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PARSHAS VA’EIRA | 1 SHEVAT 5770 | 16 JANUARY 2010
The author of Yaaros Devash, Rabbi Yonason Eybeschutz, is puzzled by the reason given for the Jewish people’s inability to accept Moses’ reassurance. Shouldn’t their distress and hard work be cause for them to grasp at straws and believe in any chance for redemption? He explains however that the reason they were unable to accept G-d’s message of reassurance is because they believed that someone who was not personally enslaved could not properly serve as their representative. Moses, a member of the tribe of Levi – a tribe that was not part of Pharoah’s decree – was therefore unsuited for the position.
Why would Pharaoh leave one tribe free to do as they pleased, while subjecting the rest of the nation to harsh slavery?
The answer offers a profound insight into human psychology. Pharaoh did not subjugate the tribe of Levi, because his astrologers told him that the Jewish savior would come from that tribe. He allowed the
Levites to remain free so that they would not feel the pain of the other Jews, and thus feel the urgency to release them from their bondage.
King Solomon said that “The protector of the fig tree shall eat its fruit” (Proverbs 27:18). In this verse, he conveyed that only the one who invests enormous efforts into a fig tree – watching it, weeding it, watering it, and tending to it – will truly reap the reward of eating its fruit. Anyone else who eats the fruit will not share that experience, because he never invested any effort into its development. With this in mind, Pharaoh diabolically kept the tribe of Levi free from enslavement so that they would not come to the Jews’ rescue.
So how was Moses indeed able to advocate for the Jewish slaves? Our Sages tell us that while he was still a prince in the royal palace, long before he was asked by G-d to serve as the emissary of the Jews, Moses felt his brothers’ pain. When he came out of
the palace and saw the Jews toiling under their merciless taskmasters, he would throw off his royal cloak, put his shoulder under the load, and assist his brothers with their burden. This bit of knowledge was unknown to the Jews and was the cause of their lack of confidence in Moses to serve as their representative to Pharaoh.
After World War II, countless refugees wandered around aimlessly in various Displaced Persons camps, their lives shattered by the horror they experienced and from the suffering they endured. There was one man to whom people flocked for solace – a man who was able to give hope to thousands of seemingly inconsolable people. That man, Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, the founding Rebbe of the Sanz-Klausenberger chasidic dynasty, had suffered together with his brethren. (His own wife and eleven children were murdered by the Nazis while incarcerated in several concentration camps.) He felt their pain and was able to uplift their spirits. Like Moses, he shouldered the burdens of his people.
While it might not seem obvious, we all play a leadership role – whether as a parent, teacher, community member or sibling. The message we learn from the Jewish people’s underestimation of Moses’ sensitivity should serve as a reminder for us that the key to successful leadership is feeling not only the joy of others, but also sharing in their pain. If we open ourselves up to another’s distress, we will be able to lead them to a better place. Rabbi Burnham can be reached at: [email protected]
וידבר משה כן אל בני ישראל ולא שמעו אל משה מקצר רוח ומעבדה קשה“So Moses spoke accordingly to the Children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses,
because of shortness of breath and hard work." (Exodus 6:9)
I n this week's portion, G-d responded to Moses’ complaint (see end of last week’s Torah portion) about his G-d-given mission. Rather than improving the Jewish people’s lot, Moses asserted that his efforts made
things worse. G-d initially chastised Moses for his diminished faith and proceeded to instruct him on what he should say to reassure the Jewish people about their impending redemption from slavery. Though Moses carries out his new assignment, the enslaved Jews were unable to accept the good tidings “because of shortness of breath and hard work.”
Parsha Perspectives RABBI LEIBY BURNHAM
V A ’ E I R A Talking Points RABBI ELAZAR MEISELS
1. CAN YOU HEAR ME “And also, I have heard the groaning of the Children of Israel, whom the Egyptians enslave, and I have recalled My covenant.” 6:5
I have heard the groaning…and I have recalled My covenant – In the merit of their groaning and prayers to Me, they have become worthy of the fulfillment of My covenant with them. – Sforno
I have heard the groaning…and I have recalled My covenant – They complained that the Egyptians were mistreating them far in excess of what G-d had intended. G-d agreed, and He therefore recalled His covenant and decided to emancipate them. – Taz al HaTorah
Chasam Sofer points out that the word “also” in the verse is redundant, for it need not have said more than, “And I have heard groans of the Jewish people...” The extra word “also” implies that someone other than G-d also heard their groans and somehow that had an influence on G-d’s decision to help us. Chasam Sofer explains that indeed, the extra word intends to include the Jewish people, and that the verse should be understood as follows: Not only did G-d hear their groaning, but the Jewish people also heard each other’s cries, and although each person suffered on a personal level, they were deeply sympathetic to each other’s plight. Amazingly, their personal suffering did not blind them to the pain of the others. This incredible display of selflessness and love for the other convinced the Almighty to take them out of Egypt.
