EXOD105 Possession of the land is not taken by some arrogant exercise of power which could mislead people into believing and acting as if they were truly the absolute owners of the land. The land is God's gift to Israel (this verse). Moreover, this a gift is not related to any human claim (except perhaps to the unrighteousness of other nations) nor to any special merits of the people of Israel. It is given as a result of God's promise to the forefathers (Deuteronomy 9:4-6).

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EXOD106 See [[EXOD81]] Exodus 4:10 slow AMEMEI 47

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EXOD107 Remember how you yourself suffered if you are called upon to help someone else in a similar situation. The Talmud Yerushalmi (Rosh Hashanah 3:5) states that God commanded Moshe and Aharon to tell the Children of Israel to heed their obligation of freeing slaves on the Jubilee year. At first glance, it seems difficult to understand the necessity of teaching this law while the Jewish nation was still in Egypt, since the laws of the Hebrew slave world apply only once they possessed slaves, after entering the land of Israel. Rabbi Chayim Shmuelevitz explained that at this particular moment the children were enslaved; they felt the anguish and slavery and yearning for freedom. They should remember this very feeling when they themselves would have slaves, and should not hesitate to free them. Whenever a person suffers, he should remember this feeling when he is called upon to help someone else in a similar situation.

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EXOD108 There is an obligation to honor any king, even a king of one of Nations. This obligation is derived from [this verse]. Rashi explains that Hashem commanded Moshe and Aharon to honor Pharaoh [i.e. they should show respect to him in all that they spoke --Rashi on (this verse) in Sefaria.org].

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EXOD109 Who is honored? One who honors his fellow human beings (Ethics of the Fathers 4:1). … Marks of distinction (in Hebrew, kavod) accorded to individuals are represented in Talmudic literature as tokens of self-respect or honor of self. The Hebrew term kavod has been used to refer to the splendor of God, who is sometimes referred to as Hakavod -- The Glorious One. God imparts His glory and splendor to those who revere Him, especially the prophets and the righteous. Just as God bestows His kavod, so Jews are bidden to show honor to worthy people. It is natural for people to seek honor from their fellow human beings. However, the rabbis consistently warn that honor cannot be acquired by the one who pursues it. In fact the more one chases after honor, the more honor will allude that person. Only if one seeks to avoid honor will it pursue him. ... There is an obligation to honor any king. This obligation is derived from [this verse]. Rashi, commenting on this verse, explains that God commanded Moses and Aaron to honor Pharaoh.

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EXOD110 Does not "the daughter of Aminadav" tell me that she was the sister of Nachson? Why need it be explicitly mentioned? To teach that when one marries a woman he should inquire after her brothers [their characters generally being similar] (Bava Bathra 110a)

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EXOD111 R. Elazar said: One should always ally himself with the good [families]. For Moses, who married the daughter of Jethro, there descended from him Yehonathan [who was a priest of idolatry]; whereas Aaron, who married the daughter of Aminadav, there dissented from him Pinchas (Bava Bathra 109b).

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EXOD112 Who is Puthiel? Joseph. Why was he called "Puthiel"? Because he made light of [pitpel] his evil inclination [i.e., he banished it, in the episode of the wife of Potiphar] (Bava Bathra 109b)

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EXOD113 [Moses and Aaron] were steadfast in their righteousness from the beginning to the end. (Megillah 11a)

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EXOD114 The question is ancient. If God hardened Pharaoh's heart, then it was God who made Pharaoh refuse to let the Israelites go, not Pharaoh himself. How can this be just? How could it be right to punish Pharaoh and his people for a decision--a series of decisions--that were not made freely by Pharaoh himself? Punishment presupposes guilt. Guilt presupposes responsibility. Responsibility presupposes freedom. We do not blame weights for falling or the sun for shining. Natural forces are not choices made by reflecting on alternatives. Homo sapiens alone is free. Take away that freedom and you take away our humanity. How then can we say, as it does in Parashat Va'era, that God hardened Pharaoh's heart [this verse]? All the commentators are exercised by this question. Rambam and others note a striking feature of the narrative: for the first five plagues we read that Pharaoh himself hardened his heart. Only later, during the last five plagues, do we read about God doing so. The last five plagues were therefore a punishment for the first five refusals, freely made by Pharaoh himself. [Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Teshuva 6:3]. [Continued at [[EXOD130]] Exodus 10:7 SACKS 86 realise].

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