Priestly Privledge

We tend to label draft dodgers as unpatriotic, but the draft dodging group of this week’s parsha are heroes. 

Moshe Rabenu and his entire extended family catch a fortunate break: Rashi, following the Midrashic tradition, teaches us that the entire tribe of Levi were exempted from the Egyptian slavery.  We may understand this as a function of the Levite’s priestly status, but Pharoah does not seem like the type to respect his enslaved nation’s priestly sect.  In fact, the Messilat Yesharim famously posits that Pharoah worked the Jews so incredibly hard in order to prevent them from having a moment to think or reflect.  Why would Pharoah choose not to enslave an entire tribe?

In his Tifferet Yehonatan, Rav Yehonatan Eybeschutz suggests a remarkable answer.  Rav Eybeschutz proposes that Phoroah’s astrologers and magicians projected that the redeemer of the Jewish people would arise from the Tribe of Levi.  Pharoh surmised that this leader would emerge from among the slaves; the leaders of a social movement arises from those who suffer from the injustice.  Only someone who experienced the hardship and carried the burden of slavery would be motivated and compelled to take the initiative to stand up for the cause.  Based on this assumption, Pharoah chose not to enslave the tribe of Levi; if the potential redeemer and his entire family would live a relaxed comfortable life of a non-slave, he would lack the drive necessary to achieve his potential and free the slaves!

Rav Eybeschutz reads this into Moshe’s self-doubt at the beginning of our Parsha.  If Bnei Yisroel won’t listen to me- if they think that I’m too distant from them because of my background- how could Pharoh take me seriously?

Ultimately, Pharoh’s plan failed.  Pharoh underestimated the greatness of the redeemer, who we know to be our beloved Moshe Rabenu.

In last week’s parsha, we read of Moshe’s credential for the job.  He was a person who connects and takes a stand for the weak and downtrodden despite his personal privileged background growing up in a house of royalty.

We often find ourselves falling into a specific identity or group and have trouble helping those not closely affiliated with us.  I’m a Jew.  An Orthodox Jew.  A Modern Orthodox Jew.  A Modern Orthodox Jew who attended or sends my children to school X, who davens at Shul Y, davens in a particular minyan in Shul Y, etc.

Moshe was a person who could see beyond his niche, and his model is one we can emulate.  One of the beautiful features of a Jewish community like Riverdale is the diversity of people around us.  Pharoah’s plan presumed that an individual would be unwilling to break rank and look beyond his tight circle.  When you invite someone new to the community for a meal, you prove Pharoah wrong.  When you wish a stranger walking by shabbat shalom, even though he or she davens at a different shul, you prove Pharoah wrong.  When members of the young professionals minyan help make a shiva minyan for an older person in the shul as we saw this week, we prove Pharoah wrong. 

Moshe demonstrated that a person can break rank, and Pharoah paid the price for underestimating Moshe’s character.  Let’s continue to show him how wrong he was.