Lessons on power, leadership and slavery from Exodus 3:14

Hebrew scholar and Jewish academic Irene Lancaster reflects on power, leadership and slavery in Exodus 3:14.

When Moses experiences G-d within the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:14), he asks Him “Who shall I say has sent me?” to the youngsters of Israel and to Pharaoh. G-d answers: “Thus shall you say to the youngsters of Israel: I can be has sent me to you.” G-d is due to this fact to be generally known as “I can be”.

The following Sedra is generally known as ‘Va’era’: “And I appeared” (Exodus 6:2-9:35). Here, G-d tells Moses, “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob with the name ‘Mighty G-d’. But by the name YHVH I used to be not known to them.”

The terms “I can be” and YHVH are linguistically related, from the Hebrew verb ‘to be’ or ‘to turn into’. YHVH is due to this fact a verb slightly than a noun. Observant Jews don’t pronounce the name YHVH and use euphemisms, comparable to HaShem (the Name). In fact the Name is made up entirely of Hebrew vowel sounds and is due to this fact unpronounceable.

Translations have struggled with an appropriate translation of the Name, using Greek and Latin terms for ‘Lord’. However, Greek and Roman views of lordship should do with status and dominance, based on their very own experiences of human leaders. 

The Hebrew slaves experienced lordship as their immediate overseers. These were the epitome of power, culminating with Pharaoh at the highest of the pyramid. The concept of G-d as depicted within the Burning Bush is wholly different from earthly power and expresses a transcendent and yet immanent Presence which is indefinable in human terms.

In his book, Shemot: The Book of Exodus Rabbi Nathan Cardozo states that, “Within religious thought and experience, there’s the notice that we must allow G-d to enter via what appears to be chaos and probability. Were every little thing to be worked out and predictable, we’d close the door each to G-d and to real life.”

For Rabbi Cardozo, one of these ‘chaos’ is depicted within the names “I can be” and YHVH, as pronounced by G-d to Moses. 

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972), best known for his close friendship with Martin Luther King, in addition to for his books ‘The Sabbath’ and ‘The Prophets’, encouraged us to think about G-d not as an important power but as being “concerned with everydayness”. As life is unpredictable, so too G-d acts in ways in which seem unpredictable to us.

Rabbi Cardozo due to this fact suggests that “the aim of Halakhah [often translated as ‘Jewish Law’] is to disturb – to disturb a world that can’t admit that it doesn’t have all of the answers”.

In this view, it is commonly difficult for Halakhah-observant Jews to stay connected to “the spirit of Halakhah” (p 44). It is simpler to espouse “conformity for the sake of conformity”.

Rabbi Cardozo depicts Halakhah as “an anarchic, vibrant and unequalled musical symphony that requires room to breathe”. By this he probably signifies that the disparate parts of life come together to form an entire under the baton of the conductor. The conductor holds the whole experience together, but very loosely indeed. Everything in a musical performance relies in trust – much similar to in abseiling, for instance. 

Rabbi Cardozo lives in Israel and has served within the Israeli army (IDF). Therefore he might sympathize with the view expressed in a recent sermon given in our own Shul. Here a contrast was made between the Israeli and Diaspora attitudes to life.

One of probably the most obvious differences is that in Israel you act first and cogitate after the very fact. In addition, it’s incumbent on Israelis to query authority. In Israel, authority needs to be earned. Argument is an important ingredient of life. 

Therefore it’s considered a plus if children argue with parents; pupils argue with teachers; patients argue with doctors; and trainee soldiers argue with commanders. 

This country may be very different. It is built on well-honed hierarchies, vested interests and the silencing of individuals with chutzpah. Religion isn’t any exception, and furthermore has been used through the ages ‘to comfort the troubled.’ Maybe we must always think slightly of faith as, from time to time a minimum of, being there ‘to bother the comfortable’!

This is possibly why the response of each Pharaoh and the youngsters of Israel to the request of Moses and Aaron to “let My people go” is thoroughly negative. 

Pharaoh has never heard of G-d as YHVH. In that case, how does Pharaoh know that Moses isn’t a fraud? “Who is YHVH that I should hearken to His voice to let Israel go (5:2)?” 

Why indeed? In his own territory Pharaoh is himself a strong deity. How dare Moses and Aaron suggest otherwise! Moreover, releasing the slaves would spell the top to Egypt’s economy, based on slave labour. 

Pharaoh due to this fact continues: “I don’t know YHVH, and furthermore, I won’t let Israel go.” The G-d of the youngsters of Israel doesn’t slot in in any respect with Pharaoh’s structured scheme of things, based on a rigid hierarchy, where Pharaoh himself stands at the highest of the pyramid. 

In fact, Pharaoh’s response to Moses’ request just isn’t to diminish, but to extend the severity and pointlessness of their hard labour. 

The Israelite foremen then complain to Moses and Aaron: “We are in bad odour within the eyes of Pharaoh and his advisors due to you. You have placed a sword in his hands to slay us” (Exodus 5:21).

Moses asks YHVH why He didn’t deliver the slaves Himself. He doesn’t need Moses as an intermediary. The intervention of Moses and Aaron with Pharaoh and the slaves has only made things worse. 

So dreadful are the sufferings of the slaves that they cling to their servitude and can’t imagine any type of redemption aside from through the desire of their slave-master. 

Although Moses argues that he’s of “uncircumcised lips”, i.e. not verbally fluent, G-d has mentioned the 4 stages of redemption He guarantees the youngsters of Israel: “I’ll bring you out … deliver you from bondage … redeem you with an outstretched arm … and take you to Myself as a people” (6:6-7).

After that he’ll bring the freed slaves over the Reed Sea into the Wilderness en path to the Promised Land which He had already promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as their heritage. 

Thus, the primary seven plagues described on this Sedra don’t soften Pharaoh’s heart. But the most important lesson of Va’era from the Jewish standpoint is that doubt was hard to remove due to enslaved condition of the youngsters of Israel. In addition, Moses was doubtful about his own abilities. 

There are two differing kinds of leadership depicted here: the Pharaonic and the Mosaic.
Above each lies the Ineffable Name of G-d which works beyond past, present and future and yet can also be the everlasting Comforter, as we are going to see.