At first glance, it would seem that Pharaoh's decree only targeted the baby boys born to Bnei Yisrael, but not the baby girls. But if that was so, why was it necessary for Pharaoh to add, after instructing the Egyptians to cast the Jewish boys into the Nile, "but every daughter you shall keep alive?" This additional clause implies that keeping the daughters alive was also part of Pharaoh's evil plan.
Pharaoh's objective was to put a stop to the growth and continuity of Bnei Yisrael. To do so, he decreed that half the children born to Bnei Yisrael be annihilated physically—and the others spiritually. Pharaoh did not tell the Egyptians to allow the girls born to Bnei Yisrael to live; he told them, "Every daughter [of Bnei Yisrael] you shall make live." Meaning, that "you"—the very same Egyptians who are murdering the Jewish boys—should instill your Egyptian values and lifestyle into the surviving children, and thereby spiritually annihilate whatever remains of Bnei Yisrael.
This idea is also hinted in Pharaoh's decree to drown the baby boys in the Nile, and the lesson it teaches us today. Being as it seldom rained in Egypt, the Egyptians relied on the waters of the Nile for the irrigation of their crops. Thus, the Nile became an Egyptian deity, as they depended on it for their sustenance. Accordingly, drowning Jewish children in the Nile is metaphoric of immersing our children in the values, culture, and lifestyle of our secular surroundings, under the impression that this will grant them security in the future.
It is crucial that we recognize, however, that this approach stems from the likes of the evil Pharaoh, those who seek to destroy Jewish growth and continuity—if not physically, then spiritually. If we want to give our sons and daughters life, we must grant them an education that focuses on providing them with their true livelihood, the vitality that we Jews receive from "the Torah of Life."
—Likkutei Sichos, vol. 1, p. 111-112
No comments:
Post a Comment