True Self Defense

And these are the names of the Children of Israel who were coming to Egypt... (Exodus 1:1) Thus begins the 2nd of the 5 books of the Torah known as Shemot (Exodus). The Rabbis note how strange the wording of this verse is. We're talking many years after Jacob and his family came down to Egypt, so why doesn't the verse say: "the Children of Israel who came..." in the past tense?? The answer is, that the Egyptian people looked at the Jews, not as equal residents and one of their own, but as foreigners - even generations later. It was still as if they had just moved down to Egypt.


As we've seen many times before, the Torah is a blueprint and guide for us in whatever generation we find ourselves in. We see this perhaps clearest in the classic anti-semitism shown by the Egyptians, led by Pharaoh, toward their Jewish citizens. The method and thinking of the Egyptians, and the reaction of Moshe & the Jewish people, can teach us much about anti-semitism & how to combat it in 2012. '(Pharaoh) said to his people, "Behold! the people, the Children of Israel, are more numerous and stronger than we. Come, let us outsmart it lest it become numerous and it may be that if a war will occur, it, too, may join our enemies, and wage war against us and go up from the land."' (Exodus 9-10)

1st of all, it's highly doubtful that the young Jewish nation was "more numerous & stronger" than Egypt, the superpower of the time. But it's understandable to use that falsehood as a fear tactic for the masses. Ask the average person how big they think Israel is, or how many Jews there are in the world, and you are also likely to hear "I don't know, the size of Texas?" And "maybe 150 million?" Try 1/32 the size of Texas and 14 million. Because of how well Jews worldwide have done in every position imaginable, we're imagined bigger and stronger than we are. And then Pharaoh used a classic claim, that Jews would side with the enemy invader if a war occurred, a claim perpetuated by many throughout history, even though the Jewish community has proven the most loyal, generous, and supportive of their respective countries. Ask my grandfather who fought for the French in WWII, or Obama or Romney who receive massive contributions from Jews. Jews have always been very active in the support and development of the countries they live in. So where does anti-semitism, seen throughout history, really come from? And what can we do about it?

If we look a few verses later, we can find allusions to the answer.
'It happened in those days that Moses grew up and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, of his brethren. He turned this way and that and saw that there was no man, so he struck the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.' (Exodus 2:11-12)
How did Moshe "strike" this Egyptian? There are 3 general opinions brought by the Sages: 1) Moshe simply hit him with his fist. 2) Moshe picked up a hammer or shovel and hit him. 3) Moshe said a secret name of G-d which caused his death. (Rashi) From these 3 opinions of how Moshe dealt with the anti-semitic threats of his day, we can learn for our present day circumstances: 1) We must be physically strong; like having an army (the IDF) for defense. 2) We must build institutions that help protect us (like AIPAC, lobbying & advocacy groups, etc.) 3) We have to trust in G-d, engaging in Torah, prayer, and mitzvot, for ultimately it is G-d who watches over us and our safety.

After Moshe kills the Egyptian, he flees Egypt, ultimately meeting with his destiny when he encounters a thorn bush that burns, but isn't consumed, where G-d speaks to him. This teaches us that G-d is with his people even in the thorn bushes of life, the painful and tough situations. And we must remember that, no matter how much the nations of the world try to destroy us, we Jews have never been consumed - and never will.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel