The last few weeks Mainstream News has highlighted the supposed atrocities of Israel to the Palestinians. And many have trumped up a lot of antisemitic hatred even to those Jews who live in the diaspora and have nothing to do with Israel. And we ask why are Jews being accused and why after thousands of years do we continue to suffer? Why is antisemitism rampant, why are Arab terrorists threatening to kill all Jews and take the land of Israel for themselves? This question has been asked by Jews and Gentiles alike. Rabbis and other scholars have written much on this topic.

My Jewish Learning* (http://www.myjewishlearning.com) shows possible views ending up with the accusation that the Holy ONE, Blessed be He, has broken His covenant with Israel and that is why we cannot expect to see miracles anymore* (see below). REALLY?

The argument is based upon the assumption that Jews, at least the most observant ones, are keeping their part of the covenant. Yet, are we really keeping our part of the bargain? I see at least two things that fly in the face of what the Bible says:

The majority of Jews do not believe they have to live in the Land of Israel to be good Jews. As long as the traditions of the Oral Torah are observed, the exile mentality can continue anywhere and at any time.

Rabbinic Judaism teaches that the rabbis received the authority through a divinely appointed chain of command to interpret the Torah based on their own majority view;

They state: “Moses received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua; Joshua to the elders; the elders to the prophets; and the prophets handed it down to the men of the Great Assembly.” (http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/pirkei-avot-ethics-of-the-fathers-3/) The chain of transmission was then passed on to the sages and on to the rabbis of our day.

This transmission is based upon:

Ex. 23:2 “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou bear witness in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to pervert justice;” JPS Tanakh (So, this is not given as a positive command, rather a negative one, yet this is the justification for following the consensus for rabbinic decrees and interpretations of Torah.)Thus it is that today we find many instructions that are not found and often not even alluded to in the written Torah.

And why should we take exception to this? Because it is stated in the written Torah and in the book of Joshua:

• Deuteronomy 4:2: Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
• Deuteronomy 12:32
  What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
• Joshua 1:5-7
  No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall give these people the inheritance of the land that I swore to their fathers I would give them. Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go.”

Why did Hashem again make a point to instruct Joshua that he must not turn to the right or to the left, regarding the Torah, i.e. was not to add to nor diminish it as originally commanded in Deuteronomy? And if Joshua was now free to interpret it as he felt it needed to be given, why is he reminded that it is the law “that My servant Moses commanded you”? And so on down the line, how now do the Rabbis justify their creation of laws and fences, claiming they are based upon the original laws of Moses? And how is it that we can now change it on the basis of one simple Torah statement (Ex 23:2) clearly misinterpreted and taken out of context; how can we add insights to the Torah based on this Oral transmission?

And what about building fences? “They, (the men of the Great Assembly) said three things: Be deliberate in judgment, raise up many disciples, and make a fence around the Torah.” Pirkei Avot, ch 1. At Sinai God told Moses to put barriers around the mountain that the people not be able to break through to Him. The assumption that this is equivalent to putting a fence around the Torah does not seem to add up.

Here is the commentary from My Jewish Learning, mentioned at the first of this article showing the rabbinic leaning to the concept that God has abandoned His part of the covenant with Israel:

*Israel as Estranged Wives and Widows
(https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/israel-as-estranged-wives-and-widows/)
By Jeffrey Spritzer

Isaiah 50 1 – The metaphor of Israel as the wife of God receives several potent and shocking midrashic reinterpretations as the rabbis reflect on Israel’s suffering and persecution.
Although the biblical book of Job presented a radical critique of the covenantal theology that suffering is punishment for sin, the rabbis, in general, chose to maintain a belief in the covenant. The most common rabbinic approach to the problem of suffering, and in particular, the suffering of the people of Israel in exile, involved relocating reward and punishment to Olam haBa, the next world. Even so, the rabbis could hardly escape the reality of the pain that people experienced in this world. In order to explain the failure of the covenant between God and Israel, the rabbis sought the closest analogue: the occasional failure of the human covenant between husband and wife. 

