Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 3 Shevat 5784
Parsha Va-‘Era’: (Exodus 6:2 – 9:35)
Seventh Portion: Exodus 9:17 – 9:35

Shabbat Shalom!  Today we finish up Va – ‘Era.’ – Which means- “And I appeared.”

This has been an incredible week in so many ways.  Things are unfolding so fast around that it has been hard to keep up.  I have often prided myself in being “ahead” of the timeline.  The past 24 hours I have been WAY behind.  What does this look like for me? Not caught up on responding to messages for one. Not connecting my Torah thoughts until much later and posting them after Sundown.

And. It’s all ok. No stress.

Today’s portion is fascinating for the simple reason (for me) that for the past three years – I have not been able to get this portion out “normally.”  The first year, something significant happened where I was late a day. It contained a lot of personal (and political) pieces that were not relevant one year later.  Last year? I didn’t follow my pattern and didn’t just cut and paste.  Today? I post late.  So. Something is significant in the portion I think.

And. I felt like THIS thought from last year was REALLY relevant given my past week:

Change is hard but it’s good. And one of the best ways to change? Creating a new reality. Being creative. Co-creating with others.

As I reflect on the past year as we enter what is a challenging month of Shevat (at least personally for me) – change that we create is better than change that is created for us.

Pharaoh in our passage is having change created for him. He could have changed with the circumstances- but he hardened his heart. And it didn’t work out so well.

Do we live life choosing from various routines we’ve developed? Ordering a different routine when we are bored? Or do we, like artists, work to create something new?

Let me say this again. I feel it is super important:

Change that we create is better than change that is created for us.

Let’s dig in!

The context for today’s portion is this:

16But, for this [reason] I have allowed you to stand, in order to show you My strength and in order to declare My name all over the earth.

Hashem is doing this to show his power. Not to the people of Israel – but to those who enslaved them.  He wanted to expand this love from the children of Israel – to EVERYONE.

This exodus is for ALL of US.

Full stop.

I often get questions about the Torah – “what about me? I’m not Jewish – what is in the Torah for me?”

I am not a rabbi. I have no authority in this world to judge.  I need to start with that out of respect to the leadership and traditions of Judaism.  And as a Jew, I know the beautiful rainbow of practices within Judaism. With this being said…

I believe the Torah is clear. Hashem wants ALL to see his power. His strength. His love.

The Torah is for ALL.  These words I write are for us. All of us. Not just me. Not just my children. Not just my Jewish friends. For all of us. If you are reading this? These words are for YOU.

Let’s dig a little deeper.

When Hashem says – “To show you my strength” – the question is – for what purpose?  Is it merely because Hashem has an ego and wants everyone to know His power? That feels ego driven, and that doesn’t really resonate with me.

Because I (personally) believe that Hashem IS love – what is really being said here – “I have allowed you to stand, in order to show YOU My Love – which is STRONGER than anything you currently worship.”

And if you look at the patience of Hashem – in these plagues – that he gave Pharaoh ALL OF THESE CHANCES – that is the power of HIS love.

Each plague has gotten louder and louder. And all Pharaoh had to do? Surrender.

What is the takeaway for US?

If we are experiencing more and more pain in our lives. If we are experiencing louder and louder lessons. What is it we need to let go of? What do we need to release? What do we need to surrender?

This is NOT to say we are blaming the victim for the suffering. And – I have friends who we come to the realization that WE are the CAUSE of our own suffering often – ESPECIALLY when it comes to emotions – holding onto things we can’t control – like a house, or a car, or a particular wardrobe left in an old girlfriend’s house.  Or outcomes – like getting married, or a promotion, or a win for our favorite football team (hello fellow Dallas Cowboys fans – the curse of Jimmy Johnson is real). We suffer because we hold on.  When if we just let go (no – I am not going to stop being a Dallas Cowboys fan, but maybe I will release the idea that my working van isn’t good enough) we won’t feel the same amount of suffering.

So. This is for all of us. For the purpose of us to see Hashem’s love. And with this spirit, let’s dig in:

And this is the message:

17If you still tread upon My people, not letting them out,

18behold, I am going to rain down at this time tomorrow a very heavy hail, the likes of which has never been in Egypt from the day of its being founded until now.

19And now, send, gather in your livestock and all that you have in the field, any man or beast that is found in the field and not brought into the house the hail shall fall on them, and they will die.” ‘ “

Wow.

This reaffirms our context doesn’t it? Hashem tells the people of Egypt – I am doing this for a purpose. I love you. Release your control over the Jewish people. Trust yourselves. You know things are getting worse and worse. You can put your faith in Pharaoh, or you can put your faith in me.  Because Hashem says – you’ve been warned – go inside, bring your livestock inside, or you will die.  YOU HAVE A CHOICE. YOU HAVE SOVEREIGNTY. YOU DECIDE who is king – Pharoah or Hashem.

How does Egypt respond?

20He who feared the word of the Lord of Pharaoh’s servants drove his servants and his livestock into the houses.

21But he who did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field.

We don’t get numbers here – we don’t know HOW MANY feared the word and chose Hashem over Pharaoh.  But they listened. Here is what happened next:

22The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch forth your hand heavenward, and hail will be upon the entire land of Egypt, upon man and upon beast and upon all the vegetation of the field in the land of Egypt.”

23So Moses stretched forth his staff heavenward, and the Lord gave forth thunder and hail, and fire came down to the earth, and the Lord rained down hail upon the land of Egypt.

24And there was hail, and fire flaming within the hail, very heavy, the likes of which had never been throughout the entire land of Egypt since it had become a nation.

25The hail struck throughout the entire land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast, and the hail struck all the vegetation of the field, and it broke all the trees of the field.

26Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.

So – the Egyptians were given a choice. Hashem did what he said he’d do.  Those who listened, kept all their possessions – their livelihood. Those who did not? Lost. Pharaoh responds:

27So Pharaoh sent and summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is the righteous One, and I and my people are the guilty ones.

28Entreat the Lord, and let it be enough of God’s thunder and hail, and I will let you go, and you shall not continue to stand.”

Pharoah sounds like he is owning his mistakes here, huh?

Moses knows:

29And Moses said to him, “When I leave the city, I will spread my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, in order that you know that the land is the Lord’s.

30But you and your servants I know that you still do not fear the Lord God,

31though the flax and the barley have been broken, for the barley is in the ear, and the flax is in the stalk.

32The wheat and the spelt, however, have not been broken because they ripen late.”

Moses knows as soon as he leaves the city, Pharoah is going to turn around and go back on his word.

And. It would seem that Moses mentions leaving the city. I’ll be honest – I am not sure Moses has mentioned anything like this before. What is the significance of leaving the city? Let’s see if anything comes up:

33Moses went away from Pharaoh, out of the city, and he spread out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and rain did not come down to earth.

34And Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased; so he continued to sin, and he strengthened his heart, he and his servants.

35And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the children of Israel go out, as the Lord had spoken through the hand of Moses.

Hmmmm.

I wonder if Moses leaving the city is a “taste” of freedom.  Pharoah and Moses co-created the beginning of the release.

And I wonder.

What if?

What if this is the grief process? Pharaoh was in denial until now. The plagues are getting louder and louder.

I go back to this verse:

27So Pharaoh sent and summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is the righteous One, and I and my people are the guilty ones.

28Entreat the Lord, and let it be enough of God’s thunder and hail, and I will let you go, and you shall not continue to stand.”

It took the seventh plague here – we see the Torah have Pharaoh summon Moses and Aaron. And Pharaoh states “The Lord is the righteous One, and I and my people are the guilty ones.”

This is new. Let’s review Pharaoh’s reactions:

• Pharaoh’s reaction to blood:
  • 7:23Pharaoh turned and went home, and he paid no heed even to this.
• Pharaoh’s reaction to frogs;
  • 8:4Thereupon, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the Lord that He remove the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let out the people [of Israel] so that they may sacrifice to the Lord.”
• Pharaoh’s reaction to lice:
  • 8:15So the necromancers said to Pharaoh, “It is the finger of God,” but Pharaoh’s heart remained steadfast, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had spoken.
  • In other words, Pharoah didn’t even summon Moses and Aaron here!
• Noxious Creatures:
  • 8:21Thereupon, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and he said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.”
  • He said they could sacrifice – but they had to do it in Egypt.
• Pestilence:
  • 9:7And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not even one of the livestock of Israel died, but Pharaoh’s heart became hardened, and he did not let the people out.
  • Moses and Aaron weren’t summoned
• Boils:
  • 9:12But the Lord strengthened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord spoke to Moses.
  • Moses and Aaron weren’t summoned

It follows a process of grief, doesn’t it?

