“And it was, when Pharaoh sent the people away … and Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him ….” (Shemot, 13:17–19) Why were these two verses juxtaposed? When Moshe Rabeynu saw Pharaoh running close behind them even after they were redeemed, it caused him to doubt if Israel had reached its final completion. They would not have if they still had a connection to Pharaoh, perhaps due to the long time they had spent in Egyptian society. Furthermore, when he saw that God did not lead the people in the direct route along the coast by way of the land of the Philistines13But rather He led them by a more circuitous way so it would be more difficult to return. so they wouldn’t regret and return, Moshe also understood that Israel had not yet been completed in their final birur (refinement). It is written in the Pirke Avot (Ch. 3, Mishna 9), “He whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom, his wisdom will endure.” There are times when God hides His actions and conceals His intentions from mankind. Then man does not know God’s will is in that particular matter, as we find in our case where Moses was uncertain, a wonder in his view why God did not lead the people through the land of the Philistines. If one sees that God is dealing with him in a hidden, inscrutable way, then he is advised not to be too clever, but should rather perform the mitzvot with simplicity and intensify his fear of God. This is “Moshe took the bones of Yosef …” When he faces uncertainty, the Tsaddik accepts that the deficiency in his surroundings is really a deficiency in himself. This has to do with how he took Yosef’s bones. When Moshe had accepted that Israel’s incompleteness evinced by wanting to go back to Egypt really depended on himself, then he began to intensify his fear of God. This is hinted at in the bones of Yosef, for the main attribute of Yosef haTsaddik was the fear of God, as explained in the verse (Amos, 5:6), “lest the house of Yosef overcome like a fire.” And this is the meaning of, “he whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom (his wisdom shall endure),” which is the attribute of Yosef haTsaddik.
וַיְהִי בְּשַׁלַּח פַּרְעֹה כוּ' וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף. עִנְיַן סְמִיכַת הַפְּסוּקִים, דְּהִנֵּה כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאָה מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם כִּי אַף אַחַר שֶׁיִּגָּאֲלוּ, עוֹד פַּרְעֹה הוֹלֵךְ אַחֲרֵיהֶם לְלַוּוֹתָם, עָלָה בְּדַעְתּוֹ סָפֵק פֶּן עֲדַיִן לֹא נִשְׁלְמוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּתַכְלִית הַשְּׁלֵימוּת וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה יֵשׁ עוֹד שַׁיָּיכוּת לְפַרְעֹה עִמָּהֶם, וּפֶן הוּא מֵחֲמַת שֶׁהָיוּ זְמַן רַב בְּמִצְרַיִם לָכֵן יֵשׁ לוֹ צַד שַׁיָּיכוּת עִמָּהֶם. וְגַם מֵרְאוֹתוֹ כִּי לֹא נָחָם אֱלֹקִים דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים פֶּן יִנָּחֵם הָעָם, גַּם מִזֶּה הֵבִין כִּי עוֹד לֹא נִשְׁלְמוּ בְּתַכְלִית הַבֵּירוּר. וְהִנֵּה אִיתָא (אבות פ"ג מי"א) כָּל שֶׁיִּרְאַת חֶטְאוֹ קוֹדֶמֶת לְחָכְמָתוֹ חָכְמָתוֹ מִתְקַיֶּימֶת, וְהָעִנְיָן בָּזֶה לְפִי שֶׁלִּפְעָמִים נִמְצָא שֶׁהַש"י מַעֲלִים מַעֲשָׂיו וּמַסְתִּיר כַּוָּונָתוֹ מִבְּנֵי אָדָם וְאֵין הָאָדָם יוֹדֵעַ אֶת רְצוֹן הַש"י בָּעֵסֶק הַזֶּה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָיָה הָעִנְיָן כָּאן שֶׁהָיָה לְפֶלֶא בְּעֵינֵי מֹשֶׁה לָמָּה לֹא נָחָם ה' דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים, וְהָעֵצָה לָזֶה שֶׁאִם רוֹאֶה הָאָדָם שֶׁהַש"י מַנְהִיג עִמּוֹ בְּהֶסְתֵּר, אָז לֹא יַרְבֶּה לְהִתְחַכֵּם רַק יַעֲסוֹק בִּפְשׁוּטֵי מִצְוֹת וְיִכְלוֹל עַצְמוֹ בְּמִדּוֹת הַיִּרְאָה, וְזֶה "וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף" כוּ', כִּי דֶּרֶךְ הַצַּדִּיק שֶׁתּוֹלֶה הַחֶסְרוֹן בְּעַצְמוֹ כְּשֶׁיְּאוּנֶּה לְפָנָיו דְּבַר סָפֵק, וְזֶה הָעִנְיָן שֶׁלָּקַח עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף, כִּי לַאֲשֶׁר תָּלָה הַחֶסְרוֹן בְּעַצְמוֹ, לָכֵן הֵחֵל לְהַכְנִיס עַצְמוֹ בְּמִדַּת הַיִּרְאָה כִּי עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף רוֹמֵז עַל זֶה, כִּי מִדַּת יוֹסֵף הַצַּדִּיק הָיָה יִרְאָה כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר עַל פָּסוּק (עמוס ה',ו') "פֶּן יִצְלַח כָּאֵשׁ בֵּית יוֹסֵף" כוּ'. וְזֶהוּ כָּל שֶׁיִּרְאַת חֶטְאוֹ קוֹדֶמֶת לְחָכְמָתוֹ וְהוּא מִדַּת יוֹסֵף הַצַּדִּיק עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם.
“And it was, when Pharaoh sent the people away … and Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him ….” (Shemot, 13:17–19)
Why were these two verses juxtaposed? When Moshe Rabeynu saw Pharaoh running close behind them even after they were redeemed, it caused him to doubt if Israel had reached its final completion. They would not have if they still had a connection to Pharaoh, perhaps due to the long time they had spent in Egyptian society. Furthermore, when he saw that God did not lead the people in the direct route along the coast by way of the land of the Philistines13But rather He led them by a more circuitous way so it would be more difficult to return. so they wouldn’t regret and return, Moshe also understood that Israel had not yet been completed in their final birur (refinement). It is written in the Pirke Avot (Ch. 3, Mishna 9), “He whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom, his wisdom will endure.” There are times when God hides His actions and conceals His intentions from mankind. Then man does not know God’s will is in that particular matter, as we find in our case where Moses was uncertain, a wonder in his view why God did not lead the people through the land of the Philistines.
If one sees that God is dealing with him in a hidden, inscrutable way, then he is advised not to be too clever, but should rather perform the mitzvot with simplicity and intensify his fear of God. This is “Moshe took the bones of Yosef …” When he faces uncertainty, the Tsaddik accepts that the deficiency in his surroundings is really a deficiency in himself. This has to do with how he took Yosef’s bones. When Moshe had accepted that Israel’s incompleteness evinced by wanting to go back to Egypt really depended on himself, then he began to intensify his fear of God. This is hinted at in the bones of Yosef, for the main attribute of Yosef haTsaddik was the fear of God, as explained in the verse (Amos, 5:6), “lest the house of Yosef overcome like a fire.” And this is the meaning of, “he whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom (his wisdom shall endure),” which is the attribute of Yosef haTsaddik.