Love on the Rocks – When the covenant seems to work, the rabbis imagined the covenant as a love story. Most notably, the rabbis transformed the love poetry of the biblical book of Song of Songs into the love story of God and Israel. Yet, if Song of Songs Rabbah and the Targum (Aramaic interpretive translation) of Song of Songs preserve the love story, then a peculiar midrash ic collection known as Midrash Song of Songs (edited by Eliezer Greenhut) presents the story of “love on the rocks.” The one known manuscript of this midrash was apparently copied (or maybe even written) during the Crusades and was then lost during the Holocaust.

“‘Show me your countenance’ (Song of Songs 2:14). This is like a man who had an ugly wife whose name was Hannah. She honored her husband greatly, but he was sad, because although she had a good name and beautiful deeds, her face was ugly. A dream maker came and asked why he was distressed, and he explained why. ‘Do you want her to be beautiful?’ ‘Yes,’ came the reply. In the morning, she became beautiful. She saw herself and she began to lord herself over her husband. In the night, the dream maker came again and asked what he wanted. ‘Please make Hannah ugly again.’ ‘For your voice is pleasant and your face becoming’ (Song of Songs 2:14). The Holy Blessed One said to Israel, ‘When is your voice pleasant to me? When you are pressed down by persecution…’” (Midrash Song of Songs Greenhut 2:14).

The flip side of the biblical and rabbinic suspicion of wealth and good times (“You will eat and be satisfied. Be careful lest your hearts stray,” [Deuteronomy 11:16, and cf. Deuteronomy 8:11-20]) is the belief that bad times and, in particular, suffering and persecution somehow foster the kind of relationship that God wants from Israel. Suffering, according to this view, leads to Israel’s devotion and even to a perverse beauty.

Israel as Loyal Widow – Although the previous passage does not reveal any bitterness or irony, that is not the case with other uses of the husband-wife metaphor. The book of Lamentations begins “How has the city, so full of people, become k-almanah, like a widow!” For the rabbis, the interpretive crux becomes the single letter-word, k-almanah, like-a widow. How is Israel like a widow without actually being one?

“‘How has the city, so full of people, become like a widow!’…R. Hama bar Ukba and the rabbis [disagreed]. R. Hama bar Ukba said: She is like a widow who chose continued support (in the house of her deceased husband) rather than her ketubah (her marriage settlement which would have required her to find a new husband)…”

R. Hama’s approach needs a little explanation. According to the Talmud (Ketubot 52b), a woman has two choices upon the death of her husband. The common choice is that she receives the ketubah settlement that would support her for a year or so until she could be remarried. Instead, Israel is seen as a widow who chooses to stay in the house of her deceased husband rather than go somewhere else.

Although Lamentations mourns the destruction of the Temple and of Jerusalem, R. Hama’s analogy raises the specter of what, in modern times, would be seen as a metaphor for the death of God. Israel’s continued faithfulness to the land and religion of Israel, is seen as the widow who maintains a posthumous fidelity towards her husband. Yet, Israel’s God/Husband is not really dead, so Israel is only like a widow and not one in reality.

God as Abusive Husband – The rabbis’ parable, however, takes the understanding of “like a widow” and not really a widow in a totally different direction.  “The rabbis said: It is like a king who was angry with his matron and wrote out her divorce document, but then got up and snatched it from her. Whenever she wished to remarry, he said to her, ‘Where is your divorce document?’ And whenever she demanded monetary support, he said to her, ‘But have I not divorced you?’”

“Similarly, whenever Israel wished to worship idols, the Holy Blessed One said to them, ‘Where is your mother’s divorce document?’ (Isaiah 50:1); and whenever they wished that God should perform miracles for them as in the past, the Holy Blessed One, said to them, ‘Have I not already divorced you?’ That is what is written, ‘I sent her away and I gave her divorce document’ (Jeremiah 3:8)” (Lamentations Rabbah 1:1.3).

For the rabbis in this midrash, God’s behavior is that of a wicked husband who takes advantage of the inequity in Jewish law which puts the power of divorce exclusively in the hands of the man. Although the woman in this parable is divorced and not widowed, as in the biblical verse, the woman is only “like a widow” in that she lacks the support of a husband and yet, she lacks the freedom of the widow to remarry. Israel suffers, and lacks the support of God who does not even allow Israel the freedom to depart and join with other gods.

