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eekly Journal on Jewish Thought

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jan. 13, 2012

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The Jews:

Super Race?Jews a s upe ri or desi gn ,or are all humans equal?

Moses

Super ManHis unique intellect and timely birthteach Gods providence in making Moses

Pharaohs

AstrologersIs there truth to astrolog y,or is Rashi teaching us in a clever fashion?

First Command

What is God?Knowing what we can; what we must.

Weekly Parsha

ShemotThe promise to Abraham,and Moses role as emissary to Pharaoh

Weekly Parsha

Gods MercyUnderstanding Gods namesemployed in the Torah

Weekly Parsha

Moses 3 SigWhat was Gods plan?

Weekly Parsha

New PharaoA l es son i n a ppr ec ia ti on

People today create fables.

Many hieroglyphics and ancient

records also fabricated stories.Human nature was no different

back then. Do not to believe all

you hear or read, regardless of

reputations or appearances.

Believe the proven truth alone.

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God created one human pair: Adam andEve. Noah and all others descend from thiscouple. It is baseless to suggest there existsdifferent types of humans. The human racewas created once; no humans were createdanew any time afterwards. Despitearrogant claims within Jewish circles, nogroup possesses a different or superiordesign or nature. Torah does not supportthe notion of a superior Jewish soul.

Jew and gentile are identical in design.Where we differ is not in our design or

potential, but in our Torah obligations.God's words are vital to our understandingof reality. Let us follow what He writes, notwhat Jews boastfully suggest. Last weekon the Tenth of Teves we read the Haftorahfor public fasts, Isaiah 55:6-56:8. A friendcommented that Isaiah appears to suggestthat a gentile must observe the Sabbath.While we know Sabbath observance is

prohibited for gentiles, how do we under-stand this? This portion indicates thatwithout Sabbath observance and followingall Torah laws, the gentile cannot share inthe future good granted to the Jew on thesame level. Is this so? And if it is, why isntthe gentile obligated in all of Torah? Is God

playing favorites with the Jew, purposely

excluding gentile from living the greatestpossible life? Lets review the text, thenoffer an explanation:

Chap. 556. Seek God when He can be found;

call Him when He is near. 7. Let thewicked person forsake his path and theman of sin [forsake] his thoughts andreturn to God and He will have mercyon him, [return] unto our God for He isabundant in forgiveness. 8. For Mythoughts are not like your thoughts andyour ways are not like My ways, saysGod. 9. As the heaven as are higher thanthe land, so are My ways higher thanyours and My thoughts from yourthoughts. 10. For as the rain and snowdescend from the heavens and to there[heaven] they do not return; rather theymoisten the land giving birth andsprouting, giving seed to the planter andfood to eat. 11. So will be the word thatleaves My mouth, it will no return to Meempty: for it will do that which I desire,and it will be successful where I sent it.12. For in joy you will go out and inpeace you will arrive; the mountains andvalleys will break forth before you in

song and the trees of the field will claphands. 13. In the place of the thorn bush acypress will rise; and in the place of thenettle a myrtle will rise and this will be amonument to God, an eternal sign neverto cease.

Chap. 56

1. Thus says God; observe justice andperform righteousness for My salvationis soon to come and My righteousness tobe revealed. 2. Happy is the human whodoes this, and the son of Adam who seizesit; observing the Sabbath rather thanprofaning it and guarding his hand fromdoing all evil. 3. And let not the son of thestranger who attached himself to Godsay, God will surely separate me fromHis people and let not the barren one sayBehold, I am a dry tree. 4. For so saysGod to the barren who guard MySabbaths and select which I desire and

seize My covenant. 5. And I will givethem a place and fame within My houseand within My walls, better than sonsand daughters and an eternal name Iwill give them that will never cease. 6.And the son of the stranger that attachesto God to serve Him and to love thename of God and to be to Him servants;all who observe the Sabbath instead ofprofaning it and seize My covenant. 7.And I will bring them to My holy moun-tain and I will gladden them in Myhouse of prayer, their elevation offeringsand peace offerings will find favor onMy altar for My house will be called ahouse of prayer for all peoples. 8. Theword of God, Who gathers the dispersedof Israel; I shall gather to him even morethan those gathered to him.

Radak and others who understand theson of the stranger (56:3) to be Israelites,do not address the distinction between Jewand Noahide. Rashi and Metsudas Davidunderstand son of the stranger to be thegentile. Following these two Rabbis let us

proceed to understand these verses.

Isaiahs MessageWe are first told to seek God when He is

near and can be found. This is a call toJews sinning in action and in thought, toreturn to Godto reestablish a relation-ship with Him. Repentance is therebydefined as not simply ceasing from sin, butreconnecting with God. The Rabbis teachthat God is found only when we areearnest in our desire to draw close and do

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(continued next page)

JEWS:

A SUPERRACE?RABBI MOSHE BEN-CHAIM

Judaisms Fundamentals


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not practiceTorah in a rotefashion. Alterna-tively, He is foundduring our judgment(Rosh Hashanna or beforedeath). For in these times reality hits usmost, and we are genuine. God is also

found (He responds) and we can repent,only during life, for we are taught that afterlife we cannot repent.

But man has a hurdle: he feels thatperhaps his sins are not worthy of forgive-ness. Therefore God tells us that His waysare different than mans ways. For manwill at times guard his hatred for othersand never forgive. We incorrectly projectthis onto God. But God assures us here thatHe is far above our ways and He fullyforgives, recalling nothing of our sins, ifwe are sincere. His promise is secure, asthe falling rains and snow never return

upwards, but successfully descend andwater the Earth. So too, Gods word isfulfilled, assuring us success in our repen-tance. Not only success, but also God sayswe become an eternal sign never tocease.

Isaiah then addresses gentiles. For they

too have a chance at the same life as theJew. A new address is made, Thus saysGod (56:1) indicating the audience isnow shifted from the Jews to the gentiles.

G o dinvites all to

enjoy His salva-tion referring to the

redemption. God clearlyidentifies this new audience of

humans and sons of Adam toinclude all mankind. God teaches that

true happiness is only achieved throughthe adherence to His entire system of 613commands, termed as Sabbath and

covenant.

So we answer the question that while it istrue that a Noahide (gentile) is not permit-ted to observe the Sabbath, at the sametime, his happiness and ultimate perfectionrelies on fulfilling all 613 commands. Allwill agree: with increased Torah obser-vance comes increase perfection.

Jew and gentile are equal. Just as theerring Jew must return, forsaking sinfulacts and adhere to the 613 to enjoy aneternal sign never to cease, so too agentile is taught here to observe Sabbath

and the covenant (i.e., all of Torah) if he toowishes the identical eternal name I willgive them that will never cease(56:5).

All Men are Created EqualOf significance is the parallel: Isaiah

teaches that gentile and Jew have the sameconcern: God will surely separate mefrom His people. Meaning, as Rashistates, the gentile feels he will not enjoy thereward of the Jew, So why should I

convert? the gentile feels. (Rashi) Therefore Godcorrects the gentiles false assumption as He

corrected the Jews, promising the identicalreward! And I will give them a place and

fame within My house and within Mywalls, better than sons and daughtersand an eternal name I will give themthat will never cease.

