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Steve Rodan

When G-d Is in the House

And G-d spoke to Moses and told him, “I am G-d.” [Exodus 6:2]
Isn’t that obvious?
If G-d’s message was obvious, He would not have included it in the Torah. Still, the circumstances demanded a reset: G-d needed to explain His relationship with the Children of Israel, still slaves in Egypt. Moses, angry that the redemption had not taken place, had to know more than he was talking to G-d. He needed to know who G-d is.
Our Torah portion Vaera provides some answers. One: G-d never forgets — whether the righteous or the wicked. He pays each his due. The righteous are rewarded, whether in this world or the next. The wicked are punished and for eternity.
Two: G-d is good and treats Israel with mercy regardless of their behavior. Therefore, He cannot be accused of doing harm to His people.
Three: Because He is merciful, G-d can decide to end the oppression at any time — even before the period told to the patriarchs. Like Moses, G-d cannot stand the suffering of His children.
“I have also heard the Israelites’ groaning, complaining that the Egyptians are enslaving them, and I have recalled My covenant. Therefore, convey to the Israelites: ‘I am G-d. I will free you from the oppression of the Egyptians, rescue you from their servitude, and redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great chastisements.'” [Exodus 6:5-6]
Four: G-d keeps His promise regardless of whether Israel is worthy. The Almighty promised Abraham that the Jews will be free and sent to the land of their forefathers. He will not change His mind.
Yet, when Moses told this to the people, his words fell on deaf ears. Their hopes of liberation had been raised and dashed. Months earlier, Moses promised them freedom, yet Pharoah merely intensified the oppression. Thirty years earlier, the mighty tribe of Ephraim actually escaped Egypt only to be slaughtered on the outskirts of Canaan. The Jews didn’t want to know anymore.
Moses related G-d’s message to the Israelites, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their anguish of spirit and harsh labor. [Exodus 6:9]
Without a people, Moses became despondent as well. What was the point of speaking to Pharoah to let the Jews go when they themselves no longer cared? And what good is the 80-year-old Moses anyway if he can’t infuse the people with hope?
Moses spoke before G-d, saying, “Even the Israelites have not listened to me, so how will Pharaoh listen to me? For I am a man of blocked lips.” [Exodus 6:12]
Moses’ argument is disheartening: There is no consensus for freedom. The people have accepted their fate and so this is not the time for redemption. Perhaps it would be better to wait another generation.
That leads to perhaps the most important trait of G-d: He will not wait to keep His promise to save the Jews. Every day without freedom, they grow further apart from their Maker. It no longer matters what the Jews want. It doesn’t matter what Moses says. The time has come.
Perhaps Moses lacks confidence in dealing with Pharoah? No problem. The Almighty introduces Moses’ brother Aaron as his companion. Aaron is an excellent orator and retains significant influence with the people. So, why not Aaron as the sole leader? Because unlike Aaron Moses grew up in Pharoah’s palace. Moses knew what it meant to be free and that there must be no compromise. He also knew what it takes to oversee a nation — skills that would be needed very soon.
As for the people, G-d urges Moses and Aaron to remain gentle and patient. No need to worry: G-d will ensure that the Jews will turn around. The two righteous men were also told to be respectful of the evil emperor. See Point One.
G-d spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He commanded them to be His emissaries to the Israelites and to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to take the Israelites out of Egypt. [Exodus 6:13]
Now, things began to move quickly. G-d gave Moses and Aaron a script for their meeting with Pharoah. The two leaders will establish themselves as divine messengers, overcoming the magicians of the emperor. But G-d warns that Pharoah will not be converted into a believer. He has spent most of his life claiming that he is a god. His heart will remain hard. Convinced that he cannot back down, the monarch will display the stubbornness of a mule. First, the emperor will deny that the plagues involved divine intervention. Then, Pharoah will repeatedly go back on his word to free the Israelites. Moses and Aaron are reminded to trust G-d and stay focused.
“Pharaoh will not listen to you. I will then lay My hand upon Egypt to strike it and bring forth My hosts — My people, the Israelites — from Egypt by bringing great chastisements upon it.” [Exodus 7:4]
G-d could have wrapped it up quick and easy: He could have simply destroyed Egypt. He also wouldn’t need Moses and Aaron. He could have talked to Pharaoh directly as took place when the emperor’s descendant took Sarah away from Abraham.
But that would not have achieved G-d’s ultimate goal. He wanted to show the world that there is no other deity; that an idolatrous nation cannot genuinely repent; that G-d wreaks vengeance on the nations that oppress Israel.
One or two plagues would not be enough to shatter the arrogance of Pharaoh. It would take 10 strikes that would serve as both disasters and miracles. From the start, the Jews would no longer be slaves. With each plague, the Egyptians and the rest of the world would see how G-d distinguishes between good and evil regardless of their location, dress or behavior. The Egyptians would understand this first, followed by the Jews themselves, because being chosen doesn’t necessarily make you aware that G-d is in the house.
“The Egyptians will recognize that I am G-d, when I raise My hand over Egypt and bring out the Israelites from their midst.” [Exodus 7:5]
About the Author
Steve Rodan has been a journalist for some 40 years and worked for major media outlets in Israel, Europe and the United States. For 18 years, he directed Middle East Newsline, an online daily news service that focused on defense, security and energy. Along with Elly Sinclair, he has just released his first book: In Jewish Blood: The Zionist Alliance With Germany, 1933-1963 and available on Amazon.
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