Haughty Kings and Trials of Fire

Done, done, and we’re on to the next one…

Welcome to Exodus, the story of our people, or so they say. Named after the first word, and the title of the book, Shemot, Exodus begins by listing the names of the original transplants to Goshen. These were the predecessors of what became the nation of Israel which eventually made the journey to the Promised Land. But before the Promised Land, we endured slavery because of a national leader who was scared of a large and growing group of people. He was so scared of the growth of the people that he asked the midwives to kill the sons born to the Hebrew women (this is a method also employed by Herod). This was not the same pharaoh who instilled Joseph as his second-in-command and invited his family to make their home in his land and eat from his store of food. The new pharaoh’s care was for himself, his status, his empire.

Despite his most vile efforts, the Hebrew nation continued to grow because the midwives disobeyed – and we read that G!d blessed them for this disobedience. From this group of Hebrew sons came Moses, the great leader of the Israelites and still arguably the most important person in Judaism. The end of chapter 2 tells us that G!d heard the groaning of the Hebrews and remembered them, which immediately precedes Moses’ call at the burning bush.

Why did G!d show up in a burning bush? I don’t know, but fire often symbolizes trials or other experiences which are both painful and refining. Moses would endure many obstacles and much frustration from the pharaoh, but he had to endure and carry out G!d’s call for him. He must have felt as though he was going through the fire while he waited for the ultimate redemption of his people (a promise given in the beginning of next week’s parsha). His fight with national leaders against injustice and for freedom was not a quick assignment – rather, he had to return over and over again, to step foot into the heat of the fire and proclaim G!d’s message against an angry king. G!d promises in the last verse of this week’s parsha to compel the pharaoh to release the Hebrew people.

As I’m sure most of your parsha-related perusal this week has pointed out, a new pharaoh is rising today, one who has already enslaved countless people to his dirty business practices and lacks the necessary humility of great leaders. What a reminder that an Amalek arises in every generation, a force of evil, lethargy, dissension, bad voodoo that we must face with constant chutzpah and compassion. If this new pharaoh, this terrible excuse for the leader of a country, drives us to return to G!d and the values he has instilled in us, then I hope we can say “Nes gadol hayah poh” soon. If, by breaking down the fibers of a false sense of security, we lean again on the only one who can hold us together, there is hope for a renewed world through a revival of faith and devotion.