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How can we derive the halacha (הלכה) that a goy who hits a Jew is chayav misah from Moshe killing the Egyptian, when the Egyptian was also an adulterer? The shiur establishes that we study the Torah (תורה)'s written account—not historical events—and derive halacha from what the Torah records. The Torah's narrative presents only the beating, making that the basis for the halachic consequence.
Rabbi Zweig addresses a fundamental question in how we derive halacha (הלכה) from Torah (תורה) narratives. The Gemara (גמרא) learns from the story of Moshe killing the Egyptian that a goy who strikes a Jew is chayav misah (deserving of death penalty). The Rambam (רמב"ם) specifies this is misah b'dinei Shamayim (death at the hands of Heaven), not a human court execution. Rashi (רש"י) adds that Moshe invoked the Shem HaMeforash (Divine Name), and Hashem (ה׳) carried out the execution. The central question arises from the fact that Rashi identifies this Egyptian as someone who committed adultery with Shelomis bas Divri. If the Egyptian deserved death for adultery, how can we derive a general halachic principle that a non-Jew is liable for hitting a Jew? Perhaps he died specifically because of the adultery, not the assault.
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Shemos 2:11-12 (Moshe killing the Egyptian)
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