2. NO GOOD DEED GOES UNREWARDED “The fish that were in the river died, and the river became so polluted that the Egyptians were unable to
drink the water from the river, and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt… Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and his heart was not bestirred even by this.” 7:21-23
Even by this – He remained unimpressed by the miracle of the rod that turned into a serpent, and by the water that turned to blood. – Rashi
This was the only plague which failed to impress Pharaoh in the least. By all the remaining plagues his heart was humbled during the actual plague, but after its conclusion it hardened once again. – Panim Yafos
Why did the plague of blood fail to impress Pharaoh altogether? Was the suffering of his subjects of so little interest to him? Meshech Chochmah explains that at the onset of the plagues, there was still a debt of gratitude that had to be paid to the palace of Pharaoh which had collectively raised Moses in his youth. Therefore, G-d ordained that the plague of blood should not affect the palace at all. Untouched by the plague, Pharaoh remained oblivious to his countrymen’s plight. Once the debt was repaid, all remaining plagues affected his palace as well. Forced to suffer too, Pharaoh would become overwhelmed by his suffering and plead for it to be brought to a close. Such is the degree of justice that the Almighty dispenses that even a wicked man like Pharaoh is rewarded for a good deed committed many years earlier.
3. CRASHING THE PALACE PARTY “G-d said to Moses, ‘Come to Pharaoh and say to him, This is what Hashem, G-d of the Hebrews has said, Send out My people and let them serve Me.’” 9:1
Come to Pharaoh – There are two terms used by G-d to instruct Moses to present
himself before Pharaoh: “Come to Pharaoh” and “Go to Pharaoh.” The term “Come to Pharaoh,” was used to describe his visits to Pharaoh in his palace, whereas “Go to Pharaoh,” was used to describe their encounters at the Nile. – Ohr HaChayim
Ohr Hachayim explains that any time the term “Come to Pharaoh” is used, it implies that he must present himself although Pharaoh had not agreed to see him, for Moses had never been invited, and the royal palace was surrounded by guards, vicious dogs, and wild beasts. Nevertheless, Moses was instructed to go to the palace and pay no heed to any of them. This he did, and miraculously they were powerless to stop him. Moses came and went, and there was nothing anyone or anything could do about it. This was one of the many open miracles that occurred during this period that were not even mentioned explicitly in the Torah.
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Dear Sara,
For thousands of years, Jewish thinkers and commentators have pondered this question. Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler (1892-1953, Latvia- Israel), lists a number of their insights in his work, Michtav M’Eliyahu. Perhaps you will find one (or all) of them to be satisfying!
Rashi (1040-1105, France) says that Pharaoh had already shown such wickedness, and G-d knew that he would never truly repent. G-d hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that the Jewish people could be redeemed through open miracles. The whole world would thus recognize G-d as all-powerful.
Maimonides (1135-1204, Spain-Egypt) explains that G-d took away Pharaoh’s ability to repent by treating him with the attribute of strict judgment. Repentance is one of G-d’s greatest acts of kindness. He allows us to repent for our sins (with G-d and with other human beings) and accepts our repentance when it is done with sincerity. However, G-d did not extend this kindness to Pharaoh, so that he could not repent for the innumerable Jewish lives he was responsible for destroying.
Nachmonides (1194-1270, Gerona-Israel)
shares a similar explanation to that of Maimonides and presents another insight as well. We have free will to steal or not to steal. However, if every time someone stole, a lightning bolt would come down from heaven and strike him, he would likely not steal again – nor would others do so either. Pharaoh saw G-d’s control so clearly that he would have had no other choice but to release the Jewish people in order to end any of the plagues. G-d hardened Pharaoh’s heart in order to restore him to the level of free will he had possessed before the plagues occurred. Sforno (1475-1550, Italy) gives an almost identical answer.
Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra (1089-1164, Spain) says that G-d set up the natural world in a way in which we are constantly fighting our yetzer hara (evil inclination). Our purpose in life is to overcome our natural tendencies to sin and to elevate ourselves. Every time we sin, we both fail the test sent by Hashem and on our part, succumb to the challenge, instead of rising above it. When Hashem hardened Pharaoh’s heart, He tested him with the yetzer hara, which Pharaoh could not overcome. Ibn Ezra points to two verses in the Torah for support: “But Hashem strengthened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not heed them, as Hashem had
spoken to Moses”; “And he continued to sin, and he made his heart stubborn, he and his servants” (Exodus 9:12, 34). The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was not only a test from Hashem, who gave him an opportunity to make the proper choice and grow from it, but also Pharaoh’s failure to overcome his haughtiness in order to do what was right.
Rabbi Dessler himself explains that usually, when someone does something wrong, he feels bad about it. However, sinning repeatedly in the same way accustoms him to the sin, and he thus no longer feels that he is in the wrong. Pharaoh repeatedly denied G-d and his oppression of the Jews to the point at which he did not recognize his sin (so his heart was hardened).
