Foolin’ Round
Moshe told Paroh the Jews did not want out – they only wanted a three day festival in the desert. What for? To worship Hashem, of course!
Paroh [with arm twisted]; ‘Fine, worship right here!’
Moshe: ‘What, sacrifice venerated sheep before Egypt’s eyes?! It improper, and we will get stoned for it…’
Paroh: ‘Alrighty, take what animals you need and leave the rest’
Moshe: ‘We cannot know what sacrifice Hashem will ask. We need to take all our animals, to the last hoof!’
However the Jews were instructed to sacrifice SHEEP. IN. EGYPT. (Korban Pesach) Yup!
Not knowing what animal to sacrifice? Or of not being able to sacrifice before the Egyptians??
Here is the deal: It was all a game. Political double-talk. And all knew it. Paroh knew the score. And Moshe knew that Paroh knew. But they played in doublespeak; the cover story was a three day holiday.
Paroh said to Moshe ‘Behold, your wicked plotting to escape will turn against you!’. (Paroh told Moshe ‘See that evil is facing you!’ The Targum explains this ‘See that the evil you intend to do [i.e. running away,] will turn to block your progress’)
When the Jews sacrificed publicly in Egypt, they broadcast a clear message: ‘It’s official! We are leaving for good. It’s all over; forget the 3 day story!’ Thereafter, the Egyptians had no moral claim on the Jews running away, for they had announced their true intentions, and the Egyptians sent them out despite knowing them.
This is a clear Pasuk: ‘And Paroh and his servants changed their hearts regarding the nation, and said “What have we done, for we have sent Israel from our servitude!'”
They did not say ‘Why did we grant a three day vacation?’ They said ‘Why did we set them free?’ For that was exactly what they did.
What is the moral in this?
The Rambam writes that the Paroh story is an allegory. Paroh is the Yetzer Harah. These parshios teach us how to deal with our desires. We learn here that the Yetzer responds well to being fooled. Feel free to say to your lesser inclination: ‘Sure I’ll do that – tomorrow!’
Push things off. Change the subject. Lie, tell the Yetzer sob stories. Divert it’s attention. Claim (and focus on the fact that) you are too tired right now.
Learn from Moshe, and win big.
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Just An Excuse?
Pharoh said ‘The Jews can go, but their cattle stays’.
Moshe answered ‘Not only will we take our every last hoof, you will even donate yours to bring as sacrifices to Hashem’
Hashem hardened Paroh’s heart.
Paroh shouted at Moshe ‘Watch out! Next time you come here; you die!’
Moshe: ‘Fine, I’m not coming again’, and went on to warn Pharoh that his firstborn, and all firstborn in Egypt, will die at midnight.
The sequence seems logical; Pharoh dictates his terms that the Jews leave their animals, Moshe laughs at him, and Pharoh gets mad and threatens Moshe. Why does the Torah insert that Hashem hardened Pharoh’s heart?
Often when someone wants to do something unjustified, he will try to justify it by whatever means he has at hand. But never confuse a reason with a motive: he does it because he wants to, not for his stated reason!
Pharoh’s heart was hard, hardened by Hashem. He simply did not want to let the Jews go. When Moshe sneered at him he responded by threatening Moshe’s life. Perhaps he would normally have let it pass, but now he used the insult to justify refusing the Jews’ request.
Said Moshe: ‘Oh, you persist in refusal? Hashem will be taking your firstborn tonight, buddy!’
Tip: I see this all the time. Someone justifies an action and then other people will address his justification. As if it were meaningful!!
Tip: Don’t waste your time responding to reasons…
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Fooling Foolers
Why did the Jews take the Egyptian’s belongings in such a devious manner, asking them as a loan?
As suggested above, Paroh and Moshe spoke in doublespeak, for appearances only. Paroh knew well what the Jews were at, and that’s why he balked at sending the Jews for a three day sacrifice. Everyone knew: the Jews were going to freedom.
And therefore… requests for loans were really requests for presents!
Why did Hashem want things done this way?
Here is a thought: Paroh kicked off the enslavement with ‘not knowing Yosef’. Of course, he did know Yosef. He merely pretended he didn’t, in order to enslave the Jews on pretense, claiming them enemies of the state.
Additionally he used a ruse to get them to actually work, by showing up to the work himself, as the Medrash tells us.
We treat this master at fakery in his own coin; by pretend and make-believe.
Another consideration is what Rashi teaches us that Moshe was commanded to take care not to offend the King’s dignity. Therefore the language was suave, diplomatic and cloaked in polite doublespeak.
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What About The Money?
The Jews’ left with a good deal of Egyptian money.
The Gemarah tells that this was fair wage for the time they enslaved them, probably less than fair wage.
Here is a thought: the Jews were leaving as a debased people. The Egyptians had made a shambles of them. One divider between a slave and a freeman is that a freeman has the time and money to pursue luxury items and hobbies, things that are not strictly utilitarian.
It was incumbent on the Egyptians to reinstate the Jewish people to their former status. One thing they could do towards this was to furnish them with gold and silver vessels and fancy clothes.
It was the least they could do!
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Hard Of Heart
The plague where Hashem hardened the hearts of Paroh’s advisors was Arbeh, locust: ‘for I hardened his heart and the hearts of his advisors’.
And the plague where those advisors immediately spoke up, protesting Paroh’s policy was….Arbeh!
Weren’t their hearts hardened??