God concludes, their [the gentiles]elevation offerings and peaceofferings will find favor on My altarfor My house will be called a house of

prayer for all peoples. The word ofGod, Who gathers the dispersed ofIsrael; I shall gather to him even morethan those gathered to him. God

refers to His house as a house of allpeople, and further, He says he willgather to Him peoples, in addition to the

Jews.

God created all members of mankindwith the same potential. The only differ-ence is that the Jew was not given thechoice to observe the 613 commands,while the gentile has this option. As thegentiles Noahide system is not a system of

perfection, but an entitlement to his right tolife, he must abide by a bare minimum oflaws. But the 613 is a system that enablesany man and woman to achieve complete

perfection.The gentile has the opportunity that

equals that of the Jew. Both Jew and gentilerequire actions to ensure their identicalreward; the Jew must forsake sin andfollow his obligation of 613 commands,

and the gentile too can select this life.These two addresses in this portion teachthe absolute equality of all people.

Why is the Sabbath singled out, if theentire 613 commands must be followed?This is because Sabbath recalls Creation,and it is Creation that bestowed equality onall men and women, who God created asdescendants of a single couple. Isaiahswords underscore a theme of human equal-ity throughout all of these verses.

As this portion is read on public fasts, itsintent is to assist in repentance, so we learn

of Gods appreciation of the hurdles block-ing mans repentance, and how He assistsour return to Him by assuaging ourconcerns: the same concerns shared byJew and gentile, and assuring our success.

Gods equation here of the Jew and thegentile is evidenced not only in the identi-cal rewards enjoyed by both, but also in theidentical concerns for the hurdles to repen-tance we both share, seeking to reestablishour relationship with God.

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Following are additional arguments conveying the absoluteequality between Jew and gentiles:

1) Converts must observe the same Torah as the Jew (Exod.12:49; Num. 9:14; Num. 15:16). Therefore, the gentile must havethe same potential for perfection as the Jew.

2) As God created us all, He is concerned for us all.3) Those who enjoyed God's prophecy and providence, were

gentiles. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the TwelveTribesall gentiles. The Jew did not yet exist. And these gentilemonotheists received prophecy, thereby rejecting the idea of a

superior Jew. For what Jew today is a prophet? Thus, formergentiles have surpassed every Jew alive today.4) Jews are an example for the world. This means God cares

about the entire world, using the Jew as the example.5) God also asks we observe His laws, as the performance will

be our wisdom and understanding in the eyes of all people whowill respond, What a wise, understanding great nation this is(Deut. 4:6)! Why does God desire this response from othernations, unless it is due to His concern for their perfection? Thismust mean that other nations can be imbued by Torah's perfectinglaws, just like the Jew.

6) Ruth decided to convert. She had no Jewish ancestry. Yet shewas superior to many Jews. Her superiority was based on herintelligence and character. Boaz married Ruth; their descendants

became our kings, beloved by God. And the Messiah too descendsfrom Ruth the convert.

7) Better is the day of death than the day of birth (Koheles 7:1).King Solomon says this since at birth, one has no merits. But at

death, he or she has arrived at a life of perfection. This verse alsoapplies to a Jew, thereby rejecting the notion that at birth the Jewhas any greater value. The Jew too must wait until death to havehis soul assessed as being a value or not. And if he can ruin hissoul, it is false to suggest his soul is better.

8) Man's actions are what merit his reward or punishment nothis birth status. If mere birth status is the reason for reward andwe assume a Jew is superior, then God rewards the Jew for some-thing he did not do! Meaning, his supposed superior nature is dueto God's act of creation, not the Jew's choices! And that which man

does not do, cannot entitle him to reward. Thus, a birthright tosuperiority is internally contradictory. Superiority is earned, notinherited. Therefore, we dismiss the notion that a Jew is inher-ently superior to others.

9) God punishes Jew and gentile alike. Some violations meetwith the loss of one's soul, like idolatry. Now, if we suggest that aJew possesses a superior soul, of what practical difference is this,if he can sin to the point of losing his soul? The claim of a superiorsoul makes no practical difference. It is also a claim not found inTorah, but only in the imagination of those without knowledge, orthose with arrogance.

10) Maimonides teaches in a number of places the equality of allpeople. In addition to Hilchos Melachim 10:10, see Laws ofShemita and Yovale 13:13. There, he states that anyone who

comes to the world; if he separates himself to worship God as Hecreated him, that person becomes Holy of Holies and receivesGod's providence. Maimonides does not distinguish Jew fromgentile, but in fact equates them by saying anyone.

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nfortunately we are conditioned toaccept that when reading any text,especially those containing stories or

historical accounts, that there is nothing moreto the story than the surface information. Weerr when viewing Torah accounts in thissuperficial manner and forfeit God's intendedmessages. Maimonides expressed this in hisGuide. We must be highly sensitive to allTorah portions. Only then, will the questions

leap from the pages to our surprise, anddelight.

We are told of Pharaoh's enslavement of theJews, and then his plan to exterminate allmales. The Rabbis teach he feared theidolatrously-predicted birth of the Jewishmessiah and therefore wished to kill him.Names are disclosed of the midwives whofeared God and saved the newborns, whom theRabbis teach are Moses' mother and sister.This is followed by Moses' birth, but itdescribes his father and mother as Levites.

Divine decree to Abraham, Joseph's propheticdreams, or a series of ostensibly "natural"events surrounding Moses, the Torah's recordof these accounts intends to communicateimportant lessons. Not history lessons, butlessons of God's providence and humanperfection.

It appears from the sequence that due toneeds of that era, God created Moses. Yes,

God "created" him Divinely, with his highlevel of intelligence, like no other man.Maimonides states, "Due to God's love for usand to guard His promise to Abraham ourfather, God made Moses, the leader of allprophets and sent him(Laws of Idolatry 1:3 last words of that chapter)". Moses wasnecessary at this precise historical moment tofunction as God's emissary. His timed birth,prematurely, saved him from the Egyptianmurderers. And his keen intellect wasdemanded that he perform the miracles. Thefact that he was "good" must refer to his unusu-ally beautiful appearance, also indicating

Divine intervention. His parents were of thehouse of Levi, those immersed in the study ofGod. This too may have contributed to Moses'development in God's path.

Moses' striking form may have been neces-sary to appeal to Pharaoh's daughter, that shepitied him and took him in as a son. His beautycould also bolster her ability to violate herfather's decree on infant males. I did not see asource, but I wonder if God kept her barren, asthe verse indicates to me, taking him in as ason might suggest she had no son prior. beingbarren would add to her desire for a child, evena Hebrew.

What demanded Moses be raised amongroyalty? The following acts of his "going out"to care for his brothers may answer this. Forone who is raised with a level of social superi-ority might be better groomed for his eventualleadership role, and greater ability to conferwith kings, as Moses eventually required inconnection with Pharaoh. Despite this, Mosesdid tell God later "Who am I to speak withPharaoh?" However, this does not mean Moseswas not better prepared to do so, through hisupraising. This only refers to his great humil-ity, a perfection. But one can be perfected andhumble, yet possess the ability to stand before

kings."Going out to his brothers" immediately

follows the account of Pharaoh's daughter,teaching that one is related, or due, to the other.Moses' "going out" may serve to substantiatethat his upbringing successfully offered himleadership abilities. Moses also went out ontwo occasions, teaching that his concern andability to lead was not an isolated case. Andfollowing this account, we learn of Moses'defense of Yisro's daughters, a third case ofMoses expressed abilities.

