 Lo Yecheratz Kelev Leshono “But against all the children of Israel, no dog shall whet its tongue …”
He
Did Not Listen To Her
“He (Yosef) did not listen to her (Potiphar’s wife) to lie beside her, to be with her.” What is the extra wording “to be with her”? See Rashi “to be with her in Olam Haboh” (in the future world). It would seem that this aveirah is not so easy to be rid of. See Tanchuma, “One who couples with a non-Jewish woman, she is attached to him like a dog.” In the same way, a Jewish woman who couples with a non-Jew is attached to him like a dog.
The Four Traits of Redemption
It’s brought down that although Yisroel had no mitzvos, worshipped avodah zarah (idolatry) and were in the forty-ninth level of tumoh (impurity) out of a possible fifty levels, there were four traits that they had through which they were redeemed. They did not change their mode of dress, their language, and their names to that of the Egyptians. The Jewish women also kept to themselves which is not the norm for slave women. All these four factors point to one trait. They did not want to be Egyptians. No matter what they were, they wanted to be and remain Jewish. Years ago there was a Yiddish song with a very strong message. I haven’t heard it for a while. “Vass mir zeinen, zeinin mir, uber Yidden zeinen mir.” (Whatever we are, we are, but we’re Jewish!) This exemplified the Jews in Mitzrayim (Egypt). They might be in the forty-ninth level of tumoh, but they were Jews – and proud of it. This is what allowed the bris (covenant) and z’chus (merit) of the avos (forefathers) to redeem them. Otherwise there would have been no connect.
No Attachments
Therefore, Yisroel was not guilty of what was stated earlier, that if one gets involved with them they are attached to him or her like a dog. Thus, when they left Mitzrayim they merited that “no dog shall whet its tongue.” This shows that there were no claims against them in this matter.
The Ramchal
The Ramchal states the kelev (dog) in the posuk (verse) is referring to a specific being. “Who is this kelev (that did not whet his tongue)? This is Saam (the soton, the accuser). Any time that Hashem does kindness and good to Yisroel, he awakens and barks like a dog to accuse (how does Yisroel merit this?). However, at that moment (the redemption from Mitzrayim) he was forced to be quiet … and at the future redemption also.” Indeed, Yisroel was not redeemed from Mitzrayim through its own merit (as before) but because of the covenant and merit of the forefathers. As the Ramchal states, the future redemption will also not be in their own merit.
Blessing on a King
In 1898, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany (the one who started World War I) visited Eretz Yisroel and Yerushalayim. All the Yidden in Yerushalayim went out to see him. Why? – in order to make a brachah. Horav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld zt”l did not go. When asked why, he answered that he had heard from his rebbi (teacher), Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin zt”l, in the name of the Gra, that Germany is Amalek, and he did not want to make a brachah on a king of Amalek.
Asher Korcha
We certainly saw a terrible manifestation of this from Germany during the Holocaust and the attempted eradication of the Jewish people. However, we’ve seen it before also but in a different guise. There are two manifestations of Amalek. One of which is to attack. However, there is another manifestation also – asher korcha baderech. He cooled Yisroel off, not only in the eyes of other nations but in their relationship to Hashem, Torah and mitzvos. The first country in which the Jewish people started abandoning Torah, mitzvos and their ties to their Judaism was Germany. Asher korcha baderech!
Der Ubermentsch
It’s a part of the human psyche that every philosophy or movement must have its “bible” that can be used for support. “The official philosophy and propaganda of the Nazis (yemach shemom) was profoundly influenced by the doctrines of Friedrich Nietzsche.” “Glorified is the absolute and ruthless self-assertive will to power of der ‘ubermensch’ (superman). He stands against the weak, mediocre, timorous and sickly who glorify a ‘slave mentality’ of humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love.” In a word, lehavdil, a Mesilas Yeshorim or Rabeinu Yonah he wasn’t.
G-d’s Sense of Humor
They say that G-d has a sense of humor. When he was 45, Nietzsche had a mental collapse. Thereafter, he was cared for by his sister until he died at age 56. Being “sickly” he would have been one of the first to be killed by his followers.
I’ve always maintained that it takes a lot more emunah (faith) to believe in various philosophies, religions or evolution, than it does to believe in Hashem and His Torah.
Ma’amar 2
Pesach
One may wonder why we call the Yom Tov and, indeed, the korban (sacrifice) itself “Pesach.” “Because Hashem passed over the Jewish houses in Mitzrayim (Egypt) when He smote Mitzrayim.” We have a principle that the name of something in the Torah accentuates and defines the main essence of that entity. If so, the main import of this Yom Tov is not that our firstborn were saved, but rather our freedom from slavery and the exodus from Mitzrayim. The osos (signs) and makos (plagues) were in and of themselves not the essential purpose. In fact, this is what we say in “Dayeinu” – “If He would have taken us out of Mitzrayim and not punished the Mitzrim (Egyptians) it would have been enough for us.” If so, it would seem that the name of the Yom Tov (holiday) Pesach is not getting to the main essence and core of the Yom Tov.
