The plagues stand as a challenge for us modern readers. Likewise
the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart by God asks the question; how could God
prolong the Hebrews suffering and/or innocent Egyptians? Although these two topics are way beyond the purview of a mere Drash, I want to
touch on the plagues this week then next week Pharaoh’s heart, two topics that cannot be addressed separately although each they deserve
their own space.
In Vaera we read about the initial seven plagues
and in Bo we read about the final three. The
plagues in Vaera are about blood (Ex. 7:14ff), frogs (7:25ff),
lice (8:12ff), swarms (8:16ff), pestilence (9:1ff) boils (9:8ff) and hail
(9:13ff) finishing next week in Bo with locusts (10:1ff),
darkness (10:21ff) and the killing of the first born (11:1ff). Our tradition
addresses these plagues through the lens of the verse “Shall the judge of
all the earth not act justly?” Many commentators and our Holy Books in part
see the plagues as a means to drive Pharaoh to his knees so to speak, but
they must be “just” at the same time. Keep in mind that in his
culture Pharaoh was a god and the plagues were to humble him as part of the
creation like all other people (more on this next week).
Looking to the teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Riskin the purpose of the
plagues is right in Torah, “that you might know that I am the
Lord” (Ex. 7:17 and 9:29). For R’Riskin “each plague” served the
purpose of dealing with a “stubborn” Pharaoh who would not “absorb God’s
critical lesson” that he was but a mire man. For R’Riskin this is about a
“cosmic morality,” a measure for measure, just like Jacob deceived his father
and brother, Jacob was deceived by his uncle and his sons. Regarding
our sacred texts we learn in a Midrash (Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer, chap. 19) that
the plague of blood and the Nile had to do with karma, the Egyptians cast new
born baby boys into the Nile so “God judged the water and the river,” taking away Egypt's water source for drinking since it “turned to blood.” We
read in another Midrash (Exodus R. 9:8) a similar thought, “why was the
water first smitten with blood? Because Pharaoh and the Egyptians worshipped
the Nile.” No wonder why Pharaoh resisted another deity - in
this case the God of Israel – who is demanding Pharaoh’s allegiance over the
Nile god, Hapi, or with the darkness, the sun god, Ra. This
is why R’Riskin saw this as a matter of “cosmic morality.” Accordingly then
R’Riskin also adds that “this theme of ‘God recognition’ is crucial to the
dialogue between God and Pharaoh,” which had to happen first before Pharaoh
would relent and let Israel leave.
Does this mean that God gave Pharaoh the ability to endure
terrible pain and suffering so that the plagues alone did not get the Jews
released but the repentance of Pharaoh had to happen first? Or maybe
God wanted to be show more mercy to Pharaoh (after all he too was created in
the divine image), but then you are talking about the moral equivalency of degrees
of suffering; give one evil man more opportunities to change while vast numbers
of innocent people suffer. R’Riskin raises these same concerns, but
concludes that God had no need to prove anything to Pharaoh but only to set the
creation in order. Still for me, that is not satisfying, after all could God
not have struck the Egyptians with one plague to free Israel from slavery
instead of what became a match of cosmic displays of power. I for
one read the plagues more through the lens of myth, not that those people
did not experience what we read in Torah, but this is how the early ancients
made sense of what they could not explain; even the Egyptian sorcerers realized
the plagues were more than mere magic but an act of a God they did not know
(see. Ex. 7:15). I do think that like the Akedah, Abraham being
asked to sacrifice his son Isaac, the plagues of Vaera and Bo are
unique to God’s dealings with Pharaoh. While wrestling with the meaning and
purpose of the plagues seems to be a part of learning Torah I would like to
offer two lessons we can learn from them.
First, we live in a world of hate and human disregard, so rulers
like Stalin and Hitler, and in our time Kim Jong-Un and Putin, put their sense
of being “god” over the rights of people. Like Pharaoh, these men had to be and
will need to be broken because their need for absolute power is greater than a
basic respect for human life; an affront to God. And second, an issue of time. As said,
these plagues were how our ancients understood the radical events they
experienced yet I do not think it is helpful to view God as a force that
regularly intervenes in human affairs more so than people are given the power
to rule led by the wisdom of God and given the strength to endure injustices. The Pharaoh's of history and the present chose not to walk according to the divine image but
rather were, and are, guided by the evil inclination, in part making the message of
the plagues as follows: overcoming evil is a messy battle that will not be won
in a day. It was true then and it is true today.
For the Hebrews, the promise of freedom and a new land would not come without tribulation and pain, being mistreated by evil along the way. For us the same holds true and that is probably more impactful to our modern Seders than the plagues of Torah themselves. Our Seders will talk about freedom from the current plagues of hate, racism and the like that we must aspire to stop, not plagues to punish the evil as with Pharaoh but plagues of social evils to be conquered. But there is another important point, the Pharaoh’s of the world do not rule over people because in the end they are the real slaves, think on that: to be continued next week.
Shabbat Shalom and upcoming Chodesh Shevat Tov,
Rabbi Adam
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