Aram.9
Once at the well, each of them encountered a difficulty which they
had to solve before they themselves watered the flocks of those who
they rescued. Moshe actually saved the daughters of Yisro from the
shepherds who were there,10
and Yaakov, by his experience, had to roll a boulder off the well in
order to be able to water the sheep.11
In both episodes, their actions resulted in their future wives
running home to tell their parents what had happened: The daughters
of Yisro ran to tell him how they were able to finish so early,12
and Rachel ran back to tell Lavan what had occurred with the stranger
at the well.13
After being invited to stay at their respective soon to be father in
law's house, each of them swore that they would not leave without
permission.14
Moshe
married Tziporah,15
and Yaakov married Rachel along with his other three wives.16
Afterward, each of them were shepherds for their father-in-laws.17
The Torah describes by both of them that like their ancestor Avraham,
they were extremely careful not to graze the sheep on others'
property.18
Also, in both stories, either the one fleeing or the ones who were
threatening to kill, died a “halachik
death”.19
The Torah writes that when Yaakov saw Rachel he cried because he had
nothing to give her. Eliphaz, the son of Eisav had followed Yaakov to
kill him, as per his father's request. Instead of killing Yaakov,
they compromised that Eliphaz fulfill his father's wishes by just
stealing everything from Yaakov so that he would be poor and
considered dead.20
In Moshe's case, all those who were originally trying to kill him
died while he was in Midyan. Pharaoh got tzara'as
(leprosy)
and was therefore considered dead,21
while Dasan and Aviram lost all their money and had become extremely
poor.22
Furthermore,
in each episode, Moshe23
and Yaakov24
had a nevuah
(prophecy)
– each on a significant mountain25
- during which Hashem reassured them that He was the G-d of their
forefathers and will continue to be with them. Continuing with this
theme, on his way back to Mitzrayim with his family, Moshe
encountered a malach
(angel)
who tried to kill him.26
Yaakov also, on his way back to his home with his family, met with
the malach
of
Eisav who fought with him all night.27
This chapter in their respective lives was followed by them meeting
their brother who that hadn't seen since running away. Aharon, upon
seeing Moshe was extremely happy and gave Moshe a kiss.28
Eisav too, when seeing Moshe for the first time in years gave Moshe a
kiss.29
Finally, during both Moshe and Yaakov's meetings with their
arch-enemies from whom they had originally fled, there was one side
which had many people behind them but who then slipped away one by
one: In the story of Moshe, he and Aharon had gathered together all
the elders of the Jewish people and started heading together towards
Pharaoh's palace. However, as Rashi30
infers from the passuk,
by the time Moshe and Aharon reached Pharaoh, they were alone because
the elders had slipped away one by one. Similarly when Eisav came
with his army to greet Yaakov, the four-hundred men who come with him
had slipped away one by one, leaving Eisav alone.31
Yaakov's life of course concludes with his accomplishment of
rejoining with Yosef and having the twelve shevatim
(tribes)
with him on the brink of galus
(exile)
Mitzrayim.
Moshe concludes his life with the accomplishment of teaching the
Torah to the B'nei
Yisroel and
leaving them on the brink of entering Eretz
Yisroel.
There
indeed is no doubt that the lives of Moshe rabbeinu
and
Yaakov were very similar. The lives they led, however, were not
accidental. Rather, they were expressions of who they really were.
The Kli
Yakar32
writes that it is weird that Moshe was a shepherd.33
After all, in those days it was known that the people in the shepherd
business were dishonest and did not care about others' property, as
they would graze the sheep in others fields. So how could Moshe be in
such a profession? The Kli
Yakar answers
that it was obvious to everyone that neither Moshe nor any of the
avos
(forefathers)
would
ever steal.34
Furthermore, continues the Kli
Yakar,
it was absolutely necessary for Moshe to be a shepherd because unlike
other professions or people who sit at home, a shepherd has time to
spend to himself and allow his mind to focus on his relationship with
Hashem and the way Hashem interacts with His world.
Yaakov
and Moshe together directly formed B'nei
Yisroel.
Yaakov was the father of the twelve shevatim
and
Moshe was their teacher who taught them the Torah. Only with both
elements of a father and teacher - Olam
Hazeh
and Olam
Habbah
– is B'nei
Yisroel
complete and ultimately ready to enter Eretz
Yisroel.35
There
is no doubt that the middos
(traits)
of
the leaders responsible for these essential conduits to the Jewish
people must be perfect. They must have a mind that only seeks emes
(truth)
while at the same time, despite their greatness as individuals,
understand their place in the world as humans who are nothing without
Hashem. When Yaakov sensed that there was a degree of emes
missing
amongst the shevatim
he
responsibly ensured that they declare “Shema
Yisroel Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad” – that
Hashem
is One and there is nothing that exists external to Him. Indeed
Yaakov represented the middah
of
emes.
When
it comes to Moshe, the Torah testifies that he was the most humble
person to ever live.36
Pharaoh,
on the other hand, had exactly the opposite chemistry of middos.
He was someone who was full of sheker
(falsehood)
– living
in Mitzrayim, the center of magic and illusions – and gaivah
(haughtiness).
