Parashat Vaera 5786

by Rabbi Margie Cella

Here we see Moses and his brother, Aaron, taking on the task of negotiating with Pharaoh for the release of the nation of Israel from Egyptian slavery. The brothers make multiple trips to Pharaoh, demanding on behalf of God that he let the people go. Pharaoh stubbornly refuses to grant their freedom, hardening his heart more with each refusal.

This parashah contains the first seven of the ten plagues that God brought upon Egypt: blood, frogs, lice, insects, cattle disease, boils, and hail. The Egyptian magicians were able to duplicate the first two plagues. When they were unable to bring forth the lice, or any subsequent plague, they recognized the power of God, saying to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” [Exodus 8:15] Moses continues the anthropomorphic imagery with the next plague by declaring that “the hand of God” would be on the cattle in the field [9:3].

This imagery implies that the severity of the plagues, just like the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, is multiplying exponentially. Imagine if God were next to bring forth the power of both hands, or God’s full arm. We realize that God does not have physical body parts, but these images help us to perceive the strength and power that God brought to bear on Egypt. Pharaoh’s intransigence amplified the suffering of his own people, to which he seemed to be impervious.

But we do not allow ourselves to be unaffected, even to the suffering of our enemies. When reciting the plagues at the Seder each year, we use our finger to spill drops of wine into our dish, one for each plague. The joy of celebrating our freedom is mitigated by the suffering of the Egyptians.

Oseh Shalom, Maker of Peace, teach us to recognize the humanity and the suffering of others, even those who are our enemies.