Parashat VaEra | When the Hard Work is Good Management

This week our reading from the Torah unfolds the story of some of the plagues that have been inflicted upon Egypt, among them the plague of the frogs. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Say to Aaron, ‘Extend your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the streams, and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’ So Aaron extended his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.[1]” The Pharaoh is not confused by that and he calls upon his devoted soothsayer priests and low and behold, they are able to do exactly the same. However, there are now very many frogs on the land, so the “Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Plead with the Lord to remove the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, so that they may sacrifice to the Lord.’[2]” Why on earth did he have to call Moses and Aaron in the first place?! One would assume that if the soothsayer priests are capable of bringing frogs upon the earth, they ought to certainly be able to get rid of them.

Apparently, this is not that simple. Pharoah does not ask his followers to take care of the problem which has completely gone out of hand. It is also an opportunity for Moses to mock him a little. “Moses said to Pharaoh, ‘The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I plead for you and your servants and your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they be left only in the Nile?’ Then he said, ‘Tomorrow.’ So he said, ‘May it be according to your word, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. The frogs will depart from you and your houses, and from your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile.’ Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had inflicted upon Pharaoh. The Lord did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. So they piled them in heaps, and the land stank.[3]”

Even though it is obvious that dead frogs are a foul business, many living frogs are a much worse situation. Therefore, despite the stench, “when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them[4]”. From Sefer HaAgada, as edited by Bialik and Ravnistski, we learn the following: “‘when Pharaoh saw that there was relief…’ – this is the way of the wicked. While they are in trouble, they are humble, when it is over, they go back to their wicked behavior.[5]” This ritual of a plague, begging for relief, the relief, and then the hardening of one’s heart, is repeated over and over again throughout the plagues inflicted upon Egypt. It may be the outcome of a leader who is unable to learn from reality, to process that which is actually happening around him, and an ability to make the right conclusions of it. By doing so the leader brings significant difficulty upon his people and his reign. Some of the problem certainly lies in the people who surround Pharoah but who are unable to give him proper advice, the insight necessary for every leader, including Pharaoh, that they have limits and that they have a date of expiration.

Therefore, it is always a true pleasure to note cases which are different, examples where leadership is sound, wise, conservative to a degree, and bold to the best possible. My friend, chair of the Israel Reform Movement, Yair Lootsteen, wrote a letter this week to his board. “Over the past weeks, while working intensively on the work plan and budget for the year 2022, together with the professional team of the Movement headed by Anna Kislanski, we outlined a variety of operational details for the Movement for the year to come. We have learned that even though we are in a promising period, the task of achieving our objectives and fulfilling our missions is going to be complex, in an ever changing and dynamic environment, where success is not a sure thing. We decided together of a measured plan which is also quite ambitious.[6]” He then continues to call upon his colleagues to make also a monetary donation that will go beyond the time and effort that each of the members devotes to the board and its committee meetings.

Management at it highest level has nothing to do with magic. It is not the business of soothsayer priests. It is the business of hard work, Sisyphean at times, never ending, dedicated and agile. It cannot be done alone – it requires the best of teamwork. It is all about the control of overpopulation of frogs, live or dead, so that they do not destroy every bit of good work that we are trying to do, outcomes we aspire to achieve. In this respect, at the beginning of the new civic year, and just as I have emphasized at the turn of the Hebrew year, we must devote sources of time and capital in order to expand and strengthen our congregation. We need to be there for the volunteers who run the congregation throughout the year. We need to participate in its activities and call for others who are interested to join in. And, if you have some additional spare time under your belt, also consider the Movement’s activities. You will not find more satisfaction than that.

Shabbat Shalom, Chodesh Tov and wishes for Good Health.

Reuven Marko, 31 December 2021, 28 Tevet, 5782

[1] Exodus (NASB) 8 5-6 [2] Exodus (NASB) 8 8 [3] Exodus (NASB) 8 10-14 [4] Exodus (NASB) 8 15 [5] Sefer HaAgada, edited by Bialik & Ravnitski, 3rd edition, 1st part, 52, 58 (my free translation) [6] Yair Lootsteen, Chair IMPJ, e-mail to the board of governors, December 29, 2021 (my free translation)