| Bo El Par’oh 5762, Exodus 10:1-13:16
Shabbat Shalom-
“Oh! ye’ll take the high road and I’ll take the low road,” –Old Scotch Tune
It’s utterly ironic that in this week’s reading, which culminates in the
physical coercion of Pharaoh to not only release the Hebrews from slavery and
enrich them, to know YHWH (4:5, 8:6, 8:18, 9:29, 11:4-8)*… it is ironic that
we find here the seeds of tolerance of varying traditions and practices.**
Let us first consider the very backbone of the plagues narrative.
Exodus gives us 10 plagues whereas Psalm 78 and
Psalm 105 account for seven each, or eight total. Considering that
both seven and ten are both important numbers in Hebrew literature, as well as
ancient near-eastern literature, does not diminish the fact that different
plagues are accounted and in a significantly different order. One may, of
course, argue for poetic license, but it is unlikely that the difference is
merely a later poet picking and choosing from the Exodus text. Here, we
find a textual toehold for tolerance of differing points of view. The
Biblical history itself is varied, though here only with regard to the details,
not the conclusions.
Reading the chapter concerning the Passover observances to be celebrated, one
gets the sense of a textual tension within our tradition. When one
reads Exodus 12:1-13 then 12:14-20 one gets the sense that the Torah is really
talking about two holidays– of Unleavened Bread and of the Pascal Lamb.
Today we are more familiar with having one seven-day holiday of eating
unleavened bread and telling stories to commemorate the paschal sacrifice (Ta’anit
27b, M Pesachim 10). In the 2nd century, however, the practice of
celebrating the holidays separately was an issue of social import: if
would be improper for one Jew to be forbidden work on a day when another was
permitted. It would look as if there were two laws, two Torahs! (viz.
12:49) Yet, some Jews celebrated the 14th of the month as a holiday while others
did not!
The Mishnah considers this case, assuming
that communities have a consistent observance, and rules how one may accommodate
and bend to the traditions of his fellows. Preferably, one should follow
his tradition when he goes to a more lenient place. Preferably, one
should increase his stringency when going to a stricter place. However, in
the event that either option is too difficult or socially irritating, one may
change ones usual practice in either stringency or leniency. Note, that
this is a traditional source advocating adjusting one’s tradition to another!
How radical! And yet we still have one Torah.
We must conclude that claiming an absolute understanding of scriptures is a
very dangerous task. That the text supports alternate traditions in
one place does not negate that there were others in another. We cannot neglect
that we see the text through the eyes of our education and temperament, rather
than of the original audience. How much is lost and confused! How differently we
apprehend! And yet it remains one Torah for all to read and learn from.
Have a caring and tolerant week!
Benjamin Fleischer
*Exodus 4:5 to believe that YHWH of the Fathers has appeared, 8:6 to know
none is like YHWH our God, 8:18 to know YHWH is in the Land of Egypt, 9:29 to
know the Land belongs to YHWH, 11:4-8 to know YHWH distinguishes between the
Hebrews to save and the Egyptians to smite.
**Note: Many of the analyses here are condensations of much more extensive
literary comparisons between texts and analyses of rabbinic and other
documents. For the sake of simplicity, only the main argument is here
brought.
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