Why do we need to know all of this addedinformation?

We read further, and must ask of whatsignificance it is that Moses was "good". Goodin what way? He was yet an infant; an earlystage where one is incapable of goodness.

What is so vital in Pharaoh's daughter'scoinciding bathing and finding the infantMoses; her pity on him; the information thatshe took him as a "son" that Moses ended up

raised in Pharaoh's palace?Subsequent tot this, the Torah continues with

Moses' "going out" to his brothers; his killingof the Egyptian; a second "going out" and therebellious Dassan and Aviram; Pharaoh'sdesire to kill him; and Moses defense of Yisro'sdaughters after he fled Egypt.

We just completed Genesis, where welearned of God's command to Abraham that heleave his home town. We learned of Joseph'sdreams which forced his sale and eventual riseto viceroy status. Whether it is an outright,

U

MOSESA SUPER MAN

Weekly Parsha

(continued next page with PHARAOHS ASTROLOGERS


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PHARAOHSASTROLOGERS

In Exodus 1:22, Rashi states that the day Moses was born,Pharaohs astrologers told him that the Jewish messiah had beenborn, but they werent sure whether this messiah was of the Jews orof the Egyptians.

Later in Exod. 2:3, Rashi states that the reason why Mosesmother Yocheved could not hide him anymore, was because theEgyptians counted the months from when Yocheved and herhusband remarried, to determine when a new baby would be born,in order to slay him. Since Moses was born three months prema-ture, his mother was able to hide him that length of time. But at theninth month, she knew that the Egyptians would be visiting to killMoses.

A number of questions surface:1) Did or did not the Egyptians know when Moses was born?From the first Rashi, they seemed to know based on astrology, butfrom the second Rashi, we learn they miscalculated by threemonths, as they did not include Moses premature birth in theircalculations. If they felt Moses true birthday was the day themessiah was born, they should have searched Yocheveds homethree months earlier than they actually did, on Moses actual day of

birth. Additionally, they should have ceased killing males from thatday forward, satisfied in their knowledge that they killed themessiah on that day. The fact that they continued to kill males evenafter their calculated day of the messiahs birth demonstrated their


Weekly Parsha


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own doubt in their prediction.2) How can humans know something outside of their sense

perception? Is astrology fact or fiction?3) Why were these astrologers only certain about one aspect

(that he was born) but they were ignorant of his nationality?On the one hand, one could side with the Egyptians and state that

when they predicted Moses birth, it was indeed his birthday. Butsince he was born three months premature, they didnt bothersearching his mothers tent, as they assumed whoever was born,was born at nine months. This still shows ignorance. On the other

hand it seems more correct to state that the Egyptians really didntknow anything, and when they stated that the messiah was born, itwas a guess, perhaps to maintain their position. Previously, theysuggested that Pharaohs dreams of the 7 cows represented 7 daugh-ters who would be born and then die. They were wrong here, and inmany other cases. But it wasnt objec-tively proven that their theory wasimpossible, so they remained at their

posts.A Rabbi suggested that this might

not have been the first time the Egyp-tian astrologers predicted the birth of amessiah. The astrologers, as in the

past, had to produce information to

make them credulous, and to keeptheir positions. If they never informPharaoh of news, Pharaoh mightdismiss, or even kill them. Thus, theywere always under pressure to provideinformation to Pharaoh. They also hadto be sure that any informationcouldnt be proved 100% wrong. Sowhen they would make predictions,they would do so either in generalities,or in areas that one can never proveimpossible. Alternatively, the astrolo-gers saw that Pharaoh was now subju-gating the Jews, as the Jews were more

numerous, and possibly could pose athreat to the Egyptians. The astrolo-gers surmised the possibility of anuprising, and werent sure whether itwould be spearheaded by a Jew or anEgyptian sympathizer. They thereforeused rational deduction in theirforecast to Pharaoh and told him that itcould be either a Jew or Egyptiansavior.

The fact that the astrologers could not determine Moses nation-ality, and that the second Rashi implies miscalculation, uncoverstheir ignorance, and removes any credibility of their astrology.Perhaps this is why Rashi recorded these two stories, to teach that

their astrology is a farce. Just as people today cannot read palms, orforetell events, so too was the case in Egypt. Pharaoh positionedastrologers as a source of security to placate him at times when hewas in doubt. All that was needed was that Pharaoh believed them.When objective reality could not be ascertained, emotional securityfilled the gap.

The Radak, as well as the Rabbis, dismiss any truth to the BaalesOv (the witch) in Samuel I, 28:7-19. They deny any reality to thisstory, and call it all futility, void, lies, and mockery. King Saulhad visited the Baales Ov to bring up Samuel from the dead. Thestory on the surface says she did, and that King Saul talked withSamuel. The Radak however quotes the Rabbis and states, the

Rabbis said three things in regards to conjurers, 1) the one whobrings up the dead sees but doesnt hear the dead person, 2) the onewho is in need hears, but sees not the dead, and 3) the ones who donot care either way, neither see nor hear anything.

Such was the case with King Saul, he was in need, so he imaginedhearing Samuel talking. The Baales Ov out of fear of KIng Saulsaid she saw Samuel, but didnt hear, and the two who Saul traveledwith, Avner and Amasa, neither saw nor heard a thing.

What does this prove? It proves that King Sauls discussion withSamuel was a daydream, a fantasy. Just as sometimes we think wehear someone talking to us or calling our name, all but to turn andsee nobody there, so too according to Radak and the Rabbis wasthis case with King Saul and the Baales Ov. Saul was in such

emotional need and distress, that hethought he heard Samuel. His two mendidnt care, so they heard nothing.And the Baales Ov needed to keep herstatus, so she feigned seeing him.

As Jews, a rational people, we do notbelieve knowledge emanates fromsorcerers. They are all false. Knowl-edge emanates from God, and there

are specific ways of uncovering thisknowledge; careful analysis andrational thinking. Just as the study of

physics and all other sciences whichare based on principles embedded inthe tangible universe require method-ology to arrive at concepts, so muchmore so, the abstract world of ideasdisclosed to us through the Torahrequires a refined, trained, andrational approach.

It is relatively easy to detect whensomething is an accurate science. If itfollows rational principles, it can be a

science. If however, we hearstatements such as, This crease inyour palm is long therefore you willlive long, Wear this red string andyou will ward off the evil eye, or,There is holiness is one's beard claims with no connection betweenthe causes and suggested effect thesetypes of statements should be immedi-ately identified as outside the rational

sphere. Blind faith is not an acceptable Torah lifestyle. Even whenreading a Rashi, we should look into it and see if it is as clear asrational ideas should be. If not, perhaps he is teaching us something

beyond the surface. It is crucial to dismiss any person gentile or

Jew who makes mystical, unproven claims. I say this, since somany orthodox Jews accept and spread nonsensical notions that areTorah violations. An intelligent person must not look upon one'sexterior, title or his reputation and assume this alone endorses hiswords as Torah truths. Too many men of authority know how toattract others with phony warmth, and then feed them lies aboutinfallible Rebbes and Tzaddikim, amazing powers, Kabbalisticheresy or that God is found inside each of us. Ideas that please ouremotions are typically false. To learn God's true teachings, refer tothe Torah and our leaders like the Prophets and great minds likeMaimonides. But in no way is it wise to blindly accept anyonetoday based on externals, certain when he violates Torah verses.

