לזכות אבי מורי ואמי מורתי שיחיו!

לזכות שיינדי חנה בת מלכה!

לזכות ר' ישראל דניאל בן שיינא דינה וכל ב"ב! 

The Torah says after the bad report of the spies and the negative reaction of the Jews:

יג וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה, אֶל-יְהוָה: וְשָׁמְעוּ מִצְרַיִם, כִּי-הֶעֱלִיתָ בְכֹחֲךָ אֶת-הָעָם הַזֶּה מִקִּרְבּוֹ. יד וְאָמְרוּ, אֶל-יוֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת, שָׁמְעוּ כִּי-אַתָּה יְהוָה, בְּקֶרֶב הָעָם הַזֶּה: אֲשֶׁר-עַיִן בְּעַיִן נִרְאָה אַתָּה יְהוָה, וַעֲנָנְךָ עֹמֵד עֲלֵהֶם, וּבְעַמֻּד עָנָן אַתָּה הֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם יוֹמָם, וּבְעַמּוּד אֵשׁ לָיְלָה. טו וְהֵמַתָּה אֶת-הָעָם הַזֶּה, כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד; וְאָמְרוּ, הַגּוֹיִם, אֲשֶׁר-שָׁמְעוּ אֶת-שִׁמְעֲךָ, לֵאמֹר. טז מִבִּלְתִּי יְכֹלֶת יְהוָה, לְהָבִיא אֶת-הָעָם הַזֶּה, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר-נִשְׁבַּע לָהֶם; וַיִּשְׁחָטֵם, בַּמִּדְבָּר

Moshe said to Hashem, "But the Egyptians will hear that You have brought this nation out from its midst with great power. They will say about the inhabitants of this land, who have heard that You, Hashem, are in the midst of this people; that You, Hashem, appear to them eye to eye and that Your cloud rests over them. And You go before them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by night. And if You kill this nation like one man, the nations who have heard of Your reputation will say as follows: 'Since Hashem lacked the ability to bring this nation to the Land which He swore to them, He slaughtered them in the desert.'

What does it mean "ושמעו מצרים" - The Egyptains will hear. Did they just "hear"? They saw it with their own eyes and felt on their own flesh the 10 Makkos! Rashi and the Ramban says that the hearing is referring to what it says in the previous pasuk that the Jews will be killed ח"ו [for their sin]. but the Sifsei Chachomim says that this is not the simple meaning of the pasuk. See Ohr Hachaim and Alshich. 

We also have to understand what Moshe opened with that the Egyptians will hear etc. But later he says "ואמרו הגוים אשר שמעו את שמעך" - "The Goyim who have heard Your reputation etc." If the issue is ALL the Goyim so why does he start with the Egyptians?? [See Ohr Hachaim and Alshich]. 

We ALSO have to understand that Moshe started by saying that the Jews shouldn't be killed so that the Goyim shouldn't say "מבלתי יכולת" that Hashem lacked the ability to bring this nation to the land etc. Then he goes on [פסוקים י"ז -י"ט]: 

וְעַתָּ֕ה יִגְדַּל־נָ֖א כֹּ֣חַ אֲדֹנָ֑י כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבַּ֖רְתָּ לֵאמֹֽר:

יְ-הֹ-וָ֗-ה אֶ֤רֶךְ אַפַּ֨יִם֙ וְרַב־חֶ֔סֶד נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֹ֖ן וָפָ֑שַׁע וְנַקֵּה֙ לֹ֣א יְנַקֶּ֔ה פֹּקֵ֞ד עֲוֹ֤ן אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֖ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִֽים:

סְלַח־נָ֗א לַֽעֲוֹ֛ן הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה כְּגֹ֣דֶל חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ וְכַֽאֲשֶׁ֤ר נָשָׂ֨אתָה֙ לָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה מִמִּצְרַ֖יִם וְעַד־הֵֽנָּה:

Now, please, let the strength of Hashem be increased, as You spoke, saying. 'The Hashem is slow to anger and abundantly kind, forgiving iniquity and transgression, Who cleanses [some] and does not cleanse [others], Who visits the iniquities of parents on children, even to the third and fourth generations. Please forgive the iniquity of this nation in accordance with your abounding kindness, as You have borne this people from Egypt until now."

This is non-sequitur - it doesn't follow!? It starts with what the Goyim will say and then goes in the 13 middos of Rachamim! How does that follow? [See Ohr Hachaim, Kli Yakar and more]. 

We have to understand Moshe's plea of "ושמעו מצרים" i.e. that killing the Jews will ruin Hashem's good name because the Goyim will say that He lacks the power to save them. That is not Moshe's business but Hashem's. If Hashem's reputation will be harmed among the Goyim then it is up to Hashem to redress that wrong. But who is Moshe to bring up an issue that pertains to the good name of Hashem? If Hashem is OK with it [and of course Hashem already thought of it before Moshe brought it up] then Moshe should ALSO be OK with it!? 

Therefore we must explain as follows: In Parshas Ki Tisa after the חטא העגל it says 

"ועתה הניחה לי ויחר אפי בהם ואכלם ואעשה אותך לגוי גדול"

"Now let me and my anger will flare on them and I will destroy them and make you a great nation". 

