[Avodah] rights of adopted children

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Tue, May 31, 2016 at 12:17:31PM +0300, Eli Turkel via Avodah wrote:
:                                           Rav Rabinovitch notes that
: Jews have adopted children since time immemorial.

R' Zundel Salant says that it was the zekhus of adopting the children
of those who died in makas choshekh that we were redeemed from
Mitzrayim. Since we are obligated to remember yetzi'as Mitzrayim, I can't
call it "time immemorial", but since our birth as a nation, certainly.

>From <http://www.aishdasorg/asp/chamushim>:

    Chamushim

        Hashem brought the nation around, via the path of the desert,
        the Red Sea; and the Children of Israel arose chamushim (to be
        defined) from the Land of Egypt.
                            - Shemos 13:8

        ... and the Jews enthusiastically departed from the Land of Egypt.
                            - Targum Unqelus (ad loc)

        ... with good deeds...
                            - Jerusalem Targum (ad loc)

        ... one in five.
                            -Tanchuma (Warsaw ed. #1), Mechilta

        ... and the Jews departed with five infants from the Land of Egypt.
                            - Targum Yonasan (ad loc)

    Rashi defines "chamushim as "armed", which underlies the Targumim
    of Unqelus and Yerushalmi. Armed in a spiritual sense, prepared with
    good deeds.

    Another definition would be from chameish, five, leading to the
    medrash concluding that only 1/5 of the Jewish were saved from Egypt.
    Rashi adds that the other 4/5 of the population died in Egypt
    during the plague of darkness. These were the people who didn't
    merit redemption; those who believed in the Egyptian paganism and
    wanted to stay.

    Deriving chamushim from the number five is also the point of departure
    for the Targum Yonsan's "departed with five infants." But the medrash
    on Shemos, describing the Egypt experience, told us that we had six
    children at a time. How then can the Targum Yonasan here mean that
    every Jew left with five children, as though this smaller number is
    something that should impress us? The Be'er Yoseif therefore believes
    the naive read of the Targum Yonasan is incorrect.

    Instead, the Be'er Yoseif explains all these targumim in light of
    each other. The word chamushim was chosen not despite the ambiguity,
    but because of all its connotations.

    Four fifths of the Jewish people died rather than being saved. But
    what about their children? The youth didn't deserve death, even if
    they agreed with their parents -- as children, they aren't accountable
    or punishable for their crimes. The Be'er Yoseif explains that this
    means that each of the 600,000 men left Egypt had to have left with
    five families of children -- his own, and those of four families
    left orphaned by this punishment. Far more than the six-at-a-time
    that were born to them.

    This is not only the intent of the Targum Yonasan, but also, raising
    others' children the "good deeds" of the Jerusalem Targum, as well
    as the "zerizus", the enthusiasm, of the Targum Unqelus. They were
    prepared and surrounded by the mitzvah of taking in these children
    in need.

    Today we think of adoption as something someone does when they r"l
    can't have children of their own. However, in light of this devar
    Torah, we see that this mitzvah played a central role in defining
    us as a people. According to the Be'er Yosef, it is the merit of
    adopting orphans that rendered us ready for the redemption from Egypt!

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 38th day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        5 weeks and 3 days in/toward the omer.
http://www.aishdas.org   Tifferes sheb'Yesod: How does reliability
Fax: (270) 514-1507           promote harmony in life and relationships?