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Yechezkel 28:25
This week’s
haftorah teaches us a profound lesson regarding arrogance and self
dependency. The prophet Yechezkel is instructed to deliver a crushing
message to Pharaoh and his Egyptian empire predicting its downfall and
total destruction. Yechezkel, speaking in the name of Hashem, told
Pharaoh, “Behold I am bringing the sword against you and I will destroy
man and animal from you. The land of Egypt will lay desolate and
ruined….in response to your stating, ‘The river is mine and I have
developed it.'” (29: 8,9) Hashem held the Egyptians fully accountable for
their arrogant attitude regarding their prosperity.
The history of this
is based upon the uniqueness of Egypt as a country that relies totally
upon the Nile River for its existence. Rainfall in Egypt is so infrequent
that an elaborate irrigation system was necessary to provide her basic
agricultural needs. The Egyptians grew well accustomed to their ingenious
system and began perceiving themselves as totally self sufficient. They
viewed the Nile River as their true provider and even perceived their
Pharaoh as some type of deity. He was, in truth, responsible for the
efficiency of their system and was therefore identified as the source of
their goodness. Pharaoh gladly accepted his title and, following the
people’s lead, claimed the Nile River as his creation and accepted the
status of deity. Hashem responded to this arrogance and informed Pharaoh
that Egypt’s days were numbered. The time had arrived for the Egyptian
empire to fall and for Egypt to lay in a state of total destruction for
forty years.
This seemingly
absurd attitude of Pharaoh, regarding himself as a deity, finds its
parallel in this week’s sidra. The Torah repeatedly quotes a peculiar
meeting place between Moshe and Pharaoh and states, “Go to Pharaoh in the
morning; behold he is going out to the water.” (Shemos 7: 15) Moshe
Rabbeinu was given explicit instructions to meet Pharaoh far away from
his palace at the foot of the Nile River. Rashi (ad loc.) explains that
this auspicious meeting place was chosen in response to Pharaoh’s
arrogant claim to the masses. He maintained that he was a deity and was
not subject to any physical or bodily needs. In order to preserve this
myth, he found it necessary to wake early each morning and secretly
travel to the Nile River to relieve himself there. Hashem chose this
exact place and moment to send His faithful servant Moshe to this mighty
Pharaoh to remind him of his mortality and to inform him that his secret
identity was discovered.
But the parallel
lines between the two Pharaohs extend much further and, in truth, a
direct corollary exists between the experiences of the two. In our
haftorah Yechezkel predicts the Egyptian downfall and states in the name
of Hashem, ” Behold I am turning against you and your river and I will
render the land of Egypt ruined and desolate… Neither man nor animal
shall pass through the land for forty years.” ( 29: 10,11 ) Our Chazal
(Breishis Rabba 89:9) place special significance on the particular number
forty being predicted here. They note the Biblical discussions between
Yosef and Pharaoh wherein the seven years of famine are mentioned six
times. They view this as an indication of an intended decree of famine
for Egypt for a period of forty two years. However only seven of these
years were actually decreed upon Egypt. The Baalei Tosfos (in their
commentary to Breishis 41, 27 ) explain that this was a result of Yosef’s
intervention on behalf of himself. Yosef approached Hashem and requested
that only seven of those famine years materialize in his own lifetime.
Hashem granted this request and Yosef, when interpreting Pharaoh’s dream,
predicted merely seven years of famine. Chazal add (see Rashi Breishis
47, 19) that, in actuality, only two years of this famine transpired.
They explain that after Yaakov Avinu arrived in Egypt he blessed Pharaoh
with prosperity and the famine came to an immediate halt. However, the
remaining forty years of famine were put on hold. They were reserved for
a later period when Egypt would deserve this harsh treatment from Hashem.
In the days of Yechezkel, the time had finally arrived and the remaining
forty years were now decreed upon Egypt.
This powerful
insight of Chazal suggests that Egypt was presently suffering for the
fault she committed nearly one thousand years earlier. Apparently, this
decree of Egyptian desolation was Heavenly ordained many centuries
earlier for a similar fault of hers. It follows logically that the
earlier Pharaoh must have possessed a similar approach to prosperity to
that of the later Pharaoh. Indeed, this was the case and we discover a
similar scenario in the earlier Egyptian empire. The commentators take
note of an intentional discrepancy in Pharaoh’s dream when related to
Yosef. In Pharaoh’s true dream, the Torah reveals him standing above the
Nile River. However when relating his dream to Yosef Pharaoh alters this
point and refers to himself standing next to the river. Chazal explain
(see Tanchuma Voeira 8) that Pharaoh truly regarded himself a deity who
was responsible for creating and developing the Nile River. In his dream
he beheld himself standing above the Nile because he maintained this same
approach of “the river is mine and I have developed it.” He was, however,
embarrassed to reveal his arrogance to Yosef and therefore carefully
omitted this trivial nuance.
We now discover the
direct corollary between the two Pharaohs, both claiming to be the sole
source of their prosperity. In response to this arrogant attitude of
total self dependency Hashem initially decreed forty two years of
desolation for Egypt. Through this, Hashem would display that it was He
who controls prosperity and that everyone, Pharaoh and Egypt included,
depended upon Hashem. The Nile River would be of no use to Egypt and they
would realize that Hashem provides for them, rather than their Nile.
Pharaoh quickly learned his lesson soon after Yaakov Avinu’s arrival in
Egypt. Mysteriously, after Yaakov came to Egypt and blessed Pharaoh the
entire famine came to a sudden halt. Through this miracle the early
Pharaoh was personally convinced that it was Hashem who controlled the
world. Once Pharaoh learned his lesson the forty remaining years of famine
were suspended. In the interim Egypt developed a hostile attitude towards
Hashem and His people. On the heals of Egypt’s recent lesson Hashem
completed the process and destroyed the entire Egyptian Empire. It would
be many years before Egypt would raise her head in pride and take credit,
once again, for her accomplishments.
But now, nearly one
thousand years later Egypt did return to her ancient practices. After the
many devastating blows she suffered Egypt finally rebuilt her empire. Now
in the height of success, Pharaoh followed his predecessors and turned to
his Nile River claiming it to be the sole source of Egypt’s prosperity.
He, like the earlier Pharaoh, maintained that the Nile was his own
creation and that it was he who developed it. Hashem refused to tolerate
such arrogance and with the first signs of such absurdity, decreed upon
Egypt her long awaited forty years of desolation. With this, Hashem
reminded the Egyptians and the entire world that it was He who controlled
the world and that everyone, Egypt included, ultimately depended upon Him
for their prosperity. The above lesson reinforces the fact that although
we may play a role in our success we must never forget that it is Hashem
who truly provides for us and enables this success to materialize.
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