Answers to Last Week’s Riddles

Limuday Moshe | December 10, 2025

The Baal HaTurim writes (1:1) that the first pasuk in this week’s parsha hints to the weekly mitzvah of reviewing the Torah portion, as the letters in the word שמות can be expanded to read שנים מקרא ו אחד תרגום - reading the weekly portion twice and the Aramaic translation once. Why did Chazal require a person to read the words of the parsha twice, and the Aramaic translation once?

The Mateh Moshe (464) and Pri Megodim (Mishbetzos Zahav 285:2) explain that the Torah was given and taught to the Jewish people on three occasions: at Mount Sinai, in the Ohel Moed, and when Moshe reviewed it with them in all 70 languages prior to his death (Rashi Devorim 1:5). We read each verse 3 times to correspond to the 3 times that they learned the Torah. Since the first two times they studied in Lashon HaKodesh, we read the verse twice, and since the last time was in translation, we read the third time in Aramaic.
In this week’s parsha we learn how Pharoah instructed the midwives to kill the newborn babies (1:16). The Medrash Rabbah explains that Pharoah instructed the midwives as opposed to doing it himself, to avoid getting punished for the wicked act.

The question is, the Medrash darshens from the pasuk, שופך דם האדם באדם דמו ישפך , that even if one causes the death of a newborn baby via an agent the one who sent him is accountable, as we say by non-Jews, yesh shliach lidvar aveirah, even when it comes to aveiros the one who sent the agent is held accountable. The pasuk means, שופך דם האדם באדם, if one causes blood to be spilt by sending an agent, even still דמו ישפך , the one who sent the agent is accountable and it’s considered as if he himself did the act. If so, what did Pharaoh gain, by non-Jews we say yesh shliach lidvar aveirah?

The Reshash on the Medrash answers, that we only say yesh shliach lidvar aveirah by non-Jews if they get paid, if however, they are doing it free of charge we don’t. The midwives were doing it free of charge, therefore, Pharaoh’s plan made sense.
The Chida (Kisay Dovid, Derush 18) answers that it’s true that by non-Jews we say yesh shliach lidvar aveirah, and Pharaoh which thought otherwise was simply making a mistake.
The Maharsha explains that Pharoah told the midwives to kill the babies before they came out of the mother, as a non-Jew is exempt if he kills a baby before the baby is born. The Gemara learns out from the pasuk שופך דם האדם באדם that a non-Jew is punished for killing a baby before it is born, the Gemara darshens: איזה אדם הויא בתוך האדם זה העוברין – “which person is inside a person, this refers to a baby before it is born”. However, the Medrash learns a different drosha, that we say yesh shliach lidvar aveirah. The Kli Chemda explains, that Pharaoh held that we can’t learn two different things from the same pasuk, either we learn yesh shliach lidvar aveirah or we learn that a non-Jew is forbidden to kill a baby before it’s born. When Pharoah told the midwives to kill the babies before they were born, he was covered as either we learn yesh shliach lidvar aveirah and we don’t learn that a non-Jew is forbidden to kill baby before it’s born or we learn that a non-Jew is forbidden to kill an unborn baby, however, then we won’t learn yesh shliach lidvar aveirah.
Rashi writes (2:1) that when Pharaoh decreed that all Jewish male children should be killed, Amram divorced his wife Yocheved. The Gemara in Berachos (10a) relates that Yeshayahu was sent to visit Chizkiyahu and inform him that he would soon die and forfeit his portion in the World to Come for neglecting to fulfill the mitzvah to have children. Chizkiyahu explained that he had seen through Divine Inspiration that any children he would have would be wicked. Yeshayahu responded that our job is to perform the mitzvos without calculations, and to leave the results to Hashem. Why wasn’t there a similar accusation against Amram for divorcing his wife and refusing to have children for fear that they would be killed?

The M’rafsin Igri gives several answers. First, if Chizkiyahu had wicked sons, he would still fulfill the mitzvah of having children, so he was expected to do so without calculations. In contrast, Amram’s sons would be killed, and he could not fulfill the mitzvah even if he tried. Secondly, unlike Chizkiyahu, Amram already had a son and a daughter – Aharon and Miriam – and had fulfilled the basic obligation to have children and was not required to have more children who would be killed. Finally, before the Torah was given, Amram was not even commanded to have children, in contrast to Chizkiyahu who lived later.
In this week’s parsha we have the incident of Moshe Rabbeinu striking the Egyptian man. The pasuk says, “He saw there was no man, and he hid him in the sand”. The Ramban in Bereishis (37:10) writes: The minhag of hidden murderers is to bury the murdered body in the ground and cover it with earth, like it says in this week’s parsha “he hid him in the sand”. From the Ramban it seems that they don’t bury the murdered body because of the mitzvah of burial, rather they do it to hide any evidence.

The question is, many poskim maintain that there is a chiyuv to bury a non-Jew (see Ramban, Ki Sisa, Shut”t Chavas Yoir 139, Minchas Chinuch 537, and many others). If so, why does the Ramban say that Moshe buried the body to remove evidence, why doesn’t he say he buried the body because of the mitzvah of burial? The Avos kept the Torah before it was given, so presumably Moshe did as well?

The Madanay Asher offers two answers, first he suggests that Moshe Rabbeinu would have ideally buried the body, however, he was in a big rush as he didn’t want anyone to find out, therefore, he quickly covered the body.

