Recent attempts at peace in the Middle East have consistently met with roadblocks of some sort. In the latest round of talks Israel has pushed for one simple step from the PA – recognize the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state. Apparently, that is asking for one thing too much.
Imagine, an entity wishes to make peace with a country but refuses to recognize that country. It’s like pirates hijacking a ship and flying their own flag on its mast, yet saying they are peace-seeking.
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When reading the Parsha of Va’eirah this week, I thought about such dangers in a spiritual sense.
When approached by Moshe to allow the Jews to go serve G-d in the wilderness, Pharaoh said: "Sacrifice to G-d your G-d in the wilderness, but don't go too far; pray for me” (Shemot/Exodus 8:24).
This verse personifies the approach and strategy of the “Pharaoh” within each person. We all possess a Pharaoh that voices its opinion and attempts to steer us off course.
Pharaoh has a very clever tactic. He knows that simply telling you not to pray won’t work. Pure confrontation might backfire. So instead Pharaoh assumes a gentler, more enticing approach. Let’s pray together. Please pray for me as well.
Chassidic teachings underscore that the animal soul of man, which embodies his selfish and material desires, knows that it is futile to try to dissuade a Jew from serving his Creator. So when a Jew wants to pray, it doesn't try to stop him; instead, it seeks to transform his service into just another selfish endeavor.
Essentially, Pharaoh tries to hijack our spiritual pursuits and take ownership of them.
The question I continue to ask myself is, “Am I really the one praying, or feeding the hungry, or studying Torah – or has my inner Pharaoh commandeered my mitzvah and robbed it of its true ownership?”