Parshas Shemos - Great Minds Think Alike...And Fools Never Differ

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