Pharaoh is the prototype of all the anti-Jewish tyrants of history, from Nebuchadnezer to Hitler to the current madman in Tehran. He follows the "D" plan: Delegitimize, Demonize, Degrade, then Destroy the Jews. Erase Yosef's name from Egyptian history books, blame the Jews for all his country's woes and accuse them of being parasites; and then, the ultimate goal: genocide.
Everything that occurs in sefer Shemot has profound lessons for all of history. We must see beyond the limited actions of one long-ago despot to eternal implications that are crucial for us - right here, right now.
The Torah tells us that Pharaoh enslaved B'nei Yisrael "b'farech." Our sages have many definitions for this word. Some say it means, "back-breaking work." Others say it's linked to the words, peh rach, a "soft mouth." That is, Pharaoh appealed to the traditional Jewish sense of patriotism and "sweet-talked" us into lending a hand in national projects; then, little by little, he made us into the slaves of the country.
But there is also the idea that Pharaoh carefully, cruelly chose certain work to assign to the Jews. He gave to the men women's work, and he had the women perform male-type labor. He also specifically had Am Yisrael engage in projects that were doomed to failure. They built roads that led nowhere, dug wells that were dry, and constructed cities that soon collapsed (aray misk'not - "pitiful places").
Pharaoh's purpose in all this was to demoralize the Jews. For even a slave - if he knows that he is doing something constructive - can feel some purpose in life and a sense of accomplishment (see Bridge on the River Kwai, for instance). But when you realize that your labor contributes absolutely nothing to mankind or to your future, then you question your very existence.
I believe we can apply this lesson to our own national destiny. Are we digging wells that are life-sustaining, or dusty and dry? Are we building structures that will stand the test of time, and contribute to our redemption, or not?
In his magnificent Torah book Em Habanim S'mecha, Rabbi Yissachar Shlomo Teichtal (a victim of the Shoah) describes seeing a new shul being built in Poland in the 1930s. While others were cheering, he was crying.
"Why celebrate?" he asked one of the participants. "What will be the end of this shul?"
And I vividly recall, as a yeshiva student, going around to mosques and churches in the Chicago area that once were magnificent shuls (many with their Hebrew inscriptions still intact over the entrance ways!) to collect the mezuzot from the doors. It made a deep impression upon me and strengthened my conviction that, while all else may eventually crumble, Eretz Yisrael is lanetzach - forever.
Everything that occurs in sefer Shemot has profound lessons for all of history. We must see beyond the limited actions of one long-ago despot to eternal implications that are crucial for us - right here, right now.
The Torah tells us that Pharaoh enslaved B'nei Yisrael "b'farech." Our sages have many definitions for this word. Some say it means, "back-breaking work." Others say it's linked to the words, peh rach, a "soft mouth." That is, Pharaoh appealed to the traditional Jewish sense of patriotism and "sweet-talked" us into lending a hand in national projects; then, little by little, he made us into the slaves of the country.
But there is also the idea that Pharaoh carefully, cruelly chose certain work to assign to the Jews. He gave to the men women's work, and he had the women perform male-type labor. He also specifically had Am Yisrael engage in projects that were doomed to failure. They built roads that led nowhere, dug wells that were dry, and constructed cities that soon collapsed (aray misk'not - "pitiful places").
Pharaoh's purpose in all this was to demoralize the Jews. For even a slave - if he knows that he is doing something constructive - can feel some purpose in life and a sense of accomplishment (see Bridge on the River Kwai, for instance). But when you realize that your labor contributes absolutely nothing to mankind or to your future, then you question your very existence.
I believe we can apply this lesson to our own national destiny. Are we digging wells that are life-sustaining, or dusty and dry? Are we building structures that will stand the test of time, and contribute to our redemption, or not?
In his magnificent Torah book Em Habanim S'mecha, Rabbi Yissachar Shlomo Teichtal (a victim of the Shoah) describes seeing a new shul being built in Poland in the 1930s. While others were cheering, he was crying.
"Why celebrate?" he asked one of the participants. "What will be the end of this shul?"
And I vividly recall, as a yeshiva student, going around to mosques and churches in the Chicago area that once were magnificent shuls (many with their Hebrew inscriptions still intact over the entrance ways!) to collect the mezuzot from the doors. It made a deep impression upon me and strengthened my conviction that, while all else may eventually crumble, Eretz Yisrael is lanetzach - forever.