Pharaoh’s outward reactions:

• Plague 1: Denial: Pharoah doesn’t even acknowledge the grief. He doesn’t even bring Moses
• Plague 2: Bargaining: He summons Moses and Aaron: If you do this, THEN I will release
• Plague 3: Back to Denial: Pharaoh didn’t even talk to Moses and Aaron
• Plague 4: Back to Bargaining: He summons Moses and Aaron: You can go, but you have to do it in Egypt
• Plague 5: Denial. No summoning of Moses
• Plague 6: Denial: No summoning of Moses.
• This current plague: Acceptance? Pharoah SEEMS to accept the reality.

And Moses doubts. Because this is OUTWARD grief.

We know the stages of grief developed by Elisabeth Kubler Ross; Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Sadness/Depression, Acceptance.

And the Torah? Seems to be in line here. It took SEVEN Plagues – SEVEN – for Pharoah to OUTWARDLY accept/admit Hashem was Lord.

And. He never did the inner work. Because while this was all happening outwardly? His heart was hardened.

I wrote about this in Genesis. GRIEF. GRIEF is the path to Freedom. If we harden our hearts? We will never be free.

The Exodus is a story of grief. For Egypt.

And freedom? When we read the story? Do we have any compassion for the people who are grieving here? Or do we dehumanize them as the villain in the story? We have a Pharoah within us. Something we refuse to let go and be free.

Grief involves a LOT of denial. And that is ok.

What are we grieving during this time? What trees are being pulled from our lives we need to release and let go of? How can we prepare for a new tree on the upcoming Full Moon – Tu b’Shevat – the New Year for Trees?

This is something we can all reflect on.

What are your thoughts?

Here are my thoughts from a year ago:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 28 Tevet, 5783

Shabbat Shalom!

Last year’s Torah thoughts were on New Year’s day. There is a lot there personally that is no longer relevant, so instead of posting it and commenting, I’ll share the thoughts solely connected to the portion AFTER I give some quick thoughts to add:

Change is hard but it’s good. And one of the best ways to change? Creating a new reality. Being creative. Co-creating with others.

As I reflect on the past year as we enter what is a challenging month of Shevat (at least personally for me) – change that we create is better than change that is created for us.

Pharoah in our passage is having change created for him. He could have changed with the circumstances- but he hardened his heart. And it didn’t work out so well.

Do we live life choosing from various routines we’ve developed? Ordering a different routine when we are bored? Or do we, like artists, work to create something new?

This morning I was able to create an amazing experience with a really good friend. We didn’t have much in terms of plans other than to watch the sun rise on a cloudy day. We ended up on an amazing adventure. Off the path of any routine.

It felt good. A year ago I was looking how to navigate a routine that had developed over the course of 20 years. This year, that struggle isn’t even in my frame of reference.

So interesting!

Here’s the thoughts I wrote a year ago on the portion:

From 28 Tevet, 5782:

Now; on to finishing out Va-‘Era’

Todays portion begins right after Hashem tells Moses to go to pharaoh – and Hashem explains his reason for keeping Pharaoh and the Egyptians alive; to show His (God’s) strength and declare His name over the earth!

God tells Moses to tell Pharaoh- “If you still tread upon My people, not sending them out, then I am going to rain down a very heavy hail at this time tomorrow, the likes of which have never occurred in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.”

However, there was a new twist here. God was giving the Egyptians an opportunity to avoid the consequences of Pharaohs decisions. Hashem tells Moses to tell pharaoh; “Now, send, gather in your livestock and all that you have in the field. The hail shall fall on any man or beast that is found in the field and not brought into the house, and they will die.”

