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THE WEEKLY SIDRA- SH’MOS
Rabbi Moshe Greebel
As everyone who has studied LaShon HaKodesh knows, five medial letters, those letters in the middle of a word, change form when they are the final letter of a word. The Gemarah in Shabbos 104a lists them as Mem, Nun, Tzadik, Pay (actually Fay), Chuf.
Prior to examining the Gemarah, it is of course, understood that while the Fay can be medial or final (a double letter), the Pay can only be medial. That is, no word in LaShon HaKodesh ends with a Pay. Nonetheless, while only the Fay is truly a double letter, the Fay is a derivative of the base letter Pay. And, for reasons shortly to be seen, the Gemarah will speak of a double Pay, instead of the double Fay. Now, for the Gemarah:
“…..For Rabbi Yirmiya said, and others held it was Rabbi Chiya Ben Abba who said, ‘Mem, Nun, Tzadik, Pay, Chuf (the final letters) were declared by the Watchmen (prophets)…..’ "
It seems that these final letters then, were mandated by the N’vi’im (prophets), who came after the time of Moshe Rabbeinu. But, as the Gemarah continues, this raises a difficulty:
“…..But, is that reasonable? Surely it is written, ‘These are the commandments’ (Vayikra 27:34) (teaching) that a prophet may henceforth (i.e., after Moshe) make no innovations…..!”
Therefore, how could the N’vi’im mandate the final letters? The Gemarah responds:
“…..Rather, they were in existence, but it was not known which were (to be used) medially and which finally, and the Watchmen came and fixed (the mode of their employment)…..”
In other words, the final letters did exist in the time of Moshe, but, there was always a doubt concerning their use. The N’vi’im came along historically, and made rules for their employment. But, this also leads to a difficulty in the Gemarah, because even though the final letters already existed, the N’vi’im made rules for their use after Moshe:
“…..But still, ‘These are the commandments’ (teaches) that a prophet may henceforth make no innovations…..?”
The Gemarah concludes with the following:
“…..Rather, they had forgotten them, and they (the Watchmen) reinstituted them…..”
Basically, the final letters and their grammatical rules did exist in the time of Moshe. However, at some historical point these rules were forgotten, until the Watchmen restored them.
What is truly very fascinating about these five final letters however, is that if we look into the 48th chapter of Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer (Midrash), we will find that these letters signify four past Redemptions, and the future G’ulah Sh’laimah (complete Redemption) of all Yisroel, may it come speedily in our days:
“Rabbi Eliezer would say that the five letters that are doubled (medial and final), have in them the secret of the G’ulah. Avraham Avinu was redeemed from Ur Kasdim with the letter Chuf, as it states, ‘Get yourself out from your country, and from your family, and from your father’s house…..’ " (B’raishis 12:1)
The expression ‘Get yourself out’ in LaShon HaKodesh is ‘Lech L’cha,’ Avraham having been redeemed with the double Chuf letter.
“…..Yitzchak Avinu was redeemed from the P’lishtim with the letter Mem, as it states, ‘…..Go from us; for you are mightier than us…..’ " (ibid. 26:16)
This was said to Yitzchak by Avimelech the king of the P’lishtim. In LaShon Hakodesh the expression ‘than us’ is ‘Mimenu,’ the two consecutive Mem letters (in Hebrew) with which Yitzchak was redeemed.
“…..Ya’akov Avinu was redeemed (from Aisav) with the letter Nun, as it states, ‘Save me, I beseech You, from the hand of my brother…..’ " (ibid. 32:12)
In LaShon Hakodesh the expression ‘Save me, I beseech You’ is ‘Hatzilaini Na,’ the two Nuns (separated by a Yud) indicating the redemption of Ya’akov.
“…..Our ancestors in Egypt were redeemed with the letter Pay, as it is written, ‘…..I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt…..'" (Sh’mos 3:16)
In LaShon HaKodesh the expression ‘I have surely visited you’ is ‘Pakod Pakad’ti’ each word beginning with a Pay. Our ancestors then, were redeemed with the double Pay letter. But, of the five doubled letters, which Redemption is signified by the letter Tzadik? The Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer continues:
“…..In the future, HaKadosh Baruch Hu will redeem Yisroel with the letter Tzadik, by saying to them, ‘I have surely nurtured you’ as it is written, ‘Behold the man whose name is Tzemach (a thing nurtured); and he shall grow up from his place, and he shall build the temple of HaShem…..’ " (Z’charya 6:12)
The words ‘I have surely nurtured you’ in LaShon HaKodesh would be ‘Tzamach Tzamachti,’ each word beginning with a Tzadik, signifying the double Tzadik with which we will eventually be redeemed, quickly in our times. And so, we see that the final letters not only describe the four historical G’ulos (Redemptions) of the past, but also relate to the G’ulah that is yet to come, speedily in our days.
The end of this section of the Pirkei D‘Rabbi Eliezer, which describes the Redemption from Egypt, and, to a great extent is the subject of this week’s Sidra, is very informative:
“…..These (final) letters and their true significance were bestowed only upon Avraham Avinu (by HaShem), who transmitted them to Yiztchak. Yitzchak then transmitted them to Ya’akov, who transmitted them to Yosef, who transmitted them to his brothers. Asher the son of Ya’akov transmitted this secret of the G’ulah to (his daughter) Serach Bas Asher…..”
The Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer now shifts to the time when Moshe came to the B’nai Yisroel in Egypt. At this time, Serach was a very old woman, who survived all twelve sons of Ya’akov:
“…..Now, when Moshe and Aharon came to the elders of Yisroel, and performed the signs (staff into serpent, and Moshe’s hand turning white with the skin affliction Tzoras, and then returning to normal) in front of their eyes, these elders then went to their matriarch Serach Bas Asher, and said to her, ‘A man has come and performed such and such signs before our very eyes!’ She said to them, ‘There is nothing in these signs!’ They then said to her, ‘But, did he not say “I have surely visited you (‘Pakod Pakad’ti’- the two Pay letters)?”’ She then said to them, ‘This is the man who is destined to redeem Yisroel from Egypt…..’ "
Once Serach Bas Asher heard that Moshe used the double Pay letters of the Mem, Nun, Tzadik, Pay, Chuf order, she was convinced the G’ulah from Egypt would take place soon enough.
It is always overwhelming in scope, that no matter how insignificant a Torah concept may seem to human beings, that concept is based on mountains of deep knowledge. When it comes to Torah, nothing is inconsequential. More fortunate than any other nation on earth, we Jews hold in the palm of our hands the most profound and endless repository of wisdom, the Torah. And, while we delve into the endless sea of Torah knowledge and the fulfillment of Mitzvos, we await the coming of that last final double letter, the Tzadik. May it come to us quickly.
May we soon see the G’ulah Sh’laimah in its complete resplendency- and in our times. Good Shabbos.
