RABBI YAKOV YOSEF SCHECHTER
“And these are the names of the B’nei Yisroel who were coming to Mitzrayim; with Yaakov each man and his household came.”
Why does sefer שמות start with “ואלה”, “and these”? What is the “and” connecting? On Shabbos, parshas שמות we lain the haftorah Yeshaya 27:6 “הבאים ישרש יעקב” – “Days are coming when Yaakov will take root.” The reason that we lain this haftorah is because the haftorah is like the “הבאים” of Parshas שמות. What are we to learn from the connection of “הבאים”?
Mishlei 14:15 “פתי יאמין לכל דבר”- The literal translation is, “A fool believes everything”. The Midrash says a “פתי” is a “נער”, a youth. The Midrash continues:- R’ Yehoshua Hakohen Bar Nechemiah tells us about the first time that Hashem wanted to reveal Himself to Moshe – Hakodosh Boruch Hu said, if I reveal Myself in a loud voice, I will scare Moshe. If I reveal Myself in a low voice, Moshe will not hear it and will pass by. Therefore, Hakodosh Boruch Hu revealed Himself using the voice of Moshe’s father. Moshe responded, “What does my father request of me?” Hakodosh Boruch Hu responded, “I am not your father; rather I am the G-d of your father”. What is the connection between “פתי” that the Midrash quotes and the incident about how Hakodosh Boruch Hu revealed Himself to Moshe for the first time?
A “נער” is called “פתי” from a lashon of pitui (easily convinced). Children generally accept and believe everything that their fathers and mothers tell them. Although in life it is not good to be a פתי, in avodas Hashem it is proper to be a פתי. The first step in emunah in Hakodosh Boruch Hu is when one is a child. The child is mekabel emunah in the Ribbono Shel Olam from his parents. This is the foundation of building a proper emunah, and attaining the highest levels of Emunah. The yesod of emunah is “שהשריש בו אביו בהיותו פתי” – “That which takes root from the father when one is yet a פתי”. The very first time that the Ribbono Shel Olam called out to Moshe was in the voice of Moshe’s father, to teach us the importance of our shoresh. (מעין בית השואבה)
The ואלה, “And these”, connects Klal Yisroel to their shoroshim, their roots. Sefer Bereishis goes to great lengths to delineate our roots. Sefer שמות is about Klal Yisroel surviving in Golus, specifically golus Mitzrayim. We must remember our shoroshim, our roots. We have a mesorah going all the way back to the avos hakdoshim. “ואלה שמות, and these are the names”. לא שינו את שמם - Klal Yisroel had a great zechus in that they did not change their names. Our Jewish names help us stay connected to the previous generations. The posuk says, “הבאים”, who were coming. They were not settled in the tumah of Mitzrayim; they were still coming. The key to survival in golus is to keep in mind our shoroshim. Our emunah in the Borei Olam comes from our shoroshim. We must always stay connected to our shoroshim.
