Fortunately for my family and I, we missed last week’s
Toronto Ice Storm 2013. We were away on vacation in sunny Southern
California. Within twenty four hours, I
went from clear blue sky and 75 degrees driving along the Pacific Coast Highway
heading towards Malibu to minus 10 Celsius driving along the 407 into Thornhill seeing the destruction from the havoc of the ice storm. Twenty four hours earlier, the Pacific Ocean was on my left and the cliffs were on
my right. Now I am not a “west coast guy” but I admit the scenery was
magnificent. It was as if God spent just a little bit longer during creation in
order to make this scenery magnificent. Twenty four hours later, I returned to Toronto. I saw the
aftermath of the Ice Storm. As I drove onto my block, there was an incredibly
eerie scene both of beauty and devastation. The ice made everything look “otherworldly”.
The torn trees bespoke of the devastation that ice can bring, as some streets
were almost impassable because of the tree limbs that have yet to be removed
from the street. Again, I couldn’t help but think God apparently had some extra
time on his hands this past week and thought he would use ice to beautify and
devastate.
This Shabbat we read Parsha Va’Eira. In this Parshah, God
reassures Moshe after Pharaoh and mocked and dismissed both he and Aharon. God
explains the plan to Moshe that Pharaoh’s heart will be hardened after each
plague but eventually Pharaoh will capitulate. God explains the various stages
of redemption. The plagues begin. We are supposed to understand that each of
these first seven plagues is more severe than the previous plague: Blood,
Frogs, Lice, Wild Beasts, Animal plague, Boils, Hail. Moshe requests that
Pharaoh allows B’nai Yisroel to worship God for three days, Pharaoh sometimes
acquiesces sometimes he doesn’t. Sometimes he asks Moshe to pray on his behalf
and sometimes he doesn’t. One thing is clear, that whenever Pharaoh gets his
way (a plague ceases), something that would clearly indicate the power of God,
Pharaoh acts almost like a child. He returns to his arrogant self-centered
nature. Finally at the very end of the Parsha, after the plague of Hail has
devastated the land and killed anything that was outside, Pharaoh expresses the
evolution of his belief system.
The
Parsha begin in a rather peculiar way. Usually we will see the verse VaYidaber Elohim (or Adoshem) El Moshe
Leimor – And Hashem spoke to Moshe
saying: In Parsha Va’Eira the verse does not end in the more common spot.
Instead the verse continues VaYomer
Eilav and he said to him Ani Adoshem
I am Hashem. The next verse begins Va
Eira El Avraham El Yitzchak V’El Yaakov B’KEil Shaddai U’Shmi Adoshem Lo
Nodaati Lahem – And I appeared to
Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El Shaddia, but with my name “Hashem” I did
not make Myself known to them… Why does God state his identity in the first
verse and not in the second verse? If the second verse began with “I am the
Lord, but I appeared to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob….,” then the
juxtaposition between God’s “identity” as Adoshem and God’s identity to the
Patriarchs as El Shaddia would be more stark. So again, why is it written in
this manner? It would appear that the
answer is context. The context of God’s appearance to Moshe at this time, and
the Bnai Yisroel shortly, (in the form of the plagues) is the context. Moshe
and Bnai Yisroel are about to experience a very different type of revelation
than the Avot (patriarchs). Their revelatory experience was based upon a God
who would give them Sh’Dai of enough. Moshe and Bnai Yisroel will
need a more powerful revelatory experience. The difference in revelatory
experiences suggests different spiritual needs from God. The Patriarchs were of
such supreme faith that they required very little in the way of a relevatory
experience. Moshe watched the hardship of slavery become even harsher and more
acute. He needed a revelation that was something more than the Patriarchs
experienced. Bnai Yisroel who has turned their anger and frustration upon Moshe
and God, feel abandoned and need much more evidence of God’s involvement.
We all have moments and opportunities
to experience God’s presence. Certainly context has a lot to do with it.
Experiencing the Ice Storm, losing heat, hearing trees split and shatter may
not exactly re-enforce God’s presence. Sitting on Malibu beach, or watching the
sunset over the Pacific might bring on such a wave of serenity that one cannot
help but think of God’s presence at that moment. Both are of God. Both inspire a
sense of awe, awe in beauty and awe in the destructive power of a storm. The
point is as spiritual beings, we need to be able to be aware that God does
appear to us in a variety of manifestations.
Peace,
Rav Yitz
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