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Ovadyah Ben Yisrael
Shalom Chaverym,
This week’s Torah portion is: Va’eira – ואוא – “And I appeared”
Torah reading: Sh’moth 6:2-9:35
Haftarah reading: Yechezqel 28:25-29:21
Ketuvim Hatalmidym reading: Yochanan Aleph 2:1-5
Shalom aleykhem, achym, b’shem YHWH Elohey Haivrym ~ Peace to you, my brothers, in the name of YHWH, the Elohym of the Hebrews.
Koh amar YHWH: shelach et amiy v’ya’avduniy ~ “Thus saith YHWH: Send out My people, and they shall serve Me.”
The above quoted pesuk from our parasha is most often translated: “Thus says YHWH: Let My people go that they may serve Me.” This is not the most accurate of translations. The words “let” and “may” seem to indicate passivity and an asking of permission. But the words in Hebrew are shelach et amiy, which means “Send out My people”; and v’ya’avduniy, which means “and they shall serve Me.” Even the preface to these words, koh amar YHWH – “Thus saith YHWH,” is only used in scripture when YHWH is speaking in the strongest of terms. This is not a request but a clear command.
It is written that the greatest of all commandments is, “Hear O Yisrael: YHWH is our Elohym, YHWH is One, and you shall love YHWH your Elohym with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” This command is the ultimate acknowledgement of YHWH as our Creator and the Master of all.
It is also written that “Sin is the transgression of the law,” which is the intentional breaking of the commandments. Therefore, it follows that the greatest of all sins is to deny that YHWH is Elohym and that He is One, to refuse His commands, and to hate Him. Distilled to its essence, this denial and hate of YHWH with its consequent refusal to obey His commandments can be summed up as: to look one’s Creator in the eye and tell Him, “No. And I do not know You.”
Pharaoh denied YHWH and refused His commands. He did so not only once but hardened his heart and refused Him many times. YHWH is compassionate, merciful and longsuffering. However, even though Pharaoh feigned repentance at times when things were going badly for him, YHWH knew it to be only mockery, because Pharaoh continued to break the same commands again and again with no real intention of stopping. Moreover, Pharaoh not only denied YHWH and refused Him, he even went so far as to say, “Who is YHWH that I should hearken unto His voice to send out Yisrael? I know not YHWH, and also I will not send Yisrael out.”
Ah, that dastardly Pharaoh! How dare he deny and refuse the Master of all creation! But Pharaoh is not the only one who hardened his heart and said “no” to YHWH’s commands. Not much later, His own people did so as well. And we have been doing so ever since.
It is written, “By this we know that we know Him – if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” My brethren, do you know Him?
It is further written, “But whomever guards His Word, truly the love of Elohym has been perfected in him.” Yehoshua even said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” My brethren, do you love Him?
Then listen: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tried Me, proved Me and saw My works forty years. Therefore, I was grieved with that generation and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart and have not known My ways.’”
B’Shalom, Ovadyah Ben Yisrael