The Baal HaTurim writes (1:1) that the first pasuk in this week’s parsha hints to the weekly mitzvah of reviewing the Torah portion, as the letters in the word שמות can be expanded to read שנים מקרא ו אחד תרגום - reading the weekly portion twice and the Aramaic translation once. Why did Chazal require a person to read the words of the parsha twice, and the Aramaic translation once?

The Mateh Moshe (464) and Pri Megodim (Mishbetzos Zahav 285:2) explain that the Torah was given and taught to the Jewish people on three occasions: at Mount Sinai, in the Ohel Moed, and when Moshe reviewed it with them in all 70 languages prior to his death (Rashi Devorim 1:5). We read each verse 3 times to correspond to the 3 times that they learned the Torah. Since the first two times they studied in Lashon HaKodesh, we read the verse twice, and since the last time was in translation, we read the third time in Aramaic.
In this week’s parsha we learn how Pharoah instructed the midwives to kill the newborn babies (1:16). The Medrash Rabbah explains that Pharoah instructed the midwives as opposed to doing it himself, to avoid getting punished for the wicked act.

The question is, the Medrash darshens from the pasuk, שופך דם האדם באדם דמו ישפך , that even if one causes the death of a newborn baby via an agent the one who sent him is accountable, as we say by non-Jews, yesh shliach lidvar aveirah, even when it comes to aveiros the one who sent the agent is held accountable. The pasuk means, שופך דם האדם באדם, if one causes blood to be spilt by sending an agent, even still דמו ישפך , the one who sent the agent is accountable and it’s considered as if he himself did the act. If so, what did Pharaoh gain, by non-Jews we say yesh shliach lidvar aveirah?

The Reshash on the Medrash answers, that we only say yesh shliach lidvar aveirah by non-Jews if they get paid, if however, they are doing it free of charge we don’t. The midwives were doing it free of charge, therefore, Pharaoh’s plan made sense.
The Chida (Kisay Dovid, Derush 18) answers that it’s true that by non-Jews we say yesh shliach lidvar aveirah, and Pharaoh which thought otherwise was simply making a mistake.
The Maharsha explains that Pharoah told the midwives to kill the babies before they came out of the mother, as a non-Jew is exempt if he kills a baby before the baby is born. The Gemara learns out from the pasuk שופך דם האדם באדם that a non-Jew is punished for killing a baby before it is born, the Gemara darshens: איזה אדם הויא בתוך האדם זה העוברין – “which person is inside a person, this refers to a baby before it is born”. However, the Medrash learns a different drosha, that we say yesh shliach lidvar aveirah. The Kli Chemda explains, that Pharaoh held that we can’t learn two different things from the same pasuk, either we learn yesh shliach lidvar aveirah or we learn that a non-Jew is forbidden to kill a baby before it’s born. When Pharoah told the midwives to kill the babies before they were born, he was covered as either we learn yesh shliach lidvar aveirah and we don’t learn that a non-Jew is forbidden to kill baby before it’s born or we learn that a non-Jew is forbidden to kill an unborn baby, however, then we won’t learn yesh shliach lidvar aveirah.
Rashi writes (2:1) that when Pharaoh decreed that all Jewish male children should be killed, Amram divorced his wife Yocheved. The Gemara in Berachos (10a) relates that Yeshayahu was sent to visit Chizkiyahu and inform him that he would soon die and forfeit his portion in the World to Come for neglecting to fulfill the mitzvah to have children. Chizkiyahu explained that he had seen through Divine Inspiration that any children he would have would be wicked. Yeshayahu responded that our job is to perform the mitzvos without calculations, and to leave the results to Hashem. Why wasn’t there a similar accusation against Amram for divorcing his wife and refusing to have children for fear that they would be killed?

The M’rafsin Igri gives several answers. First, if Chizkiyahu had wicked sons, he would still fulfill the mitzvah of having children, so he was expected to do so without calculations. In contrast, Amram’s sons would be killed, and he could not fulfill the mitzvah even if he tried. Secondly, unlike Chizkiyahu, Amram already had a son and a daughter – Aharon and Miriam – and had fulfilled the basic obligation to have children and was not required to have more children who would be killed. Finally, before the Torah was given, Amram was not even commanded to have children, in contrast to Chizkiyahu who lived later.
In this week’s parsha we have the incident of Moshe Rabbeinu striking the Egyptian man. The pasuk says, “He saw there was no man, and he hid him in the sand”. The Ramban in Bereishis (37:10) writes: The minhag of hidden murderers is to bury the murdered body in the ground and cover it with earth, like it says in this week’s parsha “he hid him in the sand”. From the Ramban it seems that they don’t bury the murdered body because of the mitzvah of burial, rather they do it to hide any evidence.

The question is, many poskim maintain that there is a chiyuv to bury a non-Jew (see Ramban, Ki Sisa, Shut”t Chavas Yoir 139, Minchas Chinuch 537, and many others). If so, why does the Ramban say that Moshe buried the body to remove evidence, why doesn’t he say he buried the body because of the mitzvah of burial? The Avos kept the Torah before it was given, so presumably Moshe did as well?

The Madanay Asher offers two answers, first he suggests that Moshe Rabbeinu would have ideally buried the body, however, he was in a big rush as he didn’t want anyone to find out, therefore, he quickly covered the body.

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Limuday Moshe | January 11, 2024