Connecting With Our Past

Today’s Parsha tells us that Moshe Rabbeinu took the bones of Yosef out of Egypt to Eretz Yisrael. There is a Midrash that says that Serach the daughter of Asher, knew where the bones were hidden. She lived to be over 400 years old and she was in Egypt during the 210 years, the Jewish people were there, plus time in Israel.

The question was asked as to why Moshe asked Serach where the bones were? Why didn’t he ask Hashem directly?

Rabbi Twerski answers this question by explaining how important it is to keep up a connection with the great people of the previous generation. Serach knew her grandfather, Yakov, and her uncle, Yosef.

Moshe felt there was merit in hearing the details from Serach, so that he could get a glimpse of what his great ancestors were like.

There are stories of great rabbis who knew the authors of great works. They often apologized to their congregants that they had to hear these teachings from them and not from the original source.

We must never minimize the importance and contributions of our great leaders and scholars over the generations. The more we know about them, the more their teachings come alive. Moshe Rabbeinu understood this, which is why he consulted Serach and not Hashem.