Mazel Tov Jamie! For over two years I had the privilege of teaching Jamie Hebrew reading and Jewish studies in the Whitefield Community Kollel. It therefore brings me much joy to see him celebrating his bar mitzvah today.
In our final year we decided it would be good idea to study Jamie’s Bar Mitzvah Parsha, Bo, especially as it tells the familiar Pesach story. We read through the verses, and I encouraged Jamie to ask as many question as he could, even on minor details. I kept a record of his questions as well as the answers that we suggested together. In the spirit of the Bar Mitzvah I felt it would be appropriate to tell over some of his questions — and so I have…
Jamie—Question:
It says (chapter 10 verse 1) that Hashem hardened Pharaoh’s heart. This implies that he was now willing to let the Jews out. Why then did Hashem do this and therefore keep the Jews in Egypt for longer?
Answer:
Great question Jamie! The commentators explain that each plague demonstrated to humanity that Hashem is the ultimate power who controls everything. Hashem had chosen this time period to reveal this to the world and felt it would be most effective with repetitive events, each to drive the message a little deeper. Thus it was necessary for Jew and gentile alike to witness as many open miracles as possible to attain the greatest awareness possible of their creator. G-d therefore delayed the Jew’s exit until He felt the message had been understood well enough.
Question—Jamie:
How could Hashem take away Pharaoh’s free will, surely this is not fair?
Answer:
This is a famous question to which there are many answers… Some commentators suggest that ultimately Pharaoh did still have a degree of free will. They explain that there are two factors that can inspire people to make good choices in life. Either they inspire themselves through their own thought and research, or Hashem arranges for inspiration to come their way; they might bump into someone or something that conveys a positive message to them. It was this latter form of influence that was removed from Pharaoh, the first however remained. Thus if Pharaoh really wanted to, he could still have come to the right decision by himself, to follow Hashem and allow the people to leave, albeit it would have been much harder without the usual divine assistance.
Question—Jamie:
It says (chapter 10 verse 7) that Pharaoh’s advisers begged him to let the people go – why then were they also affected by the plague – why should a nation be punished for the error of its powerful dictator?
Answer:
I like this question, it shows you are thinking in a mature way. You need to remember that although by now the Egyptian populace was happy to let the Jews leave, they still had committed many crimes against the Jews over the duration of the slavery. Therefore they still deserved to be punished, and as we discussed in question one, the plagues were the best method through which to achieve Hashem’s desire of making Himself known to humanity.
Question—Jamie:
It says (chapter 10 verse 21) that the darkness became a tangible, solid obstacle from the third day of the ninth plague, inhibiting the Egyptians from moving. How then did they survive without water and food?
Answer :
The plague was certainly a miracle as we do not find a reality in nature where it’s light for people of one faith and dark for others. Once we understand that we are dealing with a miracle, which by definition is an overruling of the laws of science, then all other minor issues can similarly be said to be part of the miracle. So how did they survive? It was a miracle.
It must be understood however that we can’t always push away a question and say ‘it was a miracle’. However once we have a registered miracle occurring (as we do here), it is not improper to attribute other factors within it as elements of the same miracle.
In conclusion, Jamie, your Hebrew name is Moshe, and you are a Levite. You are named after your grandfather who too was called Moshe. It is thus likely, as a Levite that if we had in front of us a family tree taking us back to the birth of the Jewish nation, we would be able to trace your linage, generation after generation, back to Moshe himself.
It is therefore our blessing to you, that you follow in your namesake’s footsteps, leading your peers, family and community in the path of G-d and help to make a difference on behalf of the Jewish people.
Mazel Tov!
