Parashat Va'e'ra, Exodus 6:2-9:35

This week’s portion – the second in the Book of Exodus – tells the story of seven of the Ten Plagues inflicted by God on Egypt and its King Pharaoh. In essence, Moses asks Pharaoh to “let my People go,” but Pharaoh refuses. In response, God (through Moses) inflicts ten horrible plagues on Egypt. Each of the seven – Blood, Frogs, Lice, Wild Beasts, Pestilence, Boils, and Hail – is described in great detail in the portion, including its warning, its occurrence, and its horrific effect on life in Egypt. Yet throughout this remarkable display of divine power, King Pharaoh remains steadfast in his reluctance to let the People of Israel go. We are to wait until next week in order to see what finally broke this stonehearted King’s will.

I would like to make three short remarks on the portion.

Moses & Dr. King

Today we mark Martin Luther King’s Day. It is interesting to compare the leadership style of Moses – who was one of Dr. King’s favorite Biblical figures (in his last speech, for example, Dr. King invoked the image of Moses’ last day, http://www.mlkonline.net/video-martin-luther-king-last-speech.html) – and that of Dr. King himself. Both leaders represented an oppressed minority, who (at one point or another) were used as slaves. Both were men of God. Both never hesitated to invoke God both in their speeches to their people and in their negotiations with the oppressing-class’ leaders. Yet one used God to advocate a sophisticated form of non-violent resistance, while the other used God in order to inflict horrific harm (the Plagues) on the oppressing class. Which one was “right”?

One thought experiment in this respect is to assume that Dr. King had the ability to perform the same miracles as Moses had. Would Dr. King actually inflict plagues on White America in the 1960s in order to “let his people go?” If so, would he be remembered (and celebrated) in the same way as he is today? Conversely, during his time, would Moses be so successful in letting his People go without inflicting such serious harm on Pharaoh and his people? If so, what does that tell us on non-violent resistance? Is it always the best path to choose? [Some loyal readers of this blog complained recently that I don’t provide enough answers to the questions I raise. I apologize, for this is again true for today’s post. Admittedly, I don’t have any answers – these are merely thought experiments.]

Ten Plagues? Ten Commandments?

Every year in Passover, when we read the Haggadah, we mention the Ten Plagues. Similarly, every kid knows (or supposed to know) about the Ten Commandments. Yet the biblical text itself never mentions the number “ten” – or any number at all, for that matter. The text simply goes through the description – of the Plagues or the Commandment – and later generations divided them accordingly. But the text’s silence on the exact number can also be telling. With the Plagues, we see very clearly that the first seven are separated from the last three in terms of portions. Clearly, if the number “ten” was so important, the portions were arranged differently. Second, and more importantly, the “Plagues’ are not disconnected from their background. Thus, just before inflicting the Plagues, we learn about the marvel of turning Aharon’s rod into a serpent (Exodus 7:8-13). While not very persuasive to Pharaoh as a mean to “let my People go,” it plays an important role in helping us to understand the background to God’s later decision to inflict serious harm upon Egypt. The text thus may be telling us that we can’t read the Plagues without referring first to the non-violent measures that Moses attempted to take. [The situation with the Ten Commandments is even more complicated; the lack of orderly division between the first “three commandments” led to endless debates about the exact scope and content of each, which last through today. I will elaborate on that when we arrive – in about three weeks – to the commandments portion.] Thus, the next time someone mentions the Ten Plagues to you, you may surprise them by answering: “True, but they tried some non-violent measures first!”

From Their God to Ours

There is a very interesting order to the Ten Plagues. In terms of physical description, the Plagues seem to move from the Earth to the Heavens: first blood appears on the River Nile, then Frogs leap from that same river into people’s homes, then the “ashes of the earth” produces lice, and so on and so forth until the Hail comes from the heavens. (Next week we will be reading about the great wind that first brings the Locusts unto Egypt, then blows it away; about the Darkness from the heavens that covered all of Egypt for several days; and finally, on the killing of every first born in Egypt.)

But in a deeper sense, the Plagues also represent the move from the Egyptian god to our own God. It should be remembered that the relationship between the Lord and His Chosen People were nascent at that point. It was important to show them, too – and not only Pharaoh – who is the real boss. Accordingly, the Plagues move from the Nile – the symbol of all Egyptian gods (Pharaoh, the King-God, is often described as “standing on the Nile”), and also the Egyptian only source of life -- to the transcendental surroundings of the heavens, from which the most serious Plagues are inflicted.

Thus, by moving from “their” god to “ours,” the Plagues signal both to the Egyptians and to the Israelites where they should always look for salvation – not down at the river, but up at the heavens.

Shabbat Shalom,

Doron