January 16, 2025
27 Tevet 5786
Parashat Va'era
Exodus 6:2 - 9:35
Dear Friends, a time of renewal
We are about to welcome the new month of Shevat - a time of renewal, growth, and vigor. In just two weeks, we will gather together to celebrate the birthday of the trees: Tu B’Shevat. The midrash for this month teaches that towards the end of the people’s journey across the wilderness, Moses started teaching Devarim (Deuteronomy), which was a new story for the first time at the same time that the trees were shaking off their slumber and beginning their new year. We are reminded that we are like the trees in the field and like the Israelites, ready to start anew.
The image of reawakening is an important one. In our hemisphere, we are not unlike the bears, wishing to hibernate and be fairly inactive as we wait for the spring thaw. But that is a luxury we can most certainly not afford. The amazing thing about trees is that they are constantly taking care of themselves; the process that the trees undergo in the winter months is just hidden from our view.
This week’s Torah portion is Parshat Va’era, “and I appeared” (Exodus 6:2-9:35). In this Torah portion, God tells Moses and Aaron to go to Pharaoh to demand freedom for the Israelites. Pharaoh refuses, having given the slaves even more work as they need to collect their own hay to make bricks. God then unleashes plagues on the Egyptians. Pharaoh promises to free the Israelites, but God hardens Pharaoh’s heart. The portion ends as the 7th plague (hail) stops, and Pharaoh changes his mind once again. This Torah portion resonates in so many ways, given both the times in which we are living and that we will be celebrating the life of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King in the days ahead. We often need an extra push to act in the face of adversity. Our story highlights the battle between Pharoah and his gods and the Divine.
The phrase “and I appeared “ resonates as a wakeup call, much likes the trees in the midrash are said to waken. In the midst of a story that begins well and then seems to go sideways, we are being assured of the presence of the Divine, a presence whose purpose is not always easy to discern. At first, the people tell Moses they understand what he is offering them, but then as Pharoah makes their lives more difficult, they can only recognize their current situation and are unable to look beyond it. The ability to look beyond a current moment of difficulty takes an inordinate amount of courage and hope. As the Torah portion continues and the first seven plagues begin to unfold, we may ask ourselves: who were the plagues trying to convince?
The people were beaten down. They felt as though they had no agency. In the midst of that frustration, a leader came offering hope, only for things become more difficult in their daily lives. The ability to change their mindset would not be easy. At the same time, Pharoah, by not letting the people go, was becoming more and more stuck in a behavior pattern. Breaking out of a habitual way of thinking takes an enormous amount of effort. Pharoah was the ruler; he probably felt very comfortable in his way of thinking and didn't see any reason to change.
The ability to change one’s mind is a sign of freedom. “Our freedom diminishes every time we fail to exercise it.” Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z”l One needs to work for freedom. It does not occur automatically, and it demands our attention. Freedom needs to be achieved. Use it or lose it. It is a muscle that we cannot allow to atrophy. In our Torah portion, the people receive a wake-up call with the plagues, while Pharoah is stuck. In our case, we need to exercise the muscle as best we can.
Fighting for freedom takes resilience and courage. Moses serves as our exemplar of each. Think about how many times he fails to achieve the desired result and yet he gets up and tries again. The journey we encounter in this Torah portion is one Dr. King took; disappointments, defeats, and delay may appear to be the end of the road but the challenge is to keep going and that is what exemplary leaders do. Getting up in the face of obstacles is the only way forward.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn