Parasha Shemot

AN OFFER YOU CAN’T REFUSE 

 “And there arose a new king over Egypt” (1:8) 

Rabbi Leib Chasman was the mashgiach (spiritual men- tor) of the Chevron Yeshiva in the 1930s. The Yeshiva was faced with a certain problem and it was decided that the issue should be decided in a general meeting of all the rabbis. One of the speakers, a venerable man in his late eighties, rose to the podium. His advanced years and fragility necessitated the help of two of the younger rabbis. Finally, he cleared his throat and began to speak. “My esteemed and honored colleagues — hear my words! My body is weak and old. The natural desires of youth no longer affect my judg- ment. Nothing clouds my judgment any longer. All life’s temptations have no taste for me anymore. Hear my words and be guided by me!” Rabbi Chasman jumped to his feet and pounded the table. “Not true. All desires may wane with age except one, and that gets stronger and stronger — the attraction to status and honor.” Our internal negative impulse is an opportunist. It’s always looking for an opening. When one door closes on it, it pushes even harder to get in the other. “And there arose a new king over Egypt” The people of Egypt came to Pharaoh after Yosef’s death to organize themselves against the Jews. Pharaoh wouldn’t hear of it. “We only live because of them. How can we turn on them?” Their reaction was to depose Pharaoh. He became a mere commoner, no longer enjoying the position of king and the honor that goes with it. After cooling his heels for three months, he suddenly saw the light, did a 180 about-face, and embraced the will of the people. Thus the Torah writes, “And there arose” meaning that the former Pharaoh “arose” from his deposed position. Such is the power of status. Our deepest convictions can be held to ransom by an offer we can’t refuse. • Sources: Da’at Zekeinim miba’alei Hatosefot; 

Rabbi Mordechai Perlman 

BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY BY RABBI YIRMIYAHU ULLMAN 

 From: Harrison Dear Rabbi, My wife and I are not observant but we are traditional Jewish. We have been married several years and never intended to have children — we both consider it too much of a burden. Lately we have encountered a lot of criticism for this from a Jewish point of view. We’ve agreed to hear various opinions on the matter. May I ask what yours would be? Thanks. Dear Harrison, In addressing your question to an Orthodox rabbi you clearly understand that my position will be the position of the Torah, namely that it is a mitzvah to be fruitful and mul- tiply. Barring serious health concerns or other extreme excep- tions, the anticipation of children being a burden is no justi- fication for not raising a family, and the fact that this mitzvah is the first commandment of the Torah stresses the personal responsibility one has to perpetuate humanity in general, and the Jewish People in particular. The Talmud (Berachot 10a) elaborates on an incident in Tanach where G-d sends the prophet Isaiah to the righteous king Hezekiah with the message, “You’re going to die and you’re not going to live”. Alarmed, the king asks for an expla- nation, also questioning the redundancy of dying and not liv- ing. The prophet responded that the decree had been issued by G-d since the king refused to get married and have chil- dren, for which he was to be punished by dying in this world and being barred from life in the World-to-Come. Even though the king’s reasoning was sound, for he saw through Divine inspiration that his children would be wicked, and as sons of the king they would one day rule Israel and could thereby cause great harm to the Jewish People, obviously G-d thought he was “dead wrong”. Ultimately, the king repented, was granted life and mar- ried the prophet’s daughter, with whom he had children. The children did in fact turn out to be wicked as prophesied, and as part of the Divine plan, but the king at least did what was incumbent upon him and received life. If G-d takes the mitzvah of having children so seriously, even despite the very justifiable reason of wanting to avoid having wicked children rule over Israel, certainly He does not favor avoiding having children because of the natural burden all parents have, particularly when it’s reasonable to hope that any children you would have will be good people and good Jews. In addition to the great mitzvah of having children, there are so many joys and so much love that far outweigh any burden of raising them. So many people either don’t get married or refrain from having children for reasons similar to yours, and believe me, their lives are no easier or fulfilling. On the contrary, unfortunately, by the time they realize how much they’ve forfeited or lost, it’s often too late. For this reason many remain single or childless for the rest of their lives, living with a void of loneliness and regret. And after they die, it’s all over for them, since they lacked fore- sight by considering it too much of a burden to impart life into children who would continue to impart life to their par- ents in this world and the next. Perhaps these thoughts add extra meaning to G-d’s warn- ing to the king that by not having children he would die in this world and have no life in the next: Intentionally refrain- ing from marriage and bestowing life ultimately causes emptiness in life, which is akin to death, and simultaneously aborts perpetuating life after one’s death.