Parashat Vaera
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Synopsis
Parashat Va’era starts with God telling Moses “and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God tells Moses that its time for the Hebrew slaves to be freed from bondage in Egypt. Moses doesn’t think he’s the guy for the job because he’s got a lisp so God tells him to take Aaron with him to talk for him. The brothers go to see pharaoh and ask for the liberation of the Hebrew slaves. Pharaoh refuses, plagues ensue punishing pharaoh for being a hard-hearted despot.
Themes;
1) The Different Names for God
2) The Hardening of Pharo's Heart
The Different Names for God
In the beginning of the parashah God talks to Moses and refers to himself as Yahweh and tells Moses that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob called him El Shaddai (God almighty). There are many names of God that are used in both the torah and by the people that comment on it. Why are there so many names? Well they all mean slightly different things and are reflective of different approaches as to what God is to people, a king, a father, a conscience. It is a healthy reminder that people believe in God in many different ways, including not believing in God, and that we have to respect peoples right to religious freedom.
The Heardening of Pharo's Heart
There are several different explanations as to why Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, some of which are to do with divine control which throws up a lot of issues about free will, but the one I want to concentrate on is that of Pharaohs pride. Pride in ourselves is the enemy of us all, it leads us down dangerous paths we never wanted to follow in the first place and puts in terrible positions, in pharaohs case weighing up the lives of Egyptians. Pride over others however is a beautiful thing and warm words of encouragement go along way. So don’t be stubborn and tell people you love that you’re proud of them (when its justified)
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