The first words of Sefer Shemos begin: “V’eileh Shemos Bnei Yisrael—These are the names of the children of Israel.” The Ba’al HaTurim notes that the letters comprising the words “Ve’eileh Shemos” form an allusion to a powerful promise: if a person is careful with Shnayim Mikra Ve’Echad Targum, reciting the words of the Parsha twice and the Onkeles translation once, he merits long life.
The source is the Gemara in Berachos (8a-b), where Chazal speak about the obligation to complete the weekly Parsha.
But here’s the question.
This exact phrase “Ve’eileh Shemos Bnei Yisrael” already appears earlier in Parshas Vayigash (46:8). And yet, the Ba’al HaTurim is silent there. Only now, in Shemos, does he suddenly attach this remez about Shnayim Mikra. Why is that?
One answer is that the Ba’al HaTurim is sending a message that is not only halachic, but practically relevant.
This is what happens every year. People get busy. Life fills up. Deadlines, pressures, weddings, children, Shabbos preparations, and the voice in a person’s head keeps saying: “Tomorrow. I’ll catch up tomorrow.” Then Shabbos comes, and the plan was: “I’ll wake up early. I’ll learn. I’ll be mavir sedra.”
And halachically too, the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 285:4) discusses catching up, and many note that there is room to complete what was missed up until later in the year, even until Simchas Torah. The yetzer hara loves “all-or-nothing.” But Torah is “start-and-continue.”
R’ Lipa Schechter once related in the name of Reb Chatzkel Levenstein zt”l that a person who is not careful with Shnayim Mikra is either a tipesh (fool) or an apikores (heretic) because he either doesn’t understand what it means that every moment of life is priceless, or he doesn’t take Chazal’s promise seriously.
Because every extra day of life is not just “time.” It’s a chance to study more Torah and perform more mitzvos and grab priceless, precious opportunities.
There was a sofer named R’ Elazar Kempeh, a man who spent his life writing Sifrei Torah, Mezuzos, and Tefillin. Across the course of his life, he wrote fifteen Sifrei Torah. He passed away at the age of 102, and in his final year he was still buying the honor of Chasan Torah during Simchas torah. He once remarked that he was careful with Shnayim Mikra Ve’Echad Targum, and he attributed his longevity to that consistency.
The detail that shook people most was that he passed away the week of Parshas Shemos, and it was said that he was holding a Sefer Torah and was in the middle of Shnayim Mikra when he passed.
Whether or not we can measure reward in this world, one thing is certain.
Chazal promised long life. The Ba’al HaTurim reminded us. And Parshas Shemos tells you: begin again.
And suddenly it’s 8:15, and davening already started, and the whole week got away again.
So the Baalei Mussar give practical advice: don’t leave it for one heroic session. Do it steadily, one aliyah a day for a few minutes. And if you add Rashi, even better. But the point is consistency.
And now we understand why the Ba’al HaTurim highlights it specifically here, in Shemos.
Shemos is a fresh beginning. A person may have missed Vayeishev, missed Miketz, missed Vayigash. Chanukah came, life came, the year moved, and a person can fall into a dangerous mindset: “Forget it. I blew it. If I already missed, I’m out.” So the Ba’al HaTurim turns to you in Shemos and says: Start now. Don’t let yesterday’s failure cancel tomorrow’s growth. Shemos is the beginning of the story again, so begin again.
