Parshas Shemos 5786
- Torah Tavlin
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
הבאים ישרש יעקב יציץ ופרח ישראל (ישעי' כז-ו)
Yeshaya Hanavi implores the people of Malchus Yisroel to repent in the hopes of avoiding a repetition of the pain and suffering that their ancestors were subjected to throughout the long and arduous enslavement in Egypt.
The Apter Rav zt”l (Ohev Yisroel) says that while the Torah refers to the “Children of Israel,” the Navi uses the name Yaakov instead. He explains that the seventy souls who came down to Egypt were meant to be the backbone of the Jewish Nation and were on an extremely high spiritual plateau. Interestingly, Chazal tell us that the word “Yisroel” connotes a lofty sense, while “Yaakov” implies a lesser, more basic level of spirituality. If so, why would the Navi use the word “Yaakov” when referencing the seventy lofty souls?
Hashem says,“I am with you in your pain” (Megillah 29a). In other words, in every place that Jews are exiled, the holy Shechina can be found. Yaakov Avinu foresaw that his children will have to go into exile, yet he wanted to ensure that they remain true to Hashem and His Torah.
Strategically, Yaakov willingly went down to Mitzrayim to lay the groundwork and “plant his roots within the soil.” With his personal involvement, he wished to infuse the future “Yaakov” - the inferior, less-lofty souls of the Jewish Nation, with the spirit of the seventy highly spiritual and elevated souls that he brought along with him, so that all future generations will have the ability to “sprout forth” with the purity of a “Yisroel” soul.