Parashat Vaera 5784

by Rabbi Margie Cella

In this week’s parashah Moses receives his commission from God, Who has heard the outcry of the enslaved Israelites and, remembering the covenant made with Abraham, now recruits him and his brother Aaron to go to Pharaoh and demand their freedom.

When Moses shows his reluctance due to his inability to be a forceful speaker, God promises to send signs to convince the hard-hearted Pharaoh to let the people go. With the first plague, the water of the Nile is turned to blood. This fails to convince the Egyptian ruler, so next the land is overrun by frogs. In somewhat rapid succession we read of five more plagues: lice, insects, cattle disease, boils, and hail. Over and over, Pharaoh promises to let the people of Israel go, only to change his mind once the plague is lifted. Each time the two brothers return to the palace to demand once again the liberation of the nation.

Despite his initial resistance, Moses takes on the responsibility of doing what God has asked of him and working to free the nation. He puts the needs of the people above his own and rises above his own discomfort to do so. Like Moses, we are all sometimes called upon to put aside our own needs to do what is right for the larger community. Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba’Zeh – All the people of Israel are responsible for one another.