Shemos

In this week's Parsha, we are told that the Jewish People heeded the request of Moshe to procure the silver, gold and fine garments of their Egyptian acquaintances (Bo, 12:35). The Baal Haturim comments (Shmos 3:22) that in regard to the silver and gold, the Jewish People took all they could, but in regard to the clothing, each Jew only took two garments. One garment was used to wrap up the leftover matzah and marror upon leaving Egypt, while the other garment was indeed used by the Jewish People as clothing. The question arises, doesn't the Pesikta (Shmos 6:6) tell us that the Jewish People refused to change their style of dress and proudly clung to their ethnic clothing. How then could they have worn the clothing given to them by their Egyptian acquaintances? Allow me to present three possible solutions.

HaRav Matisyahu Solomon, esteemed Mashgiach of Bais Medrash Govoha, Lakewood, N.J. suggested the following. The clothing worn in those days was similar to long sheets wrapped around the body. The Egyptians had their unique way of "wrapping" i.e. wearing their clothing and the Jews "wrapped" in their cultural ethnic style. Therefore, there was no objection to "wearing the fine garments taken from the Egyptians", for the Jews made sure to "wear" them i.e. wrap them in
their own way.

HaRav Matis Blum, author of Torah L'Daas, offers an original idea. Contrary to what most commentaries believe, the Jewish People wore the exact same clothing as the Egyptians. There was, however, one major difference. Our Chachamim tell us that the Egyptians were a morally corrupt people and were compared to horses in their sexual mores. To encourage their licentious lifestyle, the men and women freely interchanged their clothing in order to break down any barriers or divisions between the sexes. The praise of the Jewish People was that they didn't "exchange their clothing". Men only wore men's clothing and women only wore feminine attire in order to clearly delineate the separation between the sexes. Therefore, the clothing they received from the Egyptians presented no difficulty for the Jewish People, as they made sure to
wear them appropriately.

I would like to suggest a third possibility. Indeed, there were two separate and unique attire, one worn by Jews and the other by Egyptians. The reason the Jewish People refused to wear Egyptian clothing was out of fear of identifying with the Egyptian lifestyle and value system. This was only a concern while they were living in Egypt among the Goyim. However, once they were emancipated and left Egypt, Egyptian clothing no longer presented a problem. To the contrary, the Baal Haturim points out that the Almighty miraculously preserved these Egyptian clothing for their 40-year sojourn in the desert, making this the only attire they wore the entire time. The question we must address is, "Why did the Almighty want the 'Dor Da'ah', the generation which possessed the epitome of wisdom, to be clad in Egyptian clothing? I believe this highlights a fundamental human weakness. By nature, we tend to forget the moments we have been touched by Hashem's loving providence. Sometimes we even lapse into convenient denial, for gratitude toward Hashem demands obligation and commitment. Hashem, therefore, wanted the Generation of the Desert to constantly remember that they were redeemed from bondage. He wanted to ensure that they would never forget that they had been slaves in Egypt. Wearing Egyptian clothing for their sojourn in the desert was the perfect way of reminding them of their past and of their debt of gratitude toward Hashem. We clearly see how important it is for us to devise ways not to forget Hashem's loving-kindness and to remember all the blessings we have received. Perhaps this is what the Holy Baal Shem Tov meant when he said, "In remembering, lies the secret of redemption".

We are fortunate to have with us this Shabbos, HaRav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler Shlita, the esteemed Rosh HaYeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha. HaRav Kotler is continuing the tradition of his illustrious father, HaGaon HaRav Schneur Kotler zt”l, and grandfather, HaGaon HaRav Aaron Kotler zt”l, as a builder of Torah and a guiding light for the Jewish People. May Hashem continue to give him the strength to bring Beth Medrash Govoha to even greater heights.

In this week's Parsha, Hashem asks Moshe to prevail upon the Jewish People to borrow valuables from their Egyptian neighbors. The usage of the term "Re'ehu" "their Egyptian fellows", however, is quite puzzling. The Gemara in Baba Kama 37b exempts a Jew from paying compensation for damage done by his ox to a gentile's ox because the Torah specifies your fellow ox, and not the ox of a gentile. How then can the term "Re'ehu" refer to their pagan Egyptian neighbors?

The Malbim suggests that Hashem anticipated the reluctance of the Egyptians to trust the very slaves they oppressed with their precious valuables and therefore told Moshe to devise the following scheme. Moshe encouraged the Jews to lend each other expensive gold and silver vessels. As a result, the Egyptians would see the Jews could be trusted and would easily agree to lend their precious belongings. Thus, the word "Re'ehu" does not refer to the Egyptians but rather, their Jewish fellows. This, suggests the Malbim, is the meaning of the pasuk, "Please speak in the ears of the people", i.e. in order for the scheme to be successful, all must be discreet about the true purpose of the Jews' sudden benevolence to each other. (This was the original pyramid scheme!)

The Gaon of Vilna has a more noble interpretation of the Jews' kindness. Moshe encouraged the Jews to perform sincere, altruistic acts of good will toward each other in order to evoke favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. This was not a deceptive scheme but rather a basic lesson in the principles of effective human relationships. In order to promote kindness on the part of others, one must first demonstrate kindness oneself - "the world is built on kindness" (Tehillim 89:3). The world, i.e. healthy social behavior is promoted in an atmosphere of kindness not coercion and pressure. The only way to ensure that the Egyptians would lend their gold and silver was for the Jews to sincerely perform acts of kindness with each other. This, suggests the Vilna Gaon, is the meaning of the pasuk, "and Bnei Yisroel did as Moshe instructed" (Bo 12:35). Why doesn't the pasuk say that the Jews performed the will of Hashem? Rashi points out that the instruction they were carrying out in this reference was to borrow from each other, which was Moshe's suggestion. This precipitated the borrowing from the Egyptians, which was the ultimate desire of Hashem.

In the final analysis, we are only in control of ourselves, not others. However, "water will reflect the countenance presented to it" (Mishlei 27:19). If we take the first step in extending patience, tolerance, and understanding towards others, we will successfully inspire this behavior in return.