Judeo Talk

Shabbat Shalom and welcome back to Judeo Talk. The Torah portion for this week is Va’eira, Exodus 6:2-9:35.

In last week’s parsha, the Israelites first became slaves in Egypt and God enlisted the prophet Moses to demand their freedom from the pharaoh. This week, Moses, his brother Aaron and both their families travel to the heart of Egypt to do just that. As God previously told Moses, the pharaoh rejects the demand. The result of his “hardened heart” is a series of miraculous plagues brought down upon Egypt. In Va’eira, we get to see seven of the infamous Ten Plagues. But before we get to that, there are two things that bear discussing.

First, there is the episode with the rods turning into snakes. When Moses and Aaron approach the pharaoh, they demonstrate the power of God by casting Aaron’s staff on the ground where it transforms into a snake, as God said it would. The pharaoh, unimpressed, calls in his own magicians who perform the same trick. However, the snake from Aaron’s staff devours the others. This is an interesting moment. The obvious connotation is that God cannot be outdone or overwhelmed. But there’s something else here. Recall several weeks ago when a previous pharaoh called Joseph to him to interpret his dreams. In those dreams, the weak and sickly grain, then cattle literally devour the strong grain and cattle. At the time, the interpretation is that a period of feast will be followed by a period of famine. Still, it’s hard not to see some connection between those dreams and the moment with the snakes. Our minds are drawn to the original pharaoh’s dreams because it seems they not only foretold the famine, but also the rise of the Israelites.

The other thing people often ask is why God told Moses to demand the Israelites’ freedom when God knew from the beginning that the pharaoh would deny it. The simplest and most likely reason is that this isn’t a story about enlightening the pharaoh, it’s the ultimate demonstration of God’s power. An example is being made of Egypt for the express purpose of passing the story of the Exodus through the generations. Still to this day, “Egypt” is a metaphor in the Jewish faith for times of difficulty, confusion and disconnection. In this story, the Ten Plagues are not a consequence for wrongdoing, they’re the whole point.

This week’s parsha begins what is possibly the greatest, most far-reaching allegory in Judaism. This truly epic story tosses around a lot of loaded terms and is rife with symbolism. There is a lot to contemplate of slavery, both literal and metaphorical, as there is much to consider in the questions of the trials of life. These terms- Slavery, Freedom, Holiness, and even what exactly makes a true Nation; these are the concerns of a large part of Jewish philosophy. As we enter into the most fantastical part of the Torah, it’s very important to not get lost in the powerful imagery and to keep ourselves from disconnecting from their underlying purposes. We are 21st century people. We don’t build pyramids by hand, we don’t witness grand visual miracles and many of us take our freedom for granted. There is knowledge here in the story of the Exodus, but in the coming weeks it is of the utmost importance that we approach the text with the intent to dig into the metaphors.

Hello, friends and web-surfers. My name is Michael Sarko and this is Judeo Talk, an interactive blog for the discussion of Jewish faith, culture, history and current events. I’ll be updating three times a week, shedding light on a rich tradition that stretches back thousands of years and continues to impact the lives of millions of people worldwide. Every Friday, there will be a Shabbat D’var post providing an introduction to some of the themes in the week’s Torah portion. Additionally, feel free to email me with any questions about Judaism and I’ll do my best to post the answer in this blog.

There is a famous Jewish story, known as a Midrash, about the importance of teaching and learning. In the story, a man goes to several different rabbis with the strange request of being taught Torah while he stands on one foot. Everyone was insulted by this request because it seemed silly and unnecessary. The only one who agreed to the stranger’s odd stipulation was Rabbi Hillel, who was known for being a very open-minded and accepting man. Young Jews have long been told this story as a way to remind them to be open-minded themselves in the process of teaching and learning. Many tasks and topics seem daunting at the beginning, as if we are approaching them with no more stability or focus than we would have while standing on one foot. So, even if you don’t know a thing about Judaism or Jewish culture, there’s no need to turn away. Judeo Talk is a place where you only need a desire to learn.

So, what is Judaism? Plainly, Judaism is the oldest of the three central Abrahamic faiths, followed by Christianity and then Islam. All three of those religions is Monotheistic, meaning that one of their basic tenates is a belief in a single God. Because Jewish history stretches back nearly six thousand years, the exact origins of the faith and culture are not certain. In the religious tradition, the foundations of monotheism and therefore Judaism are placed on one man, Abraham. This is where the term “Abrahamic” comes from. According to his story in the bible Abraham was ethnically Sumerian, living in approximately 4000 BC, or as Jews prefer to say, BCE (before the common era). Early in his story, Abraham experiences divine forces and becomes devoted to spreading belief in a single, all-powerful God.

Of course, not everyone interprets the stories of the bible as being literal events, not even Jews. Unfortunately, retrieving accurate information about life and major events from thousands of years ago is exceedingly difficult. We do know that Jewish culture has existed since nearly the dawn of human civilization, thanks to writings and artifacts from ancient cities like Ur, Babylon and Jerusalem.

Whatever its origins, Judaism persists in the modern day, though its definition remains elusive. If this question could be answered so easily, I wouldn’t have bothered making an entire blog about it. Sure, there’s a textbook definition, but that doesn’t even begin to explain what it means to be a Jew and how Jewish culture has contributed to the world at large. I hope you’ll join with me in learning about one of this world’s great cultural traditions. Shalom and welcome.

Got a question or a suggestion for a future topic? Email me at [email protected]