Hardening the heart does not mean they could not choose. Indeed, this was the ultimate indictment of Pharoh: indeed, his heart was hardened. But so was his advisors’ hearts. Yet they choose to do right anyhow.
Sometimes we just don’t feel into it. Doesn’t matter. Don’t pay attention: You are boss, not your heart. Remember that well!
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Stong-Arm Tactics
Ohr Hachaim: The Torah refers to
1. Hashem’s Great Hand, and
2. Hashem’s Strong Hand.
They are not the same. The Great Hand is Hashem’s merciful leadership. The Strong Hand is the hand of Judgement, used to destroy Egypt.
The right hand is the Great Hand, and the left is the Strong Hand.
(Obviously the right is the stronger of the two, but as Hashem uses force most reluctantly, the left is used to represent it)
T’fillin, phylacteries, commemorate Hashem taking out the Jews with a Strong Hand. Where do T’fillin go? On the left hand, of course!
Keep in mind next time you lay T’fillin!
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Caught Unprepared
Why didn’t the Jews bake bread for the way? Why were they caught without provisions – having to eat dry Matzah?
One thought is expressed in the Or Hachaim – it was Pesach, they were forbidden to bake Chametz. They couldn’t make bread at all anyhow!
Another idea heard was that they were too busy to prepare – they were collecting the Egyptian’s gold and silver!
And Perhaps the Jews believed that they were leaving, but yet it wasn’t reality to them. They knew to prepare – intellectually – but emotionally they were still staying in Egypt.
And so they didn’t prepare….
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When Bad Is Good
Hashem told Moshe “Go to Paroh for I have hardened his heart, in order to put these wonders of mine into him” The plain reading is that Hashem did not want Paroh to relent; that would spoil the show. No, Paroh needed to resist with all his might, so that he be punished. Hashem said to Moshe that the coast is clear; Paroh’s heart was stiff – it would not yield. Moshe was now able to approach him.
Imagine the panic Moshe felt when Paroh called him back to court and told him “Ok, go and serve Hashem. Who exactly is going?” Oh No! Paroh was letting them go!! Moshe dissuaded him quickly “We are going with our young and very old, our sons and daughters our sheep and our livestock!” And Paroh said “No, that I will not allow.” Whew! What a relief!!
The point is that we look at Paroh as holding the Jews back being terrible and that his finally allowing them to go was wonderful. In fact it was not. Hashem wanted that Paroh refuse to free the Jewish people, in order to bring ten makkos. That was the good thing. Its not always as it seems to us…
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With Shoes And Belts
The Jews were in instructed to eat the Pesach sacrifice with their shoes and belts on, ready for travel. Why did this need to be so?
Perhaps the faith shown by these people exhibiting their absolute trust that Hashem was freeing them from Egypt helped them merit leaving.
Additionally, the fact that the Jews were packed to travel meant that they were no longer citizens of Egypt. Any plague visited on Egypt was no longer applicable to them, for they were no longer inhabitants of the land in any way. This was part of the protection mechanism; the way that Hashem protected them from suffering the plague of the Firstborn was by limiting the deaths to Egyptians
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Manifest Destiny
The Jews were told to eat this Korban “bchipazon” – in haste. The Targum renders it “in behala” – usually translated as “bewilderment”. This was significant, as the Torah later told the Jews “…for “bchpazon” you fled Egypt..” (Devarim 15:3)
Why is this important? Why did it need be – they had six hours to eat their Korban – what’s the hurry?
Perhaps Chipazon represents the idea of manifest destiny – something which its time has come and cannot be denied. Chipazon means a disorderly rush. a confusion of urgency, reflecting something that overpoweringly needs be.
The idea that Jewish redemption and genesis is a must, is a cornerstone important concept in our worldview. It needs to be commemorated. We need to speak of Jewish exceptionalism in our relativist age. Do you?
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Total Commitment
The Torah says that if someone converts he makes a Pesach too (when Pesach-time comes, not when he converts!) and he needs to circumcise all his servants and children before eating the Pesach.
Why would I think that a convert need not be subject to the same law as a normal Jew, who likewise needs to circumcise his servants and children? Why would a convert be any different?
One direction is that a convert has a different angle; he is not making the Pesach in commemoration of the even his forefathers experienced, but rather in tribute to the Jewish experience, although he was not part of it. He is paying respect, not gratitude.
A Jew is reliving the Pessach experience and is subject to its strictures – he must be totally committed to Hashem in that every person in his household has entered into covenant with Him. But an outsider, merely paying tribute to the miracle of Jewish salvation, need he be subject to this total commitment? I might think not.
So the Torah reiterates that even a Ger needs to first circumcise his household before they can partake of the Pessach. Because a Ger also commemorates his personal Exodus experience – albeit acquired by conversion. A convert can claim ownership of Jewish History too. Surprising!
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Left In The Dark
Rashi asks why was Choshech, and answers that it was to bury those Jews that didn’t get to leave and to find the Egyptian treasures. Why is this the the only plague that Rashi searches a reason for?
All other plagues illustrated the divide between Israel and Egypt. The Egyptians saw how Hashem protected he Jews while they were hit. This was important, as Moshe told Paroh repeatedly: “…So the you know that Hashem discriminates between Egypt and the Jews”.
However in the plague of darkness the Egyptians did not see this. They didn’t see much at all, in fact. Why weren’t they given a plague that would illustrate this as well? So Rashi answers that this plague had a certain utility – for at times its better the Egyptians cannot see….