Close To Torah

The Midrash states that all of the Jews went out from Egypt with great wealth, all except for one. Moshe was not busy collecting money, rather he was after a far more precious thing. Before Yosef HaTzaddik passed away, he made his children swear that when they left Egypt they would carry out his body with them so that he could find his final resting place in Shechem in Eretz Yisrael. This promise was on all of Klal Yisrael and they certainly owed a tremendous depth of gratitude to Yosef, the one whom helped them come down to Egypt and thrive.

The Story

At the time of the Exodus, the Jews were busy collecting their belongings and treasures and getting ready to leave Egypt. Meanwhile, as soon as Moshe finished instructing everyone as to what to do to prepare to leave Egypt he went searching frantically for Yosef’s burial place in Egypt. Chazal (Sotah 13a) tell us that Moshe quickly contacted Serach Bas Asher, Yosef’s only remaining niece and she informed Moshe that the Egyptians had deified Yosef and had wanted to prevent his body from leaving Egypt and thus they put him in a metal coffin which they sunk to the bottom of the Nile. Moshe ran there and called out, “Yosef, arise so that we can fulfill our promise and carry you out of Egypt. If you do not show yourself, then we are free from our promise and you will remain here.” Immediately, the coffin floated to the top of the Nile where Moshe easily retrieved it and had it carried out of Egypt. Chazal (ibid.) apply the verse (Mishlei 10:8), “The wise person at heart grabs the mitzvos.” Moshe knew what was really important in life while others chased after material wealth.

Two Questions

What is interesting is firstly, why is this lesson specifically taught in this place in the Torah and secondly, the lesson seems incomplete for even Moshe told Yosef that if he did not arise, Moshe would be exempt from doing this Mitzvah?

Answer

Moshe was instilling in the Jews a most important lesson in life at this vital juncture in their development. They were becoming a nation and were going to soon receive the Torah. In life, we need to make choices in priorities. We have limited abilities, resources and time and cannot do everything! We need to pick the most worthwhile endeavors to involve ourselves with in life. The only way to do this is to be in touch with ourselves and to ask ourselves what is truly important and what do we wish to occupy our time with. With this clarity one is equipped to make the right decisions. The Jews were all packed and ready to leave Egypt. They had their families ready, they knew they were going out. They were faced with a choice, should I go after the gold and silver and wealth that we were promised or should I go after the mitzvah of getting Yosef’s bones. There were all sorts of excuses to be found. “I’m sure someone else went to go get Yosef’s bones.” “Anyways, the Gedolim are supposed to take care of it.” “And also, we are supposed to go out with great monetary wealth…” Moshe’s heart was set on mitzvos and for him his first order was to serve Klal Yisrael. After he saw that they were all okay, he set out to retrieve Yosef’s bones.

Best Effort

Moshe understood that he would try his best to get Yosef’s bones, if he was unable, he still would get reward for the mitzvah of searching and trying. This is also important to keep in mind. Hashem rewards our efforts and the place that our heart points towards. Moshe showed that he truly and deeply wanted to do the mitzvah. He also knew that he was limited in his ability, and so he tried and that is exactly how he succeeded.

More Precious

Moshe was no fool. Chazal (10a) tell us that Moshe rushed to do mitzvos because, “One who loves money will never be satiated by money” (Koheles 5:9), this defines Moshe’s love of mitzvos, it was insatiable. In Moshe’s eyes, the mitzvah of getting Yosef’s bones was more precious than all of the riches of Egypt! Moshe showed us how to endear mitzvos and how to appreciate mitzvos. Just as chometz is formed through an elapsing of time, so too, Moshe did not allow his mitzvos to become stale and delayed!

Pesach Application

The lesson of Moshe is directly related to Pesach and the exodus. Throughout life we are presented with choices in our spiritual and physical realms. A smart heart goes for the mitzvos because they are the most valuable and precious. The smart heart knows what is most important, eternal and valuable in life and thus a smart heart puts in his or her fullest effort to do the mitzvah. May Hashem merit us to have the opportunity to fulfill many mitzvos and to know in our hearts and minds the value of Torah and mitzvos!

 Print

Categories: Pesach Tags: