Dear Chevre (Friends):
As we witness the breathtaking events unfold in neighboring Egypt, our thoughts turn immediately to their potentially grave implications for the security of the State of Israel. What I want to stress in this column is the deep kinship between our two peoples, at least from a Biblical perspective. Do not think that because a despotic Pharaoh oppressed our ancestors and enslaved them, we considered Egypt our perennial archenemy. To the contrary, all of the patriarchs (except for Isaac) went down to Egypt and were welcome there—evidence that the Pharaoh who opposed Moses was the exception, rather than the rule.
More significantly, consider that only 70 individuals went down to Egypt with Jacob, but some 600,000 men of fighting age (Exodus 12:37)—equivalent to over two million men, women, and children—left Egypt during the Exodus. It is in Land of Egypt, not in the Land of Israel, that the clan of Jacob became the Israelite people. “They multiplied and increased very greatly” (Exodus 1:7)—clearly, despite Midrashim that extravagantly claim that the Israelite women bore sextuplets, many, if not most, of the swelling ranks of the emerging nation came from the Egyptian populace itself. “A mixed multitude went up.” (Exodus 12:38) The Egyptians are in our blood.
Therefore, when we pray for peace in Egypt, we are not merely hoping for an easing of tensions, as we would concerning any flare up of violence in the world. Nor are we merely hoping for a satisfactory outcome concerning Israeli security. We are praying for our Egyptian brethren. The prophet Isaiah’s Messianic vision makes clear that our own welfare depends upon that of our neighbors: “On that day, Israel shall be the third partner to Egypt and Assyria as a blessing upon the earth, for Adonai of Hosts shall bless them, saying: blessed be (first) My people Egypt, (second) My handiwork Assyria, and (third) My possession Israel.” (Isaiah 19:24-25)
Rabbi Brian
rabbi.brian.besser@gmail.com
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