Rabbi Moshe Kesselman Weekly Shiurim

Moshe took the bones of Yosef out of Mitzraim. Since, Yosef had made the Jews swear that when they leave they would take him out together with them.This Shiur explores 3 explanations on the double expression השבע השביע. One by Rashi, one by the Midrash and one by the Baal Haturim.

מקורות:
חומש שמות פרשת בשלח פרק י״ג פסוקים י״ז - י״ט
פירש״י פסוק י״ט ד״ה השבע השביע
מדרש רבה שמות פרשה כ׳ פיסקא י״ט
פירוש בעל הטורים פסוק י״ט ׳השבע השביע׳
ליקוטי שיחות חלק כ״ו בשלח ב׳ אות ד׳

The Jews that don’t want to leave Egypt perished during the plague of darkness. This would leave us assuming that the Jews that left Egypt actually wanted to leave.Yet, the Baal Harurimninsists that the the Jews that left Egypt were forced out against their will. He learns this from the same expression used here by the Torah קומו צאו (Get Up and Get Out) as used by the story of Lot being forced out of Sdom by the angels.The comparison leaves us wondering how Amighty GD decides who gets saved against their will and who perishes in darkness?

Parsha Shiur Vayechi 5786

Audio recording from the Farbrengen for Yud Tes and Chof Kislev. Recorded LA 5786 Moshe Ganz Hall.

For decades, Yaakov had feared and dreaded the moment he would encounter his brother and great nemesis Esav. Yet, despite the decades of animosity, their meeting seems nothing but peaceful. They embrace, they kiss, they weep and then they speak.

At some point Esav asks Yaakov about the: ‘All this camp which i met.’ Yaakov explained that its intention was ‘to find favor in the eyes of my master.’

The Baal Haturim explains that Esav was voicing his resentment at the fact that he (once again) felt scammed by Yaakov. Esav reminded Yaakov of an agreement they had made while they were yet in their mother’s womb. The agreement was that Yaakov gets the ‘world to come’ and Esav gets ‘this world.’ But: ‘In the world to come there is no procreation’ cried Esav. So: ‘How do you come to be in possession of such a large family?’

A Midrash regarding the identity of the Angel who wrestled with Yaakov all night sheds a deeper light into the nature of Yaakov’s fear.

The discussion in Chassidus regarding the fundamental difference between Angels and Souls comes down to what happens when you dip them into ‘A River Of Fire.’

מקורות:

רמב״ם הלכות מלכים פרק י״א הלכה ג׳
השגת הראב״ד על הרמב״ם
תלמוד בבלי סנהדרין דף צ״ג ע״ב
כסף משנה על הרמב״ם
בראשית פרשת וישלח פרק ל׳ פסוקים א׳ - ח׳
פירש״י פסוק ח׳ ד״ה מי לך כל המחנה
פירוש בעל הטורים פסוק ח׳ מי לך ג׳ במסורת
תנא דבי אליהו זוטא י״ט
בראשית רבה פרשה ע״ח פיסקא א׳ עיין פירוש עץ יוסף
ילקוט שמעוני בראשית סימן קל״ב
גלגולי נשמות להרמ״ע מפאנו אות ס״א
תלמוד בבלי ברכות דף כ״ח ע״א
תלמוד בבלי סנהדרין דף צ״ג ע״א