The haphtarah for
VaEra is from the book of Ezekiel. It has a short preface that the house of
Israel will be gathered from the exile into the Holy Land and there they will
live in peace and prosperity. Vengeance will be executed on the many malicious
enemies that surround people of Israel and when that happens they will
recognize the Holy One, blessed be He, and his providence, both personal and
national, over His chosen people.
The main topic of the
haphtarah is a prophecy against Pharaoh and about the destruction of Egypt. Pharaoh
and his nation are condemned because they claim that they have made the Nile
River the great treasure it is and because they have the Nile they have no need
for Heaven’s blessings. In addition they consider themselves self-made men
overflowing with greatness, superiority, strength, and dominion. In short they
are totally vain and completely deny the Creator and His mastery over the
universe.
Egypt is criticized as
not only an unreliable ally of Israel but one that causes damage as well. From
a military standpoint Egypt was of no help against Sancheriv and Nebuchadnezzar
and reliance on a treaty with them resulted in national destruction. From a
spiritual side because Israel thought they had a powerful friend, their hearts
strayed from Hashem and they did not listen to Jeremiah when he spoke in G-d’s
name.
The punishment for
Pharaoh is that he will be hooked in the mouth like a fish, thrown into a
jungle, where he will be mauled by the wild animals and preyed upon by the
birds. All of his people will be dragged along with him and share his fate.
When Egypt is a total desolation and ruin, they will recognize that this as the
actions of heaven and recompense because they said, “The river is mine and I
have made it”. The fulfillments of this prophesy are the brutal conquest and
plunder of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar.
Egypt will recover
from this horror, but they will never recover their former greatness, rather
they will be a lowly kingdom of no significance. On that day the house of
Israel will have status and beauty. They will be able to speak their minds and
will recognize the providence of Hashem.
The obvious connection
between the haphtarah and the parsha is Pharaoh and Egypt. From the standpoint
of the haphtarah Egypt is a useless stumbling block. From the standpoint of the
Chumash they are pervasively evil. There is no material difference between
Pharaoh, who is persecuting Israel; the slave drivers, who are whipping Israel;
and the Egyptian neighbors, who are throwing Israelite babies into the river.
The question is how to
relate to a miserable situation like Egyptian slavery. Killing Pharaoh is not a
solution; he will simply be replaced by a new pharaoh, who will be no
different. It’s the same concerning the task masters and the neighbors. Even if
a hundred are killed, the hundred and first will be the same. On top of that
the idea of Israel making war on Egypt is ridiculous. Egypt is large and
powerful, Israel is weak and small. In addition to that, would a decent person
want to actually carry out such butchery?
It comes out that the
most a Jew in this situation can do is say a few chapters of Psalms, maintain
his dignity as best he can, and hope for the salvation of Heaven. “Hashem is a
G-d of vengeance, may the G-d of vengeance appear”, (Psalm 94:1). “May Hashem
take up my quarrel, and take up my war”, (Psalm 35:1). The prophecy that the
day will come when their dead bodies will be rotting on the ground provides
some comfort. When that day does come the righteous will be able to say, “I saw
a rasha, powerful and well rooted like an influential aristocrat. But, he past
away and was absolutely zero, I looked for him but he was not to be found”, (Psalm
37:35-36).
לע"נ, הסבא ,אהרן בן יוסף ז"ל
נלב"ע כז טבת תשכ"ו
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