R' Simcha Bunim Sofer quotes a Midrash (which I haven't found, so pls enlighten me if you can locate it) on Pharoah's question (10:8) to Moshe מִ֥י וָמִ֖י הַהֹלְכִֽים -- why the double מִ֥י וָמִ֖י (see Kli Yakar as well)? The Midrash comments that Pharoah challenged Moshe's request as unreasonable given that in the future Bnei Yisrael will one day say מי יעלה לנו בהר ה׳ ומי יקום במקום קדשׁו
What's the connection?
My chavrusa once prepared a whole shiur on this idea of "Mi yaaleh... u'mi yakum." Ascending the mountain is a great achievement, but even harder than making it to the top is sustaining yourself there. I remember as a teenager in camp that there was someone who went min ha'katzeh el ha'katzeh, what today people call flipping out. This guy gave up all his hobbies, all his outside interests, switched his wardrobe to dress pants and white shirts, and went from a background of next to no exposure to learning to doing nothing but learning. It lasted about a year or two, and then he fell back to his old self just as fast as his meteoric rise. There are a lot of people like that, people who get the mi yaaleh part, but then fail in the mi yakum. It's like people who go on these crash diets for a few weeks and lose a ton of weight, but then turn into a balloon again as soon as the diet is over. There is no mi yakum because they focused on the goal of shedding pounds quickly, but not on developing good eating habits that can make the weight loss sustainable. A person needs to go step by step, to grow gradually and adjust and accommodate to each level before trying to climb higher or it will not last.
This was Pharoah's argument. "Lchu na ha'gevarim," let those who are giborim=koveish es yitzro, those who have shown themselves already to be religiously committed, those who have been on top of the mountain for awhile, leave Egypt to serve G-d. But how can you demand that everyone, even those who, until Moshe started making demands, are no different than their Egyptian counterparts -- halalu ovdei avodah zarah v'halalu ovdei avodah zarah -- pick up suddenly and leave? רְא֕וּ כִּ֥י רָעָ֖ה נֶ֥גֶד פְּנֵיכֶֽם -- they people are still attracted to רָעָ֖ה, their same old ways, their same old lifestyle. Even if they go out and have a chag l'Hashem, it's a one time deal and they will quickly revert back to who they are now. Moshe, you are asking for a מי יעלה without considering מי יקום, and it can't work.
Pharoah indeed had a point, as we see time and again from the rebelliousness of Bnei Yisrael in the midbar. Yetzi'as Mitzrayim was a tremendous opportunity, as Hashem brought us up the ladder in one shot, על כנפי נשׁרים, but at the same time it was a tremendous challenge, as מי יעלה demands מי יקום or it is for naught.
its a midrash pliyah cited in sefer eit david
ReplyDelete* עיר dovid not eit fovid
ReplyDelete-- "Pharoah challenged Moshe's request"
ReplyDeletewhat prompted the challenge? Moshe's 'v'kisah es-ein ha'aretz', 10:5, locusts 'will cover the eye of the earth'. Pharoah thought, 'ah, their heavenly god wants to nullify earth's witness* of "halalu...v'halalu", since it takes two to convict. but I see their sin [their sinful tendency]!!' so he called Moshe back, 'mi vami, Mister Moshe, mi vami?'
*as in Devarim 4:26
-- Tehilim 24:4, n'ki kapayim u'bar leivav, corresponding to the first 'mi' of 24:3. "everyone" in a moment of pure inspiration, 'na'aseh v'nishmah!'*.
asher lo-nasah lashav nafshi v'lo nishba l'mirma (24:4), the second 'mi', the "religiously committed" levi'im, who stood by their guns [swords] at the eigel zahav, true to 'na'aseh'**.
*24:7 (at 24:5, na'arei, the flipped out youth in the camp)
**to be fair, the levi'im had a jump on 'nishmah', having studied up in Mitzrayim...
For a more optimistic ending you should see Rav Lau in his sefer on Avos where Moshe`s response "Biniureinu Uvizkuneinu..... is the counter to the point Pharoah was making. It is also found in Kometz Hamincha, Very uplifting I wrote it up as follows.
ReplyDeleteRav Yisrael Meir Lau (Yachel Yisrael on Avos on the words: "Hevei kal le'rosh") also explains this Midrash but brings out a different lesson, answering more questions along the way. Rav Lau points out that when he was first approached by Moshe and Aharon, Pharaoh had declared (5:2), "Who is Hashem that I should listen to Him?" Since that time, Pharaoh's understanding of Hashem had been radically transformed. For at the end of this perek (v.16), he stated, "I have sinned against Hashem and against you." This recognition of Hashem and His powers came about slowly as the plagues intensified. For example, after the second plague, he acknowledged Hashem's existence (8:4); after the fourth, he told Moshe and Aharon (8:21) to go sacrifice to their G-d; and after the seventh plague, Pharaoh called Hashem a tzaddik (9:27). In addition, his understanding of the Jewish religion had grown and improved. He knew about the mitzvah of Shabbos and the sin of idolatry. Yet this knowledge and awareness led Pharaoh to be skeptical: "Mi va'mi haholchim — Who can possibly go and serve this G-d and keep all His mitzvos? Won't you be trading one type of slavery for another as you take upon yourselves so many new restrictions? Who among you is really up for this? A climb like this, up the mountain of Hashem, takes years of laborious work; do ordinary people have such strength of character and spiritual stamina? And even if successful in gaining the summit, who among you will be able to keep the second part of David's question in Tehillim? Who will be able to stand in the place of His sanctity, and maintain that elevated level?"
In Pharaoh's view, while one may have sprinted to the top, the never-ending challenge of continuing and maintaining such a position is daunting. To continue keeping the Torah and mitzvos with the same devotion, year after year, takes its toll. People get older and weaker; their strength ebbs and fades. What was possible when young and strong becomes overly burdensome when old age sets in.
To this Moshe explained, "From your perspective you are correct, and it would be nearly impossible to live a life of complete devotion and service well into old age. Yet we are different; we have a secret weapon. Bin'areinu u'vizkeineinu neileich.”
From the earliest age, our children are performing mitzvos. At age three, a boy is given tzitzis, and he proudly sports his yarmulke while reciting Krias Shema. He then learns how to make berachos on various foods and washes before he eats bread. He sees his mother lighting the Shabbos candles, hears his father making Kiddush, and learns about muktzeh. And the list goes on. We begin our life with service and devotion, thereby conditioning ourselves to live this way our entire lives. And that is why we are able to continue into old age — at times even pushing ourselves to keep doing the mitzvos even when it is difficult, as this is what we are used to. A person can become so accustomed to doing mitzvos that to live any other way would be untenable. And so, we will walk the same path till the end. As Shlomo HaMelech says in Mishlei (22:6), "Chanoch la’naar al pi darko gam ki yazkin lo yasur mimenah — Train the youth according to his way; even when he grows old, he will not swerve from it." When a person devotes his entire life toward a goal, it will remain with him even as he ages.
Conclusion of Rav Lau. This explains why Moshe was not repeating anything when he said, "With our youngsters and with our elders shall we go," and then added, "with our sons and with our daughters… shall we go." He first answered Pharaoh’s veiled and skeptical question of: "Who can possibly go to serve Hashem and live such a rigorously demanding life? Can you climb mountains and leap tall buildings?" He did this by saying: "Bin'areinu u'vizkeineinu neileich. We start young and are trained and conditioned to go the distance." Next, he answered the more obvious and logistical question of: "Who are the actual people who will be going?" To this Moshe said, "With our sons and with our daughters, with our flock and with our cattle shall we go, because it is a festival of Hashem for us."
ReplyDeleteRav Lau writes that this lesson can be learned by explaining the Mishnah in Avos (3:16), homiletically: "Hevei kal le'rosh." Be quick and nimble about fulfilling the will of the Creator when at the head, the beginning, of your life. "Ve'noach le'sish'chores." Then, toward the end of your life, when you are blackened after all your life's experiences, doing the mitzvos will be easier for you and Hashem will be pleased with your actions.
"Bin'areinu u'vizkeineinu neileich." If we are committed to mitzvos in our youth, that commitment will accompany us always, even when we are already zekeinim. (For another pshat on these words, see Kli Yakar ad loc.)