I hope that some of these answers resonate with you!
Regards, Rabbi Leiby Burnham
Rabbi Burnham can be reached at: [email protected]
FREE WILL RABBI LEIBY BURNHAM
Dear Rabbi,
I’m into my third year of studying the Torah portion each week, and the idea of hardening Pharaoh’s heart seems to go against everything I’ve been taught about free will. Each time G-d hardened Pharaoh’s heart, He punished him for refusing to send out the Jews. It seems unfair to take away someone’s free will, and then to punish him for his bad “decisions.” How can we understand this?
Thanks, Sara B.
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“Hashem said to Moses, ‘See, I have made you a
master over Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother
shall be your spokesman. You shall speak
everything that I shall command you, and Aaron
your brother shall speak to Pharaoh, that he
should send the Children of Israel from his land.
But I shall harden Pharaoh’s heart and I shall
multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of
Egypt. Pharaoh will not heed you, and I shall put
My hand upon Egypt; and I shall take out My
legions – My people the Children of Israel – from
the land of Egypt, with great judgments. And
Egypt shall know that I am Hashem, when I
stretch out My hand over Egypt; and I shall take
the Children of Israel out from among
them.’” (Shemos 7:1-5)
As it was clear that G-d intended to end (א
the bondage of the Jewish people –
regardless of Pharaoh’s consent, why
was it important to secure his approval?
Once it was clear that Pharaoh did not (ב
intend to free the Jews, why would G-d
harden Pharaoh’s heart? Hardening his
heart seems to have unnecessarily prolonged the
pain of the process.
Why would it be important for all of Egypt (ג
to know, “I am G-d when I stretch out My
hand over Egypt”? Of what importance is
their opinion?
Rabbi Lam can be reached at: [email protected]
TABLE TALK FOR DISCUSSION AROUND THE SHABBAT TABLE
RABBI LABEL LAM
Parsha At-A-Glance Hashem spoke to Moses, reiterating the promise to give the land of Canaan to His people. He had heard the outcries of B’nei Yisrael, and would redeem them from Egyptian bondage with great miracles. Moses protested, stating that B’nei Yisrael would not listen to him in other instances, so there was no reason for them to do so now. He also mentioned his speech impediment at this time, in order to relieve him of the duty. Nevertheless, Hashem commanded Moses and Aharon to speak to B’nei Yisrael and to Pharaoh. The Torah then details the genealogy of Moses and Aharon.
Now 80 and 83 years old, respectively, they were sent to Pharaoh, who was not receptive to His words, as Hashem had warned. As Hashem commanded, Aharon threw his staff on the ground before Pharaoh, and it became a poisonous snake. Pharaoh’s magicians easily duplicated this trick, but Aharon’s staff swallowed their staffs. Pharaoh was unimpressed.
Hashem commanded Moses to bring the first plague – initiated by Aharon – upon the Egyptians. Striking the Nile River with the staff turned the water into blood. The fish-life in the river died, and the Nile had a foul smell. Pharaoh’s magicians also turned water into blood, so Pharaoh refused to give in. The waters of Egypt remained as blood for a week. The second plague covered Egypt with croaking frogs. Pharaoh’s magicians replicated the plague, but Pharaoh’s request to Moses and Aharon to stop it implied that the magicians could not do so. Moses cried out to Hashem, and the frogs died, piling up everywhere and creating a stench in the land. Pharaoh remained stubborn.
The third plague brought lice upon man and beast. The magicians could not duplicate this plague, calling it the “finger of G-d,” but Pharaoh was unmoved. The fourth plague was a swarm of wild beasts, causing devastation of the land. The land of Goshen remained untouched. Pharaoh instructed Moses and Aharon to sacrifice to Hashem in the land of Egypt. When Moses refused, Pharaoh said that they could leave Egypt for three days, as long as they would pray to end the plague and not stray too far. Hashem answered Moses’ prayers, but Pharaoh would not let the Jews go.
The fifth plague brought a severe epidemic, killing only the livestock owned by the Egyptians. Pharaoh remained haughty and stubborn. Moses and Aharon initiated the sixth plague, tossing handfuls of soot towards heaven. The soot returned to earth, causing havoc throughout the land. The Egyptians were covered with the skin disease called boils. The court magicians could not even appear before Moses in their distress.
The seventh plague established which of the Egyptians feared Hashem’s word. Those who did took in their slaves and livestock from the fields. Hail – a mixture of fire and ice – rained over the land, destroying the crops and trees. Only the land of Goshen was spared. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aharon, admitting that he had sinned this time. Moses promised that upon leaving the city, he would pray both that the plague would end and that Pharaoh would truly recognize Hashem’s control over the earth. He did as he had said, and the plague ended, but Pharaoh was once again stubborn and refused to send out the Jewish people.
