בס"ד OnegShabbos North West London’s Weekly Torah and Opinion Sheets A Torah publication that enables local Rabbonim and Avreichim to share their insights and Divrei Torah on a variety of different levels, to provide something for everyone For questions on Divrei Torah 21ST JANUARY 2017 please contact the Editor in | כ"ג טבת תשע”ז | פרשת שמות Chief, Rabbi Yonasan Roodyn rabbiroodyn@ Shabbos Times LONDON MANCHESTER GATESHEAD jewishfuturestrust.com To receive this via email please email PM 4:14 PM 4:04 PM [email protected] 4:13 הדלקת נרות PM 5:30 PM 5:23 PM 5:26 מוצש’’ק To Sponsor a Week please email [email protected] לעילוי נשמת הש"ץ שלמה בן אברהם משה ז"ל לעילוי נשמת חנה בת אלעזר ע"ה KINDLY SPONSORED (Cost per week £500 which covers production costs) The ‘Eyes’ This page is sponsored by נא להתפלל עבור Have it Rabbi Dovid Roberts Rav, Kehillas Netzach Yisroel & Director of Education, Federation אריאל ,The Misconception: Your opinions are the result of years of rational objective analysis. יהודה בן The Truth: Your opinions are the result of years of paying attention to information which confirmed what you already believe, while ignoring יהודית נ"י .information which challenges your preconceived notions I’m not being rude – I don’t even know you! I Hachinuch, he could have saved himself a lot of time and am also quite prepared to include myself in this. I and effort. am merely introducing you to a phenomenon that The Rambam in the beginning of the sixth perek בנימין psychologists variously call ‘confirmation bias’ or of Hilchos De’os informs us that ’It is natural for a the ‘frequency illusion’ (the two are quite similar, man’s character and actions to be influenced by his בן חנה נ״י but the main difference is that confirmation bias friends and associates and for him to follow the local generally involves an active pursuit of truth.) norms of behaviour. Therefore, he should associate לרפואה שלמה The term ‘confirmation bias’ was coined by with the righteous and be constantly in the company English cognitive psychologist Peter Cathcart of the wise, so as to learn from their deeds’. The בקרוב בתוך שאר Wason (1924-2003) in the context of an experiment Sefer Hachinuch develops this theme further when he reported on in 1960. he informs us that a person is influenced by their חולי ישראל – The confirmation bias is a consequence of the actions, which, in turn influences their inclinations אחרי הפעולות נמשכים הלבבות way perception works. Beliefs shape expectations, his famous formulation is which in turn shape perceptions, which then Nowhere is this more critical than in terms of self- shape conclusions. Thus, we see what we expect awareness. As we begin to read the sedras of golus to see and conclude what we expect to conclude. and geulas Mitzrayim, we are told by the mystical People’s tendency to succumb to the phenomenon of seforim that these weeks form a unique opportunity making confirmation biases may lead to disastrous to do a very specific form of teshuva - in the first decisions. Since confirmation biases contribute instance through shmiras einayim, being aware that to overconfidence in personal beliefs, these may our viewpoints are very much influenced by what dramatically strengthen beliefs that when faced with we see. SEDRA contrary evidence, the result might well be disastrous, The golus of Mitzrayim was brought about by an especially in organisational, military, economic or incorrect perception of the shevotim towards their SUMMARY political contexts. brother Yosef, who was, in reality, a tzaddik. They In other words, as the famous saying goes ‘A great were jealous without even realising it. He is sent  The Golus and Slavery many people think that they are thinking, whilst in by Yaakov to ‘see’ the welfare of his brothers – in Mitzrayim ראה he uses this as an opportunity to go – את שלום אחיך ’reality they are merely rearranging their prejudices  The Birth of Moshe but – את אחי אנכי מבקש – ’Had our friend Peter ever had the opportunity beyond ‘seeing’ to ‘seeking  The “sneh”, Burning Bush to learn a bit of Rambam, or indeed some Sefer this remains unrequited. CONT ON PAGE 2 Yerushalayim, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Baltimore, Beit- Shemesh, Borehamwood, Budapest, Cancun, Edgware, Elstree, Gateshead, Gibraltar, Glasgow, NOW IN THE Hale, Hong Kong, Ilford, Johannesburg, Lakewood, Larnaca, Las Vegas, Leeds, London, Los Angeles, Manchester, Melbourne, Miami, Milan, New FOLLOWING PLACES York, Oslo, Paris, Petach Tikva, Philadelphia, Radlett, Ruislip, Santiago, Sao Paulo, Southend, Tallinn, Tarzana, Toronto, Uman, Vienna, Zurich Moshe Rabbeinu’s 'Identity Crisis' PARSHAH Rabbi Dr Julian Shindler Director of the Marriage Authorisation Office, Office of the Chief Rabbi וַיְהִי בַ ּיָּמִים הָהֵ ם וַיִּגְדַ ּל מֹשֶ ׁה