Baseless respect for all things ancient teamed witha desire for fantasy, dupe todays Jews intobelieving Pharaohs astrologers possessed powers.Yet, all science and Torah teaches otherwise: thereexists only God and His natural laws. Astrology hasnever been proven, for it claims methods thatconflict with nature. Just as we do not risk ourincome based on astrological or mystical beliefs,we must equally not treat our Judaism with such

carelessness.


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Is Basherta truth?


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jan. 13, 2012

Moses wished to know Gods true nature. God responded, Forman cannot know me and live (Exod. 33:20). However, we must becapable of knowing something concerning God, since the rst of HisTen Commandments is to accept that He is our God (Exod. 20:2).

is command refers to knowing that God is the sole cause of theuniverse. It refers to knowing His role, not His incomprehensibleessence. Man is naturally perplexed by the fact that God alwaysexisted. is perplexity must be understood before we approach ananswer.

By nature, people assume there exists only that, which they canfully explain. us, if something is incomprehensible, it is viewed asimpossible. is assumption is easily removed. For we know what

color is. Yet a blind person cannot fathom it. We do not say thatcolors do not exist since the blind person cannot fathom this concept.Similarly, we must not assume God required a creator before Him,simply because we cannot grasp His not having a beginning. Allexistences except God are restricted in this manner: nothing cancreate itself, and therefore, everything requires creation. However,Gods existence is not accidental. Creation does not warrantexistence, until God decided to create. And even after its creation, theuniverse cannot endure without Gods continued will. is depen-dence upon God for creation and continued existence is what wemean by accidental existence. Nothing exists of its own. It continu-ally requires Gods external will.

In contrast, Gods existence is essential. Meaning, His nature issuch, that He always existed. God expressed this to Moses upon hisrequest to identify God when relating his mission to the Jews inEgypt. God said My name is I am that I am (Exod. 3:14). A wiseRabbi explained this to mean I am the One who exists by My verynature; I did not need to be created like all else. e Rabbiexplained this would be evidence that Moses truly received prophecyfrom the Creator. For no man would arrive at such an idea of aneternal being based on the natural operation of the universe; nothingin creation indicates such an idea. erefore, when Moses related thisnew concept; this explanation of Gods nature and His name,Moses was accepted as having truly received prophecy. e Jews

conrmed he must have been taught this idea from a source outsideof nature: by God Himself.

It is only due to our natures and based on all that we see, that wend it troublesome to accept that God had no beginning. Every-thing else does!

God addresses this: I am the rst and I am the last and aside fromMe there is no other god (Isaiah 44:6). Based on Revelation at Sinai,we know the entire Torah including Prophets and Writings to be

true. us, God did in fact precede all else: He has no beginning.But we can also answer this based on reason, not only Gods author-ity.

If we assume God to have a creator, we must be consistent andbelieve that creator also required yet another, previous creator. Wemust then say God was created by Z, and Z was created by Y,and Y by X, in an innite series traveling back in time without abeginning. e problem is, we thereby suggest there never was a rstcause. And without a rst cause, the process never started. Stop andthink about that.

It follows that nothing could exist. For if something never started,if we never arrive at a rst, if there was never a rst cause for all

elsethere would be absolute nothingness.However, reason forces us to accept a First Cause, what we callGod. Although a being without a beginning is incomprehensible,reality cannot be otherwise.We cannot understand what God is, and therefore, we cannot

understand how He exists. Nonetheless, we know that He mustexist, and that He is the sole cause of all that we witness. We say asole cause, because the concept of something being rst issynonymous with exclusivity. is explains why our morning prayersrefer to God as the Creator: Baruch ShAmar, Blessed [is the one]who spoke and the world came into existence. Understanding andaccepting this truth, we fulll the rst of the Ten Commandments,

to know that God the Creator exists.And as He alone gave each creation existence and its various

properties, we know that Revelation at Sinai was His act. Sincenothing else controls the universe, nothing but God is responsible forthat miraculous event. God is the Creator, and the author of theTorah.What is God? He is the sole cause of the universe and the One who

gave us the Torah. Knowing this, we will nd complete harmonybetween the natural world and Torah ideas. It is for this reason thatour greatest Rabbis taught us to use the universe as a means foraccepting religious ideas. If something is not witnessed by our senses,or reasonable to our minds, then it cannot be part of Torah. is

demands that we do not accept other religions and many Jewsbeliefs in powers and forces other than God; this being the second ofthe Ten Commandments, not to accept other powers and gods. Wedo not accept such beliefs precisely because the universe has noevidence of such powers. e Torah instructs man in this fashion, toview the natural world and Torah in harmony: For God is theGovernor of heaven above and the Earth below; there is nothing else(Deut. 4:39).

What is GOD?RABBI MOSHE BEN-CHAIM

THE FIRST COMMANDTHE FIRST COMMAND


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RABBI REUVEN MANN

Rabbi, Y. Israel of Phoenix; Founder, Masoret Institute; Menahel YBT

Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim has written extensively about thephilosophy and Hashkafa of Judaism for many years. As the

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RABBI STEVEN WEIL

Executive Vice President, The Orthodox Union

Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim has followed in the footsteps of thegreat Medieval Rishonim (Rambam, R. Avraham ben HaRam-

bam, etc.) in trying to explain, define and lay out the world

outlook of Torah and the philosophy of Judaism in rational,

logical terms. Rabbi Ben-Chaim asks critical, crucial and

defining questions that any thinking Jew needs to ask. He is

extremely critical of approaches to Judaism that superimpose external methodologies

(such as mysticism, other religions) and project primitive emotions onto the

Almighty. Although one can disagree with some

of the conclusions; his approach, his questions

and method enable the reader to explore and

engage our theology in a meaningful and serious

way. When chazal employ certain terms and

convey certain images, the student is forced to

conceptualize, extract and deduce profoundpsychological and philosophical principles.

Unfortunately, many take chazal at face value or

project onto chazal, motives and rationalizations

they never meant. Rabbi Ben-Chaim following

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Rabbi Ben-Chaim has written a work that

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Jews have succumbed to mystical religion and pop-kabballa. Tenyears in the making, the author cites authentic Torah sourcesunveiling the fallacy of widespread beliefs. He focuses on Torah'sbrilliance and method of decryption; unraveling metaphors andinterpreting texts to reveal hidden gems. Readers will enjoy along overdue, rational expos of cultural beliefs, and a uniquelook at Torah's deep insights. Free 33 page preview at right...

by Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim, Founder Mesora.org

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Are your beliefs trueor simply popularamong other Jews?


14/23

Avrahams prophecy of hisdescendants exile and oppression

And the children of Israel were fruitful andhad many children. And they multiplied andbecame very mighty. And the land was filledwith them. (Shemot 1:7)

The opening pesukim of Sefer Shemot listthe sons of Yaakov. The Chumash explainsthat Yosef and his brothers died in Egypt andthat in Egypt in exile, Bnai Yisrael grew into

a large and mighty nation.

