Parshas Bo
Emotional Planning
by Rabbi Pinchas Avruch
When Moshe and Aaron approached Pharaoh to request the release of the Jewish
nation prior to the eighth plague, locusts, they transmitted G-d's response
to the King's intransigence. "So said G-d, L-rd of the Hebrews, 'Until when
will you refuse to be humbled ("le'anos") before Me? Send out My people so
they may serve me!'" (Shemos/Exodus 10:3) Rashi explains that "le'anos"
derives from the etymology of "ani", a poor and destitute individual. G-d is
asking Pharaoh how long he will refuse to recognize his "poverty" before G-d
and become subservient to Him. Apparently, Pharaoh's repudiation of G-d's
numerous requests to free the Jews was borne in his haughtiness, a
stubbornness that did not allow him to defer to the will of the King of
Kings.
Even though the original subjugation of the Jews was for the economic
benefit, after seven nature-defying plagues that wreaked havoc on the
Egyptian psyche, infrastructure and economy, any objective observer would
realize there was no longer any benefit to keeping the Jews captive. As
Pharaoh's own advisors blurted out after Moshe's warning of the forthcoming
locusts, "How long will this be a snare for us? Send out the men so they may
serve G-d, their L-rd. Do you not yet know that Egypt is lost?" (ibid. v.7)
The only reason for Pharaoh's continued refusal to comply with the demand
for their release and to withstand the torturous plagues was the maintenance
of his own honor. But this reaction is illogical. If Pharaoh was truly
concerned with his honor, he should have acquiesced long ago. True, his
image would suffer slightly, but the alternative was self-destruction.
Indeed, that path led to the complete annihilation of the agricultural
infrastructure by the locusts, the deathblow to Pharaoh's illusion with the
death of the first-born sons, and the obliteration of his army in the Sea of
Reeds. Which would have been the greater blow to the royal ego, the one he
could have suffered releasing the children of Israel after seven plagues or
the one he did suffer at the Sea, where he not only lost any remaining
vestige of his honor but also any remaining vestige of his national glory?
How could Pharaoh make such counter-productive decisions?
Chidushei HaLev (1) elucidates that Pharaoh was not thinking. His
conclusions came from his ego-blinded heart, with no rationale entering the
process. This is the ability of the heart and its emotions to so absolutely
blind the mind to reality. Such decisions more often bring destruction, not
progress, to the extent that even the lust that the heart desires to satisfy
is undercut and unfulfilled.
There is barely an area of our lives for which we do not preplan. We start
planning our careers while in high school. We plan our professional
projects. We plan our vacations. But do we plan our emotions? Mesilas
Yesharim (2) bemoans "there are few, however, who devote thought and study
to perfection of Divine service - to love, fear, communion and all other
aspects of saintliness...Their failure to devote more attention to it stems
from its being so manifest and so obvious to them that they see no need to
spending much time upon it...Though the beginnings and foundations of
saintliness are implanted in every person's heart, if he does not occupy
himself with them,...he will trespass upon them without feeling or
perceiving that he is doing so." (Introduction) Just as an athlete trains
and prepares for every eventuality in his confrontation, an "emotional
planner" studies and prepares for every spiritual eventuality to assure that
rational thought maintains control. With such spiritual preparedness, even
when circumstances do not follow our original plan, we will always emerge
from the essential battle - the battle for self-control and rational
response - victorious, with our honor intact.
Have a Good Shabbos!
FOOTNOTES:
(1) the ethical discourses of Rabbi Alter Henach Leibowitz, Rosh
Yeshiva/Dean of Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim of Kew Gardens Hills, New York
(2) "Path of the Just", one of the most popular Mussar (introspective Jewish
self-improvement) works in Jewish literature; a moving, inspiring work
describing how a thoughtful Jew may climb the ladder of purification until
he attains the level of holiness; authored by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto,
1707-1746 of Padua, Italy, and Amsterdam
Copyright © 2004 by Rabbi Pinchas Avruch
and Torah.org
