The Moment She Touched Moshe’s Basket, She was Healed

WHY SPECIFICALLY AN APPLE IN CHAROSET?

WHEN WE DIP THE MAROR IN THE CHAROSET, WE ARE TELLING A STORY.  NOT A STORY OF SWEETNESS – RATHER, A STORY OF BLOOD, OF CLAY, OF SUFFERING, OF CHILDBIRTH.  THE STORY OF THE JEWISH WOMEN WHO GAVE BIRTH IN HIDING, IN FIELDS, AND BETWEEN THE FURROWS.  WHEN THE PAIN OF CHILDBIRTH BECAME INTERMIXED WITH CLAY, AND THE BLOOD BECAME ABSORBED INTO THE DIRT.  BETWEEN THE MORTAR OF BRICKS AND THE “SAPPHIRE BRICKWORK,” BETWEEN THE DEPTHS OF THE NILE AND THE SHADE OF THE APPLE TREE, AN ANCIENT SECRET IS HIDDEN – THE SECRET OF REDEMPTION THAT SPROUTED FROM THE LOWEST DEPTHS.

THE DAILY CHIZZUK BY MOREINU HARAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A – WEDNESDAY, 22 SIVAN 5785

Edited from a shiur given by the Rav shlit”a on 25 Nissan

These are his holy words:

WHAT DOES THE APPLE HAVE TO DO WITH CHAROSET?  AFTER ALL, CHAROSET REPRESENTS CLAY.  IT SHOULD HAVE CLAY IN IT.  THEY SANK INTO THE CLAY, DESCENDED INTO THE CLAY.

Like Rachel, the daughter of Shutalach’s son [Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 48:  “Rabbi Akiva says: Pharaoh’s taskmasters would beat the Jews so they would make double the quota of bricks, as it says: ‘And the quota of bricks which they made yesterday and the day before,’ and the Egyptians would not provide straw to the Jews, as it says, ‘Straw has not been given to your servants.’  And Israel would gather the straw in the desert and would load it onto their donkeys, and onto their wives, sons, daughters, and grandchildren.  And the straw of the wilderness would pierce their heels, and their blood would come out and become mixed with the clay.  Rachel, the daughter of the son of Metushelach, was pregnant and was trampling the clay with her husband, and the baby emerged from her womb and became mixed into the clay.  Her cry ascended before the Throne of Glory, and that night, the angel Michael descended and brought [the baby] up before the Throne of Glory.  That night, HaKadosh Baruch Hu descended and struck the firstborn of Egypt, as it says, ‘And it was around midnight, and Hashem struck every firstborn’”].  When she was trampling the clay, the baby became mixed into the clay.

This is the “Livnat HaSappir (sapphire brickwork)” -- ”And under His feet was the likeness of sapphire brickwork” (Shemot 24:10).  The sapphire brickwork was “maoz yedidut,” but the apple is “Under the apple tree, I roused You” (Shir HaShirim 8:5).

It’s written in “Hagahot Maimoniot”: “Under the apple tree” – that there was no barren woman, “There will be no barren man or woman among you, or among your animals” (Devarim 7:14).  There was no barren woman in all the land of Egypt.  All the women conceived.

All the women conceived.  They ran out to the fields.  The Egyptians placed guards over every woman giving birth.  The second that the baby popped out, the commando, special forces, navy flotilla would arrive immediately, snatch the child, and throw it in the river.  Or else they would bring it to Pharaoh to slaughter it.

Like the seven maidens of Batya.  They saw a Jewish child in the middle of the river and said, “What fun!  How wonderful!  Let’s bring it to Pharaoh so he can slaughter it and take a bath in its blood.”

Rashi says that the angel Gavriel came – and what did he do to the maidens?  He sent them to the Garden of Eden or Gehinnom – it’s still not exactly known.  The moment they wanted to take the baby – Moshe – they wanted to throw him into the river.  They said to her: “You’re Pharaoh’s daughter.  What about honoring your father and mother?”

Why didn’t she listen to her father?  Because she had mercy on him; she took him and saved him.  Instead of strangling him, she rescued him.

What kind of daughter is this?  A wayward and rebellious daughter!  Doesn’t listen to her father!

ON THAT DAY, BATYA CONVERTED AND WAS FULL OF TZA’ARAT.  THE MOMENT SHE TOUCHED MOSHE’S BASKET, THE TZA’ARAT DISAPPEARED!

Behold “under the apple tree.”  They hid themselves under the bushes, and the baby was born there – “On the day you were, your umbilical cord was not cut” (Yechezkel 16:4).  There is a “dagesh (emphasis point)” both on the first reish [in “kharat - cut”] and the second reish [in “shareich – your umbilical cord”].  This teaches us that the angels descended and cut the umbilical cord and diapered the babies.

“Honey from a rock and oil from a flinty stone” (Devarim 32:13) – everyone swam in a sea of oil, in a sea of honey.

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