Parshas Va'era - Shuffling Classes

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January 10 2018
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We read concerning Makkas Arov, the Plague of Wild Beasts: “And I will set apart the Land of Goshen on that day, where my nation dwells, so that wild beasts not be present there, in order that you will know that I am Hashem in the midst of the land. And I will make a separation between my nation and your nation; this sign will occur tomorrow.” (Shemos 8:18-19)


And we read concerning Makkas Dever, the Plague of Pestilence: “And Hashem will distinguish between the herds of Yisroel and the herds of Mitzrayim, and there will not die anything of B’nei Yisroel… And Hashem did this thing the next day, and all of the herds of Mitzrayim died, and from the herds of B’nei Yisroel nothing died. And Pharaoh sent, and behold, from the herds of Yisroel not a single thing died. ” (ibid. 9:4-7)


It was clear at the start, from the first Makkos and onward, that only the Egyptians and not the Jews would be afflicted. Why, therefore, did Hashem emphasize and make it a point of instructing Pharaoh that a distinction was being made between the Egyptians and the Jews, with the Jews and their possessions being spared from the Makkos; was this not already known?  


There is one aspect of the Makkos which might otherwise be overlooked, but which requires focus and appreciation: class status. Egypt was the most advanced and prosperous country of the time, and its citizens enjoyed being part of a privileged class. In Egyptian society, B’nei Yisroel were among the lower class, and they were viewed as a threat by the elite Egyptian upper class. The Makkos brought about a dramatic upheaval in class status, such that B’nei Yisroel attained a social position of prestige and domination, while the Egyptians were lowered and became reliant on the good graces of B’nei Yisroel. “And Hashem granted favor to the nation in the eyes of Egypt; and Moshe was of immense stature in the eyes of Pharaoh’s servants and in the eyes of the nation.” (ibid. 11:3) This reversal of roles, with Yisroel on the ascendancy and Mitzrayim in social decline, was a component of the punishment represented by the Makkos. This is why we read, as cited above, of the emphasis on distinguishing between Yisroel and Mitzrayim, and the need for Pharaoh and his nation to take note. The Makkos were not merely physical retribution, but they also constituted societal retribution and role reversal.  


But there is more: Throughout history, especially as seen with Christianity’s treatment of the Jews in Europe, with Islam’s treatment of the Jews in Arab lands and deep into Asia, and with ancient Greece’s treatment of the Jews in Eretz Yisroel prior to the Maccabean revolt, there was a concerted effort to portray Jews as rejected by Hashem and lowly, and to discriminate and disseminate religious messages and legislation that put the Jew at the bottom of society. At the heart of these endeavors lay a denial of Bechiras Yisroel, the chosenness of K’lal Yisroel, and an attempt to negate Hashem’s plans for His people and for mankind. “Replacement Theology”, which states that the Christians were now chosen and the Jews rejected, pertains to the efforts and actions of numerous cultures to put down the Jew and assign a chosen and preferred status to the surrounding gentile society.       


Egypt’s enslavement of B’nei Yisroel and Pharaoh’s and his advisers’ schemes to further harm and even kill Jews represented a rejection of the legacies of Yaakov and Yosef, who brought Divine blessings upon Mitzrayim; the enslavement and persecution of B’nei Yisroel thereby constituted a rebellion against Hashem Himself. There was a comprehensive negation by Egyptian society of Hashem’s relationship with B’nei Yisroel.      


Yetzi’as Mitzrayim, the Exodus from Egypt, was the quintessential affirmation of Bechiras Yisroel and a repudiation of Egyptian society’s efforts to squelch and deny the Jews’ chosenness. This is the meaning of the words of Medrash, as cited by Rashi on the pasuk, “And you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Yisroel is my firstborn son’” (Shemos 4:23), upon which the Medrash comments: “Here did the Holy One, Blessed be He, sign off on the sale of the birthright acquired by Yaakov from Eisav.” Yetzi’as Mitzrayim represents Bechiras Yisroel par excellence, as a manifestation of the will and authority of Hashem. That is precisely why the distinction between the Egyptians and B’nei Yisroel, with B’nei Yisroel emerging from societal repression and rising above the Egyptian elite, plays a pivotal role in the Makkos and the narrative of our nation's Geulah.                             


 

Parsha:
Va'era 

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    Learning on the Marcos and Adina Katz YUTorah site is sponsored today by Judy & Mark Frankel & family l'ilui nishmos מרדכי בן הרב משה יהודה ע"ה and משה יהודה ז"ל בן מאיר אליהו ויהודית and by the Polinsky Family to commemorate the 5th Yahrzeit of Gil Polinsky, Gedalyahu Gootmun Chaim ben Yaakov Dov