Baruch Hashem

 Yitro

Ex. 18:1 - 20:23

 

Précis:  Following last week’s trip through the Red Sea, Moses is reunited with his father-in-law Jethro (“Yitro”) and with his family. Yitro acknowledges God, gives wise advice to Moses about delegating responsibility, and Moses appoints assistants (judges). The Israelites come to the foot of Mount Sinai where, in the ultimate transcendental experience, Revelation takes place as the “Ten Utterances” (Commandments) are spoken to the People by the very Voice of God.

 

Ex. 18:10 ‘“Blessed be the Lord,’ Jethro said, ‘who delivered you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.’”

 

As was so often the case, Rabbi Sacks had wonderful applications of Biblical history to the current day. Writing on this and related verses a year ago (Covenant and Conversation, 2/12/20), he notes that “The quintessential Jewish expression of thanks, gratitude and acknowledgment is ‘Baruch Hashem,’ meaning ‘Thank God,’ or ‘Praise be to the Lord.’”
            Calling the phrase “an instinctive expression of faith,” it was a recognition by all, whether they were scholars or ignorant, that there was much to give thanks for to God, and every Jew knew it.  

            Sacks noted that the phrase is used by three people in the Biblical literature, and none were Jews: (1) Noah: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem”  (Gen 9:26) (2) Eliezer, whom Abraham sends to find a wife for Isaac: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Avraham, who has not abandoned His kindness and faithfulness to my master” (Gen. 24:27) (3) and, Yitro in this verse.
            Contrast these non-Jews’ praise of God with the constant complaining of the Israelites and we realize that the Torah is signaling that the God of Israel is the God of all humankind, even if our religion of Israel is not the religion of everyone.                            

             These are among the many examples of Jewish views on God’s universalism. Our tradition does not conceive of an end of times when all will become Jews, but rather a time when all will recognize Him. Jews understand that there is more than one way to acknowledge the Ruler of All. Why is this?

            From a historical view, it may be because we were always a minority and had no real way to otherwise survive, or it may be because we have rarely been a people to proselytize. But Sacks delivers the knockout blow: this view helps us to overcome the greatest problem humanity has ever faced: how can we recognize the dignity and integrity of the "other"? 

            As he concludes, “It is hard to think of a more compelling principle for the 21st century. The great problems humanity faces – climate change, economic inequality, cyberwarfare, artificial intelligence – are global, but our most effective political agencies are at most national. There is a mismatch between our problems and the available solutions. We need to find a way of combining our universal humanity with our cultural and religious particularity. That is what the Torah is doing when it tells us that Noah, Eliezer and Yitro said ‘“Baruch Hashem.’”

 

No time for amnesia

B'shalach

Ex. 13:17-17:16

 

Précis: And when Pharaoh “had let them go” (b’shalach), the story of the Exodus from Egypt is almost concluded. Carrying with them the bones of Joseph and the “spoils of Egypt,” Moses leads the Israelites by way of the Red (or Reed) Sea. They cross ahead of Pharaoh’s pursuing army, which subsequently drowns in the returning waters. Moses sings his triumphant Song of the Sea, and Miriam’s song of joy follows. The Israelites begin to murmur against Moses and Aaron because of a lack of food and water. God provides heavenly “manna” to eat and provides water as well. The Shabbat is introduced as a day of rest, even before it appears in the Ten Commandments. In their first battle led by Joshua, against Amalek, the Israelites are successful as long as Moses’ hands remain in the air, and with the help of Aaron and Hur (who support Moses’ arms), they prevail.

 

Ex. 16:3 “If only we had died by the hand of the Eternal in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, when we ate our fill of bread! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to starve this whole congregation to death.”

 

With this week’s reading containing some of the most memorable parts of our Jewish Nation’s “foundation story,” (the Exodus, crossing the Red Sea, etc.) what may stand out the most is how quickly the People began to ignore the miracles they had personally witnessed and began to grumble about their conditions. Memory was (and probably still is) ephemeral.

            That brings me to mind of recent developments of the new political establishment in the United States. A President who incited insurgency and was impeached for it now seems poised to avoid any consequences because his followers within the Senate seem intent on finding ways to forget about it – it’s unconstitutional, it’s moot. All as if what transpired was forgotten. The former Majority Leader threatens roadblocks if the new majority uses the same tactics as he did when he had the authority to do so, and seems to have forgotten that our constitutional democracy has installed a new group of leaders of the opposite party.

            Human nature has not changed in 3,000 years. When faced with difficulties, the troubles of the past are all too easily forgotten. As Michael Gerson (a conservative columnist) wrote in the Washington Post earlier this week, if we forget the events of January 6, the phrase "Remember the 6th!" will become the motto of those who believe that the attack on our Capitol was the modern equivalent of Lexington and Concord - in other words, just the opening shot at armed revolution.  Now that our society is faced with a virtually unprecedented set of challenges, we must avoid the kind of amnesia the Israelites faced and we are now facing.