God brings the last trio of the ten plagues upon Egypt this week. First, an eastern wind blows locusts onto all the fields. Second, the Egyptians have darkness forced upon them for three straight days. Third and finally, God brings the horror of death to Egypt overnight. In addition to get the Israelites liberated, God brings the plagues to show to Pharaoh that the Eternal is the one, all powerful God. Moses describes to the Israelites how to avoid the angel of death. God instructs the Israelites that this day's legacy will become the festival of Unleavened Bread or Passover.
Why does God need to prove something to Pharaoh? If God had only brought one plague, would it have been enough to free Israel? Pharaoh's magicians could match God's early plague. It took all ten plagues to get through Pharaoh skull that God existed. The Torah says that God stiffened Pharaoh's heart. It is almost like God had unfinished business in Egypt. God wanted the Egyptians to know that God is one. It seems like Israel is always trying to prove themselves.
As Americans, we always associate proof with what is real. We need to see it to believe it. It is part of our bio-laws that all criminals are innocent until proven guilty. Now, not all court cases need the wrath of God as evidence, but criminals have slipped through the system. What if God had only brought blood? What if no one believed in God? We see God all around us. It is up to us to recognize it.
Mordecai Kaplan believed that God did not make nature happen, but God is nature. Kaplan thought that everything from the hurricanes we see to the sunrise each day is God. This would mean that God's proof happens everyday. Does God need proof?
If God is the Ruler of the Universe, why do we demand to see God? Maybe we are not meant to see God. In this week's portion God told Moses that it would terrible if he saw the face of God. God's ultimate mystery helps us believe. Judaism is just a religion where we do not necessarily need to prove it!
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