Weekly Parashah - Va’Era
This week’s Parashah continues the story of our Exodus from Egypt and the struggle between Moses and Pharaoh, the struggle between Moses and the Israelites and the struggle of the Israelites within themselves. It is a struggle between slavery and freedom. God ‘appeared’ to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, the Parashah begins. This name is about God’s power, according to the Rabbis, and to Moses, God proclaims the name God has reserved for the Israelites, Adonai, representing God’s mercy and connection. It is interesting that this name is introduced in this Parashah when the plagues begin. Yet, it is also fitting because each time God relents on a plague, it is from mercy, I believe. As I am immerse myself in the opening verses, I realize how much I wanted God’s mercy shown to me and not my enemies/opponents. I realize how much I did not want “all-powerful” to render my justice, rather I wanted “mercy” to-for me and not always for you.:) This opening verse and God’s taking back the plagues time after time, teaches me to ask for mercy for others and show the same mercy I desire towards others. This is what I believe Dr. Susannah Heschel means when she speaks of seeing people who practice their Pharaoh-like instincts in the world as pathetic, meaning I have to show them Divine Pathos, Divine Concern and realize how sad it is that someone else is so stuck in this negativity and disrespect for God’s creation. I also realize when I acted from an “all-powerful” place without regard for the mercy others needed nor their opinions. To all of you, I sincerely apologize and know that I have learned a lot of lessons this past year and over the years that I will not repeat in the coming years.
There are two more verses that I am struck by this year. In Shmot 6:9, “But when Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moses, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage.” When told earlier in last week’s Parashah, the Israelites were joyous and now they can’t even hear. How is this possible? According to the Rashbam, it is because they had expected to get some rest and now it was worse than ever. Pharaoh’s idea of increasing the pressure to break their spirits seemed to be working. It is an interesting parallel to how slaves in America were treated-harsh labor, poor food, separation of families, beatings, etc. is it any wonder why their spirits were crushed? I see this in addicts, their families and, to be truthful, in every human being. During this pandemic it has become apparent how many people are suffering from a crushed spirit, from lack of connection, from fear of financial insecurity, from job loss, from food insecurity, from education being worse than it was, from the incitement to insurrection by the President and his minions, by the moral depravity of our government through treating poor people as criminals, etc. For addicts, ‘why bother’ has become even more pronounced. Johann Hari says that the opposite of addiction is connection and these have become frayed and, not being able to have in-person meetings has impacted so many people struggling with this fatal disease. I am reminded of Rabbi Heschel’s teaching in God in Search of Man about being loyal to the first experience of a Spiritual experience and staying loyal to our responses to that experience. It is the only way to hear through our crushed spirits. It is the only way to remember we have a reason to be here and remind ourselves to live life on God’s Terms, not according to the terms of our enslaver.
In verse 7:3 of Shmot, God says that God will harden Pharaoh’s heart. This seems like a set up for Pharaoh to fail and very unfair of God, similar to our the gods of Greek and Roman Mythology behaved. What does the verse really mean? First, the word ‘Akasheh’ in Hebrew can mean harden and fierce. When I read that God made Pharaoh’s heart fierce, I understand this to be that God did not want Pharaoh to merely surrender by giving up, God wanted Pharaoh to surrender by allowing himself to be confronted and defeated by a Higher and Truer Being. It is so important for all of us to remember that surrender to God is joining the winning side and being able to live according to our soul’s call and knowledge, not by our intellect and emotions alone. God wants Pharaoh to be a worthy adversary, God wants Pharaoh to experience the same afflictions as the Israelites, I am sure. More importantly, for me, is that I have to have a heart that is strong enough and hard enough to withstand the many disappointments that I will experience and stay rooted and grounded in God’s Will and not give in to my whims and fantasies. God has hardened my heart to strengthen me for the battles to come, God hardened Moses’ heart to withstand the onslaught from both Pharaoh and the Israelites and stay true to God. We are ruled by a Pharaoh right now, Trump, McConnell, McCarthy, et al. and we have to be the Moses’ for them and for all people whether they agree or not. This battle for the soul of this country mirrors the battle for the soul of the Jewish People that we have been engaged in since Egypt and the battle for our own soul which is a daily battle and struggle. I pray your soul is winning your battle so we can join together to win the larger battles in the name of Adonai. God Bless, Shabbat Shalom and stay safe, Rabbi Mark