Parshat Beshalach
Shabbat Shira / Tu B'shevat
15 Shevat 5764

February 7, 2004
Daf Yomi: Chulin 15

Guest Author:
Rabbi Chaim Landau
Associate Member

Young Israel Council of Rabbis

 

"Kol Yisrael Arevim Ze Lo-zeh" (all Jews are responsible for one another) states the well known maxim that has been a pillar of Jewish teaching and action almost from the get go of our national beginnings. But what are the implications of that teaching and how far are our responsibilities stretched because of it?

Parshat Beshalach teaches us in a most beautiful and profound way how we can understand the maxim. The pasuk tells us that the Jewish people exited Egypt as follows: "Va-chamushim alu Benei Yisrael me'eretz mitzrayim" which traditionally is translated as "the Jewish people left Egypt armed...." The Targum Yonason Ben Uziel understands the word "chamushim" to mean literally "five", and so the pasuk is telling us that every one left Egypt with five children. This is confirmed by the fact that in Parshat Bo, once again the same Targum informs us that five children left with each adult.

Now we might raise a question here. For we certainly know that six children were born to each mother when she conceived in Egypt, such was the miracle of birth. So where does the Targum Ben Uziel come up with the number five?

The Targum Yerushalmi understands the word "chamushim" to mean �armed�, and if you therefore want to know with what they went out of Egypt armed to the teeth, he answers "be-avoda tova" - with good deeds. The problem with this manner of interpretation is that previously in Chapter 12, Rashi informs us that the Jewish people were so naked of mitzvot that G-d was forced to give them two mitzvot in Egypt so that they would at least have that as some deserving merit on which to base a reason to leave. The two mitzvot were "milah" and the korban pesach. So, last week, they are so lacking of good deeds that HaShem has to "manufacture" a couple for them to commit themselves to, and now, according to the Targum Yerushalmi they are armed with good deeds. Looking at the two mitzvot, you will notice that they take care of the relationship "bein adam laMokom" but what about the good deeds "bein adam le-chaveiro"?

Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Salant, in his sefer Be'er Yosef, delivers a most incredible response. He directs us to the last comment of Rashi to the word "chamushim" where Rashi interprets it as one-fifth. This refers us to the three days of darkness when four-fifths of the Jewish people died and only one-fifth survived to make the exodus from Egypt. The four-fifths who died must certainly have been the parents, thus leaving their children to be technically orphans. The one fifth who did survive adopted four more sets of children to leave Egypt with, so that no children would be left behind. This was the tremendous "bein adam le-chaveiro" mitzvah the Jewish people had with which they left armed with good deeds. Each family took five sets of children, not just five kids, and can there be any more loving demonstration of "kol yisrael areivim zeh lo-zeh" than this ?

This might also be the reason why the elders of the nearest cities where a corpse was found had to bring a sacrifice, an "eglah arufah", to offer teshuvah for causing the death of this unfortunate individual. Could the elders, ask the Rabbis, possibly be responsible for his death? They respond by insisting that they take upon themselves the responsibility lest the deceased wandered into their town and found no Jewish hospitality being extended to him which might have afforded him protection and thus saved his life. The meaning is clear. Even for a lost soul seeking nourishment and support, every Jew has the responsibility to help.

In a new secular year that sees so much war, killing, and ongoing depressing news, this Parshah affords us the hope we need to guarantee filling up our time and years with the most fulfilling of mitzvot - we are always responsibile for each other, and that responsibility should busy ourselves with so many acts of kindness and chesed which should always define who we are and our purpose as "klal yisrael".

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