וַיֵּצֵאאֶל אֶחָ יו אוַיַּרְ בְּסִבְֹלתָ ם וַיַּרְאאִיׁש מִ צְרִי מַ כֶּה אִיׁש עִבְרִי מֵאֶחָ יו: וַיִּפֶ ן כֹּה וָ כֹה וַיַּרְ אכִּי אֵין אִ יׁשוַיְַּך אֶתהַמִ ּצְרִ יוַיִּטְמְ נֵהּו בַ ּחֹול )שמות ב': י"א-י"ב( And it was in those days that Moshe grew up and he went out to his brothers and saw their persecution. And he saw an Egyptian man beating a Hebrew man, one of his brethren. And he looked around and saw there was no-one (intervening) and he smote the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. These verses describe a pivotal moment in Having sent the man off to work, the Egyptian of his Israelite origins is confirmed by the clause Moshe’s life. Simply put, this storyline conveys returned to their home and abused her. When the – Vayetze el echov - he went out to his brothers. Moshe’s moral indignation at the injustice man returned, he saw the Egyptian leaving his However, throughout his upbringing he had been inflicted on the Israelites. The Egyptian has the house and, having spoken to his wife, discovered immersed in the culture of Egypt and his palatial authority and power to control the life of the that she had been violated. The Egyptian, surroundings. Israelite and he does so with brutal force. However, realising that the Hebrew man was aware of his At this juncture, he witnesses the sadistic the clause ‘and he looked around (literally: he foul deed, resolved to subject him to even greater cruelty of a fellow Egyptian inflicting a life- looked this way and that way) and saw there was physical abuse. no-one (intervening)’ is seemingly superfluous to threatening beating on one of his Israelite brothers. the narrative and invites interpretation. Vayifen koh vochoh – Moshe, with prophetic This triggers an excruciatingly intense identity insight understood what had transpired3 and The slave labour of the Israelites was crisis. Moshe is part of the Egyptian aristocracy acted to punish the Egyptian for his misdeeds. organised in a hierarchical structure. There were and expects to be indifferent to what he is seeing. shotrim – Israelite enforcers, who were tasked Amongst the many alternative interpretations But instead, he experiences a profound sense of to ensure that their menfolk turned up to labour advanced to explain this encounter and Moshe’s kinship with the victim. each day. In turn, these shotrim were under the response to it, there is a fascinating psychological Vayifen koh vochoh – He looked this way control of the nogsim who were Egyptians.1 Each analysis which I once heard from my chaver, and that way – asking himself, as it were, ‘Am I shoteir was responsible for ten workers and each Rabbi Isaac Bernstein z’l.4 nogeis had ten shotrim subordinates. Israelite or am I Egyptian?’ Vayar ki ein ish –he Moshe Rabbeinu, as we know, was realised that there was no (complete) man – i.e. The Midrash supplies the following additional discovered and adopted as a baby by Pharaoh’s that he could not be both Egyptian and Israelite information:2 The Egyptian in this story was one daughter. He was raised as an Egyptian prince simultaneously. Vayach es hamitzri vayitm’neihu of the nogsim who called daily, before dawn, to in Pharaoh’s palace and, by this time, had been bachol – accordingly, to resolve this cognitive summon this Hebrew man who was one of the appointed by Pharaoh to oversee the affairs of the dissonance, he ‘smote’ his Egyptian self and shotrim. On one such visit, the Egyptian saw the palace.5 The presumption that Moshe is aware man’s beautiful wife and was attracted to her. buried it in the sand. 3 See Rashi to Shemot: 2: 12 – ‘He (Moshe) saw what the On this insightful reading of the text, this 1 See Shemot: 5:6 and Rashi thereon. Shoteir is of course Egyptian had done in the home and also how he afflicted him episode defines the moment when Moshe a policemen in modern Hebrew and Nogeis means an in the field’ Rabbeinu abandons his Egyptian past and oppressor. See also Shemot rabbah - cited in note 2 4 Regrettably, I do not remember the source he quoted for this 2 Shemot rabbah 1: 28-29. See also Midrash Tanchuma ingenious idea emerges as the person destined to become the shemot: 9 5 Rashi, Shemot: 2: 11 greatest leader in Jewish history. CONT FROM PAGE 1, RABBI DOVID ROBERTS Ironically, it was Yosef, who, by virtue of The noose then tightens with the death Hashem then responds in kind, by ‘seeing’ his implacable emunah, was able to construct of Yaakov – ‘their eyes and hearts became what was happening (Shemos 2:25 and Rashi). Now the stage is set for geula. his internal emotional world to be cognisant of blocked’ in the words of Rashi. Redemption and liberation in the deepest Hashem at all times, refusing to wallow in the It takes a truly great visionary – Moshe sense is the ability to transcend the limitations praise