7678 —מדוע משה ביקש שלשה ימים ונישואין לפני מתן תורה

B"H, 24 Sivan, 5721. Brooklyn.

The Avrech Moshe Yitzchak, may he live.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

... In response to your question regarding why Moshe Rabbeinu asked Pharaoh to let the Israelites go for three days, when the true intention was complete liberation.

a) As with all Torah and mitzvah matters, there are seventy facets to Torah, and likewise here there are several reasons. One of them is to show that the plagues in Egypt were a punishment in kind, as they were wicked and sinful to such an extent that even after being asked for three days of freedom during their two hundred and ten years of labor and exile, they refused entirely. Only after agreeing once did they retract until they saw there was no escape (at the plague of the firstborn). From this comes a lesson for everyone and all generations: every matter is based on justice and fairness, even if it is not at all understood by human intellect and presents many difficulties.*

b) What is the reason that several tzaddikim before Matan Torah were born from marriages that would be forbidden after Matan Torah—marriages between close relatives? As above, there are seventy facets to Torah and several reasons. One simple explanation is that at that time, before Matan Torah, the world was extremely coarse, enveloped in idolatry, corrupt ideas, immoral relationships, and depraved character traits, etc., etc. To such an extent that, as Rambam writes in Hilchos Avodas Kochavim chapter 1: "Almost all was lost from what Avraham had planted; the children of Yaakov were reverting to the world's errors," and certainly so before Avraham's influence. Therefore, those select individuals who recognized their Creator and ordered their lives with justice and righteousness—whose sole desire was to command their household after them to keep the way of Hashem—had no choice but to seek matches for themselves (and their sons and daughters) among other select individuals whose numbers were very few. The nature of children resembles both mother and father in their traits. This is further strengthened by the education received from parents; thus was Avraham's instruction regarding his son (and similarly regarding himself), as his sons did after him as told in scripture: "To my land and my birthplace you shall go and take a wife for my son Yitzchak."

With blessings for good news.

In the name of the Rebbe Shlita

Secretary

Printed in Likkutei Sichos vol. 6 p. 255; completed according to a copy from the secretariat.

The Avrech Moshe Yitzchak: Forest, Lod.

Summary

This letter teaches that G‑d’s actions are always just—even when beyond human understanding—and explains how unique circumstances shaped decisions before Matan Torah. It encourages seeking deeper meaning in Torah’s details across generations.