Rabbaynu Ovadia Sforno explains thatduring the lifetime of Yosef and his brothers,Bnai Yisrael emulated the example of thesetzadikim righteous individuals. The peoplewere committed to lives of truth and moralityand their descendents emulated them. How-ever, with the passing of these inspirationalcharacters, the behavior of their descendants

began to deteriorate. This moral corruptionwas responsible for their bondage. In otherwords, Bnai Yisrael became enslaved to theEgyptians as a consequence of their abandon-

ment of the values of their ancestors.

Sforno does acknowledge that the exile ofBnai Yisrael was the realization of a Divinedecree upon the Jewish people. It was prede-termined. However, this decree did notinclude bondage and suffering. The sufferingof Bnai Yisrael in Egypt was a punishment forthe sinful behavior of the people.

Sfornos position presents an obviousproblem. Earlier, in Parshat Lech Lecha,Hashem revealed to Avraham that his descen-dants would be exiled to a foreign land; they

would be oppressed in that land, and finally,they would be redeemed. This prophecy wasa reference to the exile in Egypt. This proph-ecy seems to contradict Sfornos contentionthat the oppression experienced by BnaiYisrael was not preordained. If the bondageand oppression was not predetermined, howcould Hashem tell Avraham that his childrenwould suffer Egypt?

Sforno explains that Hashems message toAvraham does not indicate that the fate of the

people was preordained. They sinned of their

own volition and this behavior caused thebondage. Hashem knows the future withcomplete clarity and through means wecannot understand. Hashems knowledgedoes not imply preordination.

This explanation reconciles Hashemsmessage to Avraham with Sfornos conten-tion that bondage and suffering were not

preordained. However, the answer gives riseto a further question. Why then did Hashemshare this information with Avraham? If the

bondage and oppression of Bnai Yisrael werenot preordained, why did Hashem includethese elements in His description of thenations future?

revelation, the people would know that theirsuffering was not the result of chance events.They would know that Hashem was aware ofand had foretold their oppression. This wouldlead them to search for the reason for theirsuffering and hopefully to the realization thatthe deterioration in the nations relationshipwith G-d was the basis for the bondage. This

would suggest a means to end the suffering.Repentance could save the people. Withoutthe message transmitted through Avraham,the people might conclude that they were thevictims of political or sociological forces andthat repentance could not help. Avrahams

prophecy disproved this assumption.

Moshe was the first prophet to actas Hashems spokesmanAnd Moshe answered: They will not believe

me and they will not obey my voice. For theywill say, Hashem has not appeared to you.

(Shemot 4:1)

Hashem directs Moshe to address BnaiYisrael. He is to reveal to them his mission.He is to tell them that Hashem will redeemthem from Egypt. Through Moshe,Hashem will take Bnai Yisrael out of Egyptand lead them to the Land of Israel. Moshe

protests. The people will not follow him.They will not believe that Hashem hasspoken to him. Certainly, they will notfollow him through the wilderness to theLand of Israel.

Moshe's objections are difficult to under-stand. Moshe was not the first prophet.Hashem had spoken to the forefathers andothers. None of these prophets raisedMoshe's objections. They did not contendthat their prophecies would be denied orthat they would be dismissed as madmen.Why did Moshe bring up these issues?

Maimonides deals with this question inhis Moreh Nevuchim. He offers an amaz-ing answer. Maimonides begins by explain-ing that Moshe's objections werecompletely appropriate. He was to repre-

sent himself as Hashems emissary. Thenation should require Moshe to providecredentials. They would be fools if theyfollowed Moshe without proof of hisauthenticity. Moshe recognized the legiti-macy of Bnai Yisraels suspicions.

Therefore, he asked Hashem to providehim with the means to verify his authentic-ity.

Based on this analysis, Maimonidesreformulates our question. We cannot

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SHEMOTRABBI BERNIE FOX

Sforno responds that this message wasgiven to Avraham for transmission to hisdescendants. The prophecy would serve asevidence that the suffering of the people wasnot merely an arbitrary nuance of fate.Hashem had revealed to Avraham that this

punishment would occur. Because of this


Weekly Parsha


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criticize Moshe's concerns. However, wemust ask a different question. Why did

previous prophets not raise these issues?Why did Avraham not ask Hashem forsome means to confirm his authenticity?

Maimonides explains that Moshe wasdifferent from previous prophets. Previous

prophets received prophecies aimed atguiding them towards their own personal

perfection. Alternatively, their prophecies

provided knowledge of their destiny or thefuture of their progeny. The people did notrequire these prophets to prove theirauthenticity. They did not speak to the

people in the name of Hashem.Maimonides further explains that Avrahamdid not speak to humanity as Hashem'sspokesman. He addressed humankind as ateacher. He provided instruction basedupon reason and argument. He presentedrational proofs for his theology and philoso-

phy. Therefore, Avraham did not need toprove his prophetic status to the people. Henever insisted that he be followed and

obeyed as Hashem's spokesman. Moshewas the first prophet instructed to address anation on behalf of Hashem. Moshe was toreveal Hashem's will and act as His spokes-man. Moshe needed proof. He wasconfronted with a different and newmission. This mission required that he

prove his authenticity.

Moshes bewilderment withHashems silence

And Moshe returned to Hashem and hesaid: G-d, why have you mistreated thisnation? Why have you sent me? (Shemot5:22)

Moshe goes to Paroh. He tells Paroh thatHashem has commanded Bnai Yisrael to goout to the wilderness and worship Him. Paroh

refuses to allow Bnai Yisrael to travel into thewilderness or worship Hashem. Further-more, Paroh increases the burden of BnaiYisrael. He demands more labor from them.Moshe is troubled by this outcome. In our

pasuk, Moshe addresses Hashem. Herecounts that Hashem told him that BnaiYisrael would be redeemed. He sent him toParoh to demand their freedom. Moshe haddutifully followed Hashem's directions. How-ever, he had failed to achieve any positiveresult. Instead, Moshe's actions had increasedthe suffering of the nation! How can thisoutcome be reconciled with Hashem's

promise to redeem His nation?The commentaries are troubled by Moshe's

question. Hashem had revealed to Moshe thatParoh would not acquiesce to his request.Paroh would only relent as a result ofoverpowering plagues. Moshe should nothave been surprised by Paroh's response. Therequired plagues had not yet begun!

Rabbaynu Avraham ibn Ezra offers aninteresting response. The final redemptionwould be the exodus from Egypt. Mosheunderstood that this ultimate step wouldrequire overwhelming force. Moshe under-stood that this final stage of rescue had notyet arrived. However, Moshe expectedsome immediate improvement in the condi-tion of Bnai Yisrael. In other words, heassumed that redemption would be a

process. The final step would only besecured through the plagues. But theprocess would begin immediately. There-fore, Moshe was shocked by the deteriora-tion in Bnai Yisrael's condition.

