 The Small Alef: As mentioned last week, the next couple of weeks we will be dealing with Pesach inyanim (issues). I do, however, want to touch on a Ba’al Haturim which
I find puzzling. “Hashem called to Moshe …” The word “called” in Hebrew is Vayikra with an alef at the end which connotes a special affection in the calling. However, to the non-Jewish prophets such as Bilam the calling is without the alef which connotes transitoriness, an incidental happening. So much is from Rashi.
The alef here, however, is smaller than the normal letter size. The Ba’al Haturim comments on this that when Moshe wrote these words he, in his humility, wanted to leave out the alef as if to say that Hashem only spoke to him, also, in a happenstance manner. However, Hashem told him to put in the alef. Nevertheless Moshe, in his humility, compromised, so to speak, and wrote it smaller.
The difficulty is that the Torah is not Moshe’s, to decide to leave out a letter or to even make it smaller, humility or not. Every letter in the Torah has meaning and cannot be tampered with. How do we understand this Ba’al Haturim?
V’Chamushum Olu Bnei Yisroel (Israel Left Egypt Armed)
“And your young children of whom you said they will be taken captive, I shall bring them; they shall know the Land that you have despised.” The fact that their children will live in the land will be considered, somewhat, as if they themselves also lived there. “A son is considered like the knee of his father.”
For many years I had the following question. There is another interpretation of the word chamushim in the title. That is, that it comes from the word chamishah (five) and is interpreted here as one-fifth. Only one-fifth of the Jewish people came out of Egypt. The rest died during the three days of darkness (so that the Egyptians would not notice). Evidently they (80%) had already sunk to the fiftieth level of impurity (defilement – tumah) and were no longer redeemable. They were not circumcised; they did not receive the Torah. If so, how do they have a Jewish connection, a place in the future world? On the other hand, how could they not be a part of the klal (nation)? “(Hashem) ponders thoughts (chosheiv machshavos) so that no one will be lost.”
Also, Chazal tell us that “mitaso shel Yaakov sheleimah” (the bed of Yaakov (his children) is complete), and that Yisroel af al pi shechata Yisroel hu (a Jew even though he sinned is still a Jew).
The Maharal seems to address this very question. “The desert they were in was called the Desert of Poron, sheporu v’rovu olov (they multiplied on it). That is to say that Hashem wanted to increase Yisroel (Israel), because when they left Egypt many of them died (see above). Hashem wanted to increase their numbers to replenish and maintain the children in the place of their parents …”
The Yalkut Reuveini in Parshas Bo s’if 26 states similar to the Maharal but that it was done through a concept similar to yibum (levirate marriage).
See also Yalkut Reuveini, ibid s’if 25, that even though the 80% were not redeemable they nevertheless did teshuvah (repented) before they died and therefore merited the future world.
Onus Al Pi Hadibur
“He (Yaakov) went to Egypt onus al pi hadibur.” Onus al pi hadibur is generally translated as compelled by Divine decree. But dibur can also be interpreted as speech. In fact, if one substitutes speech for decree there is no need for the word Divine. The statement would then read that Yaakov went to Egypt because of speech. How would we understand this?
Yom Tov of the Mouth
To detour for a moment, it is of interest to note that the mitzvos of Pesach all revolve around the mouth – both what goes in and what goes out of the mouth. Just as the mouth receives life-giving physical nutrients through the mouth, so on the Seder night one receives spiritual nutrients through the mouth – matzos, maror, the four cups of wine, and in the time of the Bais Hamikdosh (Temple) the Pascal lamb. We accept upon ourselves the Oneness of Hashem through the mouth by eating of the Pascal lamb; we relive the exile through the mouth by tasting the bitterness of the maror; we experience the redemption through the mouth by eating the matzos; and we experience various aspects of our past and future redemption through the four cups of wine (representing the four expressions of redemption).
All of the above are tied together in a seder (an order) through what the mouth gives out – our praise and gratitude which we express through the Haggadah, recounting the history of Hashem taking us out of Egypt and praise of Hallel and other praises.
Again on the last days of Pesach we give praise in the Hallel and the Az Yashir (the Song of the Splitting of the Sea). From the second day of Pesach we count the Omer. All of these are mitzvos entailing the mouth. On Shavuos (the granting of the Torah) we accepted the Torah through the mouth by saying “naaseh venishma” (we will first do and then understand). Hakol kol Yaakov, (the voice of Jacob) is heard by Hashem through our davening (praying) and learning Torah. Again, both activities of the mouth.
The Tie-In
It’s brought down in sefarim (books) that the reason for the Egyptian exile was because of the sale of Yosef. The sale happened because of dibur, speech. Yosef spoke lashon hara (gossip) about his brothers while they in turn spoke among themselves about Yosef. It was this kind of dibur which brought about the sale of Yosef and thereby the exile to Egypt. This is the onus al pi hadibur which forced them to go into exile; al pi hadibur – an account of the words of the mouth.
Perhaps this is also why all the mitzvos of Pesach are dependent on the mouth – in order to be mesaken (correct) that which had caused the exile.
Matzoh and Maror
There is a beautiful thought that I saw in the Ohr Gedalyohu. Maror signifies the bitterness of the exile. Matzoh signifies the redemption. The logical sequence, therefore, should be that we should eat the maror before the matzoh. Yet the opposite is true. We eat the matzoh (redemption) first and then the maror (exile). How so?
The sefarim (actually a gemara [Talmud] also) state that everything that happens is for the good. Therefore, exile is also for the good. However, as the saying goes, “you can’t argue with a toothache.” Therefore, at the time of exile it is very difficult to understand the good behind it. Conceptually speaking we, therefore, eat the matzoh first, signifying the redemption. It is only after that, that we can eat the maror and understand the good that the exile indeed brought.
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See Yerushalmi Pesachim chp. 6 halachah 1; Medrash Rabah Genesis 88:4.
It is of interest that the entire obligation of Odom Harishon (Adam) was a prohibition regarding the mouth.
See Gra Chidushei Agados Berachos 60b; Siddur Hagra L’Rav Naftali Hertz Halevy; Ramchal, Daas Tevunos siman 54 and Klalim Rishonim s’if 7; Rav Tzadok, Tzidkas Hatzadik siman 170.
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