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Why were Jewish women central to the Egyptian redemption—building instruments in slavery, protecting Moshe, refusing Pharaoh's decree? The shiur develops a yesod that women operate through connection rather than logic: they feel anchored to Hashem (ה׳)'s presence and instinctively carry out His redemptive agenda. Redemption is orchestrated by Hashem, and women's heightened sensitivity to spiritual connection made them its natural agents.
This shiur examines why the Torah (תורה) attributes the redemption from Egypt to the merit of righteous women—a theme woven throughout the opening of Parshas Shemos. The midwives Shifrah and Puah (Yocheved and Miriam) refuse Pharaoh's decree to kill male fetuses, Miriam safeguards baby Moshe in the Nile, Pharaoh's daughter rescues him, and the women prepare musical instruments in slavery, confident in future redemption. Rabbi Zweig asks: what connects women so uniquely to the theme of geulah? He begins with a halachic difficulty. The Gemara (גמרא) teaches that one must allow oneself to be killed rather than kill another person. Yet the midwives are praised for their "fear of God" in refusing to kill fetuses—something every human being is obligated to do. Rabbi Zweig suggests that while killing a born person is a capital offense, killing a fetus is prohibited but not capital. Therefore, when threatened with death, one may kill a fetus to save one's own life. By this standard, the midwives were legally entitled to comply with Pharaoh's decree, yet they refused—and were rewarded with the eternal institutions of Kehunah, Leviim, and Malchus Yisrael.
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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 1-2 (midwives, birth of Moses)
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