This week's Parsha begins to tell us of the onslaught of plagues that G-d brought down upon Egypt. After finally convincing Moshe to be His messenger with Aharon, G-d commands Moshe to confront Pharaoh with a miracle – turning his staff into a snake – to show that Moshe is an emissary of G-d. Pharaoh summons his “wise men and sorcerers” (7:11) and they too manage to perform this task. Later, Moshe and Aharon, at G-d’s behest, confront Pharaoh and warn him of the first plague: the changing of the Nile to blood, and the death of the fish in it. Aharon strikes the Nile and it turns to blood. Again Pharaoh has the חרטומים match this act.
After the plague of blood, the Torah tells us: “Pharaoh turned and went home, and he paid no heed, even to this.” Rashi explains, “He paid no heed: to the wonder of the staff which was changed into a serpent and also not to that of the blood” (7:23)
However, we already know from the previous pesukim that when the sorcerers replicated the miracles: “Pharaoh’s heart stiffened and he did not heed them…” (7:11) and “when the Egyptian sorcerers did the same with their spells, Pharaoh’s heart became hard, and he did not heed them…” (7:22)
What is the Torah adding by telling us again that Pharaoh did not take heed? And what connection is there between the beginning of the verse “Pharaoh turned and went home..” to the end of the verse that “he paid no heed.”
There are times in life when we encounter something that enlivens with us a desire to overcome a challenge or a bad habit, or to live on higher planes. These are times of inspiration, times of reflection, times when something occurs which is so shocking that it causes us to reevaluate our affairs. Yet so often, those feelings which grab us, manage to vanish, only to float away like mist in the wind. The most important thing to do to retain that moment, that flash of inspiration, is to quickly act upon it: whether to write a note, make a reminder, or do something concrete immediately. However, the most sure-fire way to lose that chance is to return to our daily routine, unchanged. We can easily miss an opportunity to grow when we simply go back to what feels familiar, to our “comfort-zone” where we can forget and ignore the inspiration we experienced.
In a time of an incredible revelation of G-d, and after witnessing two wondrous signs, Pharaoh should have taken a moment to stop and reflect. Yes, even after his own sorcerers performed the same signs, there was still ample reason to realize G-d’s Sovereignty. The Sforno says that Pharaoh should have questioned what he saw:
To recognise the difference between what G-d had done and what his sorcerers had done. G-d’s activity had produced a total change in the nature of the river Nile, a phenomenon which had been considered as inviolate, constant, incapable of being abolished. It had now been turned into ‘real blood,’ so much so that all the fish had died. The changes affected by the tricks of the sorcerers were performed on phenomena that were unstable to begin with. Possibly, all the sorcerers produced was illusionary.
Yet, what does Pharaoh do? Does he take that crucial minute to stop and think? No, He turns and goes home; he returns to his comfort-zone, his familiar surroundings, and ultimately, to his preconceived notions. This seemingly insignificant action inevitably led to: “and he paid no heed.” That moment, that chance to reflect, was lost. It was only natural that Pharaoh would not take anything to heart.
All too often, we allow precious moments of potential to slip away. But when we realize that it's in our hands to seize them, we can become more cognizant of these opportunities, and of what they can accomplish. Unlike Pharoah, we, who have the desire to become better, can then use these moments to achieve our goals.
Shabbat Shalom
Shabbat Shalom
