Shemot 5785 - January 17

Have we reached another Pharaonic moment in the chapters of Middle East history? 

As I write this week’s message, we are beginning to read the book of Shemot, Exodus. It is the story of a new Pharaoh, who came to lead Egypt. Unlike his predecessors, he conveniently forgot Joseph and all the he had done for the Pharaoh and for Egypt. Fearful of the Hebrews, their critical mass, their political strength, and what they had achieved, the Pharaoh enslaved the Hebrews. As I have stated before, in many ways I believe that the Egyptian people themselves had become slaves to the Pharaoh during the famine, as under Joseph’s economic recovery plan during the famine, individuals gave their personal freedom up to the Pharaoh, in return for food for themselves. 

As we read through the narrative that is quite familiar to us in this week’s Torah reading, we find Moses encountering Hashem for the first time at the Burning Bush. In this heightened moment of spirituality, God turns to Moses and assigns him the task of being his prophet and agent. His mission will be to convince Pharaoh to release the Hebrews from slavery to become free people who will journey to the Land of Canaan. At the same time, Moses has an equally difficult task of convincing the Hebrew slaves that he is the true messenger of God, who has been given the role of freeing them from slavery and bringing them to the Promised Land – a daunting task, to say the least. 

Moses turns to God and states “What if they (the Hebrew slaves) do not believe me, that I am your messenger and do not listen to me?” Later in these chapters, God will also inform Moses that Pharaoh will not be convinced. He will have a stiffened heart and will not let the people go at first. Pharaoh will agree one moment, only to have a change of heart and reverse his permission, over and over again. 

Late Wednesday afternoon throughout the world there seemed to be one of the moments that are found in the Torah, the Pharaoh pronounced that he will let them go.

Cautious optimism and gratitude was an immediate reaction. 

Pain also became an emotion, thinking about those who were murdered by Hamas. For the families we sense that pain will always be a part of their lives. 

The reality of the trauma that the hostages will feel once they are freed and the trauma that has gripped Israeli society also became a part of our thinking. And it is not only the trauma for the hostages themselves, but for their families. The individual returning home is not the individual that they knew. It will take months or even years to erase the scars bound within those who are returning. 

Ella Sackett shared with me: “for most Israelis, the only way to start healing as a society from this personal/national trauma is first of all to bring them ALL back. Until then, we are all in limbo. This is personal for every decent Israeli, even if they don't personally know any of the hostages. Last night, concerts were paused mid song, plays mid line, teachers mid-sentence, to announce that finally, finally they are coming home. However, the joy turned to fear and anxiousness today. I don't know how the families, and all Israelis will survive another trauma if this deal will not come to happen.”

One Israeli woman stated on CNN, the emotional toll upon Israel and Israelis, (and I will add world Jewry) will be as lasting as was the Shoah. 

One cannot erase the history. And one cannot simply erase from the world the antisemitism and anti-Zionism that has emerged with a ceasefire, release of hostages and humanitarian aid resuming in Gaza.

Can one be convinced that Tehran will not create another Hamas to continue this war at another time? Will the Palestinian people themselves be willing to not be pawns and instead demand from their leadership to free them as well from the tyranny they have faced for too many years? Will there be another October 7th? 

In our Torah reading we find that the Pharaoh let the males of the Children of Israel go worship their God, as Moses had requested. But Moses had not just requested the males; he had requested that men, women and children be permitted to go. Through the next few weeks of readings, we will find that Pharaoh will continually change his mind, even after the Hebrew slaves have been freed and are traveling. It takes the waters of the Sea of Reeds to annihilate the Egyptian army that continued in pursuit of the freed Hebrew slaves.

As I pen this message, Thursday midday, we have just learned that we have reached that Pharaonic moment. It appears that the deal is stalled. And we must ask “to whom do we refer as being the Pharaoh?” 

One individual, whose thoughts I value, said to me after the announcement on Wednesday of the news of the hostages returning home and a cease fire, “Returning the hostages should have never been made political.”

How true those words have become at this moment.

A few hours later after writing this installment of Rabbinically Yours, the Israeli cabinet has now agreed to vote on the agreement on Friday, now changed again to Saturday after Shabbat, hopefully having found the way to be likened to Moses. 

So let us pray the words found in our siddur for weekday mornings:

May it be the will of our Guardian in heaven, that we receive good tidings and deliverance and consolation.

May the Holy One be merciful to our fellow Jews
who wander over sea and land,
who suffer oppression and imprisonment.
May God soon bring them relief from distress
and deliver them from darkness to light,
from subjugation to redemption.

May the One who creates peace up on high, 
May Adonai be the model to foster and bring peace to Israel and to all who inhabit this world.

May Sunday be the beginning. 

Bring them home now!!!
Am Yisrael Chai!

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi K