January 15, 2021
The Heroism of Eugene Goodman vs. Pharaoh
Vaera
Over and over this week I watched the video of Officer Eugene Goodman acting heroically and saving many lives in the Capitol as he intentionally led a violent mob in the wrong direction and away from the Senate chamber: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/capitol-police-officer-eugene-goodman-200711671.html. Every time I watched the video I marveled at his courage and brilliance under enormous pressure.
Heroism was on my mind this week because of Eugene Goodman and because our world needs more heroes and –turning to our parasha—less Pharaohs.
Pharaoh is technically a term for the king of Egypt. However, the term Pharaoh also represents an arrogant and evil person who claims credit for God’s work and really only cares about oneself; in other words, the opposite of a hero.
Our parasha tells us about seven of the ten plagues that Hashem visited upon Pharaoh. One purpose of these plagues was to expose Pharaoh in the eyes of the Israelites and Egyptians as an empty vessel, an imposter, and a complete fraud.
All of the plagues were brutal and overwhelming, but of the plagues one stands out from all the others. There is only one plague that still remains in Egypt to this day—the plague of tzefardea.
The Torah tells us that even after Moshe removes the threat of the tzefardea, they will “remain in the river, rak bai-or tesharnah” (8:7). All the other plagues disappeared. Indeed, concerning the plague of arbeh, we are specifically told nothing like it will ever return (10:14). But tzefardea remains. This is a reminder that the spiritual threat symbolized by the tzefardea is something we must always be vigilant against.
What do the tzefardea symbolize? Why was their plague specifically brought against the Egyptians and the House of Pharaoh?
Well, that depends on how we identify the tzefardea animal.
Most commentators assume that the term tzefardea refers to a frog. But this is by no means a universal suggestion.
There are several difficulties with identifying the tzefardea as a frog. First, the Talmud refers to a single large animal that filled the entire land. This doesn’t sound like a frog (Sanhedrin, 67b). Second, Rashi also refers to a Midrash that a very large animal came up from the water and from this animal many smaller animals emerged (8:2). Third, textually, although the term tzefardaim (plural) is often used in this portion, the Torah also uses the singular as in, “Va-taal hatzefardea va-techas et eretz mitzrayim, and the tzefardea arose and covered the land of Egypt”(8:2).
The great commentator, Ibn Ezra, notes that, “many commentators suggest that it refers to an aquatic creature found in Egypt, called al-timsah in Arabic, which comes out of the river and seizes human beings” (7:27). (For a discussion of other traditional commentators that assume this animal was a crocodile, see http://zootorah.blogspot.com/2009/01/frogs-and-crocs.html .)
If we adopt the approach that the tzefardea is not a frog, but a crocodile, then the symbolism of the crocodile in Egypt is clear.
The crocodile was one of the most powerful symbols of Pharaoh’s power in ancient Egypt.
Dr. Leon Kass discusses the importance of the crocodile in Egyptian culture (although he himself does not support the notion that the tzefardea was a crocodile).
He writes:
“From ancient times through to the Roman period, the Egyptian pantheon included Sobek, the god of crocodiles, who to his worshippers was the god who created the Nile. He was a source of power and fertility and a symbol of Pharaonic strength and military power. Represented either as a crocodile headed man or as a full crocodile, Sobek was both revered as protector against the dangers of the Nile and for his ability to ward off evil, and feared for his animalistic and violent nature—as were his patron animal and Pharaoh” (Kass, Founding God’s Nation: Reading Exodus, 134).
In our Haftorah, the prophet Ezekiel, tells us that Hashem declares that he will destroy the “mighty” Pharaoh who falsely declared, “I am the Nile. I created it” (29:9). Ezekiel was sent to tell the world:
“Thus says Hashem: ‘Behold I will rise up against Pharaoh, King of Egypt, the great crocodile (tanim) crouching in the midst of his rivers, who says, ‘I am the Nile. I created it’’” (29:3).
Ezekiel thus identifies Pharaoh with a crocodile—a crocodile that will be crushed by Hashem.
If we take the tzefardea to mean a crocodile then the symbolism is crystal clear. Hashem is stripping Pharaoh of one of his main claims of power. Pharaoh has exuded strength by claiming to be the crocodile and the creator of the Nile. But now in this plague the crocodile turns on Pharaoh and attacks him. Pharaoh is not a crocodile, but a croc. He is a false god. One of his main claims has now been exposed.
The purpose of the plague is to make clear that the tzefardea answers to Hashem, and not to Pharaoh. This explains why Moshe emphasizes total control over the tzefardea by pinpointing the exact moment when the plague would end. Moshe asks Pharoah: “For what time shall I plead in behalf of you and your courtiers and your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses, to remain only in the Nile” (8:5).
Rashi explains that this dialogue between Pharaoh and Moshe demonstrates the total mastery of Hashem over this crocodile (8:5). The crocodile was perhaps the strongest creature known to the ancient world. And yet, for Hashem, it is a mere servant.
The message for us is that the Pharaohs of the world are not mighty. They might claim that they created the crocodile or are as strong as the crocodile, but they are nothing.
The second plague is a reminder not to get distracted by who appears in our eyes to as powerful, for true power only comes from Hashem.
In our daf yomi studies this past week we came across a similar theme.
There was once an incident involving Rav Yosef, son of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, who became ill and was about to die. While he was sick he was very close to death. When he returned to good health, his father said to him: What did you see when you were about to die and you got a glimpse of the World to Come? He said to him: I saw an upside down world. Those above, i.e., those who are considered by other people to be important in this world, are in the next world below and insignificant, while those below, i.e., those who are insignificant in this world are above in the next world.
