Many people are stubborn. Stubbornness, tenacity, purposefulness are all ambivalent characteristics. They can be positive and constructive traits under certain circumstances, but they can be terribly destructive and negative under other circumstances. In our parsha, Pharaoh has his heart hardened by God and refuses to let the people of Israel leave Egyptian slavery. Yet God only gives Pharaoh the courage of his convictions. Pharaoh sincerely does not wish to allow the Jews to leave his bondage and he is prepared to be very stubborn about it. Under ordinary circumstances Pharaoh's stubbornness would hardly be challenged, but with plagues raining down on Egypt, Pharaoh is sorely tested. Even his advisers, who had always supported Pharaoh's stubbornness fully, finally are brought to their knees by the blows falling upon Egypt. They tell Pharaoh, "Do you not realize that Egypt is lost?"
However, Pharaoh himself remains unconvinced and his stubbornness affects Moshe and the Jewish people. There is an apparent wavering of faith among the Jews - maybe they will never be redeemed, perhaps Moses' promises are only dreams that will never be actualized. Facing a stubborn and intractable foe weakens one's resolve and saps the belief in triumph that is so necessary for the achievement of victory. So Pharaoh looks like a winner, but Pharaoh eventually will not only bend, he will break. Stubbornness is not necessarily synonymous with martyrdom.
When Pharaoh himself faces the Angel of Death on the night of Pesach, he relents and frees the Jewish people. Yet he will turn stubborn again, when he feels that the odds are in his favor, for he is not convinced of the power or rectitude of Moshe's mission nor of the God of Israel. He will therefore pursue his stubborn course until its bitter and unnecessary end in the deep waters of Yam Suf. Pharaoh thus becomes the paradigm for all those tyrants and megalomaniacs who have followed him throughout the centuries. Our century especially has spawned this breed of cruel stubbornness, in earnest and in numbers. From the Kaiser to Hitler, from Lenin and Stalin to Chairman Mao, from the Grand Mufti to Sadaam Hussein and Yassir Arafat, the imitators of Pharaoh are clear to see. Stubbornness in the name of evil, in the cause of conquest and hatred of others, is a very negative and dangerous trait. It destroys many innocent people, but eventually it destroys the stubborn person as well.
Evil is an infection of the soul. Unless it is fought and controlled it will ravage the entire body. ?Yet,? you will say, ?Is not the secret of Jewish survival somehow rooted in our own stubbornness?? The answer to that must be ?yes,? but there is stubbornness and there is stubbornness. The stubbornness of morality, of kindness, of Sinai and its basic commandments for our civilization and of the commitment to do right and act justly is an admirable quality. Thus, a truly sophisticated and intelligent Jew is stubborn and flexible at the same time.
In worldly matters, in the marketplace, in the tactics of home and family and education, flexibility is the watchword. ?Do it my way or don't do it all,? is a dangerous policy in everyday living. Openness to others and to new ideas and situations guarantees greater success and accomplishment in the world. Parents who are flexible and not rigid in the management of their home will usually see happier results from their children. However, in matters of the spirit and soul, in issues of ethics and morality, in the defense of the code and traditions of Sinai, stubbornness and backbone are the traits required for success. ?But everyone is doing it,? is the refrain that is used to justify negative and costly conduct. One must have the strength to say ?Not everyone, not me, not us, not our family, not the Jewish people.?
The Jewish world is reeling from a lack of stubbornness regarding the vital issues of the Jewish world - Torah observance, the Land of Israel, Torah education and the Jewish family. It has too much flexibility regarding these issues. It is far too stubborn regarding defending current politically correct slogans and issues. Pharaoh exemplifies the wrong stubbornness. Moshe represents the correct stubbornness. We should certainly attempt to be the followers of Moshe.
Shabbat Shalom.
-------------------------------
Rabbi Berel Wein, noted author and lecturer, is founder of the Destiny Foundation, dedicated to educating Jews about their historical and ethical heritage (JewishDestiny.com ).
However, Pharaoh himself remains unconvinced and his stubbornness affects Moshe and the Jewish people. There is an apparent wavering of faith among the Jews - maybe they will never be redeemed, perhaps Moses' promises are only dreams that will never be actualized. Facing a stubborn and intractable foe weakens one's resolve and saps the belief in triumph that is so necessary for the achievement of victory. So Pharaoh looks like a winner, but Pharaoh eventually will not only bend, he will break. Stubbornness is not necessarily synonymous with martyrdom.
When Pharaoh himself faces the Angel of Death on the night of Pesach, he relents and frees the Jewish people. Yet he will turn stubborn again, when he feels that the odds are in his favor, for he is not convinced of the power or rectitude of Moshe's mission nor of the God of Israel. He will therefore pursue his stubborn course until its bitter and unnecessary end in the deep waters of Yam Suf. Pharaoh thus becomes the paradigm for all those tyrants and megalomaniacs who have followed him throughout the centuries. Our century especially has spawned this breed of cruel stubbornness, in earnest and in numbers. From the Kaiser to Hitler, from Lenin and Stalin to Chairman Mao, from the Grand Mufti to Sadaam Hussein and Yassir Arafat, the imitators of Pharaoh are clear to see. Stubbornness in the name of evil, in the cause of conquest and hatred of others, is a very negative and dangerous trait. It destroys many innocent people, but eventually it destroys the stubborn person as well.
Evil is an infection of the soul. Unless it is fought and controlled it will ravage the entire body. ?Yet,? you will say, ?Is not the secret of Jewish survival somehow rooted in our own stubbornness?? The answer to that must be ?yes,? but there is stubbornness and there is stubbornness. The stubbornness of morality, of kindness, of Sinai and its basic commandments for our civilization and of the commitment to do right and act justly is an admirable quality. Thus, a truly sophisticated and intelligent Jew is stubborn and flexible at the same time.
In worldly matters, in the marketplace, in the tactics of home and family and education, flexibility is the watchword. ?Do it my way or don't do it all,? is a dangerous policy in everyday living. Openness to others and to new ideas and situations guarantees greater success and accomplishment in the world. Parents who are flexible and not rigid in the management of their home will usually see happier results from their children. However, in matters of the spirit and soul, in issues of ethics and morality, in the defense of the code and traditions of Sinai, stubbornness and backbone are the traits required for success. ?But everyone is doing it,? is the refrain that is used to justify negative and costly conduct. One must have the strength to say ?Not everyone, not me, not us, not our family, not the Jewish people.?
The Jewish world is reeling from a lack of stubbornness regarding the vital issues of the Jewish world - Torah observance, the Land of Israel, Torah education and the Jewish family. It has too much flexibility regarding these issues. It is far too stubborn regarding defending current politically correct slogans and issues. Pharaoh exemplifies the wrong stubbornness. Moshe represents the correct stubbornness. We should certainly attempt to be the followers of Moshe.
Shabbat Shalom.
-------------------------------
Rabbi Berel Wein, noted author and lecturer, is founder of the Destiny Foundation, dedicated to educating Jews about their historical and ethical heritage (JewishDestiny.com ).