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1. What is a good way of remembering how many plagues are found in which parsha?

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9th January 2016 כ”ח טבת תשע"ו

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In this week’s parsha, once again, Hashem sent Moshe and Aharon to Pharaoh in a second effort to sway his heart and have him change his mind to let the Bnei Yisrael leave Egypt. Unlike the unembellished appeal in last week’s portion, this time they were equipped with more than pleas - this time they came armed with miracles. Standing in front of the mighty king, Aharon threw his stick down and it turned into a snake. Pharaoh was not impressed. He countered with a little magic of his own. His sorcerers matched the miraculous stick-to-snake act by having his spooks throw down their sticks and by transforming them into snakes.

Aharon one-upped the Egyptian magicians as his stick swallowed all of their sticks. But that obviously was not enough. Pharaoh’s heart

was once again hardened and he refused to let the Jews leave Egypt. And so, Hashem decided that the benign miracles would not be effective with the stubborn king. It was time for the heavy artillery -- the ten plagues.

Hashem commands Moshe: “Go to Pharaoh in the morning -- behold! He goes out to the water -- and you shall stand opposite him at the river’s bank, and the staff that was turned into a snake you shall take in your hand” (Exodus 7:15).

I am bothered by a simple question. Moshe had only one special stick. There are various Midrashic explanations as to its origin, but everyone agrees it was a unique one. It was a special one with special powers. Moshe may have been a leader of many hats, but he only carried one stick. Why did Hashem need to define the stick as the one that turned into a snake? He could have simply asked Moshe to come with his stick. Moshe would surely have known exactly which stick Hashem wanted him to take.

We tend to look at the world and forget that routine natural events are also replete with awe-inspiring miracles and supernatural properties. We become acclimated to the mundane miracles of life so that we also shrug when Hashem turns proverbial sticks into proverbial snakes. We feel we can do that too!

Therefore, before orchestrating the largest insubordination of natural law in world history, by turning the flowing Nile into a virtual blood

bath, Moshe is told to bring with him the stick that Pharaoh only considered to be capable of performing minor miracles. Moshe is told that the same stick that was not able to impress Pharaoh has the ability to shatter the Egyptian economy and with it the haughty attitude that kept the Bnei Yisrael enslaved.

Sometimes our marvel of Hashem’s wonders is dulled by the scoffing of the naysayers. They lead us to forget that the same Power behind the minor miracles of life is also the generator of great miracles that we can hardly fathom and surely not anticipate! Even the incomprehensible miracle of life itself is blunted by its ongoing regularity. Our emotions become bored and our intellect spoiled with the majestic events that are considered trite by their regular reoccurrence. And when we fail to see the greatness of genius in the wonderful world in which we live, we expect Hashem to send us a more prominent message. But we must never forget that even the most awe-inspiring message comes from the same Hand and Stick that bring us the simplest benign worms!

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2. The second plague was tzefardaia. Which animal was this?

S P O N S O R E D

נא להתפלל עבור

יהודה בן יענט ~ אלכסנדר דוד בן לאהלרפואה שלמה בקרוב בתוך שאר חולי ישראל

PAR

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AHTHE TRUE TEST OF GREATNESS

Rabbi Yehonoson GefenRabbi for Keter HaTorah

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Shemos, 6:26-27 ”This was Aharon and Moshe to whom HaShem said: ‘Take the Children of Israel out of Egypt according to their legions. They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh, King of Egypt, to take the Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; this was Moshe and Aharon.”

Rashi, Shemos, 6:27 sv. This was Moshe and Aharon: “They were steadfast in their shlichus and in their righteousness from the beginning until the end.”

Rashi quotes a Gemara in Megilla that enumerates verses demonstrating the consistency of great people. Only one other person is mentioned in a similar vein as being steadfast in his righteousness from the beginning until the end; Avraham Avinu.1 Why are these the only people about whom the Torah gives this particular form of praise?

