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Why did Hashem (ה׳) cure everyone at Sinai and perform so many miracles with the manna? The shiur develops a yesod that Torah (תורה) was given to a people with perfect health and wealth to teach that material comfort is not life's meaning — Torah's goal is to elevate us into genuine purpose, not merely to solve our problems or fill our emptiness.
Rabbi Zweig begins by establishing a foundational principle from the Rambam (רמב"ם): Hashem (ה׳) performs miracles only when they serve a necessary purpose, not merely to demonstrate omnipotence. This principle frames two puzzling phenomena from Parshas Yisro and Beshalach that require explanation. The first phenomenon, cited twice by Rashi (רש"י), is that at Matan Torah (תורה) everyone could literally see the sounds — the Divine words became visible. Rashi derives from this that there was not a single blind, deaf, or mute person at Sinai. This miracle of universal healing is so central to Jewish memory that Jewish hospitals across communities are traditionally named Mount Sinai. But what purpose did this miracle serve?
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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.
Parshas Yisro (Shemos 20:14) and Parshas Beshalach (manna narratives)
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