Together Forever – A final example of the rabbinic response to suffering, however, contrasts sharply with this last vision of a powerless Israel. R. Joshua of Sikhnin reports this parable of R. Levi:

“R. Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of R. Levi: ‘I am the man’ (Lamentations 3:1); I am the one who has learned from suffering. Have I benefited from what you thought fit?!”

“It is like a king who got angry at his wife and forced her out of the palace. She went and pushed her face up behind one of the pillars, [staying in the palace, but hiding]. The king saw her as he was walking by and said ‘Such impudence!’ She responded, ‘My lord king, this is the right and appropriate thing for me, since no other woman besides me has accepted you.’ He retorted, ‘Only because I disqualified all other women [from marrying me] for your sake.’ She said to him, ‘If that is the case, why did you go to that house on that street if not to meet with a woman who ended up rejecting you?’”

“Similarly, the Holy Blessed One said to Israel, ‘Such impudence!’ But Israel said, ‘Master of the Universe, it is right and proper for us since no other nation besides us has accepted the Torah .’ God retorted, ‘Only because I disqualified all other nations for your sake.’ Israel said, ‘If that is the case, why did you offer the Torah to all of the nations, only to have them reject it!’” (Lamentations Rabbah 3:1.1)

Although the Temple was destroyed, Israel remains attached to God. But she is far from powerless. Like the woman of the parable, ejected from her home, Israel can turn to God and say, “You may be angry with us, but we’re all You’ve got!” This translation follows the reading of R. Samuel ben Isaac Jaffe, the sixteenth century author of the commentary Yefeh Anaf. Jaffe comments:

“‘I am the man’ who has suffered as a result of having accepted Your Torah. Instead of You doing good for me, You have done me evil; had I not accepted Your Torah, then I would be free and I would not have suffered for having not fulfilled it.”

Rabbi Jaffe affirms the theology of the covenant, but nevertheless bemoans the consequences. Other rabbinic texts present God in ways that are even more transgressive of the basic terms of the covenant, including describing God as a wife-batterer.
Later theologians developed different kinds of theologies to explain suffering in this world; in comparison to modern theological responses, the rabbinic repertoire seems rather limited. Nevertheless, working from within the covenantal theology that suffering is punishment for violation of the Torah’s norms, the rabbis found effective ways to subvert and rework the metaphor of covenant to express their own theological discomfort, and more importantly, their own voices of protest to the suffering which they saw as a violation of a divine covenant.”

So what is the consensus? Is it possible that the rabbis led us on a path away from the covenant so far that we ourselves stand before the Holy One, blessed be He, as guilty of covenant breaking? And what covenant would that be? Have we added to His Words which He expressly forbade? Have we observed mitzvot that were never commanded of Hashem? Have we deleted anything? Or as Hashem instructed Joshua, not turned to the right or the left?

If we really read what Torah says, many of the mitzvot can only be observed in The Land. Why then are Jews still remaining in the exile keeping Shavuot (for example) while they are not IN THE LAND? (Lev 23:9), and why are they keeping Succot when it specifically says IN THE LAND? (Lev 23:39)

Why are we not all striving to be IN THE LAND? Experts calculate that only 2 percent of the Jews returned from Babylon at the time they were released by Cyrus to build the 2^nd temple. How many are waiting in America and Europe and every other country on the globe and for one reason or another put off returning to THE LAND—The only land where Jews are under any kind of Divine protection?

And there are other mitzvot that may only be kept when there is a Temple and a Priesthood. So why do we attempt to keep these things rather than actively take back the Temple Mount and begin construction of Ezekiel’s Temple?

So we have several things to do to get ourselves right with Hashem, get back to Israel, and dig deeply to find what the Torah really says, discarding all that has led us to the right hand or to the left. Then we will see a Divine return to Hashem’s part of the covenant!

Who or What?

I suppose many people have thought about what it would be like to be standing at the end of the world when violence breaks out on every side and pestilence is rampant. I for one, never dreamed that the end time pestilence would be man-made and that the cure could be worse than the disease.

