I mentioned in my d'var Torah last week that Moses was criticized by our Sages for allowing himself to be called an "ish mitzri", an Egyptian. Another person referred to as an ish mitzri was the overseer whom Moses killed because he was beating a Hebrew slave. The Midrash says that when Yitro's daughters said that an ish miztri saved them, they were referring to this overseer. It was only because Moses had to flee the land that he was there to rescue them. Therefore, their salvation was ultimately not from Moses, but from this evil overseer! It likens it to a man who was stung by a viper. He goes down to the river to soak his foot. As he is doing so, he hears a drowning person screaming for
Parashat Vayechi 2020/5780 So, I must begin by begging your indulgence. I am compelled to speak on a topic that has weighed heavily on my heart ever since Hanukkah. Hashem has blessed me with this opportunity to speak today and with a parashah that I could tie into my topic, but this will not be your normal Vayechi Dvar Torah. I will not be talking about the deaths of Jacob or Joseph, nor about Jacob’s blessings on the 12 tribes, nor the blessing of Menashe and Ephraim. Instead, I will be talking about what happened after Jacob’s death AND what is happening now. ************************************************************** Be a Light in the Face of Anti-Semitism And Jacob lived (Genesis 47
