Exodus 6:2–9:35 | Numbers 28:9–15 | Isaiah 66:1–24 | John 6:1–15
This week's edition of The Set Table contains:
Questions and Commentary on Shabbat Va'era
Chayyei Yeshua - A Devotional Commentary on the Besora Reading
Looking Ahead
Questions & Commentary on Shabbat Va'era
1. How do you think Moses
was able to stay faithful to God's call in his life despite the innumerable
setbacks he experienced? Why do you think God allows us to experience
"failure" when we are obedient to his call in our lives?
Scott
Nassau
Parashat Va'era
continues with the narrative about God's choice of Moses to deliver
Israel from their enslavement in Mitzraim (Egypt). God initially appeared
to Moses in the midst of a burning bush (Exodus 3:1-4:17). Moses then
proceeded to inform his father-in-law, Yitro, of his intention to return
to Mitzraim. The outcome of this story is so well known in Jewish tradition
(we retell the story every year to our children during Passover), that
we often overlook the turmoil Moses and Israel experienced in the period
between God's promise to deliver the nation and the realization of
the promise.
Moses must have experienced
an overwhelming sense of anticipation after God appeared to him from
a burning bush in the middle of the desert. Finally, God had heard the
cries of his people and he was ready to intervene on behalf of Israel.
Moses' enthusiasm quickly faded away when he appeared before Pharaoh
and asked him to let the nation of Israel leave Mitzraim. Pharaoh became
incensed with Moses' audacious request and ordered the foremen to
increase the difficulty of Israel's labor, by forcing the people to
make the same number of bricks but without using straw. Moses' meeting
with Pharaoh did not result in Israel's deliverance;
rather,
he merely made Israel's enslavement in Mitzraim even more miserable.
The people did not view Moses as their liberator; instead, enraged with
their plight, they blamed him for their worsening situation (Exodus
5:20-21).
In total, Moses appeared
before Pharaoh on twelve different occasions with the same request,
"Let my people go." Each time Pharaoh responded to Moses' request
with an emphatic, "No!" While the narrative does not provide a description
of Moses' response, it is possible he grew increasingly discouraged
during the continually unproductive meetings. With every appearance
before Pharaoh, Israel's deliverance seemed more unlikely than it
did when God first appeared to Moses. While the nation of Israel did
witness many miracles when God poured out the various plagues upon the
Egyptians, the miracles appeared to be ineffective in convincing Pharaoh
to let the people of Israel leave Mitzraim. Initially, Pharaoh's magicians
were able to replicate the same miracle as Moses, challenging God's
uniqueness and further hardening Pharaoh's heart.
During this time Moses
must have began to question the necessity or the effectiveness of this
whole charade. If God really wanted to deliver Israel from their enslavement
in Mitzraim, why didn't he simply change Pharaoh's heart after Moses'
first encounter with Egypt's despot? Even though Moses' labors appeared
to be unproductive and fruitless, God's hand was still in control
of the situation. He promised Moses:
But
I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and although I will multiply my signs
and my wonders in the land of Mitzraim, Pharaoh will not listen to you.
I will reach into Mitzraim and bring out my regiments, my people Israel,
from the land of Mitzraim with great acts of judgment. Then the Egyptians
will know that I am the Lord, when I extend my hand over Mitzraim and
bring the people of Israel out from among them.
Exodus
7:3-5
Although it took ten
plagues, God delivered on his promised to both Moses and Israel.
While the narrative
does not explicitly explain why God chose this particular method of
liberating Israel from the Egyptians, it appears he used these events
to prepare the nation for their future difficulties. Once they left
Mitzraim the people had to travel through the desert and eventually
had to face adversity before taking possession of the Promised Land.
God's delayed deliverance in Egypt should have strengthened Israel's
resolve and reassured the nation of God's ability to protect his people.
Moses' experience
is not much different than ours. At some point in the past God may have
intersected with you life and called you in a particular direction.
While God's call may have seemed so clear at the time, you are still
waiting for the realization of his promise in your life.
2. What does it mean
for God to promise to redeem Israel from bondage in Egypt
"with an outstretched arm" (Exodus 6:6)?
Rabbi
Jonathan Kaplan
At the beginning of
this week's parasha, God reaffirms the divine promise to be Israel's
God, redeem them from bondage, and bring them into the promised land.
In this midst of this section, God commands Moses to tell the people
of Israel: "I am the Lord. I will bring you out from the labors of
the Egyptians. I will deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem
you with an outstretched arm and great judgments. I will take you to
be for me a people and I will be your God so that you shall know that
I am the Lord your God who freed you from the labors of the Egyptians"
(Exodus 6:6-7). These verses are central to the retelling of God's
deliverance of us from Egypt every year during Passover. In fact they
serve as the scriptural basis for the four cups of wine (plus the cup
of Elijah) of which we partake during the seder (see b. Pesachim
99b et al). The meaning of these verses is both clear and obscure.
