This week’s portion – the second in the Book of Exodus, entitled Va’Era, literally “I have been revealed” (as in God tells Moshe that He has been revealed to the three Forefathers) – tells the story of seven of the Ten Plagues inflicted by God on Egypt and its King Pharaoh. I have noted last week that this text – or its essence, at least – should be well familiar to every Jew who celebrates Passover, that is – to everyone. Just to remind ourselves of the factual background, Moshe asks Pharaoh to “let my People go,” but Pharaoh refuses. In response, God (through Moshe) 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, its horrific aftermath and the effect it had 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 observations about this week’s portion.
I. Moshe & Dr. King
In a few weeks we will be marking Martin Luther King’s Day. It is interesting to compare the leadership style of Moshe – who was one of Dr. King’s favorite Biblical figures (in his last speech, for example, Dr. King invoked the image of Moshe’s 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 – either in their addresses to their people or 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 – according to today’s portion – in order to inflict horrific harm (the Plagues) on the oppressing class. Which one was more “right”?
One thought-experiment we may conduct in this respect is to assume that Dr. King had the ability to perform the same miracles that Moshe has. Would Dr. King actually inflict Ten 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 Moshe 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 – all I want is to raise some questions.]
II. 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 – in either context (of the Plagues or the Commandments). The text simply goes through the description – of the Plagues or the Commandment; only later generations have derived the round number “Ten” for each. 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” were so important, the portions would have been arranged differently. Second, and more importantly, the “Plagues” are not disconnected from their background. Thus, for example, 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; in other words, God began with a carrot, and only then moved to sticks. The King of All Kings thus provided ample opportunity for the King of Egypt to escape without harm. The text thus may sending the message that we can’t truly read the story of the Plagues without referring first to the non-violent measures that Moshe attempted to adopt. [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 lasts through today. I will elaborate on that when we arrive – in about three weeks – to the commandments themselves.] Thus, the next time someone mentions the Ten Plagues to you, you may surprise them by answering: “True, but they did try some non-violent measures first!”
III. From Their God to Ours
Finally, some of you are probably aware of the very interesting order of 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 divine 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 Jewish God. It should be remembered that the relationship between the Lord and His Chosen People was nascent at that point. It was important for Him to show them, too – and not only to Pharaoh – who is the real God in the game. Accordingly, the Plagues move from the physical and earthly Nile – the symbol of all Egyptian gods (Pharaoh, the King-God, is often described as “standing on the Nile”), as well as Egypt’s sole source of livelihood – 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, and Happy Civil New Year
Doron
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