I TORAH PORTION I SHIRT NIOX _ Men's Furnishings & Accessories Always at least 20-35% OFF What Is The Source Of Signs And Wonders? RABBI RICHARD C. HERTZ Special to The Jewish News T his week's 'Ibrah por- tion contains a won- drous story that the Jewish people has never ceas- ed relishing to retell. Indeed, so exciting was this to genera- tions of our forefathers, that it was told in loving detail, adding wonder to wonder at the Passover Seder: the story of the ten plagues. Pharaoh refuses to let the Hebrew people leave Egypt. His heart is hardened. In a great confrontation between Pharoah and Moses with Aaron at his side, the story assumes an element of miracles. What is a miracle? There are many kinds and many definitions, but in this context a miracle becomes an extraordinary or surprising event which God has brought about to demonstrate His power. To accomplish this purpose, ten plagues or miracles are described in the Torah. Pharoah first asks for a sign or a wonder and Aaron takes Shabbat Va'era: Exodus 6:2-9:35; Isaiah 66:1-24 his rod, casts it down before Pharoah and it becomes a ser- pent. Pharoah then calls upon his wise men and sorcerers. They can do the same thing; they know the secret arts. Snake charming was wide- spread in the ancient east. Pharoah was not impressed, only his heart was hardened. Moses and Aaron did no more than Pharoah's own magi- cians could do. Then come the plagues. The first four are like nuisances. The second group are serious attacks on persons and pro- perty. The final ones, the ninth plague of terror and the tenth, destroying the first- born, finally lead to the liberation of the Hebrew people. The plagues are intended to be disciplinary chastisements sent by God. Ten times Pharoah is warned by God. Ten times he is given time to repent and change his mind. Ten times God shows Pharoah His tremendous power. Each series of plagues rises to a climax, all but a prelude to Dr. Hertz is rabbi emeritus at Temple Beth El. the tenth plague — the death of the first-born. Throughout these plagues the natural is comingled with the supernatural. The plagues seem but an inten- sified or exaggerated form of natural occurrences that hap- pen in Egypt. The Nile often turns into a dull red, with the look of blood. The river often breeds vast numbers of frogs and the air filled with numbers of tormenting in- sects. Decaying frogs natural- ly breed swarms of flies that will attack the animals in the region of the Nile. But the purpose of Scrip- ture is not to rely on natural or supernatural accounts of the plagues. The purpose is to give a moral and religious in- struction to depict the stub- bornness of Pharoah and his hardened heart against the almighty power of God. Commentators have also stressed that the story of the plagues is a judgement on the gods of Egypt. The Nile River was worshipped as a god. Frogs were looked upon as signs of fruitfulness. The sacred animals, especially the bull so venerated in Egypt, were all smitten and finally the eclipse of the sun god, Ra, is symbolic of the idols con- sidered false. No wonder that the Hag- gadah, the storybook of the Passover Seder, delights in recalling each and every plague as if they were hap- pening today. But are these really miracles? Are these the signs of God whose purpose goes beyond mere proof of divine power? The problem of whether miracles are natural or supernatural may concern scholars and philosophers, but not the writers of Scrip- ture. The Bible does not as a rule tell stories of miracles for their own sake, but rather to regard these signs and wonders of God as a way of showing us that God can do anything, whatever and whenever He chooses. In time, the plagues that arose out of events in Egypt were embellished and reflected in the religious celebration of the Exodus, namely the Passover. 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