As a child, I read my Bible about families breaking up and knew that there would be separation of best friends in the end times. Bible prophecies given thousands of years ago about the Final Redemption and the fulfillment of the Eternal Covenant that God made with Abraham, Isaac and Yaacov are standing ready to be fulfilled but somehow go unrecognized to the average world-ling of our day.

Of course no one would expect that atheists and idolaters would even acknowledge the Eternal Covenant between God, the Children of Israel and the Holy Land.

The world spins its story but that story is based on anything but truth. Only the Almighty Redeemer of the faithful will be able to demonstrate to the blinded eyes of this generation what is the truth about His promises.

Anyone who has an ounce of faith in God, knows that He is just and dependable to keep His Word even when all nations desecrate his Holy Times and Places and deny His Existence. The fact that people do not believe in Him does not limit His ability to perform that which He has promised.

And even though those who may be rightful heirs to the Land do evil, the land still belongs to Hashem and will not be given to idolaters or those who blaspheme His Name. He knows who belongs to the righteous remnant who keep their part of the bargain.

The nations imbibe the poison as they listen to the nightly news commentators and their godless theories about Israel’s unjust treatment of those who have sworn to wipe the people of Israel off the face of the earth.

According to Daniel’s prophecy, all nations will soon surround this little country, but at that time a mighty Deliverer will arise and God himself will unleash his wrath. (See Daniel 12) It will be a fearsome time for those who scoff and rise to destroy all that is God’s.

In the meantime, those of us with even a tiny bit of faith will hold our breath as we see events unfold before our eyes. It seems these events are happening with lightening speed. As we see everything setting up to cut off our livelihood, our ability to travel, our closest family ties, and our very lives, we will either succumb to the pressure to give in to the demands of the nations, or we will hold ever more tightly to Hashem.

The land of Israel trembles and many cry out for deliverance. Some realize the vanity of looking to governments or politicians or God forbid, corrupt allies, and cast their eyes heavenward. The only one to trust is the Almighty who once at the beginning created all things for our good and Who keeps His Covenant, ultimately ending all wars to save his faithful people.

Again the Parsha reveals events that sound very familiar to what is happening in our world today:

The hardening of the world in refusal to let G-d’s people go, the plan for population control and full control of every area of individual life and choice. And many people are in a panic. But we see what happened with Pharaoh: At the end of Parsha Va-eira, (Exodus 9:27) after the plague of hail, Pharaoh admits his guilt and says: “this time I have sinned: Hashem is the righteous One, and I and my people are the wicked ones…(34) Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder ceased, and he continued to sin; and he made his heart stubborn, he and his servants. Pharaoh’s heart became strong and he did not send out the children of Israel as Hashem had spoken through Moshe.”

But, who was it that hardened his heart? This is the first time Pharaoh admits to sinning; he is beginning to weaken. But it goes on to say that his heart was hardened. In the first verse of Parsha Bo, we see Hashem taking credit for the hardening of his heart: …”Come to Pharaoh, for I have made his heart and the heart of his servants stubborn so that I can put these signs of Mine in his midst; and so that you may relate in the ears of your sons and your son’s son that I made a mockery of Egypt and My signs that I placed among them—that you may know that I am Hashem.

Hashem told Moshe back in chapter 7:3 that he would harden Pharaoh’s heart, but from a close look at the wording of the succession of his denials, Pharaoh hardened his own heart until he began to weaken at the plague of Hail. At this point Hashem moved in and kept him from weakening, as if he had gone too far, and no repentance was now possible.

We see evil taking the reigns of the world powers, even in our own blessed Holy Land. We see things getting tighter and tighter, more lock-downs and more control, more threats if the plague is not controlled. Can we see a repetition of the Egyptian scenario? But at this time Pharaoh is not a single ruler, but a New World Order and every nation has come under the sway of this power. We have not seen deliverance from this Pharaoh, not yet. They claim the virus has mutated several times which feeds right into the take-over of the world by the manipulators of governments and people. Just as ancient Israel did under the reign of Pharaoh, we tremble as we see Evil taking over and we plead with Hashem to deliver us. Can we hold on just a little longer until Hashem shows His wonders and His ability to overthrow any and all who stand in the way of His plan? Is the New World Order being hardened just like Pharaoh to oppress all who will not subject themselves to its control? Threats of having our rights taken away, threats of being deprived travel privileges, of being denied normal activities that we have enjoyed in the past if we do not get their vaccine. And this is only the beginning. And as we bow down to the demands they will only increase and the oppression will grow.