It seems that these three people were, more than anyone else, placed in situations that were so challenging that anyone not on the highest level would have succumbed to the difficulties and not maintained their incredibly high standards of conduct. Avraham Avinu, already at the age of three years old reached greatness in recognising HaShem – from that time on he faced incredible pressure to reject his newfound beliefs in favour of the predominant idolatry. Yet he remained steadfast, willing to give up his own life in the furnace in Ur Kasdim. HaShem continued to test him in areas that conflicted with his incredible sense of kindness, such as expelling his own son Yishmael, and of course the Akeida where he was instructed to kill his beloved son, Yitzchak. In all these tests he could have faltered slightly, wondering why HaShem was telling him to perform a deed that contradicted the beliefs that he had sacrificed so much to uphold.2 Yet he stood firm, maintaining the incredible levels that he reached as a child.

Moshe and Aharon, in their more than forty year long role as saviours of Klal Yisrael also faced many challenges and tests that could easily have caused them to falter, beginning with their initial failed attempt to improve the lot of the Jews in their slavery. It continued with the numerous instances where the Jewish people turned against them, accusing them of bringing them to die in

1 Megilla, 11a. The Gemara also lists a number of reshaim who were ‘consistent’ in their evil; Esav, Dassan and Aviram, Achashverosh and Achaz.

2 Indeed Chazal tell us that the Satan made several attempts to persuade him not to go through with the Akeida.

the desert, and even coming close to killing them on occasion3. Moreover they endured extreme tragedies in the various episodes of the Exodus such as the consequences of the sin of the spies. Yet at no time did they weaken in their determination to fulfill the role that HaShem had forced upon them at the very beginning. Thus, Chazal tell us that they remained as righteous at the end of the long and difficult saga of Yetzias Mitzrayim as they were in the beginning.

Of course we cannot aspire to the level of steadfastness that Avraham, Moshe and Aharon attained in maintaining their spiritual level in the midst of all their challenges, however, their example teaches us a vital lesson. It is praiseworthy for a person to act with good character traits and Emunah when his situation is stable, but the true test of his righteousness is when he is placed in difficult situations – is he then able to keep to his values or does his yetzer hara take over?

Two examples serve to illustrate this point:

The Chazon Ish in his work on Bitachon, suggests a case of a person, let’s call him Reuven who is constantly expressing his Emunah and how everything that he has is from HaShem; he proclaims his recognition that his livelihood emanates purely from HaShem and that there is no need for anxiety. However, when Shimon opens a business that rivals that of Reuven, suddenly, all his Emunah fades away and he worries constantly over the future, he even begins to complain about his new rival, and perhaps plots unethical ways to cause Shimon to close down. Reuven’s Emunah seemed to be strong when everything was going smoothly, but when he was put to the test, he failed to show sufficient Bitachon.4

A second example is offered by the saying of Chazal that the true measure of person is known by how he acts with regard to money, how he behaves when he is inebriated, and - most pertinent here - to how he acts on occasions that arouse anger.5 The fact that he acts calmly most of the time does not indicate that he is a true baal middos.6 His true level is only revealed when he can maintain his composure at times where he is put under great pressure.

We have seen from the examples of Avraham, Moshe and Aharon how true greatness is measured by one’s behaviour in difficult times – may we all aspire to emulate them on our own level.

3 As was the case with Aharon at the sin of the Golden Calf.4 See Emuna and Bitachon of the Chazon Ish, Ch.2, Part 2.5 Eruvin, 65b.6 The term for someone who has sterling character traits.

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3. What famous thing happened from the actions of the tzefardaia?

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3

The makkah of borod (hailstones) appears to be the only one of the plagues where Moshe Rabbeinu gives Pharaoh advice on how to alleviate the effects of this makkah on the Egyptians. The questions must be asked - why? And why with this plague specifically?

The Torah uses the following lashon with regards to the

plague of borod (Shemos 9:20):

פרעה מעבדי ה' דבר את Whoever feared the word of‘) הירא

Hashem among the servants of Pharaoh’) and continues with

Whoever didn’t take heed of the‘) ) ואשר לא שם לבו אל דבר ה

word of Hashem’) - why the change of expression?

The Midrash Rabboh tells us that ‘feared’ refers to Iyov, and

‘take heed’ refers to Bilom. Let us examine exactly what role

Bilom was playing here.

It is interesting to note that when Bilom was journeying to

Bolok, King of Moav, to curse Klal Yisrael he was riding on his

donkey. When his donkey refuses to travel further because

the Malach was blocking his path, Bilom and the donkey have

an incredible conversation; the donkey addresses Bilom in

the following manner – “have I not been your donkey that you

have ridden upon, all of your life (‘meodecho’) until this day?”

It would have made more sense however for the donkey to use

the word ‘my life’ - ‘meodi’ - after all, we know that the mouth

of the donkey was created on Erev Shabbos of the sheishes

yemei Bereishis!

The makah of borod is introduced with the words (9:17) –

you still exalt yourself against‘ – עודך מסתולל בעמי לבלתי שלחם

my people not to let them go’ - the Baal HaTurim says that if

you take the first letters of the first four words of this posuk, it

spells out Bilom. Bilom as one of the advisors to Pharaoh, was

a major force in preventing Klal Yisroel from leaving Egypt –

thus the donkey clearly refers to Bilom with the word ‘odech’.

What exactly does this word ‘odech’ mean? We say in

Tehillim 146 – ‘I praise Hashem in my life, I sing to Hashem

for as long as I exist’

– אהללה ה' בחיי אזמרה לאלקי בעודי

‘Od’ refers to the essence of man, his existence and his

potential.

Bilom did not take the advice given by Moshe Rabbeinu –

he lost all his animals and livestock in the plague of borod.

Therefore this donkey became Biom’s mode of transport after

the makkoh. (Only the mouth of the donkey was created during

the sheishes yemei Bereishis.) This was a pivotal moment for

Bilom - he could have shown himself as a great novi and

advised the Egyptians to keep their animals and servants

enclosed, but no: he continues the fight despite the danger to

his own livestock and servants and despite the fact that the

majority of the makkos have already befallen the Egyptians

causing great suffering. This was Bilom’s ‘odech’ – this was

his essence and what he was all about.

In the Hagaddah, borod is the first of the last group of

plagues as brought down in the form of ‘detzach, adash

v’achav’. The Egyptians have seen most of the makkos already

and they know and recognise the Yad Hashem. They should

not have stood in the way of Klal Yisroel leaving Mitzrayim.

The question is – why did Bilom not take heed?

We learn in Maseches Ovos that one of the characteristics,

middos of Bilom was his haughtiness, his gaavoh. This

characteristic was so powerful that since Moshe was the one

advising Pharaoh, there was no way he was going to agree

and offer support.

Now we can understand the pshat as to why Klal Yisroel

were zocheh to have a great leader in Moshe Rabbeinu, and the

rest of the nations in the form of Bilom. With Moshe and Klal

Yisroel it was a two-way affair – with Bilom and the nations it

clearly was not, and he led them into disaster.

S P O N S O R E DThe London Shiur Guide

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This newsletter contains Divrei Torah and may contain Sheimos - please dispose of accordingly.

MY WEEKLY HALACHIC QUESTION

Rabbi Avi WiesenfeldRosh Kollel, Yerushalayim and Rav at Kav Halachah Beis Horaah H

ALA

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The Order of BerachosThe Midrash relates that through the recitation of berachos, the righteous

constantly recognise Hashem in their lives: “The sinners watch the sun rise from the east and then set in the west, but they do not know Who causes this. In contrast, the righteous recite blessings over everything they eat and drink”.

Reciting berachos is to praise Hashem. The Midrash says, “Hashem created the world so that we should praise Him and bless Him”.

Chazal instituted that when one has different foods, there is an order of preference for which beracha should be made first. This order does not reflect the importance of the food, but rather the importance of the beracha being made.

Q. Is it an absolute obligation to make the berachos according to the order that Chazal ordained?

A. No, but it is a hiddur mitzvah to do so.1 Some poskim rule that it is forbidden to make the berachos in the wrong order.2 Below we show that in certain situations making the berachos in the wrong order may have significant consequences.

