JHI DVAR TORAH ON PARSHAT VAERAH

PARSHAT VAERAH - SACRED MOTIVES


Parshat Vaerah describes Moshe (Moses) and Aharon (Aaron) appearing before Pharaoh to secure the release of the Jews from slavery.

Moshe performed a miracle; he cast down his staff and it miraculously turned into a serpent. The Egyptians, however, were unmoved. Egypt was noted for its witchcraft, and the Torah relates that the sorcerers of Pharaoh performed a similar feat (Vaerah 7:10,11). The Midrash adds that Pharaoh even produced children of four and five years old who could also do the same.

The Midrsah then relates the following dialogue. Yochani and Mamreh, the two greatest sorcerers in Egypt, said to Moshe, “Straw you are bringing to Efrayim?” (Efrayim was a city that was made of straw.) Moshe answered them, “To a city of vegetables, bring vegetables!” (Midrash Rabbah, 9:7)

The Commentary of Matnat Kehunah on the Midrash explains this exchange. Moshe was attempting to impress the “magic-savvy” Egyptians with some supernatural deeds of his own. Yochani and Mamreh assumed that the worst place to sell an item is where it is found in abundance. They therefore likened Moshe to someone bringing straw for sale to a city that was made of straw. (One can only wonder if this is the origin of the phrase, “Bringing coal to Newcastle.”) Moshe responded that to the contrary, the very opposite is true. A city of straw would be the best place for that seller to go. That is because all buyers know of the abundance in that city, so that is where they will go for their straw.

This explanation of the Matnat Kehunah needs further explanation itself.
Moshe and the Egyptians were certainly not “selling the same merchandise.” Egyptian magic was a function of profane idolatry, while Moshe’s demonstration represented the holiness of The Almighty and His Torah. These are two opposite ends of the moral/religious spectrum. Those who gravitate to one ideology would seemingly be especially unreceptive to the other.

Why then did Moshe believe that the idolatrous and magic-loving Egyptians would be especially interested in G-d’s message?

In truth, every religion, however deviant, claims to embody some form of exalted spirituality. Some religions are more legitimate, while others are almost completely bogus. Yet, all profess to drawing their adherents closer to G-d. Yochani and Mamreh were thus likely alleging (albeit falsely) that their magic somehow paved the way to holiness.

Moshe therefore recognized that a sincere striving to ennoble the soul is what motivated many of the Egyptian “buyers” of magic to gravitate to their misguided religion. They were earnestly seeking genuine spirituality. This sincere quest drew them to what was being promised by Yochani and Mamreh, albeit fraudulently.

This is why Moshe responded to Yochani and Mamreh, “To a city of vegetables, bring vegetables.” Moshe was saying that Egypt was the ideal venue for the sanctity that he was promoting. It was indeed true that the ‘magic-seeking’ Egyptian public was actively involved in sinful idolatry. Yet, Moshe felt that their sincere quest for authentic piety could be easily redirected to the genuine holiness that he was promoting.

This suggests a very interesting idea. A person might be moved toward greater spirituality and nobility of purpose by the pure and holy longing of the neshama (soul). Yet, that yearning for the sublime might cause one to mistakenly embrace a very unholy and even obscene ideology. The Egyptians were driven by the pursuit of G-dliness. So, they therefore embraced idolatry. Moshe, though, was able to discern the nobility of their underlying motive, and he therefore felt that it could be redirected to genuine holiness.

The point, however, should be made that this phenomenon does not apply to all deviant forms of religion. For example, religious cults that promote libidinous excesses or radical Islam that advocates murder of innocents are not in any way akin to Torah. Hence, a lust for their practices will never morph into a quest for true holiness. The magic of the Egyptians, on the other hand, appears to have had an aspect of spirituality, that was neither hedonistic or murderous. This type of religious fervor and observance can possibly be redirected to Torah Judaism (lehavdil).

This concept should lend encouragement to those interested in kiruv (Jewish outreach). It makes the point that Jews who avidly support ideas and causes that run contrary to Torah are often excellent candidates for kiruv. In fact, when the fervent but misguided pursuits of such people are redirected to Torah, they have the capacity to become a far more conscientious Jew than many others who were always observant.

The idea that the drive for holiness can be misdirected into other pursuits can be seen elsewhere as well. For example, the late head of Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim in Queens, NY, Rabbi Henoch Liebowitz often said that the quest for holiness is a part of our tradition that is embedded in every Jew. When Jews are not observant, though, this unfulfilled drive often expresses itself in the advocacy of secular causes. This, he said, is why Jews have tended to be heavily involved in almost any movement that promises to benefit mankind. Some past examples are Communism, trade unionism, the NAACP, and the 1960’s anti-war movement. In all of these cases, many of those behind the early growth of the movements (when they were largely free of the corruption that would later beset them) were highly idealistic, but non-observant Jews.

Moshe’s message to the Egyptians was about the most perfect way to realize their yearning for greater spirituality and meaning in life. This could occur if they were to embrace the principles he represented – those of G-d and His Torah. Like all of the rest of the Torah, this message is as true today as it was 3,300 years ago when Moshe spoke to the Egyptians.