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Why did Bnei Yisrael suddenly cry out after enduring slavery for over a century? The shiur develops the distinction between being an eved to a melech (servant to a king) and an eved la'avadim (slave to slaves). When Pharaoh "died" (became a metzorah), the Jews lost their status as royal servants and descended into servitude to ordinary Egyptians—reducing them from matter capable of receiving a tzurah (form) to mere raw material, threatening their capacity ever to become avdei Hashem (ה׳).
This shiur provides a deep reading of Shemos 2:23-25, analyzing the pesukim that describe the dramatic shift in the status of Bnei Yisrael's enslavement. Rabbi Zweig begins by noting several textual difficulties: Why does the Torah (תורה) date these events according to the "many days" that Moshe was in Midyan, seemingly making Moshe's personal timeline more important than the national story? Why does Rashi (רש"י) say Pharaoh became a metzorah rather than literally dying? What changed that suddenly prompted Bnei Yisrael to cry out after enduring slavery for well over a century? The pesukim also contain apparent redundancies—why the progression from sighing (vayei'anchu) to crying out (vayiz'aku) to their cries ascending (vata'al shav'atam)? And why the repetition of "Elokim" four or five times in just three pesukim? The shiur's central insight revolves around a fundamental distinction in the nature of servitude. Rabbi Zweig draws on a Rashi in Parashas Yisro on the words "mibeis avadim" (from the house of bondage). Rashi explains that Hashem (ה׳) is emphasizing that He took us out from being servants to Pharaoh specifically—avadim lamelech hayu v'lo avadim la'avadim—we were servants to the king, not servants to servants. This distinction, seemingly technical, actually represents a profound philosophical divide.
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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 2:23-25
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