Nachmanides explains Moshe's questiondifferently. Moshe understood that Parohwould only respond to force. He was notsurprised that Paroh increased his tormentof the Jewish people. But he was shockedthat Hashem did not respond and punishParoh. Moshe expected the plagues to

begin immediately. Instead, Hashem was

silent. Moshe was puzzled. If the time hadcome for redemption, let the process begin.If the moment of redemption had not yetarrived, why had he been sent to Egypt?Moshe had spoken to the people of theirsalvation but not produced any positiveresults. This could only undermineMoshe's credibility.

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hroughout the Torah, we see a shift betweentwo prominent names of God Hashemand Elokim. To the secular scholar, this

change implies the Torah was not of Divine origin, butthe product of different authors. Without a methodol-ogy to understand Torah or a firm grasp of the mesorait is easy to see why this type of conclusion is reachedAs Jews, we know it is one of the fundamental tenets of

our faith that the Torah indeed was given from God atHar Sinai. We also know that what makes Judaismunique from other religions is our dedication to theempowering of the mind, to constantly furthering ourintellectual development. As such, the fact that thechange in names takes place requires elucidation. InParshas Shemos, an example of the switch betweennames affords us an opportunity to gain a greaterinsight into the way God manifests Himself to theJewish people and the world (please note that theobjective of this article is NOT to offer a universalformula applicable to all such instances).

During Gods first revelation to Moshe, Moshe hideshis faces after the initial communication. The Torah

continues (Shemos 3:7):Hashem said, "I have indeed seen the suffering ofMy people that are in Egypt. I have heard how they cryout because [of the harshness] of their slave-masters,and I am aware of their pain.

The Ramban (ibid) notes that this is the first time inthis section that God reveals Himself as Hashem(meaning the four letters), rather than as Elokim. Tounderstand his question, we need to look at the begin-ning of this section.

The rise of the new king in Egypt portends a newchapter in the developing plan to redeem the Jews fromEgypt (ibid 2: 23-25):

A long time passed and the king of Egypt died. The

B'nei Yisrael moaned because of their enslavementand they cried. Their plea about their enslavement wentup to God (haElokim). Elokim heard their groaningand Elokim remembered His covenant with Avrahamwith Yitzchok and with Yaakov. Elokim saw the B'neYisrael, and Elokim took knowledge of them.

We see throughout this description the use ofElokim instead of Hashem and it is this break inthe trend that is being referenced by the Ramban. Wemust understand what it was at this moment, duringthe prophecy of Moshe that causes this switch to take

place.There is another subtle but equally important

comment offered by Rabbeinu Chananel (ibid). As we

know, the name Elokim refers to the attribute ofJustice as manifested by God, while Hashem refersthe attribute of Mercy. In general, we tend to viewthese as distinct ideas without overlap. Therefore, onecould assume that in the quoted verses above, theattribute of Justice is the underlying idea behind Godsdecision to now initiate the redemption. InterestinglyRabbeinu Chananel writes that in this case, Elokimhad mercy on them. He seems to be indicating herethat there was some conjoining of these two attributes

Rabbi Dr. Darrell Ginsberg

(continued next page

A Different View ofMercy

Weekly Parsha

T


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or that Gods Justice was merciful. If this is the case, then the delinea-tion is not as clear as once thought. This is also somewhat problematicaccording to the Ramban the specific name of Hashem was notused here, but God was still applying some type of mercy. Therefore,the change to Hashem would not seem to be as noteworthy. And,more importantly, how do we understand the idea of merciful Justiceversus acting Mercifully (or pure mercy)? After all, it would be absurdto maintain that Gods Mercy is unjust!

When we take a closer look at the verses, we see that when Godheard their groaning, He remembered His covenant with Avraham,with Yitzchok and with Yaakov In other words, it was thecovenant, the guarantee God made with the avos, that was theimpetus for His involvement. The idea of abiding by a covenant is notan idea of mercy, but one of justice a pretty clear and obvious deduc-tion. In this instance, God saw the covenant in danger of beingdestroyed, and therefore began the process of the redemption. Whatabout the idea of being merciful alongside the nameElokim? There are two possiblethreats that can bring about theideological destruction of BnaiYisrael, thereby negating the

bris. The first comes

from within thenation. In Egypt, therewas a distinct possibil-ity that the Jewish

people wouldbecome idolatrous,assimilating into thesurrounding environs,accepting uponthemselves areligious systemanathema toJudaism. Had this

been the scenario,

there would be nofeature of mercyexpressed in

judgment. The otherpossibility is anexternal threat, a forceoutside the people threat-ening its very existence. Inthe case of the Jewish people inEgypt, their bondage had entered anew phase. They were not just sufferingfrom the physical torment of being enslaved. Their veryexistence as Jews was in danger. We see this idea clearly in theHaggada, as we analyze the Sifrei and recount the different types of

suffering encountered by the Jews (Devarim 26:7) We prayed toHashem, God of our forefathers, and Hashem accepted our prayer,and perceived our oppression, and our labor, and the pressure upon us(lachatzeinu). The Ritva explains that the Egyptians, after failing todecrease the population of the Jews by killing the male children,resorted to a different method --they began to try to assimilate theJewish people into their own religion. The reality that the danger to thereligion was coming from outside the Jewish people could beexpressed in the characteristic of mercy being applied to Elokim.The idea of mercy here is stressing that the danger was not due to the

Jewish people rejecting God, but to having a philosophy which rejectsGod forced upon them.

At this point, the Rambans observation would seem to be moredifficult to understand after all, it seems like the same idea couldhave been conveyed using the formula of Rabbeinu Channanel. Wemust posit that the change to Hashem was a qualitative change, butwhat did it reflect? The idea of mercy as perceived by the world atlarge is usually associated with leniency in punishment, assisting the

dis-advantaged, and a plethora of other examples. In many instances,the reference to Hashem evokes these very types of actions. However,there is an application of the idea of mercy that may be unfamiliar tosome. The Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim 1:54) offers a well-knownexplanation as to Moshes famous request from God, when engagingGod after the sin of the Golden Calf, to show me Your glory.Mosess personality was unique in that he was constantly striving formore knowledge, a perpetual yediyas Hashem. Nothing sums this upmore that this request. Moses asks God for more knowledge, knowl-

edge of His actions and His essence.God responds that it is impos-

sible for man to know Hisessence, but that he will

reveal to Moshe the

knowledge of Hisactions. Further expla-nation is required as to

this back and forth, butthere is one interest-

ing detail that ispertinent to ourtopic. In the conver-sation Moshe haswith God, thename Hashem

is used, connotingMercy. In otherwords, the fact

that God allowsfor man theopportunity to

know more aboutHim, to gain ininsights, is indeed

within the category,if not the paradigm,of Mercy. This could

be the reason for theswitch from Elokim to Hashem. When describing

the overall plan for the redemption of the Jewish people to Moshe(Shemos 3:8), God explains that I have descended to free them fromthe hand of Egypt Onkelos explains that descended means God

is revealing Himself in freeing the Jews from Egypt. Within the planto save the Jews is an element that need not necessarily be present. Theredemption could have been the complete annihilation of the Egyptian

people, with the Jews simply walking out of Egypt. Instead, God wasusing the redemption as an opportunity to allow the Jewish people togain insights into Him. They would see God as Creator of theuniverse, manifest through his control of nature. They would see Godas melech elyon, the one and only King. They would be afforded anopportunity into yediyas Hashem knowledge of God and thisopportunity is indeed an act of mercy from God.


