Torah Commentary with Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal

Our sidra this week begins at the breaking point. After ten horrific plagues of death and destruction brought upon Egypt as signs and wonders for the Jewish people, Pharaoh finally has enough and sends the people out. Our story begins here: 

 וַיְהִי בְּשַׁלַּח פַּרְעֹה אֶת־הָעָם

And it was when Pharoah sent out the people… 

After all that God brought on Egypt; after all of Moses's great displays of strength, courage, and leadership, after Pharoah and his people were brought to their knees, why does it say that Pharoah sent the people out? Why is the credit given to Pharoah? After all that the people witnessed, was it even a choice anymore? Rabbi Tzadok HaCohen Rabinowitz of Lublin (1823 – 1900) explains the credit due to Pharoah. He states: 

ויהי בשלח פרעה את העם… כל מקום שנאמר ויהי אינו אלא לשון צער (מגילה י). ומה הצער כאן בצאת בני ישראל ממצרים?אלא המכות שהביא הקב"ה על המצרים תכליתן היתה בעיקר לטעת אמונה בלבות בני ישראל ולפתח בקרבם בהדרגה תשוקה עזה לחופש ורצון חזק להשתחרר מכבלי מצרים וטומאתה. לבסוף, אחרי כל המכות, הניסיםם והנפלאות, מספרת לנו התורה: "בשלח פרעה את העם," לא יצאו ממצרים מרצונם, אלא פרעה שלח אותם, זו הצרה וזה הצער. (ר' צדוק הכהן) 

And it was when Pharoah sent out the people… Any place where [the phrase] "Vayahi (and it was)" is used, it is an expression of grief (Talmud Megillah 10b). But what could the grief here be in the sending Israel out of Egypt? The plagues that were brought by God upon Egypt, their essential purpose was to plant belief into the hearts of the Children of Israel and to develop before them a progressive building of strong passion for freedom and a strong desire to be released from the binds of Egypt and their impurity. In the end, however, after all the plagues, miracles and wonders, the Torah states for us, "Pharoah sent out the people", they didn't leave Egypt by their own desire. Rather Pharoah had to send them out. This is the reason for pain and grief (Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen).

Our parsha and R. Tzadok HaKohen are highlighting the importance of motivation and what moves us to make a change in our behavior, environment, and/or expectations. We often speak of motivation as an outside force that is pushing us along. However, motivation is something that comes from within. Motivation, or lack thereof, can be for the simplest issues like starting a home project or going through a pile of papers on our desk, to the most serious like dealing with abusive, destructive behavior or managing a health condition. Regardless of the issue, finding motivation to move forward, even when we know that staying where we are isn't a good option, is difficult to muster. Our sacred scriptures share this very real human condition in the opening words of this week's sidra. Motivation is crucial for a spiritual life. The popular belief is that spirituality is a passive experience, something that magically happens to a person. In truth, spirituality is a practice and living a Jewish life takes motivation. Keeping Kosher, celebrating holidays, lifelong learning, commitment to the betterment of the world and peace within our families and community all take work. Although we have much to celebrate with the release of the Jewish people from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, there is some sadness in this moment in the form of a lack of motivation which will end up plaguing the Jewish people throughout their journey in the wilderness.

If you are interested in exploring motivation and how to move out of the rut that we often find ourselves in, I recommend two podcasts. Both feature authors who have published written material on these important subjects. If you prefer reading about it, please refer to the book suggestions within the descriptions of the following podcasts:

The Ezra Klein Show – Interview with Annie Murphy Paul, author of The Extended Mind

You Know How to Live with Kate Hammer – Interview with Todd Henry, author of The Motivation Code