Parshat Va'era

This page is dedicated to categorizing and slightly expanding the blurbs of each article on the parsha. Instead of presenting here per how things were written chronologically (in the order of the years each was written), the goal is to divide in the order of the narrative's subject matter.

 Va'era:

Moshe's Shlichut (Mission)

A Modest Proposal for Overcoming Abuse of Power - In the wake of a terrible scandal in which a person accused of abusing his powerful position to take advantage of vulnerable people became public, this long essay suggests to use Moshe Rabbenu's humility as a guide for how we avoid similar abuses of power in the future. There are leaders who know their place and are accomplished, but also know never to overstep boundaries. And there are leaders who rule their turf and territory with an iron fist, who "destroy" those they have conflict with, even to the point of causing people to have to move out of town, or to feel otherwise ostracized. ALL of it needs to stop. Moshe's humility is the solution. 

Patience and Civility - How to Convince Pharaoh and Israelites that Leaving Egypt is Where It's At - Moshe had a learning curve through his experiences with the Israelites in the early days of his return to Egypt. Between the work getting harder and more intense and Moshe's trying to win over the people, Moshe's job is a delicate balance between growing in his role visavis his demands of the king, and working with Bnei Yisrael so they don't rebel against Moshe! One important step is getting all on board with the idea that the Exodus is a big step, important for all parties (even though Pharaoh can't see it yet).

Genealogy and Moshe's Final Excuse

Forbidden Relationship of Amram and Yocheved? - The discovery that Amram and Yocheved could not marry one another if following Torah law leads us to understand the nature of their union in the first place, and what it means to have leaders who descend from forbidden relationships (i.e. Rus comes from Moav (a product of incest), hence King David has Moav in his ancestry). We also explore to what extent "Torah law" was binding upon the Israelites before Sinaitic revelation. Were the Israelites in Egypt "Jews" (as we refer to ourselves now) or were they Noachides, until such time as they receive the Torah at Sinai?

Nuanced Respect - Moshe and Aharon, or Aharon and Moshe - the switching around of their names in how they are presented offers a subtle insight into how they related to one another, how they respected one another, and how they fed off the energy of one another. Did Moshe see himself more as Aharon's brother? Or might he have told people, Aharon is MY brother? Does it matter? 

When Leaders Support One Another Without Ego - The roles of Moshe and Aharon are clear (M) and complicated (A). Their relationship is clear (brothers) and complicated (Moshe is younger, yet clearly has a higher position; Aharon is supposed to be Moshe's mouthpiece and "prophet" - what does that mean?). How they navigate it all is through their dual humility - in this article the case is made for what the relationship should look like, and how they navigate it is explored through this window.

Torah is a Lease on Life - Getting inspiration from the Elderly - Moshe comes before Pharaoh, the Torah attests, at the age of 80, and his brother Aharon is 83! This is an age when most people today are retired! What can we take from their starting a whole new stage of life at this "advanced" age. What can the "elderly" of our time learn from them? [Age is just a number! How we live every day is what counts]

Nominated for Best Supporting Role - a tribute to the role played by Moshe's brother, Aharon. Is he second fiddle? Is he a supporting character? Is his position portrayed fairly? Aharon had to get used to certain things, but in many ways, his role shines very very brightly. 

Moshe's Speaking Problem - Moshe's objections to God's sending him, as laid out in Chapter 6 demonstrate someone who is looking for excuses to get out of the job, more than real reasons for why he can't speak to the King of Egypt. The actual issue of a speech impediment is discussed in the next essay just below.

Did Moshe Have a Speech Impediment - a thorough analysis of the sources - The sources that discuss Moshe's speech fall into 3 major categories of explaining what Moshe's hesitations and reservations were, and why he felt he could not be the spokesperson of the Israelites before Pharaoh. 

The First Confrontation

Nachash and Tannin - which staff turned to what - there is a staff at the burning bush. There is presumably a staff at the end of Chapter 4. There is a staff that turns into a creature before Pharaoh. Whose staff? To what animal? Does it matter? We begin and conclude with an important lesson about opening our eyes to learning new ideas

The Shtick of Each Stick - Differences Between the Roles of Moshe and Aharon - This exploration looks at the larger picture of the differences between how Aharon's and Moshe's staffs are used. Each man clearly has his own, and so it becomes a question of whether the miracles they are effectuating are of equal caliber, and whether it makes a difference if they share a staff. The answers to previous conundrums also impact how we view the roles of Moshe and Aharon, respectively. 

Seeing Your Problem For What It Really Is - Ancient Egypt is an ancient example of what it means to have a destructive power within your midst that can't see how it is destructive to your population and culture. The worse the Egyptians treated the Israelites, the sooner and more harshly they brought the plagues upon themselves. This piece was written in 2015 - noting how terrorists in France had gone past "only" attacking Jews, and had attacked a satirical magazine. The caution of what it means to eradicate evil from your midst wasn't heeded (not that France is looking to me for advice) and in 2026 we saw how much France lost control of its own capital. 

Blood

The Many Faces of the Plague of Blood - There are many opinions of how far the plague of blood went, how long it lasted, who it affected, whose staff was used, and whose action actually turned the water to blood (Moshe? Aharon? God?). Without being exhaustive (for that is impossible), we look at many opinions, as well as the Pesukim themselves, to try to get to the most accurate timeline of this plague. 

Frogs

Nothing yet on this specific subject

Lice

Nothing yet on this specific subject

Arov

Distinction Between Peoples - The message of Arov, distinction between Jews and others, and a thought about the "Chosen People." This essay looks at the many interpretations of what beasts or beings the Arov were comprised of. Utilizing a focus on the word פדת (see next essay linked below), we note the distinction that is the Jewish people, and how that is to manifest in this world. Sadly too many ignorant people think that "chosenness" means Jews think they are better than others. It simply means God gave us a mission in this world. So effective was this mission that it gave birth to morality and other world religions that have taken the "mission" to a very different level. Our approach has always been to be a light through just modeling what God wants, hoping people will be inspired to join our ranks. But we didn't missionize or try to convince others to join us - and certainly never to FORCE anyone to submit to our authority. This is a serious difference between Judaism and other groups. 

פדת - A Redemption From Three Exiles - A Jew can be exiled by a non-Jew, by a Jew, or by himself. Each of these exiles are defined differently, and each manifests itself in different ways on account of the unique circumstance of the case in question. But each example is demonstrated through the use of the word פדת in Tanakh. We combine them all together to see what a path forward past October 7 can look like. 

Pestilence

The Word of God, a Priority for All - While the hook for this article is how this particular plague is described, the word of God is a phrase which appears elsewhere in the Torah

Boils

Nothing yet on this specific subject

Hail

Nothing yet on this specific subject

Exploring the Concept of Free Will as it Relates to Pharaoh

Pharaoh's Free Will and Our Own - There are numerous ways to understand what it means that Pharaoh hardened or strengthened his heart. The question of God's involvement has us ponder whether humasn truly have free will. Our exploration centers on that fundamental question. [Please note that a couple of years after this was written, Rabbi Meir Soloveitchik wrote an article (or maybe I read a transcript of a podcast) about Pharaoh's tell-tale heart (a play on E.A. Poe's short story), and what the concept of the heart being equal to a feather meant in ancient Egypt - a very compelling essay which makes me rethink the entire subject.]

Strengthen the Heart to Have Free Will - A Different take on free will, written during the craziness of the COVID time period. Without making a direct reference to that, this essay explores. Ultimately, our conclusion is that Pharaoh was given the strength to discover, through his own free will, that God runs the world. Pharaoh might think he is in charge, but he comes to learn Who is really in charge.