Parashat Hashavua: Vaera

This week’s parasha begins with a strikingly clear articulation of God’s goals for the relationship that God is in the process of building with the nation of Israel. In Chapter 6 verses 6 - 8, God situates the nation’s current enslavement in the context of  God’s brit (covenant)  with their ancestors, promising to redeem them from slavery, to execute judgement on the Egyptians, and to bring them to the land promised to those ancestors. In addition to fulfilling God’s explicit promises, God states  

וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם לִי לְעָם וְהָיִיתִי לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִיםוִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - “I will take you to me as a nation, and I be to you a God, and they shall know that I am YHVH, your God.” (6:7) This statement, one which was not said to the patriarchs, encapsulates something crucial about the ongoing relationship that God intends to develop with Bnei Yisrael. At the beginning of Sefer Shemot,  in the context of finding a pretext for the enslavement of the Israelites, Paro refers to them as עַם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, the nation of Bnei Yisrael (1:7), In the first five chapters of Shemot, the narrator has referred to Bnei Yisrael as an  עַם, nation, numerous times. But this is the first time that God claims the people as God’s own nation, with all the rights and responsibility that relationship implies, and claims that Bnei Yisrael, by accepting God as their God, will willingly enter into the intimate relationship characterized by truly and deeply knowing God. 

So what is the nation’s response to God's promises here? When Moshe first returned from Midyan and  spoke to the nation, telling them that God would bring them up from their affliction in Egypt, we read  וַיַּאֲמֵן הָעָם וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ כִּי-פָקַד יְהוָה אֶת-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, “the people trusted, understood, and accepted God’s promises.” (4:31.) Thus, when the nation hears this fuller articulation of  the nature of their future relationship with God, we might expect that the nation would once again trust in God’s promises. We can be forgiven if it it comes as somewhat of a surprise to read   וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ אֶל מֹשֶׁה מִוְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ אֶל מֹשֶׁה מִקֹּצֶר רוּחַ וּמֵעֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה וּמֵעֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה. “But they did not listen to Moshe, due to קֹּצֶר רוּחַ (kotzer ruach) and hard bondage.” (6:8) The phrase I’ve translated as hard bondage seems clear; due to the harsh nature of their ongoing slavery, the nation finds it impossible to listen to Moshe's transmission of God’s promises. The phrase קֹּצֶר רוּחַ is more complicated to translate. R. David Tzvi Hoffman, writing in the 19th century, interprets this to mean a lack of patience. In his reading, the nation expected God to redeem them immediately after Moshe returned to Egypt, and as they are still experiencing crushing labor, they no longer are able to wait for God to act. Rashi reads the phrase in a more literal sense, as shortness of breath, noting that those who find themselves in a distress start to gasp for breath. Rabbi Nahum Sarna in his commentary on this verse in the JPS Commentary Series says “[The] Hebrew word ruach is the spiritual and psychic energy that motivates actions. Its absence or attenuation signifies atrophy of the will.” All three of these readings reflect the deep psychological truth that when we experience prolonged distress, we become demoralized, unable to envision for ourselves a future in which our deepest goals and desires can and will be realized. 

For many Jews today, as we look at the ways the world has changed since October 7th, it can feel that we are again in a period of prolonged distress. We look around us and see the rise of anti-semitism in the U.S. and around the world, the isolation of Israel within the world community, the tremendous loss of life and immense suffering those in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank continue to experience. How natural to find it hard to envision a different future, one where Israel and Palestinians will live in peace, where Jews throughout the world can live and worship peacefully without fear of attack. But R. Sarna’s definition of קֹּצֶר רוּחַ  suggests that the antidote to the shortening of our ruach lies in our ability to act. Deliberate, intentional, and thoughtful action is a way to replenish the depletion of our spiritual and psychic energy. What that acting means will be different for different individuals. For some it will mean showing up at protests, for others it will mean engaging in dialog with those whose views differ from ours, and for still others, supporting groups that are working towards goals of peace and understanding. May our actions spark a ray of light within the darkness, and help us move from a stance of despair, to one of hope. 

Shabbat Shalom,
Ruth Fagen
High School Limudei Qodesh Teacher