Rabbi Shaya's Thoughts

Now with Inauguration Day behind us, I hope all conversations about politics can be put to rest, and people can start to get along with one another, even if they come from different political persuasions. However, one can ask: Do we have free choice? Can we really choose to change our ways? That takes a lot of discipline.

Well, let us look at this week’s Torah portion to draw some inspiration.

When it comes to the eighth plague, we see that G-d tells Moses to warn Pharaoh of the consequences of not listening to Him. In the same breath, G-d says that he will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he doesn’t let the Jewish people out of Egypt. What is going on here? Is this a joke? Why should Moses warn Pharaoh at the same time that he knows there is no chance for Pharaoh to actually listen to him, since G-d has hardened his heart?

In life, one can only warn someone not to do something if it is in their power to hold themselves back and not do it. If it is out of their control, why warn them?

One way to answer this is by suggesting that Moses was trying to say that the plague will come—yet Pharaoh would have a way to stop it, by changing his behavior.

In other words, G-d wanted Moses to lay it on thick, to let Pharaoh know that He meant business. “The plague of locusts is coming” was not a warning, but a fact. However, if Pharaoh decided to send the Jews out of Egypt before the plaque came, then he could avoid it from coming. That was not a threat, but a notification of a fact, that Pharaoh could change.

At the same time that this stern warning was given to Pharaoh, and when one would think that he would want to let the Jews go, G-d also says, I will make him stubborn.

Why make it difficult for Pharaoh to let the Jews go? Wasn’t that G-d’s plan?

Well, it's not so simple. If G-d wanted the Jews to go at that point, He could have just brought them out on His own. He wanted Pharaoh to let them go of his own volition. If Pharaoh let them go because he was afraid of punishment, then he was not letting them go because he wanted them to go, but because of the plagues, so we are back to square one. Therefore, G-d hardened Pharaoh's heart to level the playing field again. That way, if Pharaoh let the Jews go, he did so of his own free will.

Here is a lesson for all of us: If G-d had enough trust in Pharaoh that he would break through his evil inclinations and choose to do the right thing, imagine how much more so is our ability to choose to do the right thing!

Let us rise above the sparring and choose to be free people. A nation that gets along with one another. A people that has the ability to choose right over wrong. If Pharaoh had the ability to break free, so do we.

Being Jewish is a birthright. However, someone can also choose to become a Jew through conversion. Yet, we see that you cannot choose to give up this birthright of being a Jew. Why not? If you can choose to be, why can’t you choose not to be? 
 

Interestingly, we find that during the first exodus from Egypt, not all the Jews left. Some Jews stayed behind as they subscribed to the ways of the land and were not interested in being part of the Jewish people. They chose another way. 
 

However, it says that when the ultimate redemption comes, every single Jew, even if they are not interested, will be redeemed, meaning that we will have no choice. As the saying goes: No Jew will be left behind. 
 

What changed?   
 

While the Jews were in Egypt before G-d gave us the Torah, our relationship with G-d was based on us, the Jewish people, choosing to have—or not to have—a relationship with G-d. Those who wanted to be close to Him left Egypt, those who did not, stayed behind—and died during the plague of darkness. So, although a Jew who wanted to be part of the Jewish nation did so by choice, it may not have been an easy choice. It may even have been against their nature, but it was something that they wanted to do. G-d embraced them in return and made it worthwhile. 
 

However, at Mount Sinai, something unique took place. G-d chose the Jewish people! A unique bond was formed. Once this connection was established, it was as tight as a parent to a child. In return for this commitment from G-d to us, the Jews reciprocated by committing themselves to G-d as servants to a master. Once such a bond is formed, it is everlasting for all generations to come. It becomes part of our DNA. 

As we embark on reading the second book of the Torah, the book of Exodus, we first read about the suffering of the Jews, and then we read about their redemption, their being chosen, and finally being given the Torah. We, too, should bear in mind that although we might have had a difficult year behind us, a good year is ahead of us, and we pray that we should merit the ultimate redemption with the coming of Moshiach speedily in our days. Amen.