Parashat BeShalah

5782

Chapter 14; v.30

ל. וַיּוֹשַׁע יְהֹוָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיַּד מִצְרָיִם וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־מִצְרַיִם מֵת עַל־שְׂפַת הַיָּֽם:

30. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore

R. Zusya of Hanipol asked: “We are told in the Torah: ‘And Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the sea shore’ (Exodus 14:30). Why is the word “dead” in the singular form in the Hebrew? Did only one Egyptian die? Weren’t there many Egyptians who drowned in the sea?”

He answered that what died there was the Egyptian culture. When the Israelites stood by the sea and the Divine Presence was revealed to them, they immediately abandoned the Egyptian culture, which was now dead to them.(Rabbi Menachem HaCohen, Passover Hagaddah).

5781

Chapter 15; v.26

וַיֹּאמֶר אִם־שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע לְקוֹל | יְהוָֹה אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְהַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו תַּֽעֲשֶׂה וְהַֽאֲזַנְתָּ לְמִצְוֹתָיו וְשָֽׁמַרְתָּ כָּל־חֻקָּיו כָּל־הַֽמַּֽחֲלָה אֲשֶׁר־שַׂמְתִּי בְמִצְרַיִם לֹֽא־אָשִׂים עָלֶיךָ כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָֹה רֹֽפְאֶֽךָ

And said, If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and will do that which is right in his sight, and will give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord that heals you.

“And do that which is right in His eyes” – this refers to business transactions. This teaches us that he who is honest in his business transactions finds favour in the eyes of his fellow man, and the Torah considers it as though he had fulfilled all of its commandments.(Mechilta,Vayasa 1)

“והישר בעיניו תעשה” – זה משא ומתן. מלמד שכל מי שנושא ונותן באמונה, רוח הבריות נוחה הימנו, ומעלין עליו כאלו קיים את כל התורה כולה.