Perashat Va'Era

Perashat Va'Era

How often do we find ourselves not admitting to a mistake unless we are shown definitive evidence? It is human nature to believe one is “in the right”, as long as there is nothing or no one to show us we are acting to the contrary. And even then, human stubbornness can sometimes be strong enough to reject any proof brought to us. This is especially true when the proof is of a Divine Providence. 

When we disagree on a word, we look in the dictionary.  When we disagree on a fact, we look in an encyclopedia. But what happens when we disagree on a behavior? Do we look in a book of etiquette? Or what about if we disagree on a belief, or issues of faith? Do we look in the Torah, or in a book of the Sages, or even ask a Rabbi? And even if we do ask a Rabbi, we are often challenged that he is not the Rabbi that the other person respects or trusts! Would a sign from Heaven suffice? Or, do we need G-d Himself to come and tell us?

Perashat Vaera describes, in detail, the devastation that ancient Egypt endured while experiencing the  7 plagues with which G-d castigated Pharaoh and his people for not letting go of the Children of Israel. It was not, however, until the seventh one that Pharaoh declared, “This time I have sinned; Hashem is the Righteous One, and I and my People are the wicked ones.”  What was so special about the seventh plague that elicited such a powerful statement from Pharaoh? 

The Torah describes the seventh plague in these words: “There was hail, and fire flaming amid the hail; very heavy, such as had never been in the entire land of Egypt from the time it became a nation”. This plague brought Pharaoh, his People and Egypt to their knees. It was an unnatural plague since it contained the combination of hail and fire within it; something that naturally cannot occur. Pharaoh understood that it was the Divine Hand at play; it could not be a trick or magic by Moshe and therefore, he appeared to have repented and recognized that he had indeed sinned. Yet, once the plague stopped, as he requested to Moshe, Pharaoh “…increased his sin and hardened his heart again and did not let the People go”. How could that be? How could Pharaoh once again change his mind after such devastation and in the face of such Divine proof? 

Pharaoh, when faced with the seventh plague said, “This time I have sinned”, thereby declaring that only at that juncture he sinned and not before. He did not recognize that all along he had been sinning against The Children of Israel and G-d; he felt that only this time he had sinned. Once the Divine Proof of his inequity has been removed, he felt no compunction to follow through on his promise and commitment.  Before the Children of Israel were let go, Pharaoh and Egypt had to endure another three plagues, which were even more devastating than the seven prior ones!  Of course, we now know that it was those final three plagues that brought Egypt to utter destruction; Egypt was not heard of again until eight hundred years later. 

When faced with proof of our misdeeds, mistakes, errors or plain egregious transgressions, do we admit freely?  Or for expediency purposes, do we only take responsibility momentarily – “this time I have sinned”? Are we waiting for G-d Himself to come and correct us?