By Zach Sagorin

The week's parashah begins while the Hebrews are enslaved in Egypt. Moses unsuccessfully attempts to convince Pharaoh to "let my people go" (read like this). This attempted salvation leads to Pharaoh increasing the suffering of the Hebrew slaves rather than its intended purpose of alleviating the tribulation of Pharoah's tyranny. Hashem reassures Moshe that the Hebrews will be taken out of slavery and offers 4 statements of redemption that are now symbolized during the passover seder as the 4 cups of wine. As the parashah continues Moshe performs the miracle of turning his staff into a snake prior to the release of the first and second plagues. After a series of warnings to Pharaoh and plagues upon the Egyptians the parashah concludes with the seventh plague when Pharaoh hardens his heart.

The central theme this parashah evokes for me is the necessity of perseverance in the face of inequality. The Hebrews are the downtrodden exploited lower class, a ubiquitous role in the history of our Jewish narrative. I believe this perspective of the belittled minority enables a feeling of empathy towards our ancestors as well as towards other impoverished peoples of today, as each year we are to be reminded of the bitterness of slavery as we eat maror (the bitter herb), and dip our eggs in salt water as a reminder of the tears of our ancestors in slavery during the passover seder. We are shown that even though the conditions do not favour justice one might persevere until conditions improve, until freedom is achieved. I think that the continued warnings to Pharaoh followed by plagues somewhat offer guidelines for revolution. If a societal power refuses to acknowledge the rights of its people, those people will not remain idle but bounce back and forth between action and dialogue in an attempt to better their lives. I am aware that the Hebrews don't really do any revolting, instead Hashem inflicts the plagues

using Moses as his spokesperson. This somewhat contradicts the revolutionary value of the plagues as a people's revolution but simultaneously inspires the power of the individual in revolution. I think this exemplifies the point that performing a revolution does not require every human being's involvement to be successful, but rather a small group of hard working individuals. With this thought I am reminded of a quote painted on the wall of this vegetarian restaurant in Vancouver called "The Foundation" that says "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has". This thought is furthered for me by the miracle of Moshe turning his staff into a snake that devours the snakes of two of Pharaoh's priests (depicted quite well in the song "playing with the big boys now" from The Prince of Egypt). What I find so meaningful about this miracle is the strength of the individual in adversity, anyone might be capable of such tremendous deeds. I am reminded of wild amelim that turn a simple stick into a vast array of magic, toys, weapons, and wands that pronounce the importance of imagination and innocent creativity as sources of inspiration. Moshe's miracle represents the importance of belief and imagination. Belief and imagination express essential embodiments of the youth, and youth bring the fire and passion to revolution due to their the imagination and ability to see the changes the world needs.

This parashah also inspires many thoughts about privilege. Pharaoh representing the dominant upper class, the Hebrews representing the lower. As the plagues continue Pharaoh is shown

Next Page >>