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LEADING
Pharaoh Asks, ‘Who is God?’
LIGHT
Parshat Vaera: Exodus 6:2-9:35;
Ezekiel 28:25-29:21.
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M
oshe and Pharaoh face
Egyptians are an important part of the
off in this week’s Torah
story, not as subjects of God’s wrath, but
portion in a contest that
as nonbelievers who eventually “get it”
is recorded in the Torah between the
— but they, too, are allowed to come to
power of God and black magic practiced the realization of godliness in the world
by the Egyptians. Each time Moshe
at their own pace.
performs a miracle, Pharaoh’s magicians
Moshe later describes the relationship
do the same. Whether it be turning a
between God and man as being similar
staff into a serpent or water to
to an eagle rousing her young
blood.
fledglings. If the mother bird
When the 10 plagues were
were to descend upon her nest
cast upon the Egyptians, each
with her full strength she would
plague was different and more
topple the entire nest together
potent than the one that pre-
with her young with just one flap
ceded it. From blood to frogs
of her wing.
and from frogs to lice and
So, too, God could have
so on up until the death of
extracted the Jewish people from
Rabbi Michael
the first-born children of the
Egypt in one fell swoop, but then
Egyptians, it takes a long time Cohen
neither they nor the Egyptians
for Pharaoh to finally under-
would have had an understand-
stand that God is superior — and he
ing of God’s omnipotence. As an eagle
finally lets the Jewish people leave Egypt. descends slowly into her nest and gently
While this process was taking place,
arouses her young, so, too, God brought
there seems to have been a real ques-
(and brings) the redemptions of His
tion who would win the contest; would
people slowly.
Moshe prevail or Pharaoh? It was not
The Egyptians did come to recognize
clear from the outset! There are some
that their black magic was, itself, an ele-
profound messages here that teach us
ment of God’s power, as the Egyptian
how we, as Jews, view the world and the
magicians themselves say following the
current events that take place around us. plague of lice that this is the “finger of
Firstly, we should recognize that the
God.”
battle taking place is one of no contest.
God is patient. God does not mind
The Omnipotent God pit against any
waiting and going along with mankind
power is, of course, one-sided simply
as the people, both Jewish and Egyptian,
because “omnipotent” by definition
come to terms with His omnipotence
means that there is no other power
over the course of the 10 plagues.
beyond that of the Omnipotent; all power
He chooses to start slowly and develop
comes from Him. So the source of the
understanding of His power one step at
power that was being used against God
a time.
by Pharaoh was actually coming from
We, too, should pay attention to
God Himself. God was actually engaging the miracles that surround us. There
Pharaoh in a duel in which He was pro-
are many. And, as we do so, we might
viding the ammunition for His enemy.
observe a change in the world that we
What does this tell us about God’s
live in.
relationship with man, even a wicked
Michael Cohen is the rabbi at Young Israel of
man like Pharaoh?
Oak Park.
We see that Pharaoh and the
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Conversations
• Why do we not experience open miracles in modern times?
• Can God stop one person from harming another?
• “I am the Lord your God who took you out of Egypt. ” Why does it not say, “I am
the Lord your God that created the universe and all that is in it. ” Surely, creation
came before Exodus!
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January 7 • 2016
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