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Why did Hashem (ה׳) wait three months after the Exodus to give the Torah (תורה)? The Midrash says He delayed until Klal Yisrael was physically and emotionally healed. The shiur argues that Torah is not a remedy for the downtrodden—it is our commitment to Hashem's kingship. Kabbalas HaTorah requires healthy people making a real act of "hamlacha," giving kavod to Hashem's malchus, not slaves serving an owner.
Rabbi Zweig addresses a fundamental question about the timing of Matan Torah (תורה): why did the Ribbono Shel Olam wait three months after Yetzias Mitzrayim to give the Torah at Har Sinai? The Midrash Tanchuma explains that Hashem (ה׳) delayed because Klal Yisrael had suffered greatly in Egypt and needed time to recover. The Midrash illustrates this with a mashal of a king whose son falls ill; the tutor wants the child to resume studies immediately, but the king insists on waiting until the child has fully regained his health. The shiur explores what deeper insight Chazal are conveying. On the surface, the question seems perplexing: if Klal Yisrael was too sick to learn, they would naturally be exempt from Talmud (תלמוד) Torah. And if they were well enough, the Rambam (רמב"ם) rules that even a baal yesurim (one suffering) is obligated in learning Torah—so why delay? Rabbi Zweig proposes that the answer reveals a profound misunderstanding about the purpose of Torah itself.
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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.
Shemos 20:2 (Parshas Yisro, Aseres HaDibros)
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