Whoops, that was a repeat. New Shemot Questions with Answers

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Shemot 5728 

Alef.

The reason why the “ו”’s are placed in different places in each one of the verses is to reflect the groupings of Yaakov’s sons in accordance with the mothers of the children:

שמות פרק א

(ב) רְאוּבֵן שִׁמְעוֹן לֵוִי וִיהוּדָה:

These four were the first children consecutively born to Leah herself. The “ו” before the last name links all four together.

(ג) יִשָּׂשכָר זְבוּלֻן וּבִנְיָמִן:

Yissachar and Zevulun were also born  to Leah, but at a later point, after other children had been born to the handmaidens. Consequently they are set off from the first group of four. However Binyamin was Rachel’s son. Consequently the “ו” divides the first two from the third.

(ד) דָּן וְנַפְתָּלִי גָּד וְאָשֵׁר:

Once the children of Yaakov’s actual wives are listed, we turn to the children born to the handmaidens. Dan and Naftali were born to Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaiden. Gad and Asher were then born to Zilpa, Leah’s handmaiden. The “ו” joining each pair, sets that pair off from the other pair.

Beit.

1. RaShI: The generation that died refers to Yosef and his brothers.

     Ibn Ezra, RaLBaG: The generation that died refers to the Egyptians who had known Yosef first-hand.

2.  Verse 7 appears to continue talking about the Jews, and only after the Petucha at the end of v. 7 does the Tora begin to discuss the Egyptians. So why should the reference at the end of v.6 be a reference to the Egyptians?

שמות פרק א

(ו) וַיָּמָת יוֹסֵף וְכָל אֶחָיו וְכֹל הַדּוֹר הַהוּא:

(ז) וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל פָּרוּ וַיִּשְׁרְצוּ וַיִּרְבּוּ וַיַּעַצְמוּ בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ אֹתָם: פ

(ח) וַיָּקָם מֶלֶךְ חָדָשׁ עַל מִצְרָיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַע אֶת יוֹסֵף:

Gimel.

1.  The Midrash is based upon the superfluity of verbs in v. 7:

שמות פרק א

(ז) וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (1) פָּרוּ (2) וַיִּשְׁרְצוּ (3) וַיִּרְבּוּ (4) וַיַּעַצְמוּ (5) בִּמְאֹד (6) מְאֹד וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ אֹתָם:

2.  The first word in the series, פרו, is not superfluous and therefore if that would have been all that the verse stated, attention would not have been drawn to it. Furthermore, פרו is a word that applies typically to people, which is not the case with וישרצו, which at its core refers to creeping animals.

3.  The verse in Yehoshua is not about the birthrate, but rather the quantity of people in these tribes. Ibn Ezra could similarly be attributing the first two words in Shemot 1:7 to the manner in which the people were reproducing, while the words of the verse that appear subsequently could relate to other factors that contributed to the Jewish people constituting a large group. Even if the birth rate would be high, if the mortality rate would similarly be high, the people would not grow. For growth, there have to be not only births but also longevity.

     Even without the verse in Yehoshua, since typically פרו ורבו appear together, and in this case they are broken up by וישרצו, this opens up the possibility to interpret ורבו in a different manner.

יהושע פרק יז

(יד) וַיְדַבְּרוּ בְּנֵי יוֹסֵף אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לֵאמֹר מַדּוּעַ נָתַתָּה לִּי נַחֲלָה גּוֹרָל אֶחָד וְחֶבֶל אֶחָד וַאֲנִי עַם רָב עַד אֲשֶׁר

עַד כֹּה בֵּרְכַנִי יְקֹוָק:

And the children of Joseph spoke unto Joshua, saying: 'Why hast thou given me but one lot and one part for an inheritance, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me thus?'

4.  Ibn Ezra: The expression במאד מאד connotes that in all areas, i.e., birthrate, longevity, strength and health, were all at maximum levels.

      RaLBaG: The phrase in question refers to the extraordinary strength and vigor of the members of the Jewish people.

5. א.

(ז) וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (1) פָּרוּ (2) וַיִּשְׁרְצוּ (3) וַיִּרְבּוּ (4) וַיַּעַצְמוּ (5) בִּמְאֹד (6) מְאֹד (7) וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ אֹתָם:

ב. The number “seven” is associated with the Creation of the World over the course of seven “days”. Since the assumption is that this Creation was perfect, harmonious and the Work of God, so too other entities that are associated with the number “seven”.

Daled.

Whereas in most instances, Pharoah could relate to his inner circle, i.e., עבדיו, when it came to undertaking persecuting the Jews in order that they not overrun Egypt (Shemot 1:9), the entire nation’s help had to be enlisted. Therefore Pharoah speaks to עמו rather than only עבדיו.

Heh.

Shemot 1:9

And he said unto his people: 'Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us;

The interpretation of ממנו in the above verse is different from its interpretation in the other verses that are listed on the Gilayon:

Beraishit 26:16

And Abimelech said unto Isaac: 'Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.'

BaMidbar 13:31

But the men that went up with him said: 'We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.'

Devarim 1:28

Whither are we going up? our brethren have made our heart to melt, saying: The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.'

I Melachim 20:23

And the servants of the king of Aram said unto him: 'Their God is a God of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.

Vav.

1.  The problem in the verse is to know who might have to leave Egypt as a result of an outside attack—the Egyptians or the Jews? From the point of view of syntax,

שמות פרק א

(י) הָבָה נִתְחַכְּמָה לוֹ פֶּן יִרְבֶּה וְהָיָה כִּי תִקְרֶאנָה מִלְחָמָה וְנוֹסַף גַּם הוּא עַל שֹׂנְאֵינוּ וְנִלְחַם בָּנוּ וְעָלָה מִן הָאָרֶץ:

the pronoun הוא which precedes the verbs ונלחם and ועלה refers to the Jewish people.

2.  According to the simple meaning, i.e., that the Jews might leave Egypt, why is this such a terrible thing for the Egyptians? This is before slavery was imposed, and if a portion of the population were to leave, it would mean that the remaining resources could be distributed to indigenous Egyptians. Consequently, to explain the fear of ועלה מן הארץ coming about, the Midrash suggests that it will be the Egyptians who feared that they would have to forsake their homeland and go elsewhere.

3.  ויעלה לו מן הארץ הזאת אל ארץ כנען עם כל אשר לנו The addition of the prepositional pronoun לו makes clear that we are talking about the Jewish people leaving rather than the Egyptians.