Comfort and Discomfort – Va’era 5785
As I was studying our parsha this week- parshat Va’era- I was struck by how much discomfort there is in the text. Both the Israelites in their bondage, as well as the Egyptians in their experience of the plagues, are not “in a good place” both mentally and physically.
The Israelites have been enslaved for generations, and their burden has been made all the more heavy after Moses’ initial meeting with Pharaoh. The result of that initial encounter, as we learn, was that the Hebrew slaves were no longer given straw to make bricks, yet they had to keep to the same tally as before. As a result, they have to go searching over the length and breadth of Egypt for straw and stubble themselves. At the end of parshat Shemot which we read last week, the Hebrew elders are incensed at Moses, and he himself doubts (yet again) that he’s up for the monumental task of liberating his brethren.
This pain and discomfort is evident in our parsha this week as well. We learn in Exodus 6:9:
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר מֹשֶׁ֛ה כֵּ֖ן אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֹ֤א שָֽׁמְעוּ֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה מִקֹּ֣צֶר ר֔וּחַ וּמֵעֲבֹדָ֖ה קָשָֽׁה׃ {פ}
“But when Moses told this [what G-d had told him] to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moses, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage.”
The translation of the phrase “mi’kotzer ruah” given in our chumash is that the spirits of the Israelites were crushed, but there’s a more visceral interpretation. The word ruah can be translated as spirit, or breath, or wind. The Israelites were literally “out of breath” due to their working so hard, to the point where they hadn’t the energy or the wherewithal to pay attention to Moses’ words.
Perhaps more central in the text, though, is the discomfort felt by the Egyptians as they begin to experience the plagues that G-d visits on Egypt. It’s of great significance that the first two plagues- first turning the Nile to blood, then bringing frogs in great numbers- are duplicated by Pharaoh’s magicians. However, they can’t quell the plagues themselves- they can merely replicate them. They can produce more blood and produce more frogs, but can’t remove them from either the Nile or the land itself.
Of all the plagues that G-d unleashes upon the Egyptians, the third plague- lice- marks a transition point. After seven days of a bloody Nile and frogs in every nook and cranny of Egypt, G-d tells Moses to command Aaron to strike the dust of the earth with his staff and turn it to lice, which proceeds to infest both humans and animals. While this is seemingly not the most “intense” plague (especially in light of the latter ones), it marks a true loss of control on the part of Pharaoh and his sorcerers. Exodus 8:14 tells us that they were unable to perform the feat of summoning lice on their own:
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ־כֵ֨ן הַחַרְטֻמִּ֧ים בְּלָטֵיהֶ֛ם לְהוֹצִ֥יא אֶת־הַכִּנִּ֖ים וְלֹ֣א יָכֹ֑לוּ וַתְּהִי֙ הַכִּנָּ֔ם בָּאָדָ֖ם וּבַבְּהֵמָֽה׃
“The magicians did [as Aaron did] with their spells to produce lice, but they could not. The lice remained upon human and beast.”
Most tellingly, in a real acknowledgement of lost control, in the next verse Pharaoh’s magicians attribute the lice to the G-d of the Israelites, saying “This is the finger of G-d!” (‘etzba’ elohim hi). Despite this, Pharaoh’s reaction is simply to harden his own heart and continue to deny freedom to the Israelites.
In the aftermath of the appearance of lice, Pharaoh’s magicians realize in effect that they, and all of Egypt, are saddled with a problem that is bound to get worse before it gets better. A dictum of recovery theory posits that a person must reach “rock bottom”, acknowledge a higher power, and work towards making amends as part of the process of overcoming addiction. It seems that Pharaoh’s magicians, in the aftermath of the plague of lice, begin this process of acknowledgement and eventually urge their leader to do the same.
The commentator Abarbanel, in his explanation of the ten plagues, notes that Pharaoh challenged Moshe on three assumptions: first, that G-d is the “first cause”, or creator of the world; second, that G-d oversees history and human affairs; and third, that G-d is omnipotent and has power over creation. These three challenges are encapsulated in Pharaoh’s statement to Moses after Moses’ initial demand for freedom in Exodus 5:2: “Who is the LORD that I should heed Him and let Israel go?” Ergo, the purpose of the first three plagues of blood, frogs, and lice is to prove to Pharaoh that G-d indeed exists and creates the world.
Additionally, the biblical scholar Nehama Leibowitz quotes Abarbanel’s motivation for the plagues as a whole:
“Therefore, this is why the plagues came, with the intention to prove these three assumptions [cited above]: the first three [plagues] to prove that G-d creates the world; the second three to prove that G-d oversees human activities; and the third three to prove that G-d can change the nature of things according to His will.”
As Abarbanel makes clear, the purpose of the ten plagues and the discomfort they bring is not solely to convince Pharaoh to release the Israelites from slavery and allow Moses to lead them to freedom. Rather, in addition to this, they serve as a mechanism by which G-d’s awesome power is made known not just to Pharaoh but to the whole of Egypt. When all the waters of Egypt become bloody- even in the wells and cisterns- and the land then becomes infested with frogs, it would seem that this does little to affect change on the part of the Egyptians and Pharaoh’s court. However, when the magicians are unable to reproduce lice as Aaron did, the physical and mental discomfort of the Egyptians truly begins to come into focus.
For many of us, both here and elsewhere, it appears that we are in a time of discomfort. Political upheaval, natural disasters, single-digit temperatures, an all-too-slow trickle of hostages returning to freedom from Gaza, and our own personal worries- no matter how big or small- can cause distress of varying degrees. I choose to hope- and need to hope- that this too will pass.
According to legend, King Solomon wore a ring that was engraved with the words Gam zeh ya’avor– “this too shall pass”. When he was overly joyous, it served as a reminder that happiness was fleeting. Equally important, and just as powerful, was the opposite: sadness and discomfort, however acute and long-lasting, does not last forever.
In times of discomfort, we can look to each for both commiseration and support. When the world seems bleak, cruel and uncomfortable, we must remember that, in addition to taking care of ourselves, we often have the ability to, if not directly control events, at least influence them. It’s the deliberate hardening of Pharaoh’s heart and his refusal to free the Israelites that brings on the continuing succession of plagues. By softening our hearts, and making the world more comfortable for the vulnerable, we can walk in the ways of Torah and increase comfort for ourselves. We are taught in the Torah abundantly- “Ve’ahavta et ha’ger, ki gerim hayyitem b’eretz mitzrayim”: you shall love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
When discomfort is met with care, love and concern, we can bring comfort into the world through hesed- loving kindness. Discomfort about our lot, with care and concern for others as well as ourselves, helps us build a society in which all can flourish. May we continue to exercise such care and concern for others, here in our own community, in our country, and among the Jewish people.