Torah Thoughts

In parsha Vayera, Torah tells us a most perplexing episode on Moshe Rabbeinu’s return from Midian to Mitzrayim: “And it came to pass on the way, at the lodging-place, that Hashem encountered him and sought to kill him. And Tziporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and touched it to his feet, and said: ‘A bridegroom of bloods you are to me.’ So He let him alone.” (Shemos 4:24–26). In the above pasuk it is unclear whether the “him” is referring to Moshe, or to his infant son Eliezer? Rashi, seems to imply that it was Moshe, but in Nedarim 32a Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says it was the infant, because Moshe failed to circumcise him in time. But this is puzzling, because Torah does not proscribe a death penalty for failure to circumsise. In fact the entire people were not circumcised until the night of Exodus (Rashi on Exodus 12:6 ) as well as all those born during the entire 40 years of wondering in the desert ( Joshua 5:2 and Rashi there). So we are left with a q...

In Parshas Beha’alotcha we encounter a puzzling episode: “Miriam and Aharon spoke against Moshe concerning the Cushite woman whom he had taken, for he had taken a Cushite woman.” (Numbers 12:1) Chazal explain that Moshe had separated from his wife Tziporah. Miriam overheard Tziporah lamenting this and took the matter to Aharon. For this, Miriam was stricken with tzaraas. But why? Why would Miriam — a prophetess, righteous and beloved — insert herself into her brother’s most private marital life? Why would she, of all people, violate the very principle of privacy that Bilam later praises when he declares: “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel.” (Numbers 24:5) Rashi, citing Bava Basra 60a, explains that Bilam saw the tents arranged so no entrances faced each other. This family privacy made Israel worthy of the Shechinah. If privacy is such a supreme value, why did Miriam not respect Moshe’s privacy? The Surface-Level Answer Many commentators explain that Miriam th...

  1. The Departure of Elimelech The Book of Ruth opens: “And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land. And a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the fields of Moav, he, his wife, and his two sons.” (Ruth 1:1) This man is Elimelech. His wife is Naomi, and his two sons are Mahlon and Chilion. Soon after arriving in Moav, Elimelech dies, and after 10 years his sons die as well (Ruth 1:3–5). Naomi is left bereft, but her daughter in law Ruth the Moabite cleaves to her and becomes the ancestress of David. 2. The Puzzle of Elimelech’s Death Why did Elimelech die in Moav? His name sounds noble — Eli-melech (אֱלִימֶלֶךְ), “My God is King.” Would a man with such a name abandon his people during famine? And why is his death and the death of his sons framed as judgment, while Ruth — a Moabite outsider — emerges as the true redeemer? 3. Traditional Answers Midrash Ruth Rabbah 1:4: Elimelech was a wealthy leader who fled to avoid giving charity...