![]() ![]() God even promised Abraham that God “will execute judgement on the nation they shall serve, and in the end they shall go free with great wealth” (Gen. At the Burning Bush, God assured Moses that God “will dispose the Egyptians favorably toward this people, so that when you go, you will not go away empty handed” (Exod. Indeed, Moses had good reason to expect favorable treatment and great wealth. He cites Umberto Cassuto, the 20th-century Italian and Israeli Biblical scholar, “who sees it as kind of a flashback in Moses’s mind-of God’s initial promise to confound Egypt and to liberate Israel before the annunciation of the last plague” (ibid.). 10:29), yet Moses appears before Pharoah in verses 11:4–8 to announce the final plague. He points out that chapter ten concludes with Moses saying he will never see Pharaoh’s face again (Exod. In the verses that follow, Moses must snap back to reality to deliver the most devastating news a parent can ever hear to Pharoah, that God will soon exact the Plague of the Firstborn.īiblical scholar Robert Alter also struggles with the narrative purpose of these three verses, observing that they “do not seem smoothly integrated into the narrative progress” (Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: The Five Books of Moses, 257). Is this to say that after the devastating plagues and Pharoah hardening his heart, the Egyptians all of a sudden will treat the Israelites “favorably”? That Moses, the key figure in the destruction of Egypt, will become its most adored leader? At this point in the narrative, this vision could not be farther from the reality on the ground. Moreover, Moses himself was much esteemed in the land of Egypt, among Pharaoh’s courtiers and among the people.” (Exod. Adonai disposed the Egyptians favorably toward the people. Tell the people to borrow, each man from his neighbor and each woman from hers, objects of silver and gold. “And Adonai said to Moses, “I will bring but one more plague upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt after that he shall let you go from here indeed, when he lets you go, he will drive you out of here one and all. How does Moses cope with the fact that his expectations have not yet been met? One especially challenging section of our parashah offers a clue.īefore the Israelites have been freed and Moses announces the final plague, God makes a prediction in Exodus 11:1–3 that seems completely unattainable: Moses finds himself in this situation in this week’s parashah, as God’s promise to free the Israelites has yet to fully play out. Just imagine the disappointment or sadness one can feel when a much more important matter fails to go as hoped. Even trivial things, such as a favorite sports team underperforming, a dessert missing the mark, or a train running late can cause significant frustration. Your browser does not support the audio element.Īll of us have been in situations when we feel something has fallen short of our expectations. ![]()
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