Why does Hashem start Shmot by counting the names of Bnei Yisrael again?
This question comes from Rashi pasuk aleph, his implied question being why did Hashem count Bnei Yisrael again. Rashi has an interesting approach on this, that he counted them again because they are so precious to him, but this led me to a further question: although Hashem wants to show that he loves them, can’t he do that in other ways, because isn’t it just extra for the Torah to repeat all the names? Another question is why are names specifically so important in the Torah?
Why are we counting again? Rashbam says that in pasuk ז it says we grew and multiply. To prove originally They were 70 and at the end they will be so much more. Rashbam doesn’t say that counting again is about love, rather its emphasis on how originally Pharoh killed them off because they were growing, but now it shows Hashem is in control and we will win because we multiply despite Pharos actions.
ReplyDeleteI really like this idea because Rashi just says that Hashem counts them again because he loves them, but like Jesse asked can’t Hashem show that in other ways. This idea really proves that it was necessary to count again for hope and realization that Hashem is in control NOT pharoh!
The Lubavitcher rebbe has a beautiful commentary on names. He points out that every start has a point in partnership with something in common. All stars are equal . This is expressed in the starts number. This is because you can only count similar how things together. He also points out that starts all have their own name and this separates them from all other stars and Hashem loves them. The counting Israel by their names signifies a special kind of love for thier individuality. When he counts them by number it shows they are all unified and when it’s by name it adds that they are all individuals. This is why names are important as well as why Hashem counts them. I really like this because it shows how in the eyes of Hashem we are not all the same but looked at as individual humans each with our own journey and to me that is very special. Sometimes it’s easy thing to think that Hashem doesn’t think of us by ourselves but this just proves that it could be the whole world that G_d is looking at and we will still be special
ReplyDeleteויקרא רבה (וילנא) פרשת אמור פרשה לב: There are the 4 reasons why we were freed from Egypt: 1. We didn’t change our language. 2. We didn’t say לשון הרע ever. 3. We didn’t have inappropriate interactions with Egyptians. 4. We didn’t change our names. So by repeating their names at the beginning of the parsha, Hashem is showing us that we kept our promise not to change our names, and therefore we will then be brought out of mitzrayim later on.
ReplyDeleteI liked this answer a lot because as we know, what we as Jews had to go through in mitzrayim was not easy and Paroah made sure of that. We are enslaved and put under extreme conditions, and even have to throw our babies away. However seeing the names repeated at the beginning of the story, allows for us to have hope and remember that even though times will get tough, Hashem will keep him promise and take us out of mitzrayim, just like we kept our promise and kept our names.
Why are names so important in the Torah? Rabbi Wein gives a beautiful answer to this question. We see that the Torah repeats the Jew’s names who went down to מצרים again at the beginning of Sefer Shmot and we see the idea of counting Bnei Yisrael many times throughout the Torah. This is because the Torah wants to stress the importance of an individuals name in Jewish life and tradition. Each of the twelve tribes were given unique names that each represent loyalty to Hashem and to Jewish greatness. The fact that the Jews held on to their names, while enslaved in מצרים , shows that they valued their heritage, traditions and fate for the future. This kept their hope for redemption alive and the idea that as long as they held on to their Jewish names, they were part of the Jewish nation. This is why there is such emphasis on naming a Jewish baby. Expecting parents think long and hard about the name of their baby because the name chosen represents the baby’s Jewish identity, ties to their Jewish heritage, and the hope for their Jewish success in life. Therefore, before the Torah recounts Bnei Yisrael’s experience in מצרים, the Torah starts by giving us an understanding of survival as a Jewish nation, though our unique, symbolic names. After all, one of the reasons given for why hashem took us out of מצרים was because Bnei Yisrael kept their names, along with other Jewish traditions.
ReplyDeleterving Bunim, of blessed memory, would tell a story about a brit milah that he attended. When the rabbi asked the father for the name of the boy, the father responded: “Avraham, Yitzchok, Yakov, David, Shlomo, Yosef.” The rabbi was astounded and asked the father: “why such a string of names?” The father replied: “Rabbi, I am a poor man so the child won’t have much of an inheritance. If he looks like my side of the family, he is not going to be too handsome. If he resembles my wife’s side of the family he probably won’t be that smart either. So, I decided, let him at least have a good name!”
DeleteThe Nitziv brings a really interesting commentary on the beginning of Shemot. He considers Shemot as not just the second sefer in tanach, but a continuation, or Part II, to Sefer Bereishit. He gets this from the Bahag, who refers to Shemot as “Sefer HaSheini”, as opposed to its normal name “Sefer HaGeula”. In a way, Shemot really is about starting up the world as well, focusing on creating the bond with Hashem through Torah and Mikdash. While Bereishit is the physical beginning, Shemot is the spiritual.
ReplyDeleteI really love this idea because it kind of brings the Torah full circle for me. In general I think it’s confusing why the Torah includes random stories, from certain time periods, then skips over a bunch of years and gives another story. The NItziv here really clarifies that these stories were the big steps that Bnei Yisrael took to connect with Hashem, and the world was established on these stories in particular.I really think this is a fitting way to look at the Torah, as a timeline of the startup of the world, both physically and spiritually.
Maytal Kessler:
ReplyDeleteNames are very important in the Torah as seen through many different מפרשים. The ויקרא רבה explained how יוסף was considered on the list of people who listened to Hashem and did not change their name, but we know that יוסף did change his name while he was down in Mitzrayim, so how can the ויקרא רבה say this. While the ויקרא רבה does answer this I found Rabbi Weiss’s answer also very enlightening. He explains how you would only be on the list of someone who changed their name if you did it to so that no one would know that you are Jewish, but יוסף didn’t. He still wanted to keep his Jewish identity and although his name help bring out this identity he probably needed to change his name for the convenience of the people in mitzrayim. I think this is a wonderful message to all of us because it shows how important our names our in correlation to our identities.