Community Magazine January 2012

Moshe on the Sidelines Gd delivered ten devastating plagues upon the Egyptians, several of which began with an action performed by Moshe, or by Moshe and Aharon together. Thus, for example, Moshe raised his hands to the heavens to bring the hail (9:23), and Moshe and Aharon jointly threw ashes up toward the sky to trigger the plague of boils (9:9). When it came to the first three plagues, however, Moshe was told to stay on the sidelines. Aharon struck the Nile River to turn the country’s water to blood (7:19-20) and then later to produce frogs (8:1-2), andAharon also struck the dust of the earth to bring the plague of vermin (8:13). The Talmud in Masechet Bava Kama explains Moshe’s passivity in these instances by citing a popular aphorism: “Don’t throw a stone into a well you drank from.” This means that we must show gratitude even to inanimate objects that benefited us. If we used water from a well, it is improper to cause it even minor harm by throwing a stone into it. This is why Moshe could not bring a plague upon the Nile River or upon the ground of Egypt. The Nile River is where he was hid as an infant from the Egyptian officials assigned to kill every Israelite newborn boy, and later in his life, he used the earth of the ground to hide the remains of the Egyptian taskmaster whom he killed. Strange as it may seem at first, Moshe owed a “debt of gratitude” of sorts to the river and the ground, thus preventing him from turning the river to blood and from turning the earth to vermin. Be Nice to Your Styrofoam Cup The commentaries on the Talmud record another incident that further illustrates this startling concept. The Rif (Rabbi Yitzhak Alfasi z.s.l. of Morocco, 1013-1103) was once approached by a businessman who had fallen upon hard times. Among the man’s enterprises was a public bathhouse, but he was now forced to sell the facility to cover his debts. The man asked the Rif to prepare the contract of sale for him and oversee the transaction to ensure its halachic validity. The Rif, however, refused to participate in the sale in any way. “I have been a long-time customer of the bathhouse,” the rabbi explained. “I’ve used it many times, and I owe it gratitude.” The Rif thought he would be “double crossing” the bathhouse if he would help arrange for its sale, and he therefore sent the man to another rabbi. An experience I once had as a student in kollel provides an example that is perhaps easier to relate to. While studying we would occasionally get a hot drink and bring it into the bet midrash. Once, after I finished my tea, I fidgeted with the cup as my havruta and I learned together, and I was ripping it into pieces. My havruta mentioned to me that I shouldn’t rip my Styrofoam cup. After all, it offered me a valuable service, enabling me to drink tea. It isn’t proper to rip it up. ATTITUDE OF ratitude Dedicated inmemory of Mr.Moshe Cohen   RABBI ELI J. MANSOUR During what was perhaps the most extraordinary time in our history, while wondrous plagues were being inflicted on the Egyptians, Gd was teaching the Jewish nation a crucial lesson through an undercurrent theme that, though far less dramatic, was no less crucial for Torah life. 14 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE