ISSUE 1574
ב"ה
United We Stand The First Tisha B’Av
MIDEI CHODESH Faculty, OU Is Rabbi Shmuel Goldin Emerit Page 20B'CHODSHO Rabbi Torah, Englew
AUGUST 3RD 2024 ▪ כ״ח תמוז תשפ"ד
מסעי-פרשת מטות PARSHAT MATOT-MASEI Avot Chapter 2 | Shabbat Mevarchim
ב׳:במדבר ל״ד
Special Speech
BY RABBI
Shira Smiles Is ThisRebbetzin Page 30 Any Way to Introduce a Hero? With the month of Nissan upon us, we return to the story of our nation’s birth, as Moshe rises to leadership and the exodus again unfolds. Moshe’s yearly introduction in the text, however, is cause for pause. For some reason, the Torah chooses to introduce the birth of the greatest leader we have ever knownin the most innocuous way possible. “And a man went from the House of Levi and he took a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived and gave birth to a son.” Questions abound: Why does the Torah depart from its usual mode of describing an individual’s birth? What does the seemingly superfluous phrase “and a man went…” indicate? Why does the Torah omit any mention of Moshe’s lineage- to the point where even the names of his parents are deliberately omitted? Above all, is this any way to introduce a hero? Compounding these questions is the fact that the omitted information concerning Moshe’s lineage is ultimately included in the
Parsha that follows given at that partic of another article). If the information eage is eventually s the first place? Numerous comm sues before us… Working within Ibn Ezra suggests th birth, the Israelite Egypt. Through th went,” the Torah is Amram “went” from other in order to m Perhaps the Ibn E that Yosef’s plan fo Egypt has, by this p inally meant to re Egyptians in the la ites are assimilating The Ramban, how Ibn Ezra’s interpret rah would have no cerning a journey ta city to another. Instead, maintai lalachet, “to go,” i when a new and be taken. By statin man went,” the T ram’s courageous spite of Pharaoh’s The Ramban’s a
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