Jewish academic and Hebrew scholar Irene Lancaster reflects on what the Exodus story can teach us within the face of one other difficult yr ahead.
The Book of Bereshit (Genesis) has come to an end. ‘In the start’ has morphed into the story of the Exodus from Egypt. As one chapter finishes, one other begins. The twelve tribes have change into Israel and Joseph the economist to Pharaoh has died and is buried. Now one other Israelite at Pharaoh’s court holds the reins and that is Moses.
So, two Israelite leaders connected to Egypt; one to assist her out of famine and one other to steer his people out of Egypt, over the Reed Sea and into the wilderness.
The two stories, of Joseph and Moses, have much in common. Their moms (Rachel and Yocheved respectively) have made many sacrifices for his or her sons. Their wives (Asenat and Zipporah respectively) are originally members of non-Israelite pagan families and have an excellent deal of learning to do. Their respective siblings are also impressive and do not at all times agree with Joseph and Moses, to place it mildly. So challenges abound for our heroes, as neither matches in to either Egyptian or Israelite society with ease.
Judaism is exclusive in that even Biblical heroes aren’t perfect and we see their characters evolve with age and experience. The Jewish concept of ‘free will’ signifies that every moment a selection needs to be made. The Sages taught that this human attribute is what makes people ‘higher than the angels’, creatures lacking free will, who simply perform G-d’s bidding without query.
Joseph starts out as an overconfident teenager, but finally ends up learning humility. Moses is humble to start out with, but in addition develops the strength to shepherd the youngsters of Israel out of Egypt and into the Wilderness.
From the Wilderness, the youngsters of Israel will eventually enter the Promised Land. But not Moses, who must remain on the opposite side of the Jordan and watch the fruits of his labour flourish without him. He relinquishes his role to Joshua Ben Nun, who’s more suited to leading the previous Israelite slaves into the challenges of the Promised Land. To today we have no idea where exactly Moses is buried.
The timing of the Exodus story at all times coincides with deepest winter. The Exodus itself is widely known in late March or April, the primary Jewish month of Nissan, heralding spring. But we start the story from the depths of despair, often when the weather is freezing, to be able to grow regularly into the heat of the ultimate redemption from slavery, into the brand new status of ‘a free people’.
As we mark the slow unravelling of our most famous story, wherein G-d tells Pharaoh to ‘let My people go’ (Exodus 5:1), the clarion call for therefore many enslaved and suffering people throughout the millennia, we cannot help but note the plight of our own contemporary world at present.
We enter the second quarter of the twenty first century with the entire world in turmoil. Our own country is at all-time low, with each Church and state in disarray and in disrepute.
Many UK Jews, including esteemed rabbis of thriving Shuls, have suddenly announced that they’re emigrating to Israel. Energy bills are soaring on account of political ineptitude and pensioners have been deprived all at once of the means to pay these and other bills. As for the NHS ….
And in a matter of days, a recent kind of leader will tackle the world. A really different direction has been promised. Will the Israeli hostages eventually be freed? How many are still alive? And what number of have been damaged beyond belief? Will Israel and the whole Jewish people have the opportunity to breathe free again? Will we have the opportunity to sleep at night, over again?
We do not have the answers to those questions. All we are able to do is hope and pray. Even Moses, our best teacher, was not perfect. And putting our trust in a single politician isn’t G-d’s way.
Churchill, the best Englishman, said: “Success consists of going from failure to failure without lack of enthusiasm.”
He also said: “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
These are the emotions that best describe the Exodus endeavour. This is what the youngsters of Israel have in front of them in the approaching months leading as much as Pesach, and that is the true teaching of the Book of Exodus.
