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Yoni Mozeson
FInding God's hiding places

The Egyptian bondage – A lesson in antisemitism that no one wants to hear. 

In this week’s Torah portion, the Egyptian people seem to suddenly turn on the Jews. What better source to gain insights into antisemitism.

Spare the rod, spoil the nation

The Midrash often starts out by reframing an episode in terms of axioms that we know to be true elsewhere. This week’s Parsha begins with the familiar axiom of “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” Which sounds suspiciously close to the verse in Proverbs:

“He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him early” (Proverbs, 13:24).

The Midrash seems to be applying this axiom to the Egyptian bondage and the rise of antisemitism throughout Jewish history. The Children of Israel had achieved a comfortable lifestyle in Egypt and had been accepted in all strata of Egyptian society. Along with this new status the Israelites started – what would unfortunately become a time-honored tradition – to jettison Jewish traditions. In the words of the Midrash:

When Yoseph died, they reneged on the practise of circumcision saying ‘let’s be more like the Egyptians”’ (Midrash Tanchuma, 5:2).

The Israelites were clearly trying to assimilate into Egyptian society. Why were they rebuffed?

The Bible talks psychology not theology

Interestingly enough, the Bible provided a totally rational reason to explain the Egyptian enslavement and murder of Jews. It was simply a case of protectionism and nationalism. The Jews were suddenly suspected of being potentially disloyal – a “third column” that had to be subjugated. As the verse in our Parsha clearly states:

Let us deal shrewdly with them (the Israelites) so that they may not increase; otherwise in the event of war they may join our enemies in fighting against us and we will be displaced from the land” (Shemot 1:10).

However, Midrash Tanchuma sees this as the official policy statement. It reads like the headlines in the Cairo Times – political rhetoric –  but it’s not the real reason.

God hides His tracks

If you look deeper you will see a clear spiritual cause and effect. As Jews, we are constantly tested as to how we perceive reality. A task force investigating how antisemitism could have been mitigated in ancient Egypt would never think to target the real perpetrator – the Jews themselves who abandoned their faith.

According to the Midrash, when the Jews abrogated a defining ritual of circumcision, God aroused antisemitic feelings among the Egyptians:

“Once God saw that they abrogated circumcision, God abrogated the admiration that the Egyptians had for the Israelites as it says ‘God changed the attitude of the Egyptians so that they hated his nation (of Israel)” (Ibid, 5:2 quoting Psalms,105:25).

Now the Israelites were in for fear, loathing and the classic Jewish canard of “dual loyalty.” The punishment fit the crime (measure for measure).  Because the Jews wanted to assimilate into Egyptian society, God caused them to be perceived as suspicious outsiders.

Could significant Jewish contributions to society be erased?

This question was asked by the Jews in Germany during the rise of Hitler. Eerily, the Midrash seems to address this very question. The Bible says that a new king arose in Egypt. The Midrash explains that it was the same Pharaoh who previously reigned. Rather, political expediency dictated by powerful antisemitic forces forced Pharaoh to adopt a new view of the Israelites.  Pharaoh tried to remind them about the Israelites immense contribution to Egypt. Most notably, that Yoseph saved the nation (and the entire world) from certain starvation. However historical memory was bulldozed and repackaged and the Jews were enslaved:

Now there arose a new king. Was it not Pharaoh? Rather, the Egyptians cried out: ‘Come, let us attack this nation.’ ‘You fools,” he said to them, ‘we have survived only because of them, how dare we attack them now? Were it not for Joseph, we would not be alive?’ When he refused to carry out their request, they removed him from his throne for three months until he promised them: ‘I am with you in all you do.’ Then they restored him to his throne. That is why it is written: And now there arose a new king’” (Ibid, 5;1).

Are there lessons for the resurgence of antisemitism today

There is a lot of talk today about antisemitism being made legitimate by those with a large social media presence – athletes, entertainers and politicians, and the need to vigilantly call it out for what it is. This is certainly true. The Midrash, however, brings up an uncomfortable truth. Out of love for His children, God may choose to discipline his people in order to strengthen their bond to Judaism. This could include shaking up the relationships between Jews and the society they have lived comfortably in for many years

About the Author
(Almost 100 Midrash Video summaries can be found on my youtube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLynSVeS5_iNhHleKroA6r3br-bmaHQigk) After college and Semicha at Yeshiva University my first pulpit was Ogilvy where I wrote TV commercials for brands like American Express, Huggies and Duracell. My passion is Midrash Tanchuma. I am an Architect of Elegant Marketing Solutions at www.mindprintmarketing.com. We are living in (where else) the Nachlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem.
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