He said to him: My son, you have seen a clear world. The world you have seen is the true world, as in that world people’s standings befit them.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked: And where are we, the Torah scholars, there? Rav Yosef responded: Just as we are [highly] regarded here, so are we [highly] regarded there. Rav Yosef added: And I heard that they were saying in that world: Praiseworthy is the one who arrives in the World to Come with his Torah studies in hand. And I also heard that they were saying: Those executed by the government enjoy such a high status that no one come into their area. The Gemara asks: And who are these martyrs that Rav Yosef was referring to? If you say that he was referring to Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues, who were martyred, this cannot be: Is their elevated status due only to the fact that they were martyred by the Roman government and nothing more? These men were exceptional in their piety and sanctity during their lives as well.
Rather, it is referring to the martyrs of Lod, Pappos and Luliyanos, who gave themselves up to be martyred for the sake of the Jewish people. They falsely admitted to killing the Roman king’s daughter in order to prevent a harsh decree from being issued against the entire community. Although they were not known for exceptional piety before that event, they are considered to be extremely holy due to their martyrdom. (Pesachim, 50a)
The symbolism of the crocodiles defeating Pharaoh is that the heroes who we think are mighty are really not. The true heroes are only the ones who serve Hashem.
But all this only works if we understand the tzefardea to be crocodiles. However, most traditional commentators understand the tzefardea to be frogs.
Netziv (1816-1893) takes a middle road and suggests that the second plague contained both frogs and crocodiles:
“Indeed it is know that there are different opinions amongst the earlier commentators, z”l, if the tzefardaim are the creatures that we know today live in the Nile that we call a crocodile or if they are the ones that live in most rivers and croak and shriek. And according to our words both interpretations are true. In the entire land of Egypt there were [frogs] who did not cause destruction. But in the house of Pharaoh there were crocodiles that were destructive” (7:29).
So if the symbolism of the crocodile is that the Pharaohs of the world are not heroes and therefore the crocodiles marched into Pharaoh’s house, what was the symbolism of the frogs throughout the land?
In rabbinic literature the frogs symbolize a commitment and an eagerness to serve Hashem no matter the challenge. Just as the frogs were up to the task of serving Hashem by willingly jumping into the Egyptian ovens, so too, we must rise to answer the call of Hashem.
In this week’s daf yomi, we learned about the frogs:
Todos of Rome taught the following. There were once three prophets named, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. King Nebuchadnezzar ordered them to bow down to an idol but they refused. So Nebuchadnezzar threw them into a fiery furnace, but they miraculously survived. Todos asked: How did these three prophets first realize that they should allow themselves to go into a fire before bowing down to an idol? They learned it from the frogs in Egypt. With regard to frogs, which are not commanded to sanctify Hashem’s, it is written: “And the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into your house, and into your bedchamber, and onto your bed, and into the houses of your servants, and upon your people, and into their ovens and kneading bowls” (Exodus 7:28). When are kneading bowls found near the oven? You must say that it is when the oven is hot. If in fulfilling the command to harass the Egyptians, the frogs entered burning ovens, all the more so, we, who are commanded concerning the sanctification of the name of God, should deliver ourselves to be killed in the fiery furnace for that purpose (Pesachim, 53bWhat is the symbolism of the frogs.
In the Talmudic interpretation, it is the frogs—as opposed to the crocodiles—that represent the true and mighty forces of the world. The frogs are the paradigm of mesirut nefesh, dedication of their lives to a sacred task.
There is a story told about the great rabbi, Aryeh Leib Ginzburg (1695-1785), also known by his classic work, Shaagas Aryeh. As a little boy the Shaagas Aryeh asked the question why does the Talmud praise the frogs so much if Gd had specifically told them to jump into the ovens? After all, weren’t the frogs simply following the commandment of Hashem? He answers that Gd gave a general order for some frogs to jump into the ovens and for others to jump into the kneading bowls and for others in to the beds of the Egyptians. The frogs that jumped into the ovens were praised because they could have shirked their responsibility and taken an easier task like jumping onto a bed. Instead, they did not push their responsibility onto others. They rushed forward. They rushed into service. It is told that the Shaagas Aryeh gave this answer while he was standing in front of the great, Vilna Gaon. When the Gaon heard this, he bent down and kissed the Shaagas Aryeh on the head.
Those who rush into service are our heroes. Not the imposters who pretend to be mighty crocodiles.
I especially thought of Eugene Goodman as a hero this week because I revisited the Meridian Clinical Trial that I worked with as part of the Covid-19 clinical trial. I really appreciated their holy work and so I gave all of their staff sweets. I told them that there are many heroes in the fight against covid and I feel lucky to have been treated by such noble heroes like them. When I think of heroes in these times I think of people from our shul like, Saul, a doctor who has lived away from his family for over 8 months so that he can care for people with Covid as part of an emergency army unit. I think of people like the vaccinators in this clinical trial who rushed forward to serve as part of the clinical trial team.
These are people who represent the message of the mesirut nefesh required from us to serve Hashem.
Whether the tzefardea are crocodiles or frogs, the message is the same: the mighty Pharaohs of the world who boastfully proclaim their greatness are complete and total frauds. We all must emulate the tzefardea of the world and act as servants of Hashem.
Shmuel Herzfeld
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You can now watch a Youtube recording of Rabbi Herzfeld’s D'var Torah:
https://youtu.be/e8NU2NF7dxs
