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Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's drowning in the sea to taking away his "daughter"? The shiur develops a profound insight from the mitzvah (מצוה) of shiluach hakan: Pharaoh strategically sent away the parents before drowning the children, making it not just murder but also the crime of ripping children from parents. Hashem (ה׳)'s measure-for-measure punishment included taking away Pharaoh's own "children"—the Jewish people he considered his subjects.
Rabbi Zweig delivers a detailed analysis of a complex Midrash Tanchuma on Parshas Beshalach (page 35) that connects Pharaoh's drowning at the splitting of the sea to the mitzvah (מצוה) of shiluach hakan (sending away the mother bird). The Midrash states that Hashem (ה׳) said to Pharaoh: "I wrote in the Torah (תורה) that you should send away the mother and then take the children. But you sent away the fathers and threw the children into the river. Therefore I will throw you into the sea, destroy you, and take your daughter." The shiur begins by addressing a fundamental textual question: Why does the Midrash read "Vayehi beshalach Paroh" as referring to a previous act of sending away, rather than the current Exodus? Rabbi Zweig explains that since the actual Exodus occurred in Parshas Bo, the Midrash understands this phrase as referring to Pharaoh's earlier treatment of the Jewish people—specifically, his decree to drown Jewish children in the Nile.
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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 Beshalach, Midrash Tanchuma
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