There is a well-known response or rejoinder here in Israel when a woman shares that she's pregnant or alternatively that she's pregnant but that she doesn't know the future sex of her child: “Boy or girl, it doesn't matter- as long as there's a bris!” It could be said that there's a similar way of thinking regarding the exclusiveness of the Jewish people as the chosen nation. In speaking to a friend at my kollel, Pitchei Olam, when I asked him if he thought that believing we're the chosen people makes us racist his response-perhaps tooth and cheek- was, “Everyone is equal; we're just better.”
In this week's Parsha, Vaera, it could be said that for the first time we see that Hashem accords the Jewish people treatment different than that of another nation in a way that is aimed at discriminating or differentiating between our people and our Egyptian taskmasters who enslaved us. As an aside, it's a mitzva for each and every Jew to daily see himself as one who has left Egypt and in the following weekly Torah portions, it's a wonderful time to have special intent in imagining oneself as a bonafide slave having been rescued through Hashem's mercy from the land of our woes and sorrows, Mitzraim, from the “narrow straits.”
The aforementioned word, “discriminate” appears twice in this week's Torah portion, first in regards to the plague of roaming wild beasts, arov, and thereafter, the plague and sickness of dever which afflicted the horses, donkeys, camels, cattle and sheep.
There are those among the commentators (Ramban and Rashbam) who relate that it is because of the mobility of the roaming wild animals that the Torah here specified Hashem's discriminatory treatment of the Egyptians in contrast to the Jewish people who were unscathed. Whereas blood, frogs and lice by their nature do not roam and run rampant, when it comes to the animal kingdom, it can be said that wild animals do. Interestingly enough, regarding the wild beasts, the Even Ezra states that Hashem's discriminatory capabilities were recognized by Pharaoh who realized that he had to now ease up on his Jewish slaves for fear of harsh retribution; Pharaoh realized he would have to send the Jewish people to worship their Lord for otherwise the Egyptian's animals would be struck with dever, a fatal illness.
Interestingly enough, it can be said that the second time the word “discriminate” is used, it reflects the virtuosity of bnei Yisrael, the people of Israel. The Jewish people who clung to the ways of Hashem and did not engage in idolatrous behaviors as did the Egyptians who worshiped sheep as their God, in that merit, had their livestock spared.
Furthermore, it can be said that the plagues were differentiated by the role they played. Almost like Sun Tzu's Art of War, Chazal (our scholars) teach that the plagues in a manner of speaking can be likened to a military campaign. First the Egyptian's water source was struck, and then fear was instilled in them by the paralyzing swarm of frogs. Lice then attacked followed by wild animals, with the Egyptians' livestock then perishing. The latter were thereafter struck by boils, with fiery hail petrifying them from above, only to then have the rest of their sustenance cut off by swarming locusts. When they could no longer bear the light of day, their world went black and ultimately in the denouement of the eser makot, at midnight, every Egyptian family's firstborn son perished instantaneously. Every step was calculated, a military strategy instilling fear and terror in their oppressors who incrementally, one step at a time, had previously filled their lives with utter misery and torture.
Returning to the initial question regarding the heightened role of the Jewish people vis a vis the nations of the world and whether that engenders superiority, it is possible to answer that it is our humble beginnings in bondage that have sensitized us to morality and the needs of the other nations. Proving our ability to cling to Hashem's ways in the throes of bondage, Hashem revealed Himself exclusively to our people at Sinai, a mountain that was the smallest and humblest of all the others. This heightened sensitivity and attuned care that the Jewish people possess does indeed separate us but in a way that impels us not to haughtiness but rather the service and betterment of the other nations of the world. Teaches Rav Kook, every nation has a unique character trait that it possesses in the most refined way, a trait that it possesses exclusively and which the Jewish people can acquire by following the lead of that particular nation. It is our morality, our undying, fervent belief in Hashem and our unflinching commitment to perform His will that distinguishes us as a people. We are distinct, and our role is different, and even the ranks of our scholars have been filled with converts. Jews are indeed born with the great honor of being descendants of the forefathers and mothers of our people; that though does not prevent any non-Jew who seeks out the truth of the Torah from becoming Jewish and learning the attuned sensitivity to morality which is our commitment and mission, forever unifying us with the 70 nations of the world. It is the fact that we are a sensitized people that makes us separate, the linchpin of the world's existence and that of all of humanity.
2 comments:
Well said Yogi, well toned down but nevertheless the answer is yes, Judaism is racist. Unfortunately, the community today is more racist against ourselves than it is the non-Jewish nations. For example, anyone who converts in does so at his/her peril as to who oversees the conversion since it may be rejected by Shas, it may be rejected by Chabad, it may be rejected by Bedatz Yerushalayim etc etc. You referred to the Art of War, as we all know, the strategy of divide and conquer works. We are dividing and conquering ourselves, and it won't be long before we've obliterated each other. Obviously, if we discriminate against each other it goes without saying that we are discriminating against the other nations.
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