Letter & Spirit: The Nature of Egypt

In this week’s edition of Letter and Spirit, as we read in this week’s Parsha about the enslavement of the Jews in Egypt,  we present a letter of the Rebbe in which he explains the state and nature of the land of Egypt – in the time of Yaakov and Yosef and today. The letter was written in English through the Rebbe’s trusted secretary Rabbi Nissan Mindel, and was made available by the latter’s son-in-law, Rabbi Sholom Ber Shapiro.

This weekly feature is made possible by a collaboration between CrownHeights.info and Nissan Mindel Publications. Once a week we publish a unique letter of the Rebbe that was written originally in the English language, as dictated by the Rebbe to Rabbi Mindel.

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                                                                                                                                              By the Grace of G-d

16^th Shevat, 5737

Brooklyn, N.Y.

Mr.

Long Beach, N.Y.

Shalom u’Brocho:

This is in reply to your letter in which you make reference to the column “Torah Thoughts” in the Jewish Week and questions some of the thoughts expressed in it.

• About Jacob sending Yehudah to Egypt to establish a Yeshivah there: See Gen. 46:28 and Rashi on the verse, and Gen. Rabba ch. 95, quoted below Note 1.
• About the state of Egypt in the time of Jacob and Joseph and the enslavement:

The Torah describes Egypt as ervas ho’otretz  (Gen. 42:9). For the meaning of this term, as explained in medrash, see note 2. As for the moral depravity of the Egyptians (even in the highest circles), suffice it to mention the story of Potiphar’s wife; the whole story of the oppression and enslavement of the Jewish people (despite all that Joseph had done for the country); the many warnings of the Torah against doing any of the immoral things the Jews saw the Egyptians doing (see, for example, Lev. 18:3 and the whole list of immoral things that follows there).

It is true that the Torah says, “Do not despise the Egyptians, for you were a stranger in his land.” Egyptians of succeeding generations are not held responsible for what their ancestors did to the Jews during centuries of the enslavement. Besides, however badly Jews are treated in any land, they are always grateful for whatever small benefits they had there. But this does not change the above facts. It may also be added that the ancient people of Egypt has long ceased to exist and few if any now living in Egypt are direct descendents  of the ancient Egyptians. And as for the “moderation” of the present day Egyptian government, no one seriously accepts it on face value, or that the same people who brought on the Yom Kippur War have turned over a new leaf. But this is not a discussion for this letter. Since you took the trouble to write to the Rebbe shlito, he takes this opportunity to suggest to you to have your tefillin checked to make sure they are kosher and also the mezuzah of your room, and he sends his prayerful wishes.

With blessing,

Secretary

Note 1:   Rashi on the verse in Vayigash 46:28, to direct him – to establish a house of learning that from there will come out teaching.

To direct him  – what is to direct? R’ Nechemia says, to establish for him a house of learning, that  they should teach there Torah etc. (B’R  Parsha 95).
רש”י עה”פ פ’ ויגש, מו: כ”ח: .. להורות לפניו – לתקן לו בית תלמוד שמשם תצא הוראה.

להורות לפניו. מהו להורות? אמר ר’ נחמי’ להתקין לו בית תלמוד שיהא מורה שם תורה כו’ (ב”ר פצ”ה).

Note 2: the land’s nakedness –  says R’ Brachia in the name of R’ Shimon ben Lakish:  everything which G-d created in man He created in the world, an example for this: Man has a head and the world has a head etc., ears etc., mouth etc., man has a nakedness and the world has a nakedness, as it states “ …the land’s nakedness have you come to see.” (Kh”R ch.1:9).

And we conclude with –  that is good.
ערות הארץ, א”ר ברכי’ בשם רשב”ל כל מה שברא הקב”ה באדם ברא בארץ לדוגמא לו: אדם יש לו ראש והארץ יש לה ראש כו’ אזנים כו’ פה כו’ אדם יש לו ערוה והארץ יש לה ערוה, שנאמר לראות ערות הארץ באתם. (קה”ר פ”א:ט).

ומסיימים בכי טוב.

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The above letter is from a forthcoming volume of The Letter and the Spirit by Nissan Mindel Publications. The letters are from the archives of Rabbi Dr. Nissan Mindel, a personal secretary to the Previous Rebbe and The Rebbe, whose responsibilities included the Rebbe’s correspondence in English.

We thank Rabbi Sholom Ber Shapiro, director of Nissan Mindel Publications and the one entrusted by Rabbi Mindel, his father-in-law, with his archives, for making these letters available to the wider public. May the merit of the many stand him in good stead.