Jewish academic and Hebrew scholar Irene Lancaster reflects on what the Exodus story can teach us in the face of another challenging year ahead.
The Book of Bereshit (Genesis) has come to an end. 'In the beginning' has morphed into the story of the Exodus from Egypt. As one chapter finishes, another begins. The twelve tribes have become Israel and Joseph the economist to Pharaoh has died and is buried. Now another Israelite at Pharaoh's court holds the reins and this is Moses.
So, two Israelite leaders connected to Egypt; one to help her out of famine and another to lead his people out of Egypt, over the Reed Sea and into the wilderness.
The two stories, of Joseph and Moses, have much in common. Their mothers (Rachel and Yocheved respectively) have made many sacrifices for their sons. Their wives (Asenat and Zipporah respectively) are originally members of non-Israelite pagan families and have a great deal of learning to do. Their respective siblings are also impressive and don't always agree with Joseph and Moses, to put it mildly. So challenges abound for our heroes, as neither fits in to either Egyptian or Israelite society with ease.
Judaism is unique in that even Biblical heroes aren't perfect and we see their characters evolve with age and experience. The Jewish concept of 'free will' means that every moment a choice has to be made. The Sages taught that this human attribute is what makes people 'higher than the angels', creatures lacking free will, who simply carry out G-d's bidding without question.
Joseph starts out as an overconfident teenager, but ends up learning humility. Moses is humble to start with, but also develops the strength to shepherd the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the Wilderness.
From the Wilderness, the children of Israel will eventually enter the Promised Land. But not Moses, who must remain on the other side of the Jordan and watch the fruits of his labour flourish without him. He relinquishes his role to Joshua Ben Nun, who is more suited to leading the former Israelite slaves into the challenges of the Promised Land. To this day we do not know where exactly Moses is buried.
The timing of the Exodus story always coincides with deepest winter. The Exodus itself is celebrated in late March or April, the first Jewish month of Nissan, heralding spring. But we start the story from the depths of despair, often when the weather is freezing, in order to grow gradually into the warmth of the final redemption from slavery, into the new status of 'a free people'.
As we mark the slow unravelling of our most famous story, in which G-d tells Pharaoh to 'let My people go' (Exodus 5:1), the clarion call for so many enslaved and suffering people throughout the millennia, we cannot help but note the plight of our own contemporary world at present.
We enter the second quarter of the 21st century with the whole world in turmoil. Our own country is at rock bottom, with both Church and state in disarray and in disrepute.
Many UK Jews, including esteemed rabbis of thriving Shuls, have suddenly announced that they are emigrating to Israel. Energy bills are soaring due to political ineptitude and pensioners have been deprived without notice of the means to pay these and other bills. As for the NHS ....
And in a matter of days, a new type of leader will take on the world. A very different direction has been promised. Will the Israeli hostages at last be freed? How many are still alive? And how many have been damaged beyond belief? Will Israel and the entire Jewish people be able to breathe free again? Will we be able to sleep at night, once more?
We don't have the answers to these questions. All we can do is hope and pray. Even Moses, our greatest teacher, was not perfect. And putting our trust in one politician is not G-d's way.
Churchill, the greatest Englishman, said: "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
He also said: "Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."
These are the sentiments that best describe the Exodus endeavour. This is what the children of Israel have in front of them in the coming months leading up to Pesach, and this is the true teaching of the Book of Exodus.