The Apex
We discussed elsewhere that although, indeed, we would have been more than grateful if Hashem would have just taken us out of Mitzrayim, nevertheless, this is not the apex of the relationship of Hashem and Yisroel. Rather, the zenith of the relationship is that which shows the great love for and “attachment” of Hashem to us. If so, the taking out of Mitzrayim doesn’t really show that much. For example, if “A” sees “B” hitting, enslaving and giving pain to “C,” it’s a natural reaction to want to help “C” escape his predicament and to save him even without knowing “C” at all. However, if “A” knows “C” and in fact “C” has done actions which have upset “A” and yet “A” still goes and saves “C” and only punishes “B,” then that is a sign that “A” and “C” are indeed close friends or relatives.
The Bond
Therefore, that which Hashem took us out of Mitzrayim is not in and of itself a sign of any bond, as it were, between Hashem and us. It is only a sign that He had mercy on us. However, when He punished the Mitzrim, it was a time of justice and “anger.” Yisroel at that time were themselves idol worshippers and were in the forty-ninth level of tumoh (defilement) and were, therefore, also liable to punishment. However, Hashem only punished the Mitzrim but “passed over” the Jewish homes and saved them. That, indeed, showed a special closeness to Yisroel.
Mercy in a Time of Din
See the Maharal, “Why were the Jewish firstborn not stricken? … since Yisroel belong to Hashem Himself they were not hit … and they have an ‘attachment’ … since they belong to Hashem, He has mercy on that which is His …”
Therefore, in the name Pesach we stress the main point – not that He took us out of Mitzrayim. Rather, we stress His closeness and relationship, as it were, to us in that He passed over our houses at the very time that He hit the Egyptians’ houses. This is the main thing – the closeness. Therefore, even today, though we are in golus (exile), nevertheless, that which keeps us to this very day is the closeness of Hashem to us.
I later saw a Maharal similar to what was just said but with a slight variation. “This is greater than all the kindness which Hashem does for us when the chesed comes even through din (justice, as opposed to chesed through kindness)…”
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It is a dog’s trait not to give up easily and to hang on.
This only applies if she was willing.
The First Hechsher – What was the first hechsher (supervision of kashrus), the Star K, the OK or the Chof K? The answer is none of the above, but rather the Yud K.
Not only was there no mingling between the Jews and the Egyptians, but there was no mingling among the Jewish families either. See Numbers chp. 26 where it lists the Jewish families (starting verse 5) “Chanoch – the Hachanochi family; Chetzron – the Hachetzroni family etc.” Each name has a yud and a heh (i and h in English) added to it. The yud and the heh together form Hashem’s name “Koh” testifying that indeed all of Chanoch’s children were his and all of Chetzron’s children were his, etc. See Rashi there (ibid 5) stating that Hashem Himself testifies that the families are pure and kosher. Since the yud and the heh together are Hashem's name, when we write the two letters together we make a “k” out of the “h.” Ergo, the first hechsher was the Yud K.
It is brought down elsewhere that this is Amalek, the nation which is the antithesis of Yisroel and who was the first to attack them when they came out of Mitzrayim. (See Exodus 17:8-16; Deuteronomy 25:17-19.) They are both the same since the soton is the malach (spiritual essence) of Amalek. See later regarding Amalek.
Also see Maharal Gevuros chp. 24 and Rav Tzadok, Machshovos Chorutz 31b-32a.
See Sanhedrin 98a, “Moshiach will only come in a generation that is entirely virtuous or entirely guilty.” See the Chofetz Chaim in Tzipisa L’Yeshuah chp. 1 that these are both in the same generation. See there for his explanation. Both will bring the Moshiach. Therefore, that what the Maharal, Ramchal and Rav Tzadok say that Yisroel will be redeemed even if not worthy is going on those who are entirely guilty. As the Chofetz Chaim states, even though both the righteous and the wicked will bring Moshiach, it is understood that it will be better for a person to be one of the righteous.
There is a special brachah made upon seeing a non-Jewish king. (“Blessed … Who has given of His Glory to human beings.”) It is only made on a king who has the power of life and death over his subjects.
See Guardian of Jerusalem, the biography of Rav Sonnenfeld, pgs. 202-3.
“They exhibit the classic symptoms of Amalek – externally polite and friendly, but harboring a deep and bitter hatred of the Jewish People.” This description of Amalek by the Gra is definitely an eye opener.
This does not mean that everybody from Germany is from Amalek. It also does not mean that Amalek is not to be found in abundance elsewhere.
There is a question that I’ve been mulling for a while. The Nazis, yemach shemom, attempted to eradicate the Jews but were not able to do it, even in Europe, and with help from the citizens of various countries they occupied, during the five-six years they were in power. How could Homon have planned to do it in only one day???
The names of the person and the party are almost the same.
At the time of the felling of the firstborn.
Gevuros beginning of chp. 60
Nesivos Olam, Nesiv Ha’avodah chp. 18.
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