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Ari Sliffman

Parshah through the Mediator’s Lens: Va’era

10 Plagues courtesy Haggadot.com

This week’s parshah is Va’era, the story of the growing conflict between Pharoah and Moses leading to the 10 plagues we know from Passover.  This Torah portion also holds special meaning to me, as it was the Torah portion from my Bar Mitzvah some 25 years ago.

This parshah recounts the beginning of the ten plagues, G-d’s response to Pharaoh’s refusal to release the Children of Israel. The story is rich with lessons for mediators and those seeking peaceful resolution to disputes. By examining the dynamics of the conflict and imagining how a mediator could have intervened, we can gain insights into managing disputes in our own lives.

Setting the Stage: The Conflict Before the Plagues

Before the plagues began, the conflict between Pharaoh and Moses/Aaron was marked by mutual distrust and entrenched positions. Pharaoh viewed the Children of Israel as an essential labor force and saw Moses and Aaron as threats to his authority. Meanwhile, Moses and Aaron were unwavering in their mission to free the Israelites, armed with a divine mandate. A skilled mediator at this stage could have focused on fostering dialogue and understanding between the parties. For example:

  1. Identifying Interests: A mediator could have helped Pharaoh articulate his underlying interests—perhaps economic stability and the preservation of his authority—and encouraged Moses and Aaron to clarify their goals, such as the Israelites’ freedom and the recognition of their God. Whether this would have gone anywhere is anyone’s guess, but this is simply the process a mediator might take for the strict purpose of identifying party interests.
  2. Exploring Options: Instead of an all-or-nothing approach, the mediator could have facilitated brainstorming alternative solutions. Could Pharaoh have been persuaded to grant the Israelites limited freedoms initially? Could there have been negotiations around labor conditions or phased emancipation? Frankly, with current events, this sounds all too similar to the hostage trade deal made between Israel and Hamas.
  3. Building Trust: The mediator could have encouraged confidence-building measures. For instance, Moses and Aaron might have agreed to demonstrate smaller signs of their God’s power to assure Pharaoh of their sincerity, without escalating directly to plagues. In reality, Aaron did do this when turning his staff into a snake, and later having it swallow the snakes of Pharoah’s magicians. As the parshah reminds us, not every mediation strategy works, but many strategies should be explored.

Unfortunately, without such intervention, Pharaoh’s dismissiveness and Moses’s divine resolve created an impasse, setting the stage for the plagues.

Mediation During the Plagues in Va’era

Va’era describes the first seven plagues: blood, frogs, lice, wild animals, pestilence, boils, and hail. Each plague heightened the tension, as Pharaoh’s initial refusals gave way to temporary concessions, only to revert back to obstinance once the plague subsided. Here, a mediator could have played a critical role at several junctures:

  1. After the First Plague (Blood): When the Nile turned to blood, Pharaoh’s magicians replicated the sign, reinforcing his belief that the situation was manageable. A mediator could have reframed the narrative, emphasizing the gravity of the event and urging Pharaoh to engage in dialogue before matters escalated further. Highlighting the shared suffering of the Egyptians due to the plague might have opened Pharaoh’s eyes to the broader impact of his decisions.
  2. During Temporary Concessions: After several plagues, Pharaoh briefly promised to let the Israelites go, only to change his mind once the plague ended. A mediator could have facilitated binding agreements to prevent backtracking, potentially incorporating phased steps toward resolution. For example, Pharaoh might have agreed to release a portion of the Israelites as a sign of good faith.
  3. Addressing Communication Breakdowns: Much of the conflict stemmed from a lack of genuine communication. Moses and Aaron delivered G-d’s commands, but Pharaoh perceived them as threats. A mediator could have bridged the communication gap, encouraging Pharaoh to voice his fears and enabling Moses and Aaron to explain their mission in terms that resonated with Pharaoh’s perspective.
  4. Shifting Mindsets: A critical role of a mediator is to help parties shift from entrenched positions to problem-solving mindsets. By emphasizing the mutual benefit of avoiding further suffering—for the Egyptians, the Israelites, and Pharaoh himself—the mediator might have guided the parties toward compromise.

Lessons for Modern Mediation

The story of Va’era underscores the challenges of resolving deeply entrenched conflicts, particularly when power dynamics and rigid beliefs are at play. Yet it also highlights the potential for mediation to create alternative paths, even in the most difficult situations. Today, mediators can draw on these lessons by:

  • Encouraging parties to articulate their underlying interests rather than their surface positions.
  • Facilitating open, respectful communication to build trust.
  • Helping parties explore creative solutions that address shared concerns.

While Pharaoh’s stubbornness ultimately led to the full sequence of plagues, the narrative invites us to imagine a different outcome—one where dialogue and understanding could have prevented suffering. As mediators, we strive to create those alternative outcomes in the conflicts we encounter, fostering peace and resolution in a world often fraught with division.

Each week, Ari Sliffman, a Jewish legal mediator in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania will discuss the week’s Parshah “through the lens of a mediator.”  Ari will focus on one or two sections of the Parshah and discuss how a mediator could have assisted with the relevant conflict.

About the Author
Ari Sliffman is the founder of AJS Resolutions, a mediation and arbitration practice.
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