Parashat Shemot: Antisemitism and its unintended consequences
This week, in response to the rise of an antisemite, the Jewish people made a clear decision: bring more Jewish babies into the world!
Wait, what did you say? Mam… Mam-what? No, no! What are you talking about? There must be some misunderstanding! I didn’t say anything about current politics or the New York mayor… oh, let me see. I see what happened. The beginning of the sentence got cut off, so let me try again:
In the parsha we read this week, in response to the rise of an antisemite, the Jewish people made a clear decision: bring more Jewish babies into the world!
All right, now that we cleared the confusion, let’s get back to the topic. Because what happened in Egypt didn’t stay in Egypt. And once we learned the lesson, we’d finally understand how the Jewish people accomplished the unimaginable: We’re targeted like no other nation in the world, yet we continue to thrive.
I am sure you know the basic story: Pharaoh, a known antisemite who accused the Hebrews of double loyalty, had a master plan. He believed that by crushing their bodies, he could diminish their future. He wanted them small, broken, and subservient. His plan failed miserably. From 70 people who came to Egypt, the population bloomed to over 600,000 people!
The Torah describes what happened in one verse, which might seem to be part of the plot, but the sages tell us that this verse contains our secret recipe:
“The more the Egyptians afflicted them, the more they increased and spread.”
The choice of words here is very telling. The verse doesn’t say “the Egyptians afflicted them, yet they increased and spread,” but “the more… the more they increased.” There is a clear equation here: affliction = growth.
So if you are looking to understand the secret of the Jewish people, don’t ask “how come we thrived despite suffering,” but say “we thrived so much because we suffered so much.”
And without suffering, things wouldn’t be the same. While reviewing the different tribes, the Ramban notes how the tribe of Levi was the smallest, despite being known as a tribe of Torah scholars and leaders. The reason, explained the Ramban, is simple: the tribe of Levi was exempt from the harsh labor in Egypt, so they also missed the blessing that came with it.
So to all the antisemites out there, I have one word: don’t. It’s a stupid move, really. The worse you are, the faster and stronger we are going to emerge. So don’t waste your time.
And to all Jews who read this, shake their heads and say: really? So are we supposed to look out for suffering? Let me share with you a beautiful idea the Rebbe shared more than 40 years ago. The Rebbe emphasized that “suffering” is a relative term. For example, for someone accustomed to a life of wealth, any downgrade in lifestyle is difficult and can be considered “suffering.” So isn’t out there not suffering? I don’t think so.
And finally, to G-d, who reads this column just like He reads every little detail in His beautiful, vast creation: Dear G-d, we’ve suffered enough. Time to bring the real, lasting growth. Time for the Jewish people and the entire world to be at peace. It’s time for Moshiach.
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