Musar untuk Keluaran 21:5

And one is able to arouse their love and their fear in all physical matters and the like, such as eating or drinking something that is pleasing to the palate and in whose richness the soul delights, walking, hearing a pleasing voice, marital relations, gaining money (which surpasses them all) and the like. Let [each man] take to heart [the following]: “If I so love this thing, which is all fleeting, vain, and empty — which came in a night and was lost in a night (Jonah 4:10)— how much more so should I love the Creator, who is the fountain of all that I love and that gives pleasure to me — who gives me life and all my joys.” And he should turn his mind from loving the physical thing and cleave to the love of his acquirer [(G-d)], and the servant should clearly say “I love my master (Exodus 21:5)! How beautiful and how delightful, love, with all its pleasures! (Song of Songs 7:7).” And so when he is afraid of some cause among the happenstances of time, he should take to heart and say “how vain is the fear of this thing, it would be much better if I feared G-d”. And he shall immediately replace and change this evil to good, and receive good reward and find redemption through this.

ויעש משה נחש נחושת . The Tzror Hamor, in his commentary on Parshat Bo, in connection with the מזוזות ומשקוף, describes how jealous G–d was of the honor of the righteous, more so even than of His own honor. This is why the word מזוזות, plural, is mentioned first (corresponding to Moses and Aaron), whereas the word משקוף, lintel (which is above the מזוזות which corresponds to G–d), is mentioned last. Moses was unwilling to have that which symbolized G–d mentioned last, therefore when relaying the command, he mentioned the word משקוף first (compare Exodus 12,7, when G–d commands Moses, and Exodus 12,22, where Moses relays these instructions to Israel). We have a similar situation here in chapter 21,5-9. The people spoke up against G–d and against Moses. G–d dispatched נחשים ושרפים against them, the נחשים because they had spoken out against G–d, the שרפים because of their having criticized Moses who is compared to an angel of the שרף variety. Therefore, after the people repented, G–d told Moses to make a שרף for himself to put it on a pole, etc. Moses however, did not make a שרף; he rather made a נחש, seeing that he considered restoring G–d's honor as more important than restoring his own honor, even though a שרף was what G–d had instructed him to make. From all this we learn to what extent we must be careful not to besmirch the honor of Torah scholars, righteous people, etc.