לזכות התינוקת חיה שירה בת ר' אהרן ישראל לברכה הצלחה וכל טוב סלה
In parshas shmos we read about the birth of Moshe Rabbeinu and how he was placrd in a box in the river and subsequently pulled out by the daughter of Paroh. The pasuk says ותפתח ותראהו את הילד והנה נער בוכה "she opened [the box] and she saw the CHILD and a behold a LAD was crying". Waaaaiiiitttt a second - was he a child or a lad? He was in fact a child - a baby - as the pasuk begins, so why does the pasuk suddenly make an about face and call him a lad?
Rashi answers that Moshe's voice was deep like that of a lad.
The Baal Haturim says something that almost makes ME cry. The "lad" in the pasuk is not Moshe - it's his brother Aharon! Aharon was worried about his brother to the point of tears. WOW!!
The daughter of Paroh then exclaims - מילדי העברים זה - he is a Jewish baby. How did she know? If his brother is crying for him he must be a Jew. We Egyptians don't have such a quality. [Sefer Terachem Tziyon]
One of the themes of sefer bereishis is sibling rivalry. Kayin kills Hevel. Yitzchak and Yishmael. Yaakov and Eisav. Yosef and his brothers. OYYYYY! At the end of the sefer, Yaakov gives the younger Ephraim the preferred bracha over his elder brother Menashe yet FINALLY there are no repurcussions. Menashe remains silent. [Some suggest that this is why we bless our children that they should be like Ephraim and Menashe - no sibling rivalry]. Yet here with Aharon, we see an even greater tikkun. He CRIED for his brother [while his sister Miriam stood from afar observing to see what would happen with her brother].
Later in the parsha we find Moshe arguing at the burning bush that he can't redeem the Jewish people from Egypt because Aharon his older brother is the leader and he doesn't want to take his job. Hashem says וראך ושמח בלבו he will see you and be so happy that he won't be able to express it with words. His joy will be overflowing in his heart.
When a Leiby Kletzky is brutally murdered the entire Jewish world cries in unison. We are all siblings and know how to cry for each other. How odd then that we have such trouble getting along.
Maybe this Shabbos we can think of ways to show others how much we care.
Because deep down -
we really really do.
