Moses and Phinehas

Therefore (lachen) say to the Children of Israel : I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt …                         Exodus 6:6

          Ba’al haTurim connects our verse’s use of the word “lachen” with its use concerning Phinehas:

Therefore (lachen) say: Behold, I give him My covenant of peace (briti shalom).    Numbers 25:12

and notes the Midrash which teaches that just as Moses was God’s messenger to take Israel out of Egypt, so too, Phinehas (who is the prophet Elijah, in our Sages’ tradition), will be the Divine agent to take Israel out of its final exile.

          My father noted an additional (and related) lesson from the common use of the word “lachen” in the two verses: the true and ultimate redemption will be God’s covenant of peace, the time when Israel will be privileged to live in peace and tranquility in its own Land.

          The letter “vav” of the word “shalom” is truncated, teaching that the ultimate peace will be achieved only through Israel fighting for its existence.

          With God as the redeemer, as promised in our verse, there is an absolute guarantee that the ultimate peace will arrive.