 |
| By HogArtDesign Available on Etsy |
Last week marked the 74th anniversary of the birth of Janis Joplin. Though her career lasted barely a decade (she died of a drug overdose at age 27) Joplin still made Rolling Stones lists for “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” and “100 Greatest Singers of All Time”
One of Joplin’s last hits was Me and Bobby McGee, with lyrics: "Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin' for a train, I was feelin' nearly faded as my jeans. . . . Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose."
Joplin's lyric (written by Kris Kristofferson) is soulful but it's wrong. Freedom is not nothing left to lose. It is everything to gain.
Freedom is at the heart of this week’s Torah portion as we read about the plagues that fall on Egypt when Moses tries to convince Pharaoh to release ancient Israel from slavery. Freedom comes not when one has nothing left to lose; but when a community confronts those who are close-minded and hard-hearted.
Torah illustrates destructive power of being close-minded when it brings the plague of frogs. The frogs are everywhere! According to Abraham Ibn Ezra (12 century Spain), Pharaoh believes the frogs are a mere natural phenomenon. When Moses offers to turn off the plague, Pharaoh hesitates. Why? Because in Pharaoh closed-mind, he assumes the plague is about to end on its own when Moses approaches offering to turn off the plague. Pharaoh presumes Moses wants him to say "Now!" So, instead, Pharaoh says, "Tomorrow." (Exodus 8:5-6) Pharaoh expects to make a fool of Moses when the plague ends on its own moments after Pharaoh says "Tomorrow."
In other words, Pharaoh is so closed to the possibility the frog plague might represent something more that he ignores the possibility that he might cause the plague to last longer. Pharaoh is so trapped by his fixed mindset -- his closed way of seeing the world -- that he could not open his mind to the possibility of something else at work in the plague.
Rather than trying to take in as much information as possible and making decisions based on that, he kept his mind closed. True learning occurs when we are open to the possibility of something being different from what we believe or listening to someone who thinks differently from us. And wise leadership depends on that type of open-mindedness.
As to being "hard-hearted," Torah uses that term more times this week than in any other weekly Torah reading. Pharaoh's heart is hardened to the plight of the ancient Israelites. He is deaf to their pleas, indifferent to their suffering, and wants to destroy them.
But Moses and God are activated by the Israelite suffering. As God explains to Moses, "I have heard their groaning and I have remembered the covenant I made with their ancestors." (Exodus 6:5) Why is it necessary that God both hear and remember? Wouldn't one have been sufficient reason to redeem the Israelites from bondage in Egypt?
The double justification comes to remind us that true power depends on being able to exercise both mercy (hearing the cries) and justice (remembering prior commitments). God models both attributes to reinforce that they are needed in our leaders and in ourselves. In this way, the Torah illustrates a fundamental tension between God’s mercy and loving regard on the one hand and Pharaoh’s hard hearted disregard of suffering, on the other.
In the days and weeks ahead, may we have the wisdom to be open-minded and the strength to be open-hearted all along the path toward freedom. And may we use that wisdom and strength to empower others to be free.
Joplin's lyric (written by Kris Kristofferson) is soulful but it's wrong. Freedom is not nothing left to lose. It is everything to gain.
Freedom is at the heart of this week’s Torah portion as we read about the plagues that fall on Egypt when Moses tries to convince Pharaoh to release ancient Israel from slavery. Freedom comes not when one has nothing left to lose; but when a community confronts those who are close-minded and hard-hearted.
Torah illustrates destructive power of being close-minded when it brings the plague of frogs. The frogs are everywhere! According to Abraham Ibn Ezra (12 century Spain), Pharaoh believes the frogs are a mere natural phenomenon. When Moses offers to turn off the plague, Pharaoh hesitates. Why? Because in Pharaoh closed-mind, he assumes the plague is about to end on its own when Moses approaches offering to turn off the plague. Pharaoh presumes Moses wants him to say "Now!" So, instead, Pharaoh says, "Tomorrow." (Exodus 8:5-6) Pharaoh expects to make a fool of Moses when the plague ends on its own moments after Pharaoh says "Tomorrow."
In other words, Pharaoh is so closed to the possibility the frog plague might represent something more that he ignores the possibility that he might cause the plague to last longer. Pharaoh is so trapped by his fixed mindset -- his closed way of seeing the world -- that he could not open his mind to the possibility of something else at work in the plague.
Rather than trying to take in as much information as possible and making decisions based on that, he kept his mind closed. True learning occurs when we are open to the possibility of something being different from what we believe or listening to someone who thinks differently from us. And wise leadership depends on that type of open-mindedness.
As to being "hard-hearted," Torah uses that term more times this week than in any other weekly Torah reading. Pharaoh's heart is hardened to the plight of the ancient Israelites. He is deaf to their pleas, indifferent to their suffering, and wants to destroy them.
But Moses and God are activated by the Israelite suffering. As God explains to Moses, "I have heard their groaning and I have remembered the covenant I made with their ancestors." (Exodus 6:5) Why is it necessary that God both hear and remember? Wouldn't one have been sufficient reason to redeem the Israelites from bondage in Egypt?
The double justification comes to remind us that true power depends on being able to exercise both mercy (hearing the cries) and justice (remembering prior commitments). God models both attributes to reinforce that they are needed in our leaders and in ourselves. In this way, the Torah illustrates a fundamental tension between God’s mercy and loving regard on the one hand and Pharaoh’s hard hearted disregard of suffering, on the other.
In the days and weeks ahead, may we have the wisdom to be open-minded and the strength to be open-hearted all along the path toward freedom. And may we use that wisdom and strength to empower others to be free.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comment Here