Arbeh – The  Anniversary of the Shivim Nefesh

When

This is an unusual way of referring to a makeh. In fact, it is the only one listed with the letter Beis at the beginning of the name of the makeh.

Every letter is added for a reason. What is the reason here?

That particular reference to the makeh tells us that the Shivim Nefesh (the Seventy Souls) came down to Mitrayim (Egypt) on Tu B’Shvat (the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat) 210 years earlier.

How does it tell us that?

Each makeh lasted a week, and there were three weeks additional until the next makeh. So there was a month from the start of one makeh to the start of the next one.

We know that Makas B’Choros (The Plague of the Firstborn) occurred on the 15th day of Nissan – Peasch. That would mean that the previous makeh, Choshech (Darkness), the 9th makeh, occurred on the 15th day of Adar, on Purim.

So the 8th Makeh, the Arbeh, occurred one month earlier, on the 15th day of Shvat, also know today as Tu B’Shvat.

We know that the slavery in Mitzrayim (Egypt) was supposed to be 400 years, and that it was shortened by 190 years to 210 years. We also know that the slavery is counted form the day that the Shivim Nefesh (the seventy souls) arrived in Mitrayim.

The Gematria (numerical value) of the word “BA”ARBEH” is 210. And the reason that makeh is singled out to have a Beis as its first letter (the ‘BA’ in ‘BA’ARBEH’), is to tell us that the Shivim Nefesh went down to Mitrayim on Tu B’Shvat 210 years earlier.

Why was Tu B’Shvat chosen as the day they went down to Mitrayim?

Tu B’Shvat is Rosh Hashana for trees, the New Year or Head of the Year for trees.

Man is likened to a tree of the field.

A tree plants roots that grow deep so that its branches can grow tall and spread out wide. A tree gives off many seeds so that it can reproduce itself many fold.

The B’nei Yisroel planted roots in Mitrzayim , the roots of a nation being formed. And they grew many branches and had many children, six at a time, just like the tree that gives off many seeds. Ultimately, the tree spreads its branches out and reveals it’s strength and its beauty, as did the B’nei Yisroel, who became Klal Yisroel, and it’s branches and offspring exist to this very day, Boruch Hashem.

We are those seeds. We are the Atzei Chayim the Trees of Life that keep the Torah alive.

That is why they went down to Mitrayim on Tu B’Shvat. And that is why we plant trees in Israel to commemorate departed ones.

May we continue to blossom and spread our roots deeper and wider as we prepare for the GAN in Eiden (the Garden of Eden).

Copyright© 2010, Heshie Klein, MD

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