Shemot: It Starts With Chaos

We are often wont to label history and specific past events as “good” or “bad.” Whether it’s our own Jewish history, American history, or any other, we tend to look back and declare that x battle or y renaissance were positive or negative moments... presumably for everyone at the time and since. In reality, the past is much more complex than that, and generally works like an intricate, seemingly-well-designed-but-potentially-chaotic Rube Goldberg machine. (Click on the name, if you’re not sure what I’m talking about...) Each element performs some action, which directly CAUSES the subsequent action, leading to yet more and more movements... usually culminating in some mundane task. The end goal is never the point; it’s the cause-and-effect of a long, drawn-out, interwoven system. No toy car or rolling ball or domino bar is “good” or “bad” in this system... they simply *are.* Believe it or not, history works that way too.

This week, we are moving on to the Book of Exodus, and the story of the Israelites being enslaved - and then freed - from slavery. It’s a “bad” story, right? Enslavement, torture, whipping, and even killings; these are all clearly terrible, horrific acts. Our reading this Saturday will begin with God approaching Moses at the Burning Bush, and declaring: “I have marked well the plight of My people in Egypt, and have heeded their outcry because of their taskmasters. Yes, I am mindful of their suffering. I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land to a good and spacious land; a land flowing with milk and honey...” (Ex. 3:7-8) This is a well-known story in human history - far beyond just among Jews - and it begins a glorious tale of good defeating evil, salvation through Divine miracles, and even the receiving of Torah in the wilderness. We have to ask ourselves, therefore, if any of this incredible story could have taken place without the Israelites being enslaved in Egypt?

The abuses we suffered in Egypt were indeed atrocious, AND it is also true that none of the Exodus could have happened without it. I am NOT suggesting that slavery now should be viewed as a “good thing,” but rather like the Rube Goldberg machine, each action necessarily pushes the next one to occur, and could not have happened without it. This is true for all historical events, but if we just focus on Jewish history, we can see that the destruction of the First Temple led to the creation (quite possibly) of the written Torah; the destruction of the Second Temple allowed Judaism to flourish around the world; the Expulsion from Spain seeded new communities that made enormous contributions to Jewish life, including Jewish life in America; the European pogroms and anti-Semitism created Zionism; and the Holocaust allowed for the formation of the State of Israel. We are not meant to rethink these calamities and now see them as positive, or cause for celebration, but nor should we ignore how later successes, achievements, growth, and perseverance were only possible BECAUSE of what came before.

I say all of this, because the same is true of this unique moment in the United States AND around the world. Facing a global pandemic, an economic crisis, and the horrific assault on the US Capitol Building by domestic terrorists; these are not “good” occurrences. We do not celebrate or give thanks for them. Nevertheless, there is an eschatological (End of Days) concept in Judaism called “Chevlei Mashiach,” “the birth pangs of the Messiah.” Change is HARD, and it comes with pain and chaos by necessity. It is not great or terrible; it simply *is*. The brokenness and divisiveness of our country has been laid bare. It is hard to look at. It feels appalling, revolting, and excruciatingly painful. But closing our eyes and pretending it isn’t there won’t change this reality. Instead, we can acknowledge and even appreciate the opportunity that this moment affords us. Something good MUST come from this chaos. We must ensure that it does. We all must work together to call out the xenophobia, violence, misinformation, and enabling that brought us to this moment. It has indeed been a dark period in our history, for quite a while now. It is time for us to build the next element in the machine. This time, let it be one of growth, equality, compassion, and peace. Then we’ll just have to see where it leads from there.

CC images in this blog post, courtesy of:
1. jclarson on Wikimedia Commons
2. Pixy
3. Ricardo Tulio Gandelman on Wikimedia Commons
4. sfbayca.com