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jan. 13, 2012

Weekly Parsha

rabbi moshe ben-chaim

xodus, 4:1-9: And Moses answered and said, They (theJews) will not believe in me and they will not listen to myvoice, for they will say. God did not appear to you. And God

said to him, What is in your hand? and he said, A staff. And He said,Throw it to the ground, and he threw it to the ground, and it became aserpent. And Moses fled from before it. And God said to Moses, Send

forth your hand and grasp it by its tail. And he sent forth his and heseized it, and it was a staff in his palm. In order that they believe you,that God appeared to you, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham,the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And God said to him, Further,

bring now your hand into your chest, and he brought his hand into hischest, and he took it out, and behold his hand was leprous as snow. AndHe said, Return your hand to your chest, and he returned his hand tohis chest, and he took it out, and behold, it returned to its flesh. And itwill be if they do not believe you, and they do not listen to the voice ofthe first sign, then they will listen to the voice of the second sign. And itwill be if they do not listen to also these two signs, and they do not listento your voice, and you will take from the waters of the Nile, and you willspill it onto the dry land, and it will be that the water that you take fromthe Nile, and it will be blood on the dry land.

God instructs Moses on his mission to free the Jews. God thenresponds to Moses doubt of the Jews conviction in his divine appoint-ment, by giving him three signs. These signs will prove Gods appear-ance to him. A number of questions arise. Before reading further, taketime to review the verses above, and discuss them with others. Simplyreading on will remove your opportunity to engage in the process oflearning and the use of your own thought. This process is how we

become better Torah students, thereby refining our own thinking forfuture study. It is also an enjoyable activity. The Torah was purposefullywritten in a cryptic style so as to engage the mind in this most prizedactivity of analysis, induction, deduction and thought - our true purposewhere the rewards are unmatched, both here, and in the next world.Once you have spent due time reviewing the issues, feel free to read thequestions enumerated below, and our possible answers.


E

mosessigns


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A

Questions1. The sign of blood is said to be the ultimate

proof of Gods directive. How does this signsurpass the others?

2. If blood is more convincing than a staffturning into a serpent, or leprosy, why notinstruct Moses to perform the blood sign first?Three signs would then not be necessary!

3. What are the ideas conveyed through eachspecific sign? Why were these three selected?

4. Why does God give Moses signs easilyduplicated by the magicians?

5. What is meant by the voice of eachsign?

6. In both, the transformation of a staff into aserpent and Nile water into blood, neithertakes place until both objects reach the ground,as it says, and he threw it to the ground, and it

became a serpent, and it will be blood on thedry land. What is the reason for this miracleat a distance?

7. Why do the first two signs return totheir original objects? What need does thisserve?

8. Why is Moses requested to conceal hishand in order for it to become leprous? Godcould certainly make him leprous without himconcealing it.

9. In contrast to the sign of blood where Godtells Moses what will happen to the Nileswaters before the signs performance, whydoes God not tell Moses what will happen tothe staff or his hand before those miracles?

10. What will the Jews learn when they hearMoses referring to God as the God of theirfathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,and the God of Jacob?

We must say the following: the reason forthree signs is twofold; 1) God wished theviewer to be convinced of His appointment ofMoses with minimal, emotional amazement;and 2) God wished this from everyone, asadditional signs of less deniability accompanythe first. God knows what the most convincingsign is, i.e., blood, but He desired it come lastin the sequence. As Rabbi Mann teaches, Goddesires we use our minds.

Action at a DistanceIt is for this very reason that additional

features are found in these signs. I refer here tothe fact that both the staff, and the Nileswaters transformed only once on the ground. Itis not the ground that is essential here, but thedistance between Moses hand and thetransformation. All magicians require tactilecontrol of their manipulated objects. Without

physical contact, they cannot create illusionsthrough sleight of hand. However, Mosesobjects did not transform, while in his hand,

but only once distanced from his control.Distance teaches that this was not sleight ofhand; his hand was nowhere near the transfor-mation! These signs could only be explainedas true miracles, as Gods actions.

Magic Does Not ExistSforno on Exod. 4:3 cites Talmud Sanhedrin

67b: (Responding to the plague of lice, and

their inability to mimic it) Then the magicianssaid to Pharaoh, this is the finger of God. Thisproves that a magician cannot produce acreature less than a barley corn in size.[Strengthening this first position] Rav Pappasaid, By God, he cannot produce somethingeven as large as a camel! [So what does itmean that a magician cannot produce acreature less than a barley corn?] [It means]these that are larger than a barley corn, he cancollect, and produce the illusion that he hasmagically created them. This Talmudic

portion teaches that the human hand cannotcontrol that which is too small.

Sleight of hand was known in the times ofthe Talmud, and in Egypts times. All magic isillusory. What these Egyptians performed byhand was quicker than the eye, but only whenthe object was large enough to manipulate.Our Rabbis did not accept that any powersexist outside natural laws. God is the only Onecapable of altering natural law only Hecreated it, only He controls it. Saadia Gaon too

stated that the Egyptians blood trick wasperformed by the use of colored dyes, and thefrogs leaped out of the Nile by their use ofchemicals that frogs repel. Sforno also statesthat the Egyptians snakes had no movement,i.e., they were not real. Moses stafftransformed into a nachash, not the lifelesstanin of the Egyptians. The difference interms indicates to Sforno, a difference in thetwo performances.

BloodBlood is the source of life. When one

sees water transformed into blood, onerealizes that life itself is in Gods handsThis strikes at the core of any personsgreatest fear: his death. Additionally, itscreation from the Nile disputed the Niles

position of grandeur. But as God wishes wecome to know Him by the use of our highernature - our intellect - He did not order the

blood sign first in sequence. God offers aperson the chance to rise to a higher leveby following his mind. With a minimalisperformance, man has the opportunity toexercise his thinking, and derive truthsconcerning Gods will (His appointment ofMoses) and His very existence.

Creation: Arrived at ThroughReason

I digress to focus your attention on arelated and essential idea: Gods position asthe Creator the most import concept

Maimonides Guide for the PerplexedBook II, (end of Chap XXV): ...Owing tothe absence of all proof, we reject thetheory of the Eternity of the Universe: andit is for this very reason that the noblestminds spent, and will spend their days inresearch. For if the Creation had beendemonstrated by proof, even if onlyaccording to the Platonic hypothesis, alarguments of the philosophers against uswould be of no avail. If, on the other handAristotle had a proof for his theory, thewhole teaching of Scripture would berejected, and we should be forced to other

opinions. I have thus shown that aldepends on this question. Note it.

Maimonides teaches, all depends on thisquestion. What does he mean? I believehim to mean that by design, God wishedthat our conviction of this most central idea

God as Creator must be arrived atthrough thought, and understanding, notthrough amazement at marvelous feats. Inother words, our recognition of God as theCreator must be apprehended through ourreasoning. This is the highest form ofrecognition of God, and the preferred

method to knowing Him, and His worksAll depends on this question, means that

proof of Creation was purposefully left tothe realm of the philosophical, and not toemotional via astonishing, miraculousdisplays. It is easy to witness a miracle, and

be convinced, but in such a case, our mindforfeits the exercise of reasoning - THEmark of mans perfection. It is fitting thatman use his crowned capacity in the pursuit

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jan. 13, 2012

of this question, of God as the Creator. Inow return to our topic.

