Musar for Exodus 1:14

The reason is that the whole tribe of Levi did not share the exile experience properly, because it did not have to perform slave labour. The tribe wished to demonstrate its empathy with the rest of the tribes who were suffering, and they did this by way of the names they gave to their children. For instance, the name גרשון alluded to the fact that they considered themselves as aliens in a land which was not theirs. The name קהת is symbolic of קהות שניהם, that their teeth were on edge in frustration. The name מררי, alluded to the bitterness experienced by their brethren, as we know from Exodus 1,14.

The Zohar, in commenting on the line יהי שם השם מבורך, (Job 1,21) divides the word מב-רך into מב =42, the name of the attribute of גבורה, i.e. that G–d had first planned to create the world based on מדת הדין הקשה. Subsequently, this attribute was softened through the co-option of the attribute of רחמים, mercy. After the first 42 letters, we have another 42 letters until the letter ר in the word ויאמר. This is followed by another 42 letters ending before the letter ד in ויבדל. The sign, סימן, of this sequence is ב-ה-ר-ד, with the letter ב referring to בראשית. You find a parallel in Israel's experience in Egypt, when the עבודה קשה, hard labour, was tempered by פה רך soft words, (Exodus 1,14) (the second time the expression פרך is used) The reason that this word also appears prior to עבודה קשה, is to remind us that the wicked are initially allowed to live in peace, only to face יסורים, afflictions, in the Hereafter. The opposite is true of the righteous whose experience in life begins with afflictions. G–d in His righteousness begins with מב i.e. the attribute of Justice, only to co-opt the attribute of Mercy, i.e. מצרף רך, at a later stage. This is why His name is blessed, i.e. מברך. Just as creation began with the מב, so the initial experience in Egypt which emanated from the wicked Pharaoh proceeded in the reverse order, i.e. commencing with פה רך, while ending in עבודה קשה.

פרשת שמות which describes the tortures the Jewish people experienced in Egypt, shows how these experiences led to the repentance by the Jewish people, caused them to appeal to G–d. Afflictions cleansed them of their sins. This will be explained in detail in פרשת וארא, where repentance springing from a sincere heart will be described, i.e. repentance originating in the attribute of truth, אמת. The term עבודה will be explained in פרשת בא, whereas the focus of our commentary on פרשת בשלח will, of course, be פרשת יתרו .תפלה concentrates on תורה, whereas פרשת משפטים focuses on דין. The next פרשה i.e. תרומה, emphasizes generosity of heart, i.e. gifts for the erection of the Tabernacle, part of the צדקה syndrome, whereas פרשת תצוה describing the making of the garments for the High Priest, the איש חסד, the pious man, concentrates on the גמילות חסדים aspect of our duties in this world. The first letters of these eight portions suggest four duties that we have to perform, namely תשובה-תפלה-צדקה-תורה. The "word" שובבים, hints at תשובה, as in שובו בנים שובבים, "turn back, rebellious children" (Jeremiah 3,14). How is this to be accomplished? By ת"ת, i.e. through תשובה and תפלה. At the same time, the letters ת"ת are also an acronym for the words תלמוד תורה. The same acronym with the vowel segal under the first letter, i.e. tet "giving," also suggests charity, i.e. צדקה.

When he responded, Isaiah only volunteered for the שליחות, G–d's mission, not for the הליכה, which could have passed for his own initiative. G–d had to tell him then that at that point in time He needed a messenger only for the unpleasant part of the mission. This is why He said to him לך ואמרת, "go and say." Similarly, in our case, G–d wanted to provoke Pharaoh so that out of the additional "darkness" the contrast with the "light" of the redemption would be so much greater. In other words, יהי שם השם מברך, first afflictions, then peace, serenity. G–d Himself is with us even while we suffer, i.e. His own name will become greater only in the future. This is the meaning of עמו אנכי בצרה, "I am with Israel when it is in trouble" (Psalms 91,15). There is no greater trouble than that G–d's Presence must exile itself on account of our sins. In Exodus 1,14, וימררו את חייהם בעבודה קשה, "They made their lives miserable with hard labour," the word חייהם refers to that which gives us our strength, i.e. G–d. In other words, the Egyptians made our lives in the Celestial Regions bitter.

This is also the deeper reason that the righteous Miriam and her companions took drums and cymbals (15,20). The word תף, drum is spelled defectively, without the letter ו. This is an allusion to the subjugation of לילית, whose name has the same numerical value as תף, =480. We have read about these destructive forces in page 474. The women's taking up of the מחולות, cymbals, is an allusion to the efforts on their part to neutralise the forces under the command of מחלת. It was most appropriate that righteous women should be the instruments whereby the two "harlots" and their underlings should be defeated.