Not much commentary necessary here, just straight Midrash, a little harsh but important for every parent and mechanech to think about. Some issues kids are born with, and some they cause to themselves, but how many are our fault? Do we No when its easier to say yes and give in? Do we fall for “but everyone has it/is doing it/is going” and other manipulations and guilt trips? Do we emulate through behavior “do what I say, not what I do”? The mitzvah of Talmud Torah is to continue the Mesorah, “Vishinantam L’vanehcha”, this is the source for the Mitzvah of learning Torah. Unfortunately we sometimes hope to vicariously work on our issues by raising our kids in a frumer home and school, without really facing those issues, an inadvertently pass those issues on. In that way we can continue to do what we do. My Rebbe would always say, you can fool some people, your friends, your Rebbe, maybe even sometimes your spouse, but you can’t fool your children. We all saw clearly as teenagers our parents inadequacies and vow to be nothing like them. Often with maturity we are surprised to find how much we have in common with them, how much of our good middos came from them, as well as our issues. No parent or Yeshiva is perfect, but chinuch has to be about trying to break the cycle, take the good and strengths while working out our issues, not perpetuating our issues throughout history. As the Gemara says, “Any generation that doesn’t rebuild the Bais HaMikdash also had a hand in destroying it (because we are perpetuating the problem).

Why did Moshe mention Mitzraim (in his Tefilah to save Klal Yisroel)? Moshe was saying: “Hashem, you took them out of Mitzraim, where the entire culture centered on Avodah Zara”!

R’Huna B’shem R’Yochanan says:

This is comparable to a father who brought his son to a market of זונות to work. When he returned, he caught his son among the זונות acting improperly, and exclaimed his disappointment in his sons behavior.

A friend of the fathers pointed out “You set the boy up for failure, and now your yelling at him? You exposed him to negative influences are now frustrated that he was negatively influenced”!

That was the point Moshe was making in defending Kklal Yisroel to Hashem, who had placed them in Mitzraim for hundreds of years.

Another explanation:

Klal Yisroel just left mitzraim, they are still young, like teenagers. Give them time to mature and they will start to do the right things.

מה ראה להזכיר כאן יציאת מצרים ? אלא אמר משה: רבון העולם !מהיכן הוצאת

אותם ? ממצרים, שהיו כולם עובדי טלאים . אמר רבי הונא בשם ר’ יוחנן : משל לחכם ,שפתח לבנו חנות של בשמים בשוק

של זונות. המבוי עשה שלו, והאומנות עשתה שלה,

והנער כבחור עשה שלו, יצא לתרבות רעה. בא

אביו ותפסו עם הזונות, התחיל האב צועק, ואומר:

הורגך אני ! היה שם אוהבו, אמר לו: אתה איבדת את הנער,

ואתה צועק כנגדו?! הנחת כל האומניות, ולא

למדתו אלא בָשָם, והנחת כל המובאות ולא פתחת

לו חנות, אלא בשוק של זונות . כך אמר משה: רבון העולם! הנחת כל העולם ולא

שעבדת בניך אלא במצרים, שהיו עובדין טלאים,

ולמדו מהם בניך, ואף הם עשו העגל. לפיכך

אמר : אשר הוצאת מארץ מצרים , דע מהיכן הוצאת

אותם.

דבר אחר : אמר משה: רבון העולם! לא ממצרים הוצאתם,

ממקום עובדי עבודת כוכבים, ועכשיו נערים הם,

שנאמר )הושע יא( : כי נער ישראל ואוהבהו , המתן

מעט להם, ולך עמהם ועושין לפניך מעשים טובים . הוי , אשר הוצאת ממצרים

Shabbat Shalom, Have a great Shabbos,

Rabbi Ari Deutscher MSW
Menahel