It turns out that Your Humble Blogger never wrote about Parshah Va’ayra (Exodus 6:2-9:35), in part because I didn’t prepare much for synagogue whilst on the road, and had a lousy discussion that I’d just as soon leave unexamined. I didn’t actually formulate a what-if question until the discussion was over, which means Gentle Readers get the benefit that my congregation didn’t.
The parshah is an interesting one, and in a way really marks the difference between Exodus and Genesis. The first parshah is almost Genesis-like, as it narrates the birth and youth of Moses. It’s a lovely story, and fits in pretty well with the Genesis stories. At the beginning of Va’ayra, however, the Lord tells Moses his ineffable Name, and signals a change from the stories of a family to the story of a people. Moses, presumably awed and inspired by the Tetragrammaton, goes back to Pharaoh to negotiate the three-day weekend from which Pharaoh correctly suspects they will not return. As part of the hard-nosed negotiations, Moses brings the first seven “plagues” on Egypt, a catastrophic series of heightened natural catastrophes and infestations that undoubtedly kills many Egyptians and plunges more into refugee camps, poverty and slavery. The reading ends with the seventh plague; there are more to come.
What I find interesting is that all of this disaster is necessary not for the continuation of the people Israel (that is, ensuring there will be Gd-fearing descendants of the Genesis characters) but for the liberation of all the descendants of Jacob who came to the land of Goshen. What would have happened if Moses had, like Jacob/Israel or Isaac, saved only himself and his immediate family, leaving behind the rest? Isaac leaves Ishmael to his own devices; Jacob leaves Esau to his. Moses leaves Egypt behind but then goes back, not just to collect Aaron and Miriam, but to lead the whole people out, unbelievers, crackpots, halfies, calf-builders, quail-savers, leftover-mannah-eaters and all. What if Moses simply started again, with his staff and his Lord, like Jacob did? Or, clearly, he could have rescued his siblings and their spouses and children, and made of them a new tribe of Mosesites. Yes, it’s too bad about all that slavery, but then redeeming the slaves will require devastation that makes the tsunami look like a SoCal mudslide, most of which is imposed on Egyptians not only blameless in Pharaonic policymaking but willing to hand over their silver and jewels to the departing slaves.
No, the plan of the Lord requires utterly defeating the Pharoah, and the departure of thousands of Jews who don’t deserve to enter the Holy Land and partaking of the milk and the honey. I find this instructive as well as inspiring, particularly when coupled with the familiar language of the seder: it was that which the Lord did for me, when I went forth from Egypt. The Lord told Moses to go back for me, not because I deserved it, and at cost beyond imagining, but presumably because it was the right thing to do.
Thank you,
-Vardibidian.