Earlier this week in Israel, a planned 5000-person demonstration against the new radical, right win, ultranationalist, ultraorthodox government that received 30,000 more votes than the other coalition, became in reality, a demonstration of more than 80000 people. Friends of ours who live in and around Tel Aviv attended. The demonstration was not about issues of domestic policy or a peace plan. No, this demonstration was about the fundamental nature of Israel’s government. This was a demonstration about a country remaining a democracy that guarantees rights to all citizens no matter gender, sexual orientation, or denomination of Judaism. Tom Friedman wrote a very difficult and troubling OpEd piece in the January 18th, New York Times that challenges Jews, those who describe themselves as friends of Israel, and what U.S. policy should be toward any country that has dangerously veered away from Liberal Democratic values and turned towards the authoritarian world like Turkey and Hungary. For the sake of Israel’s democracy, Friedman suggests that The President, the most powerful spokesperson for Democracy, needs to convince Netanyahu that an authoritarian illiberal Jewish country is bad for the Jews and not in the West’s interest.
This Shabbat we read Parsha Va’Eira. In this Parshah, God reassured Moshe after Pharaoh mocked and dismissed both him 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, and 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, 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.
Two men, Moshe and Pharaoh experience a type of revelation. Each man’s revelation is shaped by who they are, their life experiences, and their outlook on the world. Each leader will experience something very different than what fits their current theological system. Moshe is told by God, “Ani Adoshem VaEira el Avraham El Yitzchak v’ El Yaakov B’Eil Shaddai U’Shmi Adoshem Lo Nodati LaHem – I am Hashem, I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El Shaddai, but with My Name Hashem, I did not make Myself known to them (Ex. 6:2) For Moshe, his revelation assumes questions. Why did you, Hashem, reveal yourself one way to Abraham Isaac, and Jacob, and another way to me? God will reveal himself to Moshe through “Signs and Wonders”. V’Yadu Mitzrayim Ki Ani Adoshem, BinToti et Yadi Al Mitzrayim V’Hotzeiti et Bnai Yisroel MiTocham – And Egypt Shall know that I am Hashem, when I stretch out My hand over Egypt; and I shall take the Children of Israel out from among them (Ex. 7:5). With each ensuing plague, Pharaoh and Egypt will experience God. For Pharaoh, the embodiment of a system that did not permit questions, the revelation was much more absolute and stark. That revelation would manifest itself in a series of plagues.
Pharaoh’s world is harsh, he felt threatened by a minority culture and he believed that Egypt was threatened by that same minority culture. As a result, the blood, the frogs, the lice, swarms of wild beasts, livestock disease, boil, hail, locusts, and the death of the firstborn were perceived as plagues and God was perceived as a harsh judge with little mercy. Moshe had experienced kindness. His mother hid him in the basket, and Pharoah’s daughter drew him out of the basket and raised him as her own. After he demonstrated kindness to the slaves by attempting to protect them, he leaves Egypt and demonstrates kindness to Yitro’s daughters. Yitro takes in this stranger as his own son, and eventually, Moses marries Yitro’s daughter Zipporah. Zipporah demonstrates kindness to Moshe when she perceives that his life is endangered because he didn’t circumcise their son in a timely fashion (Ex. 4:24-26). Because Moshe experienced kindness throughout his life and he demonstrated kindness to others; it only makes sense that God is not so much a harsh judge as God is merciful and kind. Netanyahu managed to import the newest American products: a MAGA attitude for his 30,000-person majority, a mistrust of the judicial system, and the authoritarianism that has become popular in certain parts of the world. The cost will be devastating. By continuing down the path of authoritarianism and renouncing the civil rights of many of his citizens, Netanyahu brings his own plague upon Israel.
Rav Yitz
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