,אשר שם האחד גרשם כי אמר גר הייתי בארץ נכריה"
שם האחד אליעזר כי אלקי אבי בעזרי ויצלני מחרב פרעה" שמות י"ח, ג-ד
The name of one was גרשם for he had said “I was a sojourner in a strange land, and the name of the other was אליעזר for G-d of my father came to help me and He saved me from the sword of Pharaoh”.
It would seem that the first son would be named אליעזר, to express thanks to Hashem for being saved from the sword of Pharaoh. Does this compare in significance to have been in a strange land? Furthermore, he was saved from the sword of Pharaoh before he ended up in a strange land?
The Chofetz Chaim explains that the father-in-law of משה רבנו was יתרו who held a rather prominent position in Midyan. משה feared that his son’s would want to emulate their grandfather יתרו, thinking that his way is the honorable way to conduct themselves. He also feared that they might be influenced by those who live in their proximity.
To protect his children from negative influences, משה ingrained in them from the get-go, that this is a foreign land. גר הייתי בארץ נכריה
This message is as true today as ever, as we raise our children and students in an environment which is the antithesis to Torah values, but yet made to feel so comfortable with and at home. We stress to our charges that we are still in a strange land. We are not really “home” until we are zoche to the light of Moshiach במהרה בימינו.
About the Author: Rabbi Yisroel Meir Rubinfeld
Rabbi Rubinfeld has been in the field of Torah education for over 3 decades and serves as an Executive School Consultant for Torah Umesorah. He provides an array of services to schools across North America, including teacher and principal mentorship, school and curricula evaluations, professional development and parent education.
Rabbi Rubinfeld's expertise includes classroom management and discipline, effective instruction, bullying, cultivating sensitivity in the classroom, impulse disorders (such as ADHD and ODD), and balancing the educational needs of mainstream and special needs children in the classroom.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is the also the founder and director of Torah Umesorah's Lilmod U'Lilamed department which provides professional development for teachers and principals throughout the year.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is a talmid of the distinguished Yeshivos of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim and Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood.
