Taking the Initiative: Reflections on Ariel Sharon Parashat Bo January 4, 2014 Rabbi Carl M
Taking the Initiative: Reflections on Ariel Sharon Parashat Bo January 4, 2014 Rabbi Carl M. Perkins Temple Aliyah, Needham In today’s parashah, we read of the increasingly tense standoff between Pharoah and Moses. Last week, and again this week, we read about plague after plague, as the struggle continues. And yet we know that this conflict will eventually come to an end, with the Israelites victorious as they depart Egypt defiantly, b’yad ramah. The Israelites will defeat their foes in a manner that is almost impossible to conceive of today: without lifting a finger to defend themselves; in fact, without at all fighting their enemies. They’ll be free because God is on their side. Throughout the Exodus story, the use of physical force by humans is disparaged. We do have that story of the Egyptian taskmaster beating the Israelite. Moses intervenes, but is then not fully appreciated, and is even condemned the next day. The bottom line is that the entire people is rescued in a cosmic, mythic, epic scene that is far different from the battlefields of modern warfare. For generations, this model worked very well. For two thousand years, in fact. But although the story inspired liberation struggles all over the world among the powerless against the powerful, although the story bought hope to millions, it had nothing to offer those who were actively fighting for their freedom. It was of limited value to those actually fighting for their freedom. In fact, it was ultimately rejected by those who believed that it was necessary to fight, and not only to pray, for freedom.
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