Moses’s mission in Egypt is clear, and, alongside Aaron, he prepares to implement it. One of the pivotal components of the plan occurs because of Pharaoh’s resistance to Moses’s overtures. As we will see, that the initial exchange between them did not open with threats, that there was an attempt to demonstrate a rational basis for belief in God.
The beginning of Chapter Five details Moses and Aaron’s first visit to Pharaoh (Shemot 5:1-3):
“And afterwards, Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, "So said the Lord God of Israel, 'Send out My people, and let them sacrifice to Me in the desert.' And Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord that I should heed His voice to let Israel out? I do not know the Lord, neither will I let Israel out." And they said, "The God of the Hebrews has happened upon us. Now let us go on a three day journey in the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He strike us with a plague or with the sword."”
A number of questions stand out when reviewing these verses. First of all, it appears as if Moses and Aaron surprised Pharaoh with an impromptu initial meeting. Pharaoh was clearly an important individual, and for two people to just appear and address Pharaoh is odd, to say the least. However, it is even stranger to assume that the first words out of their mouths to the King of Egypt was a presentation of God and a request to let the Jewish people go.
The exchange between them is difficult to understand as well. Moses and Aaron explain that Hashem demands from Pharaoh that the Jews be allowed to leave Egypt. Pharaoh responds with angry ignorance of this “Hashem”, and refuses to consider freeing the Jews which leads Moses and Aaron to re-package their initial statement. Rather than referring to Him as Hashem, He is now God of the Hebrews andthe Jews would only be leaving for a short period of time.
A threatening air is added to their final words, as is an allusion to some type of punishment. How do we understand this entire exchange?
The Midrash attempts to give context to the initial appearance of Moses and Aaron at Pharaoh’s palace. The day they arrived coincided with the convergence of ambassadors from around the world to pay homage to Pharaoh. They brought with them jewel-encrusted crowns, which they presented to Pharaoh as a gift. As the festivities came to an end, Pharaoh’s servants reported that Moses and Aaron were waiting at the entrance.
Upon entering, Moses and Aaron did not present any crown to Pharaoh, nor did they even offer Pharaoh any type of greeting. Pharaoh asked who they were, and they responded that they were the messengers from God – alluding to the first verse. Pharaoh gets angry, as Moses and Aaron merely “brought with them words”. He then refers to a book of the gods of the world, and finds no recording of this “Hashem” which explains the second verse above.
While this Midrash certainly helps remove the image of Moses and Aaron storming Pharaoh’s palace, it doesn’t quite help us understand the exchange.
The Malbim offers an important explanation for the subsequent response by Moses and Aaron. After Pharaoh denied any knowledge of Hashem, Moses and Aaron refer to the God of the Hebrews. The stories of the patriarchs, who were referred to as Hebrews, were well known, as were the various miracles performed on their behalf. This “version” of Hashem was recognizable by Pharaoh.
The Ramban offers an even more remarkable explanation, where Pharaoh was quite knowledgeable when it came to Hashem, but was not familiar with the unique name Moses and Aaron used to refer to Him, the shem hameyuchad.
It would appear there are multiple issues at play here, but one theme ties them all together. Whether or not the ambassador event took place or not is unimportant insofar as the idea being expressed. Moses and Aaron did not just throw the name of Hashem at Pharaoh as a threat. There was an attempt to present the metaphysical idea of Hashem in the most succinct manner. They wanted to emphasize how God was different from all other gods, how He was One, nonphysical, the necessary existence.
They were attempting to present the intellectual conceptualization of Hashem to Pharaoh. This is what the Ramban is referring to when he writes that they used the unique name of God. Moses and Aaron were trying to educate Pharaoh, as his acceptance of this truth was the ultimate objective of their mission.
Pharaoh reacts strongly, questioning this supposed “Hashem”. He then, per the Midrash, searches for evidence in his book of idolatry. It could be that Pharaoh was unable to process the idea of Hashem as being presented by Moses and Aaron. Pharaoh’s entire outlook was man-centric. He saw himself as a god, and related to the physical world as a means of ego gratification. The day of this event, he was being feted by all the kings of the world. He saw himself as the center of the universe.
In such a mindset, the idea of an abstract, nonphysical God was impossible for him to relate to. His framework was in complete contradiction to this presentation of God. This could be the idea of looking through this book and coming up with nothing. The reference is that there was nothing in his outlook that allowed him to envision any notion of what Moses and Aaron were talking about.
Rebuffed, Moses and Aaron reply with the God of the Hebrews. While Pharaoh may not be in a state of mind to relate to Hashem, he understood an expression of power and control. This God of the Hebrews was known for intervening on behalf of individuals, as noted by the Malbim. He was capable of breaching the laws of nature. A person with Pharaoh’s perspective could easily relate to this approach to Hashem.
Seeing Hashem in this light, though, meant a challenge to Pharaoh’s authority. Thus, when faced with an opposing power, Pharaoh rejects the overtures of Moses and Aaron and proceeds to decree harsher conditions upon the Jews.
The concept we can derive from this entire exchange is quite important. A belief in God based on a rational conceptualization is the most fundamental tenet of Judaism. When “introducing” Hashem to Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron were, in fact, endeavoring to explain to Pharaoh the very idea of Hashem. Pharaoh was simply incapable of understanding this, not because he lacked the intellectual acumen; rather, his worldview prevented him from even considering such an idea.
We as Jews are obligated to engage in the rational understanding of Hashem. We must be able to cast aside infantile perspectives and fantasies of an outsized sense of importance. We must abhor the concept of man being first and center. A lesson we learn from Pharaoh is how critical a person’s self-awareness is in engaging in this central commandment. If one is unable to divest from the ego, then to recognize and internalize the reality of Hashem becomes impossible.
We should take heed from Pharaoh’s failure, and use this paradigm narcissist as a lesson in how to shed ourselves any misguided emotions in our pursuit of the truth of God.