No community start suggestion yet.
Why was shiluach avadim (sending out slaves) the first mitzvah (מצוה) given to the Jewish people in Egypt, according to the Yerushalmi, when they were still slaves themselves? The shiur develops the idea that victims often become abusers to escape feeling victimized. The mitzvah teaches that true healing from slavery comes not from dominating others, but from empathizing with slaves and treating them properly—transforming the trauma of Egypt into a positive, empowering experience.
The shiur opens with a striking teaching from the Yerushalmi in Rosh Hashanah on the pasuk "Vayedaber Hashem (ה׳) el Moshe ve'el Aharon vayetzavem el bnei Yisrael" in Parshas Vaeira. The Yerushalmi states that "vayetzavem el bnei Yisrael" refers to Hashem commanding Moshe to teach the Jewish people the mitzvah (מצוה) of shiluach avadim—releasing slaves. This presents a fundamental difficulty: the Jewish people were themselves slaves at that moment, none of them owned servants, and the laws of slavery don't take effect until Yovel is observed in Eretz Yisrael. Why would this be the very first mitzvah they received, even before kiddush hachodesh? Rabbi Zweig explains this through a profound psychological insight. There is a well-documented phenomenon that children who were abused often become abusers themselves when they grow up. While psychologists attribute this to the victim internalizing the abuse as normal behavior at a young age, Rabbi Zweig suggests a different mechanism. The real psychology is that anyone who was abused knows how terrible the experience was and feels like a victim. The most common way people escape the victim mindset is by becoming an abuser—because being a perpetrator proves to oneself that one is no longer a victim. Abusing others becomes the person's way of convincing himself he has been cured of his victimhood.
Looking for the full summary?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Dedicate a Shiur in Parsha
L'ilui nishmas a loved one. In honor of a simcha or yahrzeit. As a zechus for a refuah sheleimah. Your dedication helps carry Rabbi Zweig's Torah to learners around the world.
Up Next in this Series
Why does Rashi give conflicting descriptions of Israel's leaders in Egypt? The shiur explores how two different leadership styles emerged: those who pushed people to work harder while taking beatings, versus those who simply absorbed punishment to spare their people. The Torah prioritizes the first type - leaders who accomplish things even when unpopular.
Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Parshas Vaeira - Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe ve'el Aharon vayetzavem el bnei Yisrael
Looking for the full transcript?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Why didn't Noach daven for his generation while Avrohom advocated for Sedom? Noach viewed each person as an independent island responsible only for their own teshuvah. Avrohom understood that all humanity is interconnected through shared perspective and values, making prayer for others both possible and necessary.