Q. Does this halacha apply every time one eats?

A. No. There are certain conditions that one must fulfill for this halacha to apply:

1. One must want to eat both foods now.3

2. Both foods are in front of him now.4

3. This is the normal order of eating these foods.5

Only when all of these three conditions are met is there a mitzvah to recite the appropriate beracha on the first food first. For example:

• If one has a drink and a piece of cake in front of him but wishes only to drink at the moment, he need not make the beracha on the cake before he drinks, even though it is the more important beracha.6 A good example I always use for this is when one breaks his fast; although he has both a piece of cake and a tea in front of him in order to break his fast, he wants the drink first to sooth his dry throat, he may make a beracha on the drink first even though in a normal situation the cake would come first.

• If one is starting his meal with melon and he knows that a mezonos food will be served afterwards, he need not request the mezonos now so that he can make a beracha on it before the melon, since it is currently not in front of him.

• If one is eating ice cream in a cone, he need not bite into the cone first because it is mezonos, as the normal sequence of events calls for one to eat the ice cream before getting to the cone.

1 Mishna Berura 168:1.2 See Shulchan Aruch Harav 249:11.3 Ritvah - hilchos berachos chapter 2:1, Ramo 211:5, Shulchan Aruch Harav 249:4.4 Shulchan Aruch 211:5, magen Avraham 10, Mishnah Berurah 1.5 Shulchan Aruch Harav 249:4, Marsham in Daas Torah 1.6 See Kaf Hachyim 5.

 A similar exception to this halacha is where there is a specific reason why one is eating the food in front of him in this particular order. He may eat them in that order even if it is not the order of preference according to this halacha.

For example, if for health reasons he needs to drink water before partaking of his meal, he may do so even though one of the foods in front of him has a more important beracha. Similarly, after a fast, if one needs to drink before he eats, he may make the beracha on the drink first even though there is cake in front of him that he is also about to eat.

Q. Does this mean that there is also an order to eating? That is, if one makes a beracha on a certain food first, must we eat that food entirely before he eats the next one?

A. No. These halachos apply only to the beracha, not to the eating. Therefore, once one has made the beracha that must be made first and tasted from some of the food, he may now make a beracha on and eat any food he wishes.7

Q. Is there a general rule for priority of berachos which one can follow?

A. Yes. Generally, the more specific the beracha, the higher up the list of precedence it is placed. [“Specific” means that it covers less items, making it a more important beracha]:

• Hamotzi (Bread)

• Mezonos (Cake, Pasta)

• Hagofen (Wine/Grape Juice)

• Ho’eitz/Ho’adama (Fruits & Veg)

• Shahakol (Drinks, Chocolate)

Q. If one has cake and lockshen/noodle kugel in front of him, on which should he make the beracha of mezonos?

A. The mezonos should be made on the cake.8

Q. If one has a food and a drink [which have the same beracha] in front of him, on which one should he make the beracha?

A. Although many poskim write that there is no preference in this case,9 some suggest that one make the beracha on the food item.10

Q. If one has two drinks in front of him and one of them is from the shivas haminim (e.g., real pomegranate juice), upon which should he recite the beracha?

A. He should recite the beracha on the shivas haminim one.11

7 See the Shiurim of Rav Y.S. Elyashiv zt”l on Brachos page 347.8 Ketzos Hashulchan siman 54:6 in accordance with the view of the Shulchan Aruch Harav.9 Ritvah Berachos 41b, Pri Megadim 6. The Marsham writes that this is only true when both are the

same beracha.10 Aruch Hashulchon 17, Hagaon HaRav C. P. Sheinberg Zt”l.11 Heard from Rav Azriel Aurbach Shlita.

ANSWERS 1. If you take the

first two letters of the hebrew name of the parsha, וארא, it has

the gematria of 7 alluding to the first seven plagues that appear in this parsha. The gematria of the Hebrew name of Parshas Bo, .is 3 alluding to the last three plagues that appear in it ,בא

2. The common understanding is that it is frogs. However, Rabbeinu Chananel holds it is crocodiles.

3. The Gemora (Pesochim 53b) learns Chananya, Mishoel and Azarya learnt from the frogs’ actions of jumping into the ovens to be willing to be thrown into the furnace for carrying out the will of Hashem.