פירוש על שמות 5:4

תפריעו את העם ממעשיו means ye detach and take them away from their work, because they listen to you and believe that they may refrain from the work. Similar are: (Proverbs 4:15) “פרעהו pass not by it”, i. e. keep it far from thee, pass not by it; (Proverbs 1:25) “and ye withdraw (ותפרעו) all my counsel”; (Exodus 32:25) “for it is פרע” i. e. it had removed itself from the proper path and had made itself a thing to be abhorred (but cf. Rashi on this verse where he explains the word by מגולה — נתגלה שמצו וקלונו).

WHEREFORE DO YE, MOSES AND AARON…? Pharaoh asked them for their names, and he mentioned them by name in a manner indicating respect.

תפריעו, you make them idle, or “detach them” from their regular duties. The word פרע in Numbers 5,18 means to detach the hair of the woman from her head.