When Moshe and Aharon came to Pharaoh
and
gave their introductory remarks, “So said Hashem, the G-d of
Yisroel, 'Send out My people so that they may celebrate for Me in the
wilderness.'”37,
Pharaoh rudely and curtly responded, “Who is Hashem that I should
listen to His voice to send out Yisroel? I do not know Hashem, nor
will I send out Yisroel!” Pharaoh believed that no one could
override his opinions or rules. He thought of himself as a god and
actually had the audacity to try to pretend he was one.38
The Orchos
Tzadikkim39
writes that gaivah
and
sheker
are
the core middos
that
are found within reshaim
(wicked
people). Similar to Pharaoh who said, “Who is Hashem that I should
listen to His voice?”, Golias and Nevuchadnetzar also declared
blasphemous statements denying Hashem's existence and proclaimed
their own unchallenged authority. Such people end their false lives
without any real sense of accomplishment, while those of the
descendents B'nei
Yisroel -formed
with a foundation of emes
and
anivus
(humility)
– live a life of coming closer to Hashem and following in His ways
by adhering to the middos
of
Yaakov avinu
(our
father) and
Moshe
rabbeinu
(our
teacher).
May
Hashem help us sharpen our middos
of emes
and anivus
so that we could be part of the group of the great minds who think
alike and share similar experiences, and not part of those fools who
never differ from brazenly asking, “Who is Hashem that I should
listen to His voice?”
1Shemos
2:11
2Shemos
2:11-2:12 see Rashi
and Sifsei Chachomim
who discuss what Moshe's
thought process was which allowed him to kill the Egyptian.
3Shemos
2:15
4Ibid.
5Beraishis
27:41
6Shemos
2:15
7Beraishis
27:43 (Rivkah tells Yaakov to
run away) 28:7 (Yaakov ran away)
8Shemos
2:15
9Beraishis
29:2
10Shemos
2:17
11Beraishis
29:10
12Shemos
2:19
13Beraishis
29:12
14Moshe
swore to Yisro in Shemos 2:21
(see Rashi there),
and Yaakov did so in Beraishis 30:26
(see Rashi there).
Note: Moshe indeed kept his word and although Hashem told him
to go back to Mitzrayim, he first returned to Yisro's house to tell
him that he was leaving in order to keep to his promise (Shemos
4:18). Yaakov, however, did not
do this and instead ran away without telling Lavan (Beraishis
31:17). For a possible
explanation as to what happened as a result of Yaakov not keeping
this promise, see my d'var
Torah on Parshas Vayeitzei
– Truth Be Told.
15Shemos
2:21
16Beraishis
29:22-28
17Moshe:
Shemos 3:1; and
Yaakov: Beraishis 29:14
and see Rashi there.
Yaakov was also a shepherd for Lavan before marrying Leah.
18Moshe:
Rashi Shemos 3:1; and
Yaakov: Rashi
Beraishis 30:14 (this
is in regards to Reuvein where Rashi comments
that this trait of staying far from theft extended to the shevatim
(tribes) who learned it from
the house of Yaakov.
19There
are certain types of people who the Torah considers dead even in
their lifetime: Someone with tzara'as (leprosy),
one who is poor, one who is childless, and a blind person.
20Rashi
Beraishis 29:11. Furthermore,
later on in the parsha
(30:1), Rachel found herself unable to have children and says that
without children it is like she is dead.
21Shemos
2:23
22Shemos
4:19
23Moshe
had this experience with the burning bush (Shemos 3:2).
24Yaakov
had the dream of the ladder (Beraishis 28:12).
25Moshe
saw the burning bush on Har HaElokim (Har Sinai), and Yaakov
had his dream on Har Hamoriah (where the Beis Hamikdash
would be built in the future).
This fits in well with what the idea that will be introduced at the
end of the d'var Torah,
that Moshe was the one who represented the Olam Habbah and Torah
part of B'nei Yisroel,
whereas Yaakov represented bringing Hashem into our lives in Olam
Hazeh – hence the connection to the makom HaMikdash
(place where Beis
Hamikdash would be built) where
we sere Hashem in this world.
26Shemos
4:24
27Beraishis
32:25
28Shemos
4:27
29Beraishis
33:4 (see Rashi there)
According to the one who holds that Eisav tried to bite his neck but
Yaakov's neck turned to marble, there is another interesting
correlation because this happened to Moshe's neck too when the
executioner tried killing him before he ran away,
30Shemos
5:1
31Beraishis
33:16
32Shemos
3:1
33The
same question could be extended to the avos.
34In
Moshe's case this was because he was not a shepherd of his own
sheep, but rather Yisro's, and there is a concept that people do not
sin for the benefit of others. This answer would presumably apply to
Yaakov as well who was the shepherd of Lavan's sheep. In Avraham's
case, it could be that it was just clear to everyone that Avraham
and his immediate household (Yitzchak) would never steal because
they spent their entire life advocating truth and peace in the
world.
35Perhaps
with this idea, the following question could be answered. When Moshe
met with Hashem at the s'neh ([burning]
bush), Moshe asked Hashem, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh
and that I should take the B'nei Yisroel out
of Mitzrayim?” Hashem then responded, “For I shall be with you –
and t his is the sign for you that I have sent you: When you t ake
the people out of Mitzrayim, you will worship G-d on this mountain”.
Rashi (Shemos
3:12) explains that Hashem
answered both of Moshe's questions: That which you said, “Who am I
to go to Pharaoh...”, the answer is that it is not you going but
rather Me (Hashem). And that which you asked, “What merit do B'nei
Yisroel possess that they
should depart from Mitzrayim?”, the answer is that they are
destined to receive the Torah upon this mountain three months after
they leave Mitzrayim.” The problem with this Rashi
is that Hashem never really answered why B'nei Yisroel now
merit to leave Mitzrayim? How could it be that because of what
Hashem was going to give them in the future that they should merit
to leave now? Perhaps the answer is that B'nei Yisroel
automatically deserved to leave Mitzrayim because they were never
complete until they received the Torah.
36Bamidbar
12:3
37Shemos
5:1
38Shemos
7:15
39Orchos
Tzadikkim: Sha'ar Hagaivah
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