[Avodah] General: The Three Zechusim

[Prof. Levine]

Another myth bites the dust

Torn asunder?

Unmasked?

Unclothed?

Laid bare?

Exposed?

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General: The Three Zechusim

Barry Robinson asked:

Dear Kollel,

I have been asked to find the mekor for the well-known statement that Klal
Yisroel were saved from Mitzrayim B'Zechus of the three things they kept -
they did not change their names, their language and their clothing.

I have found several variants on this maamar in various  Midrashic sources.
Almost all of the variants list four Zechusim - for example, many of the
variant versions remove mention of clothing and add that Klal Yisroel did
not speak Lashon Hara and were careful about Arayos.

But everyone I talk to seems to remember learning the first version in
school.  Were we misled by our teachers or does this form of the Midrash
really exist?

Thank You.
Barry Robinson
Cong. Or Torah, Skokie, Illinois, USA

-----------------------------
The Kollel replies:

The earliest source seems to be Eliyahu Bachur (c. 1500), who quotes it the
way we often hear it in the introduction to his Sefer Meturgeman. Shlomo
Buber, in his notes to Pesikta d'Rav Kahana (Parshas Vayehi Beshalch fn.
#66) makes your point and says Eliyahu Bachur has absolutely no source in
Midrash. (It is not clear to me how the quote became so popular, perhaps it
was used to defend Chasidic garb.)

There is one Midrash (Lekach Tov to Shmos 6:6) which counts among the four
Zechusim that they didn't change their names or their "Salmos" (clothes).
However, almost certainly the Lamed is a scribe's mistake. In either case it
doesn't use the word "Levushan."

To me it would seem that the truth is Eliyahu Bachur's source is Bamidbar
Rabah 13:20 where 3 (not 4) Zechuyos are counted and the third is that they
were Gedurim Min ha'Ervah (and not that they were not Parutz b'Arayos - as
it appears in every other Midrash). Gedurim means they took measures to
prevent Arayos and it might refer to adopting the immodest Egyptian mode of
dress. We find such Gedurim m'Ervah in practice in Chazal, such as in Rashi,
Sanhedrin top of 74b.

May we be Zocheh to fulfill all these Midrashim ourselves!

Best wishes for a Chag Kasher v'Same'ach!

Mordecai Kornfeld
Kollel Iyun Hadaf

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