The Serpent and LeprosyBefore resorting to blood, why did the

staff transform into a serpent? On thesurface, both the staff and a serpent havesimilar appearances, they are narrow,elongated shapes. Once transformed into a

serpent, the viewer might second-guesswhat he saw, Was it in fact a staff beforehand, or was it a serpent in some stiffenedstate? Control of ones emotions and clearthinking are required so as not to dismiss amiracle. Moses was given these signs forthe very reason that the Jews might be benton disbelief in Gods appointment ofMoses. Hence, subsequent to a sign, theJews might seek to explain away themiracle. To say the very minimum aboutthis specific sign, it teaches that Godcontrols life. He can turn a lifeless staff intoa living organism. Gods control of life

would appear to offer the most impact onthe Jews. Therefore Gods signs wereindications of His control of life. But thiswas yet animal life. More impressive, wasMoses hand becoming leprous. Here, Godsought to teach that He controls human life.He does so in the negative (becomingleprous) as well as the positive (healing ofMoses leprosy). The fact that Moses ownhand was smitten, may serve to teach againthat it was not Moses who created such afeat, as one would not risk self injury.Similarly, one would not create a danger-ous serpent.

Another observation of the serpent andleprosy is that the transformation into aserpent displays Gods control over thematter of creation, while leprosy displaysHis control of His laws of creation.Transforming a staff into a serpent displaysGods control over matter itself. Diseasehas a natural process. Moses leprous handdisplays that God controls how things

behave. These two, initial signs bearwitness to God control of both aspects ofCreation: of matter, and laws governingthat matter.

Perhaps, in order to minimize the affectof astonishment, God instructed Mosesto first conceal his hand before it becameleprous. For if a hand became leprous in

plain sight, it would overwhelm the viewer,prohibiting his mind from fully function-ing. This feat would startle him. Therefore,God told Moses to hide his hand. God alsogave Moses signs easily duplicated by

the Egyptians. And as Rabbi Mann taught,this was so the viewer use intelligence todiscern true miracles of God, from manssleight of hand. We may also suggest thatthe voice of each sign refers to the under-lying concept derived by the mind, asopposed to the feat per se. God wished theviewer to understand each signs message their voice.

Why did the first two signs return to theiroriginal forms? This may also be a practi-cal issue, that Moses may once again

perform these signs.

Why does God not tell Moses what willhappen to the staff or his hand before thosemiracles? Mindful that God enabled thesesigns as a response to Moses concernthat he be validated, perhaps God did notinform Moses of the sign until it happenedfor good reason: God wished that Mosessense the effects of a these signs, just likethe Jews. By experiencing the sign without

advance warning, Moses could identifywith the perception and emotional impactafforded the Jews through these signs.Thereby, Moses first hand knowledgegave him the security in these signs. Godanswered his concern in a primary fashion.He now knew how the Jews would react tothese signs - that they were impressive.Had God told Moses what was about tohappen, his expectation would lessen theemotional impact of these signs.

The Fulfillment of Gods PromiseOur final question was, What will the

Jews learn when they hear Moses referringto God as the God of their fathers, the Godof Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the Godof Jacob? I believe this may serve toillustrate Gods consistent kindness. AsMoses was Gods emissary for theRedemption, the Jews would be moreinclined to accept this news and Mosesrole, by recalling how God favored theirancestors, and not just on one occasion, butthroughout the lifetimes of many individu-als. The Redemption was not a deviation,

disbelieved by the Jews, but it was consis-tent with the manner in which God relatesto His people; to His prophets descen-dants. We learn from this that God saw itnecessary even prior to the act of redemp-tion, that the Jews required a psychologicalconviction in Gods forthcoming salvation.This state of mind was necessary, and Godreassured the Jews of His unchangingkindness through this statement.

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Weekly Parsha

This week we begin the Book of Shemotwhich describes the slavery of the Jews andtheir transformation into a kingdom ofPriests and Holy Nation. It is difficult to

comprehend how the offspring of Jacob andJoseph could be so ill-treated by theEgyptians. Enumerating the factors whichled to the enslavement, the verse states, Anew King arose over Egypt who did not

know Joseph. It is interesting to notethat not everyone takes this

statement literally. Agreat TalmudicSage learns thatthis is a referenceto the old Pharaohwho adopted anew attitude. At

first glance thenotion that thePharaoh whosedreams Joseph hadinterpreted was theone who initiated theenslavement is mind

boggling. Are we tobelieve that the Kingwho elevated Joseph tothe most exalted positionin Egypt, and enthusias-tically welcomed hisfather and brothers to

reside in the lands choicestlocation would seek tocrush their descendants insuch a cruel manner?Unfortunately we must

answer in the affirma-tive and seek to learn

the lessonscontained in

t h i sinterpreta-tion.

One ofthe leasta t t r a c -t i v eh u m a ncharac-ter traits

is theinability to

appreciate thefavors of others. The worst

expression of this flaw is when someonerepays a kindness with evil. We have allexperienced this on some level. Sometimes

we go out of our way and make an enormoussacrifice to benefit someone. A really bigfavor can spell the end of a friendship. Therecipient of our kindness may not just fail to

be gracious but may even resent and turnagainst us.

Jewish history illustrates the popularsaying that no good deed ever goes unpun-ished. Many kings invited the Jews intotheir countries and granted them special

privileges in order to profit from theircommercial and other talents. Over time theeconomic prosperity they engenderedaroused envy and led to persecution andeven expulsion. This pattern was repeatedmany times. We were banished fromEngland, Spain and other lands which

benefitted greatly from the Jewish presence.

The most egregious example of thisphenomenon is Nazi Germany. Hitleraccused the Jews of being a fifth columnand stabbing Germany in the back. Yet nogroup was as loyal and contributed more tothe economic, scientific and culturaladvancement of Germany than the Jews.Will it be different in America? Jews have

participated extensively in the civil rightsstruggles of persecuted groups. As animos-ity towards Israel increases it will beinteresting to see whether they will join us insolidarity toward the Jewish State.

The Rabbi who learned that the new

King was actually the old Pharaoh formu-lated a compelling insight into the deeperrecesses of the human psyche. He wasurging us not to put our faith in man whosevanity and selfishness is boundless. WhenPharaoh needed Joseph he gave him great

power and opened his land to his family.However, he was incapable of genuinegratitude for he regarded himself as a deity.It was a blow to his pride to be dependent ona Jew for survival. As the calamity of thefamine receded he began to downplay themagnitude of Josephs achievement. TheJews were a reminder of a dark period in hishistory which he needed to forget. Engag-ing in what psychologists call reactionformation he viewed the Jews as enemiesof the state who must be subdued. There ismuch we can learn from this as individualsand as a people. Compassion must be

practiced with wisdom and restraint. Let usnever assume that our good deeds will beappreciated or bring us special favor. Let us

perform kindness and righteousness for itsown sake with full confidence that theultimate reward is from Hashem.

NEWPHARAOHRABBI REUVEN MANN

THE


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