Mozart & Egypt

In this week's Torah portion, Bo, we read about the final 3 plagues against Pharaoh & the Egyptian people, as the Jewish people prepare to leave Egypt in freedom. But before they do, let's take a step back & ask a simple, yet fundamental question: Why did the Jewish nation have to go down to Egypt in order to be enslaved in the 1st place!? Couldn't G-d have kept us in the holy land - safe & sound - and given us the Torah there?

What has every nation who has ever abused the Jewish people had in common with one another? From Egypt to Rome, Babylonia to Greece, Spain in the late 15th-century and Germany in the mid-20th; all of these nations were powerful. But more than that, each of these nations excelled, perhaps led the world in - modernity and cultural advancement. The democracy & philosophy of Greece & Rome, the golden age of Spain, the emphasis & success of the art and music in Germany; each of these nations were at the forefront of their times in their appreciation of an enlightened culture. But did that "enlightenment" equate to having a moral society? It seems quite to the contrary! The more culturally advanced the nation was, the more cruel and disgusting were their actions!

Let's look at this on an individual level. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was brilliant. By 6 years old, when most kids his age were learning to read, Mozart had composed an entire symphony, to be performed by a full philharmonic orchestra! Ludwig van Beethoven, after becoming completely deaf, composed some of his most famous symphonies - unable to hear even one note of his composition! Niccolo Paganini composed such a complex violin concerto, that for 150 years no one was able to play it - except for Paganini himself. These brilliant souls obviously were blessed with amazing skills. But what type of people were they? From what we know, they had terrible character traits! Each one more unpleasant than the next. But how could that be!? Like the nations mentioned above, the reason why these amazing innovators weren't kind and gentle, was very simply because culture isn't Torah. Skills, knowledge, culture do not translate into goodness. Why not? It's because it doesn't penetrate into one's core - who I really am. Torah was given to the world to change one's inner self, to penetrate one's being in a way that refines the animal within. In simple yiddish: To make one into a mentsch.

And THAT'S why we had to go down to Egypt, as a precursor to accepting the Torah. If we never had, perhaps there would be wonder and curiosity as to whether we were missing out on the amazingly advanced culture of the super power Egypt! Innovative architectural pyramids, mathematics, you name it! G-d said: "OK, go and see if this advanced culture translates into a good society; into the best way of living life." Like the Nazis who lived culturally aware lives to the highest of degrees, we Jews have lived together with every leading nation & their cultures throughout history. Yet none have offered as kind and as just an outlook as what the Torah has given us. When we left Egypt, we could now truly appreciate Mount Sinai.

May we remember today as well, that as great as the advanced cultures & societies of today are, we must always turn to Torah and its guiding principles & values as our inspiration and guide to living a good life. Shabbat Shalom!