Illusions
- In
Memoriam of Mr. David M.
Warren (Menachem Dovid
ben Harav Yosef Z’L)
“And the
magicians of Egypt did
the same with their
secret rites, and
Pharaoh hardened his
heart . . . Pharaoh
abruptly turned and went
home, and he paid no
attention even to this.”
Exodus 7:22
The
Plague of Blood had
transformed the Nile
River and all the
Egyptian well water into
blood. The Egyptians
were forced to purchase
their water from the
Israelites, whose well
water was unaffected.
However, if the
Egyptians stole the
Israelite water, then
that water, too, turned
to blood.
Upon
witnessing this wondrous
display of G-d’s power,
Pharaoh turns to his
magicians who perform
the illusion of changing
a small amount of water
into blood. “And Pharaoh
hardened his heart . . .
and he paid no attention
even to this.”
Did the
magicians of Egypt truly
do the “same” as G-d had
done? Could Pharaoh not
differentiate between
magic tricks and
miraculous wonders?
Focusing
on the words, “even to
this”, the Sforno (Rabbi
Ovadia ben Yaakov
1475-1550; Bologna
Spain) explains that G-d
had emphatically altered
the very laws of nature
whereas the magicians
had only performed a
simple illusion, yet
Pharaoh chose to accept
the illusion. Pharaoh
personally witnessed the
plague, fully recognized
what happened, yet chose
to accept the illusion.
Even when confronted by
the harsh reality of the
Plague of Blood, Pharaoh
chose to believe what he
wanted to believe.
On an
intellectual level,
Pharaoh’s decision to
believe in a fiction of
his own creation, at
incredible personal
risk, seems foolish.
Yet, it’s a decision we
can readily appreciate.
The desire to fashion
our own fantasy world
rather than confront the
harsh reality can often
seem overwhelming.
However,
there is another way.
"Here I
(G-d) am! If you remove
from your midst
perversion . . . then
G-d will guide you
always and sate your
soul in times of
drought.” (Isaiah 58:9 –
11)
The Radak
(Isaiah 58:11, Rabbi
David Kimchi, 1162-1235;
Provence, France)
explains that G-d's
"guidance" means G-d
will be intimately
involved in all of
person’s endeavors. This
in turn will satiate a
soul in times when the
world is void of all
spirituality.
We can
all look back at our
past and in retrospect
realize that G-d was
truly part of our lives.
One must understand that
he is only satiated when
he knows that G-d is
intimately involved in
his life. Only then can
one live in reality,
with the will to be a
better person, removing
the illusion that G-d
does not care and not
sending us clear
messages. And Only then
do life’s aspiration and
visions have any meaning
and fulfillment. As
Isaiah declares, “sate
your soul in times of
drought.”
Shabbat
Shalom
