Mishpatim #3- Follow the Leader?

In parshat Mishpatim in Perek 23 Pasuk 2, it says “לֹא־תִֽהְיֶ֥ה אַֽחֲרֵֽי־רַבִּ֖ים לְרָעֹ֑ת” which means that we should not follow after the majority of the majority is doing evil. What does this mean? One of Rashis answers is that you should not be one who says, “since they are doing evil, I too will follow them”, meaning we should each be our own person and be strong enough to refrain from following the crowd’s wrongdoings.

What other Mefarshim interpret this phrase differently? What other times in Tanach do we see cases where the majority is doing something wrong, but some or a group of people remain strong? What important lessons can be learned from this?

Mishpatim #2- And These

21:1 וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר תָּשִׂ֖ים לִפְנֵיהֶֽם׃

In משפטין we start of by saying that “these are the rules that you shall set before them. Rashi answers the question of why it starts off with ״ואלה״ as if it was adding on. He answers that  Wherever אלה, these, is used it cuts off the section beforehand from what it’s introducing now. However when the Torah writes ״ואלה״ and these it is used to add something to the previous subject. So here too this topic adds to the previous subject because both of those subject are on rules that were given at Har Sinai.

Question:

1)What other reason does it start with “ואלה?

2) where else does this rule apply to “ואלה״?

3)where else does it day ״ואלה״?

Mishpatim #1- Strangers

22:20  ְגֵ֥ר לֹא־תוֹנֶ֖ה וְלֹ֣א תִלְחָצֶ֑נּוּ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם״ ”- You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Why does it specify that we were strangers in the land of Egypt shouldn’t we not be mean anyway and not oppress the stranger/ גר?

Rashban explains that when it says we shouldn’t oppress a גר because we too were strangers it is to remind ourselves that we should know how it feels to be treated poorly and that we know how bad it feels so we shouldn’t treat others like that. It’s also to remind us that Hashem took us out and saved us and punished the Egyptians

when we cried out to Hashem. Hashem listens to the tears of those in need so he will listen to the גרים if we oppress them.

Why does this come after talking about converts serving 2 gods? Is there a deeper meaning to this? What does it mean לא תונה?

Vaera #3- Hard Heart

The passuk says “וַאֲנִ֥י אַקְשֶׁ֖ה אֶת־לֵ֣ב פַּרְעֹ֑ה וְהִרְבֵּיתִ֧י אֶת־אֹתֹתַ֛י וְאֶת־מוֹפְתַ֖י בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃

But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that I may multiply My signs and marvels in the land of Egypt.”.

What does it mean to harden someone heart? Why did Hashem harden Pharoh’s heart? Where else in the Torah do we see that someone’s heart is hardened? If Hashem hardened Pharaoh’s heart why was he punished if Hashem made him do this bad deed? 

Rashi says that Pharaoh is such a bad person and repeatedly went against Hashem that he deserves for his heart to be hardened and therefore he would have an even greater amount punishments against him in order to show Hashem’s power.

What other answers can you bring?

Va'era #2- Why Aharon?

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֱמֹ֣ר אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֡ן קַ֣ח מַטְּךָ֣ וּנְטֵֽה־יָדְךָ֩ עַל־מֵימֵ֨י מִצְרַ֜יִם עַֽל־נַהֲרֹתָ֣ם ׀ עַל־יְאֹרֵיהֶ֣ם וְעַל־אַגְמֵיהֶ֗ם וְעַ֛ל כָּל־מִקְוֵ֥ה מֵימֵיהֶ֖ם וְיִֽהְיוּ־דָ֑ם וְהָ֤יָה דָם֙ בְּכָל־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם וּבָעֵצִ֖ים וּבָאֲבָנִֽים׃ 

“And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron: Take your rod and hold out your arm over the waters of Egypt—its rivers, its canals, its ponds, all its bodies of water—that they may turn to blood; there shall be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone.” 8:5

Why would Aaron start מכת דם and not Moshe if Hashem commanded Moshe to be the leader for the Jews? Rashi says the reason why Aaron started מכת דם is because the Nile protected Moshe when he was in the תבה so therefore he did not start this plague.

What are other reasons for why Moshe did not start מכת דם ? Are there any other מכות that Moshe did not do for a certain reason? Why  did Hashem choose  מכת דם as the first Plague? According to Rashi, Moshe did not start מכת דם because the Nile protected him which  shows מידה כנגד מידה״” Where else does ״מידה כנגד מידה״ come up in the Torah and how is it significant?

Vaera #1- I am Hashem

Why does hashem have to tell Moshe that “he is the Lord”?Doesn’t Moshe already know this?

The Chezkuni addresses this issue by saying that Hashem told Moshe “he is the Lord,” because he wanted to make sure that Moshe knew that Pharoah should stand in awe of Hashem, and not Moshe.

Another question on this pasuk is why does it use the words ״וידבר אלקים״ as opposed to ״ויאמר ה״ like it did in the previous pasuk? Furthermore, what is the significance of using different names of Hashem throughout tanach?