But though we tremble for what is coming, we must not fear for Hashem is watching everything and it will be only a little longer before He sets us free. We may have to go through some very bitter times. Yet if we look to Him, we will find comfort. G-d forbid that we should bow in subservience to Pharaoh at a time like this! We must let His power be manifest.

Don’t we see the parallel? Didn’t Israel also cry out against Moshe and the proffered deliverance when Pharaoh extended the abuse? Yes that was back a few chapters ago, and in this weeks Parsha, we are studying the actual deliverance and the Song of the Sea, yet may we study it with Emunah that this is a strong prototype of what is coming and believe that there WILL be deliverance through the mighty Hand of Hashem!

If we look closely we will also see that Hashem led Israel right into an apparent trap at the Sea of Reeds, where they would appear to be locked in by the sea, only to finally finish off Pharaoh and his army? What are the possibilities of something similar happening today? Will we still clasp on with Hope in Hashem, and stand steadfast even when things seem to get worse and worse and we seem trapped with no recourse?

Isa 52:1-12: (Sefaria)

For thus said the Lord GOD: Of old, My people went down To Egypt to sojourn there; But Assyria has robbed them, Giving nothing in return. What therefore do I gain here? —declares Hashem— For My people has been carried off for nothing, Their mockers howl —declares Hashem— And constantly, unceasingly, My name is reviled. Assuredly, My people shall learn My name, Assuredly [they shall learn] on that day That I, the One who promised, Am now at hand. How welcome on the mountain Are the footsteps of the herald Announcing happiness, Heralding good fortune, Announcing victory, Telling Zion, “Your God is King!” Hark! Your watchmen raise their voices, As one they shout for joy; For every eye shall behold Hashem’s return to Zion. Raise a shout together, O ruins of Jerusalem! For Hashem will comfort His people, Will redeem Jerusalem. Hashem will bare His holy arm In the sight of all the nations, And the very ends of earth shall see the victory of our God. Turn, turn away, touch nothing unclean as you depart from there; Keep pure, as you go forth from there, You who bear the vessels of Hashem! For you will not depart in haste, Nor will you leave in flight; For Hashem is marching before you, The God of Israel is your rear guard.”

Yet now the nation of Israel has declared that they will close the airport to those who wish to make Aliyah. Surely this will arouse Hashem’s anger! People stand with bags packed waiting to come home and yet those in charge of the Land are not allowing it. But the Scriptures promise that it WILL happen and it MUST happen for these prophecies are not idle tales! We have yet to see the mighty movements on the world stage that will open the doors to bring the sons and daughters home so that the world will know that Israel is Hashem’s chosen and then the nations will be astounded when they see Jacob arise from the ashes of disdain:

Isa 52: 13-15“Indeed, My servant shall prosper, Be exalted and raised to great heights. Just as the many were appalled at him— So marred was his appearance, unlike that of man, form, beyond human semblance— Just so he shall startle many nations. Kings shall be silenced because of him, For they shall see what has not been told them, Shall behold what they never have heard.”

And then they shall proclaim (Isa 53:1) “Who has believed our report and to whom is the Arm of Hashem revealed?”

Israel will be exalted after suffering the woes that come upon the world, just as we did in Egypt. We must hold on to the Hand of Hashem like never before! Yes it will look as if all our resources are being cut off, just as when Israel had traveled several days into the wilderness and ran out of water and then food as we see in Beshalach. It will be easy to think that Hashem has abandoned us, but may we not cry out (as they did) that it would have been better for us to die in the land of Egypt than to face the trials of G-d’s people in the Land!

At the end of Parsha Bo, we are instructed when questioned in the future by our sons and daughters as to the meaning of the redemption firstborn and the Matzoh we are to recount the story of Pesach, the killing of the male firstborn of Egypt. We are to show them the promise that Hashem will surely redeem his firstborn son (Israel).

Exo. 4:22: “You shall say to Pharaoh, So said Hashem, My firstborn son is Israel.”

