|
|
January 7, 2000/29 Tevet 5760, Vol. 52, No.18
When in power, show respect for others
Torah Study
RABBI BEN HOLLANDER
Va'era/ Exodus 6:2-9:35
In last week's Torah portion, God sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh with a message that has resonated through the ages: Shalach et-ami ("Let my people go"). Pharaoh's refusal to do so - or even to accept the face-saving alternative of allowing the Israelites to leave for three days of worship in the wilderness - lead God to send Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh once again. But now the time has come for God to break the impass by actively intervening.
Indeed, in this week's portion, Va'era, God begins the plagues that will demonstrate Divine might and sovereignty. The first chapter of the portion introduces this redemptive drama, as God "spoke to both Moses and Aaron in regard to the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, instructing them to deliver the Israelites from the land of Egypt" (Exodus 6:13).
Then, just as we are beginning to lean forward in anticipation of the action, the text digresses, and we are given instead a dry, detailed genealogy of Moses and Aaron. What is the purpose of this time out? Let's take advantage of it to reflect about what might have been the content of the general charge that God issued to Moses and Aaron "in regard to the Israelites and Pharaoh," taking note that we're at a low point in the drama because the Israelites "would not listen to Moses, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage" (Exodus 6:9). Indeed, Pharaoh not only refused to free the people; he responded to their leaders' plea by intensifying their suffering, demanding that they make bricks without being supplied with the necessary straw.
What strategy would you have suggested to Moses and Aaron for dealing with the dispirited people and the unrelenting Pharaoh? Was it time to be gentle or tough? Consider what our tradition says. Rashi introduces a midrash (commentary) that says this charge to Moses and Aaron commanded them to deal with the people with patience and restraint and to deal with Pharaoh with respect. This advice reflects the rabbinic conviction that God requires that we show respect for others and faith in the possibility of change. So convinced are the rabbis that this is the proper approach to interpersonal - and international - relations that they feel it applies even to this extreme situation of slaves and dictator.
Now let's look at an explanation of our verse according to the Jerusalem Talmud, which goes even farther than the first midrash, stating that there is not only a general approach but also a concrete content to God's charge. Based on a verse in Jeremiah, this opinion suggests that God's charge here is the commandment to the Israelites that requires the seventh-year freeing of their future slaves.
What is the reasoning behind this talmudic view? It stems from the conviction that the basic requirement for the Israelites to be freed from Pharaoh and to become a nation is a commitment by them to act differently if they had slaves, and by extension toward anyone over whom they had power. It is as though the pause in the narrative gives Moses and Aaron a chance to prepare the Israelites for freedom by teaching them the lesson of slavery, namely, that empowerment must include empathy and responsibility toward others.
These are the lessons, but what is the reality? Judah Halevi in his Kuzari has the king of the Khazars ask the rabbi: Will the Jewish people, once they return to their land and are freed from being the victims of foreign regimes, victimize those who live under their rule, as many other peoples do?
Today, we, the Jewish people and the nation that dwells in Zion, have the awesome responsibility of answering that question with regard to one another and with regard to others under our authority. How are we doing?
Rabbi Ben Hollander teaches Torah in Jerusalem at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Machon Schechter and the Hebrew University School for Overseas Students. Torat Hayim is produced by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. For further commentaries visit www.uahc.org/growth.
|
