In Haste

Bo

Ex.10:1-13:16

Précis: God sends additional plagues (locusts and darkness) and alerts Moses that the 10^th and final plague will follow. God instructs Moses on the institution of the Passover. Then, the final plague, the death of first born, is wrecked upon Egypt. The Israelites, accompanied by the “mixed multitudes,” leave Egypt, carrying with them the “spoils of Egypt” given to them by the Egyptians. The parasha ends with a repetition of the laws regarding Passover.

Ex. 12:11 “This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it quickly.”

Erica Brown notes that the pace at which we run our lives offers challenges and opportunities (Weekly Jewish Wisdom, 1/14/16​)​. There are times when things seem to move impossibly fast, and times when the tick of the clock seems to be running backwards.  In much Biblical text, actors are told to speed up: we are told to make haste in leaving morally compromising situations. One should act like Abraham and rush to help someone. Moses and Aaron often rushed to Pharaoh to demand freedom.

            This verse shows a different kind of acting quickly (the Hebrew is “be-hipazon,” otherwise translated as “in haste”). Why? Because the People needed to be prepared to flee, or perhaps to face combat after the sacrifice of the Pascal lamb. Later, we read that the matzah we eat must be made “in haste” to recall that event, since the Israelites did not have time to let the bread rise.

            Brown reminds us that this haste is not accidental: haste was to be an integral part of the memory of the Exodus. Why? She cites Rabbi Haim Sabato, who makes a profound observation: “The suddenness of the change, and the lack of preparation and of a gradual progression would lead to turmoil. One who leaps levels without adequate preparation cannot sustain the high level he has merited, especially if the change is made with no effort on his part.”

            Leaving quickly helped us be brave enough to leave, but​ left us ill-prepared for the Wilderness challenges.

            There are significant events in our lives which take months or years to prepare for, and then to pass by in the blink of an eye. This is true in bar/bat mitzvah preparation, in love and courtship and in death and dying.  This verse leaves us with an enduring question: What do we need to do in haste, and what do we need to do more slowly? Or from another perspective, we need to take action in haste when needed, and to act with deliberation when it is ​better to do so. Which course to take is part of the human condition.  

Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and George R.R. Martin

Vaera

Ex. 6:2 - 9:35

Précis: God reiterates His intention 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. 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.

Ex. 9:24 “So there was hail, and fire flashing up amid the hail.”

            The Sages Rashi and Ibn Ezra opine that this was a “double” miracle, because the Hebrew phrase may be read fire “in the midst” of the hail, or “inside of the hail.”

            How can there be fire inside of ice? Fans of the epic television drama and novels, Game of Thrones, know that the real title of the series is the “Song of Ice and Fire.” Whether or not George R.R. Martin was aware of Jewish Midrash when he composed his masterwork, those familiar with Midrash know that in relation to this verse, it is suggested that the fire was indeed inside of the hail, with the fire breaking out only when the ice was split as it hit the ground.

            The Rabbis suggest that this is a parable about humans: we are comprised of fire (passion within) and ice (cold distance).  When we balance these factors, we can achieve a sort of stability. There are times when fire is required in self-defense or in seeking justice, and there are times a “cold shoulder” to those who pursue inappropriate ends is also required.

            Thinking about it a bit more, perhaps Martin knew something about Midrash when he began his saga.