And we sing Dayenu, “it would have been enough”, remembering that the foreshadowing of what we face now was prefigured in our release from Egyptian bondage.

It is time Oh HASHEM, to rise! Show Your Hand and make a mockery of the nations that oppress your people and let us hope as we wait for your promise to set your people free!

Vaera: Exodus 6:2 through 9:35

Let my People Go! World Lock-downs

Hashem spoke to Moshe and told him he was going to take the people out from under the oppression of Egypt. Moshe tells Hashem that the children of Israel have not listened to him and how can he expect Pharaoh to listen. Hashem tells him he has made him a master over Pharaoh, that Pharaoh will not heed him to let Israel go because Hashem will harden his heart. But that Hashem himself will take the children of Israel out of Egypt with a strong hand.

Thus starts a plea bargaining between Moshe and Pharaoh which backs Pharaoh in a corner from which he cannot escape. His ego is at stake, And even when he confesses that he is guilty, he is hardened to continue to resist the quest to let Israel go.

At this time the world has demanded detailed lock-downs.. The Government of Israel has not only locked the country down several times for several weeks at a time but at the same time has offered its citizenry as guinea pigs for the Pfizer vaccine trials. And those who refuse this burden will be subject to even more extensive lock-down measures. No more international travel. No more national parks or restaurants…the threats build up and the people shudder. Some rush for the vaccine to guarantee they will see their children and grandchildren, just to find out that the vaccine does not keep them from getting the plague. Yes they have been promised a passport, under the conditions of receiving whatever boosters they are required to have. And nobody thought that Israel would force its own people to obey the nations of the world who represent Pharaoh and Egypt. But Hashem has something to say about it:

Jer. 23:1-3 “Woe to the shepherds that destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture! Says Hashem. Therefore, thus says Hashem, G-d of Israel against the shepherds that feed My people; You have scattered My flock, and driven them away, and have not taken care of them: behold, I will punish you for the evil of your doings, says Hashem. And I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries into which I have driven them and will bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them who shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be lacking says Hashem.”

And so Egypt is among us and there is no guarantee that the land is a safe place…EXCEPT that Hashem has promised to protect us. Yes the long arm of Pharaoh has reached now into the land of Israel to claim its subjects and the leadership are quite happy to turn us over for their own personal profit and standing with the world leaders.

Micah 7:2-3, 7 JPS “The pious have perished from the land, and there is no upright among men; All lie in wait to commit crimes, One traps the other in his net. They are eager to do evil: the magistrate makes demands, And the judge (judges) for a fee; The rich man makes his crooked plea, and they grant it…(7) But I will hope in the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”

Amos 2:6: “…I will not turn away (Israel’s) his punishment, ; because they sold the righteous
for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;”

The plagues of Egypt lasted about a year according to some Biblical commentaries. The plague of Corona (whether or not it is what we think it is) has lasted almost a year. How much longer will humanity suffer under darkness and distress? We see how even as the plagues became more and more extreme and damaging, the hardened heart of Pharaoh clearly did not care about his citizen’s health or well being. It was all about his narcissistic claim to be a god. And today we see our prime minister anxious to hold on to his position at all cost, even the cost of the lives of the people of Israel, and even to the extent of forming an alliance with the Arabs to keep his place on the throne.

So what are the parallels that we see to this Parsha?

1. Pharaoh will not let the people go, he claims them as his property: The country claims it’s citizens as it’s property to use as an experiment for the “solution” of the global pandemic. The entire country is in lock-down. We cannot go anywhere for the government has declared that we must stay in our homes until the pandemic is under control.
2. The people would not listen to Moses out of fear of Pharaoh. The people of Israel now act similarly as if they do not believe that Hashem can provide a way for them to travel and to live if they do not submit to the requirement of a vaccine that is untested and filled with dangerous and even unclean things (things like fetal tissue).
3. Pharaoh becomes less and less powerful over the people of Hashem. This part has yet to be played out. Only as people realize that the power of control will lessen as Hashem reveals what is in the darkness of the grand deception being played out, will they find courage to hold on until they are delivered.
   
   The stage is set and the countdown has started. Let us hang on as Pharaoh is weakened and the Hand of Hashem is revealed!

