In this week’s sedrah, when Hakadosh Baruch Hu speaks to the Am Yisroel and forbids them from eating sherotzim and other non-kosher foods, He concludes the command as follows: You should fulfill My words, םּׁ≈ַ̆ה יƒנֲ‡ יּƒכ – Because I am Hashem, םƒיַר¿ˆƒמ ı∆ר∆‡≈מ ם∆כ¿ ̇∆‡ ה∆לֲﬠַּמַה – Who brought you up from the land of Mitzrayim (Vayikra 11:45).
Now, on its most simple level we understand that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is making that point as a motivation towards gratitude. He’s talking about our liberation from Mitzrayim — the great phenomena that took place and all of the benefits that the nissim of Yetzias Mitzrayim conferred upon us. “In return for what I’ve done for you,” He says, “you should fulfill My words and abstain from eating these forbidden things.”
But the Gemara (Bava Metzia 61b) makes a comment on this possuk that makes a very big difference in the meaning. Our sages took notice of a curious choice of words in the possuk and they derived from it an important lesson. “I am Hashem, ם∆כ¿ ̇∆‡ ה∆לֲﬠַּמַה– Who elevated you from the land of Mitzrayim.” It could have said ָיךƒ ̇‡≈ˆֹהו רׁ∆ֲ̆‡, Who took you out of Mitzrayim. Instead, we find here an unusual word, not used in all the other places where the Torah talks about Yetzias Mitzrayim: “I elevated you from Mitzrayim.” And our Chachomim explain, what was the elevation? That they eat sherotzim and you don’t.
