גר הייתי בארץ נכרי'ה: Being in Chutz La'aretz

ויקרא את שמו גרשום כי אמר גר הייתי בארץ נכרי'ה. (שמות ב:כב)

The Torah tells us that Moshe Rabbeinu named his firstborn Gershom because, as Moshe said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.” This is all plain and straightforward, and seemingly doesn’t tell us anything more than what is seen at face-value. However, Rav Shlomo Zevin points out that there is indeed what to pick up in the language of the text. From the fact that Moshe spells out that he had been a “stranger in a foreign land,” it would seem to be implied that it is also possible for one to be a stranger in a land which is not foreign. Similarly, we find that it says elsewhere “כי גר יהי'ה זרעך בארץ לא להם”. (Bereishit 15:13) From that fact that the pasuk specifies “in a land that is not theirs,” it seems to imply that they could be strangers in a land that does belong to them.

The Rogatchover Gaon, Rav Yosef Rosen, explains the latter pasuk above in a halachic manner according to Rambam (Hilchot Melachim 5:8) who writes  that if a melech Yisrael conquered Egypt with the approval of the beit din it would be permitted to go there (היא מותרת). When the Torah warns not to return to Egypt, it is only referring to individuals or to dwell there while it is under the control of goyim because then the behavior there will be improper.

Now, why did Rambam have to bother mentioning any of these reasons of justification in regards to conquering Egypt and going there? Does he not already write in one of the preceding halachot (ibid 5:6) that whatever a melech Yisrael conquers al pi beit din is itself then part of Eretz Yisrael? It must be that Egypt is an exception to this halacha. It can never be a part of Eretz Yisrael, rather it is only permitted to return there once it is conquered for the reasons stated by Rambam. The Torah says that Bnei Yisrael will be strangers in a land not theirs, referring to Egypt, for its soil will mamash inherently never be theirs; halachically, Egypt is never considered part of Eretz Yisrael. Following this idea, Rav Zevin explains the pasuk in our parasha, “גר הייתי בראץ נכרי'ה;” Moshe was not being redundant is saying he was a stranger in a foreign land; rather he was a stranger in a land which itself shall always be foreign to Bnei Yisrael.         

However, another explanation of “בארץ לא להם” is that HaKadosh Baruch Hu promised Avraham Avinu that while Bnei Yisrael would be in galut they would not mix in, or make themselves to be as natives, nor feel themselves to be like real residents. They would always feel themselves to like gerim, strangers. Hashem promised that Bnei Yisrael would never lose hope of the geulah and would constantly yearn to be free of their galut. Thus we can also explain the pasuk “גר הייתי בארץ נכרי'ה;” Moshe is saying that in the foreign land he felt himself to be a stranger, not like an established native. The Zohar (Tikunei Zohar 112a) says, “אתפשטותא דמשה בכל דרא”. In every person there is a spark of Moshe Rabbeinu, the imparted strength passed down through the generations the knowledge of recognition of being gerim in an eretz nachri’ah.