JNF Mission and the Birth of Moshe
Adapted from Rabbi Braun’s sermon in 5779
I feel like the title to this sermon should be “I went on a JNF mission and I did not plant a tree.”
Not that there is anything wrong with planting trees but I went to learn about all the other work that JNF does and come back informed and inspired.
I want to share with you part of what I learned by way of a dvar Torah.
The second chapter of the book of Shmot begins with Moshe’s birth. We read
(א) וַיֵּלֶךְ אִישׁ מִבֵּית לֵוִי וַיִּקַּח אֶת בַּת לֵוִי
There went a man from the house of Levi and took the daughter of a levite.
We soon find out that this is Amram and Yocheved, Moshe’s parent. Rashi sees Moshe’s birth as not only courageous but miraculous.
Assuming that Yocheved is born on the descent to Egypt with Jacob Rashi calculates that she is 130 when Moshe is born. They spent 210 years there and Moshe is 80 when they leave; 210-80=130.
Many commentators question Rashi’s analysis and suggest that if this were true, such a miracle should be included in the Torah, as it is 40 years better than Sarah and that was unbelievable!
The Maharal M’Prague in his Gur Aryeh quotes the question and suggests 2 answers:
1. The questioners are incorrect, the miracle is mentioned albeit indirectly in the Chumash. Earlier in 1/7 we read that the Jews פרו וישרצו, they multiplied in crazy numbers. In general the Jews were birthing in a non natural, miraculous manner. In that context 130 years was just another example of the general miracle. It did not stand out perse and did not need to be mentioned.
2. It is not fair to ask from Sarah unto Yocheved. Sarah is in the book of Bereishit, the book dedicated to the stories of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, and each story is told in detail.
I understood that as follows. His first answer is that sometimes when everything is miraculous, when the miraculous becomes the norm we lose our sense of wonder. The miracules don’t stand out as much.
When that happens, we have to push ourselves to appreciate the miraculous nature of the norm and look for inspiration.
We arrived in Israel on Sunday night. Monday morning, we were off to an early start and the minyan in the hotel was starting too late. So I davened in my hotel room with the windows open staring at the entrance to Jerusalem. Parts of davening jumped out – vecharot eemo habrit – you sealed a covenant with us to give us the land of the Canaanites etc. And you fulfilled your word because kee tzaddik atah. Those words take on extra meaning staring at the roads full of people entering Jerusalem.
A little later in ahavah rabba I said – and you brought us in peace from all corners of the earth and returned us to our land … and you chose us to be your people!
I wasn’t at the Kotel or the Red Sea. I was watching the most mundane of things, cars traveling through small tunnels, construction cranes to the left, right and center.
That too me is the miracle of the normal and we must stop and appreciate it.
A lot of JNF work is in the realm of the normal within the miracle of the Modern State of Israel. (Negev, north, makom etc.)
In addition of appreciating the miraculous of the norm, we have to look for inspiration. I found real inspiration in the Maharal’s second answer. The Avot and Imahot get detail. He doesn’t finish the sentence or thought but clearly, he means that as opposed to Bereishit which focuses on individuals, the book of Shmot is about the nation and in that context every personal detail is not that critical.
There is a significant difference between the individual and the communal, the national. I always find it inspiring to hear about and meet people who are committed to the people of Israel and work on its behalf.
One of those people you met last labor day weekend, Yedidiah Harush. He is building the communities of Chalutza on the border with Gaza and Egypt. He introduced us to Rabbi, Eli Alder who shared with us another dvar Torah from the Maharal.
Why does our passuk quoted above talk about Moshe’s parents as a man from Levi and a daughter of Levi? Why not just use their names? It is not a secret as we are told who they are.
The Maharal answers that sometimes when you are participating in the redemption and nation building you have to sacrifice a little of your person and personal life on behalf of the nation. The midrashim all point to a national element in the decision to have Moshe. The choice of people over personal is symbolized by describing them as people of Levi and not by name.
The other places that we saw focused on helping the terminally ill, incorporating young adults with special needs into the army, developing the Negev, maintaining historical sights etc.
It is our obligation as well – to the people of Israel – appreciate, look for inspiration and fulfill your obligation. JNF is an organization doing great work, we hope to partner with them in providing opportunities to do our part for the Jewish people in the land of Israel.