For instance, what does God mean when he promises to redeem us "with
an outstretched arm?" What does "an outstretched arm" signify?
Though the phrase is oft repeated in the Torah when describing God's
redemption of Israel from bondage in Egypt (cf. Deuteronomy 4:34; 5:15;
7:19; 9:29; 11:2; 26:8), there is little explication in the Bible and
in later commentaries on what "an outstretched arm" is. There are
hints of three ideas for the meaning of this phrase in various rabbinic
and medieval commentaries.
The first suggestion
is offered by Rashi. In his commentary to Deuteronomy 7:19, he quotes
a tradition from Sifré Numbers
(Shelach 115) which identifies the outstretched arm as "the
sword of the destruction of the first born." In other words, God's
outstretched arm signifies God's work of punishing the Egyptians through
"great judgments" (Exodus 6:6) culminating in the last and worst
plague, the death of the firstborn.
Ibn Ezra suggests
another interpretation of the "outstretched arm" in his comments
on Exodus 6:6; it is "outstretched from heaven to earth." His statement
is subtle but important. Not only does the "outstretched arm" represent
God's chastising judgment but also demonstrates God's condescension
to enter Israel's life again by bridging the gap between heaven (the
divine realm) and earth (the human realm). God also engages in such
condescension in the Incarnation (John 1 et al).
A third interpretation
of the "outstretched arm" comes to us from Nachmanides who states
"the arm will be stretched out over them until he brings them out
[of Egypt]." In other words, God's arm is also an arm which provides
protection and shelter for Israel as she is brought out of bondage.
Thus when God promises
to redeem Israel from bondage "with an outstretched arm," it is
a promise of redemption worked through judgment against the Egyptians,
God's presence in the midst of that redemption, and God's protection
throughout that act of redemption.
Luke 9:1-17 - Reaching
Out
Rabbi Jonathan
Kaplan
In this week's portion
from Luke, Yeshua is nearing the end of his work in the Galilee and
is preparing to "set his face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51). This
portion consists of three sections.
In the first section,
Yeshua invest his twelve disciples with "power and authority over
all demons and to cure diseases" and the charges them "to proclaim
the kingdom of God and to heal" (Luke 9:1-2). The disciples are
no longer passive observers learning from their teacher and master.
They are now participants in the advent of the messianic kingdom, agents
of its presence in the world.
In the second section,
the work of Yeshua and his disciples has reached the ears of Herod (Luke
9:7). This is not Herod the Great but one of his sons who was given
control of a portion of the Galilee following his father's death.
Like others, Herod was perplexed about the identity of Yeshua questioning
whether he was Yochannan raised from the dead, Elijah, or "one of
the ancient prophets . . . arisen" (Luke 9:8). This passage hints
at the opposition that Yeshua will face as he turns his face to Jerusalem
and his message threatens the power structures of the Holy City and
indeed the whole world.
The third section
of the portion begins with the return of Yeshua's disciples and their
withdrawal to Bethsaida for spiritual renewal and fellowship (Luke 9:10).
Their presence, however, attracts the attention of a huge crowd of about
five thousand men to whom Yeshua proclaims the Kingdom of God and heals
those needing to be cured. Near the end of the day, the time has come
for the crowd to depart to seek lodging and food. The disciples tell
Yeshua to release the crowd. He instructs them to feed them themselves.
They respond credulously "we have no more than five loaves and two
fish - unless we are to go buy food for all these people." At this
point the narrative moves from a simple story of Yeshua teaching and
healing to a reenactment of Israel in the desert. Like Israel they must
depend on God alone for provision. Yeshua recognizes this and instructs
the twelve (symbolic of the twelve tribes) to feed the people in groups
of fifty. During the Exodus, Israel was divided into groups of which
the smallest unit was fifty (see Exodus). After they are divided up
into groups, Yeshua blesses the loaves and the fish and instructs the
disciples to distribute the food to all present. The five loaves and
two fishes miraculously provide for all five thousand present like the
manna given to Israel day after day in the wilderness. Even more miraculously,
there are leftovers - "twelve baskets of broken pieces" (Luke
9:17). The Israel of Yeshua's day not only receives the word of life
from his lips and those of his disciples but also the bread of life
from their hands. May we share in God's abundance this Shabbat as
we feast around the table on both food and the words of Torah!
NEXT WEEK'S READINGS - BO
Exodus 10:1–13:16
Jeremiah 46:13–28
John 6:1–15
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