He was giving people a chance to make their own decisions. Do they decide to listen? Or do they ignore? I have yet to watch the movie “Don’t look up” but I imagine the theme is similar. Who are you going to believe? Pharaoh or Moses? Things were bad in Egypt; Moses was telling the Egyptians to do one thing. But the Egyptians would be abandoning Pharaoh if they did. It’s really interesting to me.

The Torah then tells us; “Whoever feared the word of God among Pharaoh’s servants drove his seervants and his livestock into the houses. But whoever did not pay attention to the word of God left his servants and his livestock in the field.”

Rabbi Meir Simchah of Dvinsk tells us the phrase “among Pharaohs servants” could also be rendered as “more than Pharaohs servants.” Especially because Moses later on (in verse 30) hints to this point when he said that although there were some Egyptians who feared God; “I know you and your servants still do not fear God”

God tells Moses to stretch his hands out and hail will reign down. Moses does this and God have thunder and hail. Not just any hail. Hail fire. Fire inside the Hail. Basically anything left in the fields was destroyed. All of the trees in the field broke.

The Torah tells us; only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.

Pharaoh experiences this and sent messengers to summon Moses and Aaron. He tells them “I have sinned this time. God is the righteous One. I and my people are the wicked ones. Please with God and let God’s thunder and hail be enough. I will send you away and you shall not continue to remain.”

Yay! It looks like Pharaoh got the message! Moses isn’t so sure.

Moses tells Pharaoh “When I leave the city, I will spread my hands to God. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, in order that you shall know that the land belongs to God.”

But he adds; “I know that you and your servants still do not fear God, the almighty God.”

He tells pharaoh that although the flax and barley were destroyed with hail, the wheat and spelt were spared because they ripen late. He explains that Pharaoh may think all is lost, but there is still some hope and some things Pharaoh can still lose if he continues.

So Moses goes out and stops the thunder and hail.

This week’s parsha ends as Pharaoh sees everything end and then continued to sin, hardening his heart. His heart strengthens and did not let the children of Israel go out; just as God said would happen!

Wow, Pharaoh.

I reflect on where in my life I act as Pharaoh. Where is my heart hard and not soft. What about you?

Super special bonus portion. Today is the sabbath before the Rosh Chodesh (new month) so we get a bonus Torah portion today from Numbers 28:9-15!

This portion of numbers talks about the offering on the sabbath and Rosh Chodesh. Now; I’m chewing on how this is an interesting “coincidence” given the sacrifice of our family tradition for the sake of Shabbat. Here are the sacrifices:

Sabbath sacrifices:

– 2 perfect lambs in their first year

– 2/10 of an ephah of fine flour as a meal offering (mixed with salt)

– a wine libation

These burnt offerings may only be offered on their appropriate sabbath- they can’t be compensated for on a different sabbath. Meaning if you forget or don’t sacrifice you don’t get to double it the following sabbath.

Finally – these sabbath offerings are IN ADDITION to the daily burnt offering and accompanying libation. It’s an additional sacrifice – not a replacement.

For the new moon, here’s what you are supposed to sacrifice (as a community);

– a burnt offering of 2 young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year; all perfect and unblemished

– 3/10 of an ephah of flour mixed with oil as a meal offering for each bull (there were 2), 2/10ths of an ephah of flour mixed with oil for the ram, and 1/10th of an ephah of flour mixed with oil for each lamb (7) as meal offerings.

Doing some quick math; 1.5 ephah of flour was used for these sacrifices.

Here were additional guidelines;

– the accompanying libations are; half a hin of wine for each bull, third of a hin for each ram, quarter hin for each lamb. Quick math tells us 3 and 1/12 hin of wine. How much is a hin? 1.5 gallons. So basically a little more than 4.5 gallons of wine. People are getting drunk!

– the sacrifices need to be made on their month – you can’t make up for it next month

– one young male goat should be offered up as a sin offering to God

– this is IN ADDITION to the daily offering and libation

So there’s a lot here. A lot to sacrifice. I’m reflecting on that as we begin 2022 and my struggle with the tradition we have kept being let go.

Shabbat Shalom!