המשפחות השכולות נגד העסקה
המשפחות השכולות נגד העסקהצילום: פורום הגבורה

Parashat Shemot, and therefore the Book of Exodus, begins with the Children of Israel in exile in Egypt.

The exile had begun so auspiciously back in Parashat Vayigash: Joseph was the viceroy of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. His father Jacob was an honoured guest of Pharaoh, dwelling in the palace in royal splendour. The entire Hebrew family were living in Egypt at Pharaoh’s express invitation.

Parashat Vayigash concludes with an idyllic depiction of Egyptian exile: “Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt – in Goshen-land – and they were seized by it; and they were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly” (Genesis 47:27).

Then Parashat Vayechi – and therefore the Book of Genesis – concludes with the Jews being highly successful in Egypt. When Joseph died aged 110 years, the Egyptians embalmed his body and buried him, demonstrating the high esteem in which they held him.

It is only in Parashat Shemot that the exile deteriorates – bewilderingly and frighteningly rapidly – into oppression, slavery, forced labour camps, and ultimately genocide.

The Talmud (Sotah 11a & Sanhedrin 106a) and the Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 1:9) relate that when Pharaoh promulgated his decree of genocide against the Jews, another three men were in his counsel: Bil’am (Balaam), Iyyov (Job), and Yitro (Jethro).

Bil’am gave Pharaoh the advice to throw all the baby boys into the River Nile, and he was eventually killed by the sword (Numbers 31:8).

Iyyov sat silently, and he suffered terrible hardships; nevertheless he ultimately recovered, and G-d restored his fortunes to him.

Yitro got up and walked out, and he merited having descendants who sat in the Chamber of Hewn Stone (לִשְׁכַּת הַגָּזִית), which was the chamber in the Holy Temple in which the Sanhedrin convened.

This is of course not intended to be a literal historical record:

From Pharaoh’s decree to the time that the Children of Israel reached Moabite territory (Numbers 22) was some 120 years. So had Bil’am been old enough to be one of Pharaoh’s advisors at the time of the decree, then by the time Bil’am attempted to curse Israel he would have been at least 140 years old, probably more; yet the Talmud (Sanhedrin 106b) and the Midrash (Midrash ha-Gadol, Mattot 31:8) suggest that he was just 33 or 34 at the time.

As for Iyyov, there are several opinions of when he lived: the earliest places him contemporaneous with Jacob, the latest at the time of the return to Israel from Babylon, a millennium-and-a-half later; and according to yet another opinion, Iyyov never really existed, and the Book of Iyyov is a parable, a work of philosophy (Bava Batra 15a).

Clearly, then, the idea of Bil’am, Iyyov, and Yitro sitting with Pharaoh in his counsel is homiletic, not historic.

What message, then, did our Sages wish to convey with this homily?

– I suggest that the principle morals we derive are:

Retribution, however long-delayed, will yet come. Bil’am was killed by the sword 120 years, maybe a little more, after advising Pharaoh to drown the Hebrew baby boys. He lived a long, happy, and fruitful life until then; yet his bitter end was always guaranteed.

We cannot always influence events. Few of us have it in our power to prevent evil decrees by powerful monarchs: even Iyyov and Yitro, members of Pharaoh’s “inner cabinet”, were unable to prevent his decree of genocide, however uncomfortable with it they may have felt.

Iyyov’s silent protest earned him suffering – but suffering from which he eventually recovered fully. He lived to a ripe old age, healed from the ordeals he had undergone. Silent protest against evil decrees is sufficient to mitigate G-d’s punishment.

Yitro did not have the power to prevent Pharaoh’s decree of genocide; all he could do – and indeed all he did – was to get up and walk away. This was sufficient to guarantee that he bore no portion at all in any punishment.

Even though his walking away didn’t save even a single Jewish baby boy from being drowned, Yitro was nevertheless innocent of any wrongdoing. No innocent blood was on his hands.

A huge portion of our nation was shocked and demoralised in the last two days by an Israeli government which capitulated to the Hamas. Yes we are (of course) relieved that the remaining hostages in Gaza are about to be released from their inhuman captivity; yet we all understand that by releasing thousands of inhuman psychopathic terrorists, the Israeli government guarantees the next murder, the next terrorist massacre ר"ל, the next 7-10 mega-attack ר"ל.

Releasing these terrorists isn’t a humanitarian imperative. It is rather collaboration with evil, guaranteeing further horrors in the future.

None of us have the power to prevent this deal from happening. Not even the few Cabinet Ministers who ideologically oppose it can prevent it.

Nevertheless they do have it in their power to get up and walk away; they have the opportunity to be able to say in the future: יָדֵינוּ לֹא שָֽׁפְכוּ אֶת־הַדָּם הַזֶּה, “Or hand did not shed this blood” (Deuteronomy 21:6).

The rest of us have – at the very least – the opportunity for silent protest.

Millennia ago, our Sages taught us that we do not have to succeed in preventing bloodshed and evil in order to be judged innocent of it: as Rabbi Tarfon expressed it, “You have no obligation to complete all the work, but neither are you free to ignore it entirely” (Pirkei Avot 2:16) – which is even a principle in practical halachah (vide Tur, Yoré De’ah 246 and Shulchan Aruch ha-Rav, Yoré De’ah 2:3).

A century or so before Rabbi Tarfon, in the days of the early Hasmoneans, Nitay the Arbelite admonished: “Do not despair from retribution” (Pirkei Avot 1:7).

The Hebrew, אַל תִּתיָאֵשׁ מִן הַפּוּרְעָנֻת, is ambiguous: Nitay the Arbelite was admonishing both not to despair when you suffer Divine punishment, because G-d’s punishment is just, and calibrated to refine and correct – and also not to give up hope of ever seeing evil people brought to justice.

However long G-d’s judgement might take, it is guaranteed yet to come. From Pharaoh to Haman to the Seleucids to the Romans to the Nazis to Hamas, this is the immutable iron law of history.