Shmot

The nature of our relationship to Eretz Yisrael must be based on a Torah perspective

Although Mishpatim follows Yitro, the two parshiyot are very different in nature.

In the aftermath of the Divine revelation at the giving of the Torah, Bnei Yisrael expressed their fear that exposure to such a fearful sight would kill them. Moshe allayed their fears, explaining that there were good reasons that Hashem wanted to expose them to His Presence.

Great rabbis have said that “ki karov hu” refers to the fact that Hashem is close to us, not the path. Even during difficult national times, let us remember that events that seem to be to our detriment can really be for our benefit.

The Torah stresses the effect of the darkness during the ninth plagues as one that prevented the Egyptians from seeing and even prevented them from moving. In contrast, there was “light for all of Bnei Yisrael in their places of inhabitation. Where was there light for Bnei Yisrael and for what purpose was it stressed?

The first plague was the plague of blood. Besides the obvious inconvenience, to say the least, of the plague, what significance was there in the choice of blood for this first calamity to befall the Egyptians?