Love thy Jewish brother as yourself, I am HaShem.
HaShem’s demand that we orient ourselves to love our fellow Jew as we love ourselves is an extreme demand. How can one bring himself to this sublime degree of altruism?
And why does this mitzva end with the words “I am HaShem”, when they do not appear in most other mitzvot?
The Megillah records that Achashverosh permitted the Jews to defend themselves on the 13th of Adar against their murderous neighbors in the 127 areas under the King’s control. On that day, the Jews killed 75,000 of the enemy in the outlying areas. An additional 800 were killed in Shushan, the capital, in the two days of fighting there on the 13th and 14th of Adar.
75,800 in two days! That number is vastly larger than what we are seeing today in the Arab countries, yet there is no recorded call by the people of his kingdom for Achashverosh’s head or for the end of the monarchy.
Why not?
The Midrash Raba (Scriptural exegesis) on this week’s parasha compares the Jewish nation with olive oil in two respects: olive oil does not combine with other liquids; and when added to another liquid olive oil rises to the top. So too, the Jewish people maintain a hard core who have never inter-married with Gentiles and never will, and when permitted to, we always rise to the top of society.
But there is a third comparison…
I have an extraordinary, prominent uncle and an equally great or possibly even greater aunt, who happens to also be the aunt of my prestigious uncle!
They lived in very different times and environments with about a 350-year separation; nevertheless, both had very similar ideals, values and similar unhappy fates.
“Yitro was overwhelmed with gladness when hearing of all the good that HaShem had done for Israel; by rescuing him from the hand of the Egyptians.”
Use of the word “him” in the singular would appear to be inappropriate when referring to the nation of “Israel” as a whole. The pasuk should read “… all the good HaShem had done for Israel, by rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians.
Can it be a mistake?
The Israelites went up out of Egypt “chamushim”. Rashi cites two interpretations for the word “chamushim”. One, based on the root CHAMESH meaning five, because only one in five Jews agreed to leave Egypt; and the other from the root CHIMUSH, meaning armed with weapons.
Are these really two different interpretations?