Rashi there explains that we don't find the Moshe davened yet Hashem says "let me". So this was Hashem's way of opening and opening [פתח לו פתח] and hinting to Moshe that it is up to him and if he davens then he can save the Jews. We see that without the "פתח" that Hashem opened for Moshe he would not have been allowed to daven. So here in our context how can Moshe daven without Hashem giving him an opening??

From this it would seem that when it says "ושמעו מצרים" it is not a reason not to kill the Jews but rather opening to the tfilla of Moshe. Regarding the Makkos and miracles and strong hand against Egypt, the pasuk says 

"וְיָדְעוּ מִצְרַיִם כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה בִּנְטֹתִי אֶת יָדִי עַל מִצְרָיִם וְהוֹצֵאתִי אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִתּוֹכָם".

In other words the Makkos were administered to teach the Egyptians that Hashem is G-d. This message would be lost if the Jews are killed now. So it was the assurance that the Egyptians would learn the lesson that Hashem is G-d that opened a pathway for Moshe to daven now "מבלתי יכולת" - If You don't save the Jews it will be attributed to Your lack of power which will obfuscate Your earlier message!! So this was permission for Moshe to daven just like "הניחה לי". 

It emerges that when Moshe said "ושמעו מצרים" this was not a reason not to kill them but as an opening from where Moshe had the right to daven. The tfilla itself was actually said in the pasuk "ועתה יגדל נא כח השם" and the invocation of the 13 Middos Harachamim which follow seamlessly from the words ושמעו מצרים. Now that he has the right to daven he does so by invoking the 13 Middos of Rachamim. 

We can also answer the question of the Ohr Hachaim why it says ושמעו with an extra "ו" when it should have said "ישמעו מצרים" [see there]. Based on what we said maybe the explanation is Moshe was saying that earlier on You wanted to prove your rulership over the world to the Egyptains but now they are going to doubt it, so what's the point. "ושמעו מצרים" After all Your miracles ... and now they are going to hear. The "ו" connects to what happened earlier. 

We can also understand why Moshe first mentioned the Egyptians and then the Goyim in general. He started with the Egyptians because their story is what gave him the right to daven in the first place. He then continues that the fact is that ALL the Goyim [including the Egyptians] are going to doubt Your power and say that You are powerless against those who dwell in Eretz Yisrael [as Rashi says in פסוק ט"ז].  

Now we can answer the questions of the Ohr Hachaim on the words:

 "ועתה יגדל נא כח ה' כאשר דברת לאמר"

What is the meaning of the word "ועתה"? 

What is the meaning of "יגדל נא" which implies that Hashem is going to do something to show Himself to be great, but we find no such action? 

What is the translation of the word "נא"? If it means "now" - it already said "ועתה" which means "now"? If it is a request, then it should have first said "נא" before the word "יגדל" and say "ועתה נא יגדל" - "And please make Your power great". What is the meaning of "And make great please Your power"? 

What is the meaning of "כאשר דברת" - as you spoke. What and when did Hashem speak? 

What is the meaning of "לאמר"? Who should these words be passed on to?? [See Ohr Hachaim and Alshich].

Based on what we wrote the explanation is that since Moshe's permission to daven comes from the Makkos which were designed to reveal the power of Hashem, it must be that the tfilla and request for forgiveness in the merit of the 13 Middos Ha-Rachamim will be in such away as to reveal the might of Hashem. Therefore it says "ועתה" which means that now I have the power of tfillah because of the process of the revelation of Hashem's great power, I am also requesting forgiveness which also includes a revelation of Hashem's power and that is through the Middos of ארך אפים etc. etc. which are כחות and מדות of Hashem. The revelation of these Middos increaes Hashem's greatness in our eyes. 

Then it says "כאשר דברת לאמר" -"as you spoke saying"  meaning when you performed the Makkos. דיבר always denotes a harsh language and the Makkos were indeed rough. From this דיבור came a לאמר because it "spoke" the might of Hashem. So automatically [ממילא], I have the right to request once again the revelation of the greatness and power of Hashem through the expression of His Middos "ארך אפים" etc. And as a result "סלח נא כגודל חסדך" - Forgive in Your great kindness. So we understand the "ועתה" the "יגדל" and the "כאשר דברת" together with the "לאמר".

According to this we can explain the words "יגדל נא", that "נא" means "now" [the request is stated later "סלח נא"] and is different than what it said earlier "ועתה". The first "ועתה" is not talking about the time frame of "now" but is a continuation from what it said earlier. "Now" that I have the right and privilege to ask, what do I ask? "יגדל נא" Hashem's greatness should be revealed "now" by forgiving His people. 

The Medrash says 

"מתי כוחך גדול בעולמך? בשעה שאתה מאריך רוחך שנאמר ועתה יגדל נא כח ה'"

When is Your power great in Your world? When you have patience, as it says 'and now make your power great in the world'. 

As we explained there is a new revelation of Hashem's power here, that could only be requested because of the earlier expression of Hashem's power. 

WOW!!😊😊

[עפ"י תורתו של מו"ר הגאון הגדול רבי ד"י מן זצ"ל]