Exodus 1:1-6;1

Moshe flees Egypt for Midian after trying to save one of his people from a whipping, kills an Egyptian and buries him in the sand. When he discovers that his own people have spread the rumor about what happened, and was advised that Pharaoh was seeking to kill him, he escaped before the guards could capture him. He finds lodging and a new lifestyle with Yitro, Priest of Midian where he is given Zipporah, one of the daughters of Yitro for a wife. He becomes a shepherd. After a period of time he meets up with Hashem at the burning bush, and the rest is history!

What we see unfold is in the face of the extreme anguish of the Jews under Egyptian slavery, the small request to have a 3-day break to worship their G-d in the wilderness amplifies the oppression. Pharaoh defies Hashem, stating: Who is Hashem that I should obey his voice?” and then commands that no more straw be provided for the Israelites who are building his pyramids. The supervisors are beaten when the people do not fulfill their normal quota. They turn on Moshe and Aharon and accuse them of bringing more trouble upon the people, clearly showing their almost complete lack of Emunah in the power of Hashem and the promise to deliver them.

Moshe takes it to Hashem, and asks why He got him involved if He was going to let the people suffer? That Pharaoh has made things much worse since he came to Egypt and requested the favor for Israel. Hashem replies for Moshe to wait and see what He is going to do to Pharaoh. And that is the end of the Parsha.

I find this very very intriguing in the light of what has happened in the past few weeks in the world! There is a plague affecting humanity and the Jews are not exempt. The ones who represent the nation of Israel have accepted the rulings of the nations as to how to control their own people. Israel has thrown out their own vaccine to be in step with the popular Pfizer vaccine. The leadership is clearly looking to the nations for advice and not calling out to Hashem. And the people will suffer because of their decisions. Verses from Tanakh come to mind:

Yeshyahu 9:15 “For the guides of this people cause them to err and they who are led by them are destroyed.”

Yeshyahu 1:23 “Your princes are rebellious and associates of thieves; each of them loves bribery and pursues payments.”

The idea that the government prospers at the expense of its people shows that the government is not a government for the people but a people for the government. We see great changes in the governments of the nations and in Israel today. Could it be that Mitzraim is still in control? That we must be delivered from oppression here in our own land? Surely it is time for Hashem to rise and show His Power.

Yeshyahu 10:1-3: “Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, And to the writers that write iniquity; To turn aside the needy from judgment, And to take away the right of the poor of My people, That widows may be their spoil, And that they may make the fatherless their prey! And what will ye do in the day of visitation, And in the ruin which shall come from far? To whom will ye flee for help? And where will ye leave your glory?”

When it was time to deliver Israel from Egypt, the trouble got worse. Today, when the children of the exile are turning their hearts towards home, multitudes asking for Aliyah, the problems increase. Death tolls are reportedly increasing like never before and the leaders show by their desire to get on board with the nations that they don’t believe Hashem can or will protect His people. While the great second Exodus has begun, all hell breaks out to destroy them. Isn’t this what we see in the first Exodus? Are we seeing birth pangs that come with the return of the the sons of Jacob?

Yirmiyahu 30: 6-7: “Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child;

Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it; it is a time of trouble unto Jacob, but out of it shall he be saved.”

Next week we will study the plagues Hashem sent to humble Pharaoh and break the yoke of Egypt and the oppression. Will we see something in Israel and the lands where the exiles are locked down and oppressed? Will we have another plague? Great troubles have hit the world. This past week, the US congress mocked Hashem and his creation of man and woman, father and mother in an opening prayer that has gone viral using “Amen and Awoman”.

The prophet Yirmiyahu predicted punishment of the nations where Israel has been in Exile:

Yirmiyahu 30:11 “…for I will bring annihilation upon all the nations among whom I have dispersed you, but upon you I will not bring annihilation; I will chastise you with justice, but I will never eliminate you completely.

Where will it all end and when will Hashem arise with power to save His people?

Yoel 2:17 “Let the priests, the ministers of Hashem, weep and say: “Oh, spare your people, Hashem! Let not your possession become a mockery, to be taunted by nations! Let not the peoples say, ‘Where is their G-d”?