Finding Strength from Others

Va’era
Exodus 6:2 - 9:35

Précis: God reiterates His intent to free the Israelites from bondage and to create a covenant with them. Moses goes back to Pharaoh to seek release of the Israelites. Pharaoh refuses and we see the first seven of the fabled plagues: blood, frogs, fleas, beetles, cattle disease, boils, and hail. In the well-known story, Pharaoh relents after each plague begins, deciding to let the People go, but then God “hardens Pharaoh’s heart” and he refuses to allow them to leave.

Exodus 6:12 – 13 “But Moses appealed to the Lord, saying, ‘The Israelites would not listen to me; how then should Pharaoh heed me, a man of impeded speech?’ So the Lord spoke to both Moses and Aaron in regard to the Israelites and Pharaoh King of Egypt, instructing them to deliver the Israelites from the land of Egypt.”

This particular vignette tells us much about Moses, and perhaps more about the Jewish concept of community. God has instructed Moses to go before Pharaoh and demand freedom for the Israelites. Moses, haven already been derided by the Israelites for increasing their burdens, now fears to go to Pharaoh. God responds by instructing Moses to go with his brother, Aaron. Aaron has never been mentioned before. Why does he appear now?
      There are several possible reasons. We can first assume that Aaron was to be the spokesperson, given Moses’ apparent speech impediment. Second, the verses which follow provide a genealogy of Aaron’s family, so his insertion into the narrative here forms a bridge for the text.
      On a more esoteric level, the narrative may be trying to teach an important lesson to Moses (and to us): Moses cannot be strong and certain of God’s power while he remains alone: he needs the support of at least another individual, his brother Aaron. For the Jewish People, faith is not an individual search for truth and understanding. We do not have a significant tradition of solitary contemplation in a cave or on the mountain top. We even study text jointly, in chevrutah. Our quest for faith and reliance upon God is a communal one, made possible by the connections we create with our families and friends, teachers and associates. Alone, life’s journey is difficult. Together, much is possible.