Va’era/He Appeared
“I will redeem you with an outstretched arm…” (Ex. 6:6)
Dai-dayenu, dai-dayenu… Although we just celebrated Hanukah, this week’s Torah portion really puts us in the Passover spirit, advancing the exodus story and including some significant sections found in the Passover Haggadah. (Or perhaps it's just that all this snowfall is making me long for spring!)
For the second time, Moses and Aaron go before Pharaoh, demanding that he allow the Israelites to go worship God in the desert. Pharaoh remains unwilling to accede to the demands of Moses and Aaron, or the hitherto unknown deity whom they represent. As a result of this stubborn defiance, the Egyptians are struck by seven plagues—blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts, pestilence, boils and hail. Despite the devastation that ensues, Pharaoh still refuses to let the enslaved people go free, setting the stage for the final three plagues in next week’s parasha.
According to the text, it is Aaron and not Moses who strikes the Nile with the staff, in order to bring the first plague of blood. Why doesn’t Moses do it himself? The commentator Rashi explains that Moses did not want to strike the Nile because the Nile saved him long ago, when his family shielded him from Pharaoh’s murderous decree and sent him in a basket along the river to safety.
Why did Moses care so much about the “feelings” of an inanimate object; would the water really care if Moses struck it? Moses’ actions model an important lesson for us, which is to habitually practice hakarat ha-tov (“recognition of the good”) or gratitude toward others, as a matter of course. The alternative—namely to over-think the situation, or calculate how much effort we think someone put in for us –may result in our coming up with excuses not to show them the proper thanks. Instead, it is important to cultivate the habit of showing gratitude whenever it is due. If Moses showed such consideration and gratitude toward the water, all the more so we are obligated to give thanks to the actual people who help us in so many ways.
This Shabbat and New Year’s Eve, as we reflect on the blessings of the past year, let’s remember to reach out and thank all those who helped us along the way. Personally, my sincerest thanks this week go to the intrepid snow plow drivers…
Shabbat shalom!
