Shemot: Isn't This Pharaoh Just THE Worst??

Some years it works out this way, but not all the time. The end of our secular (Gregorian) year has coincided with the end of the Book of Genesis. It's always

somewhere around this season, but this year we are reading the first Torah portion of the Book of Exodus *just* as one year is coming to a close and another is starting. Both situations give us an opportunity for reflection, mindfulness, and peering into the future. I feel, therefore, that there is a particularly apt message to take from the antagonist of the Exodus story; namely, Pharaoh. I don't say that just because he's a pretty classic "bad guy," but because the Torah itself interestingly paints "Pharaoh" as an archetype. Even within the narrative of the Bible itself, Pharaoh is a larger-than-life figure, who is somehow both more *and* less than any one, single story about him. Let me explain:

Throughout the Torah, our ancestors encountered various kings. There's Balak of Moab, Amorite kings like Og and Sichon, Avimelech of the Philistines, the Canaanite ruler, Shechem (from the Dinah story), and many, many others.

It is therefore curious, perhaps, that Abraham makes pacts with "Pharaoh," Jacob and Joseph engage with and serve under "Pharaoh," Moses and Aaron battle against "Pharaoh," and even much, much later, King Solomon marries the daughter of (you guessed it) "Pharaoh." Obviously, the text isn't referring to the same fella; it's just a title that gets passed from ruler to ruler. Our ancestors are all encountering different Pharaohs, and are therefore not surprisingly having vastly different experiences with them; from kindness and intermarriage, to cold peace, suspicion, and even brutal oppression. On the one hand, this simple answer resolves our confusion instantly; it's just a title that transfers. Yet, on the other hand, it *is* curious that only Pharaoh receives this distinction. Other titles don't shift like this. Certainly not without a second name, or at the very least a title or suffix, like "the Fourth" or "Jr." So what gives??

As I suggested above, Pharaoh is an archetype, a stand-in for The Other whom we encounter, and specifically The Outsider who has power over us. Sometimes the relationship can be good, other times it's disastrous... and not-too-infrequently the pleasant one can TURN devastating with very little warning. As we begin to read

about the "worst" of the Pharaohs - the one who oppressed our Israelite ancestors, and tried desperately *not* to succumb to the Ten Plagues - we may feel a nagging temptation. We will read about Pharaoh's self-aggrandizement, his brutal policies, his total lack of interest in hearing the opinions of others, his willingness to sacrifice his people for his own ego, his harsh temperament, his vanity, and his ability to take the concept of "obtuseness" to a whole, new level. We may feel a strong desire to compare modern-day people to this Pharaoh - be they world leaders, media figures, historic villains, pop culture foils, or politicians with whom we disagree. So let me say this: Do *not* resist that urge.

Pharaoh is meant to represent something important in our lives. We should endeavor to maintain positive relations, the way Abraham, Joseph, and Solomon do, but we should also remain vigilant for circumstances where Joseph's Pharaoh may morph into Moses and Aaron's. Frankly speaking,

it has happened too often in our Jewish history for us to ignore... I believe the Torah is saying "Be on the lookout for Pharaoh in your own lives," while also reminding us that Pharaohs come... and Pharaohs go. We might perhaps link this to the well-known maxim, "This Too Shall Pass." When things are good, be a little cautious and alert as well. And when things are bad, do not lose hope, because it will not last forever. By referring to every one of these various rulers as "Pharaoh," the title seemingly *leaps* off the page! It becomes a universal concept - beyond any one individual - an archetype and antagonist that will never be fully vanquished. Another Pharaoh will always be waiting around the corner... but *we* will be ready then too.


Images in this blog post:
1. CC image courtesy of cocoparisienne on Pixabay
2. CC image courtesy of ArtsyBee on Pixabay
3. CC image courtesy of Becker1999 on Flickr
4. CC image courtesy of DukeOne on Flickr