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Why does Rashi (רש"י) say a dog is more honored than a non-Jew? The shiur develops a profound yesod: a kafui tov—one who takes without giving—is spiritually dead. The rejection of Torah (תורה) at Sinai transformed the nations into takers who sever connection with Hashem (ה׳) and community, creating an internal death worse than being abused.
This shiur explores a startling Rashi (רש"י) in Parshas Mishpatim on the pasuk "le-kelev tashlichun oso" (throw the treifah to the dog). Rashi states that the Torah (תורה) is teaching us that a dog is more honored (nichbad) than a non-Jew. The Torah permits giving neveilah to a non-Jew but reserves treifah—a higher-quality forbidden food—for dogs. Since treifah is superior to neveilah, and the dog receives the better portion while the non-Jew receives the lesser, the dog must be more honored. Rabbi Zweig begins by examining the contradiction regarding the term "rei'eihu" (friend/neighbor). The Gemara (גמרא) derives from "shor rei'eihu" that certain laws apply only to a Jew's ox, not a non-Jew's, because a non-Jew is not called "rei'eihu." Yet multiple pesukim—including Yisro being called Moshe's "rei'eihu" and the Egyptians being called "rei'eihu" of Klal Yisrael—seem to contradict this, showing that non-Jews are indeed called "rei'eihu." How can this be reconciled?
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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.
Mishpatim 22:30, Bo 11:2, Re'eh 14:21
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