Pharaoh's G-d Complex

Never underestimate a story in Torah. For just as Torah itself is endless in meaning, so is every story. The characters in Torah must also be respected. Even the villagers. If Torah tells of them, and quotes them, there must be more to them than meets the eye. Pharaoh was no dummy (remember, crazy not stupid). He had a ‘G-d complex’ and wished to be worshiped as G-d is worshipped.

Upon discovering, from Joseph, that G-d wants to make a home for Himself out of the material, physical world -‘a dwelling place in the lowest world’- Pharaoh enslaved the Jews, demanding that they build homes for him out of the lowest materials in the world: mud and straw.

He was no dummy; when you are G-d, you do as G-d does. G-d chose the children of Abraham, and so does Pharaoh. G-d gives them a mission, so does Pharaoh. G-d expects total devotion, so does Pharaoh. Nothing can change G-d’s mind, nothing can change Pharaoh’s mind (almost.)

Pharaoh is also a realist with good practical sense. When Moshe tells him that the Jews want to go into the desert to worship G-d, Pharaoh is horrified by the prospect. “You want to go out into the desert in search of G-d?! I can’t let you do that. It’s irresponsible. Don’t you know what happens to people who build compounds and gather followers to seek signs of G-d? Haven’t you heard of Waco? Jim Jones? ‘I see blood in your future if you follow in this path.’ (Kool-Aid maybe)”

When Pharaoh finally relents, he thinks “Let them take a ‘minyan’ of Jews into the desert for three days, ‘to get it out of their system’.” But Moshe says “With our young and old, our sons and our daughters we will go.” Pharaoh is shocked, “You really are crazy, I can’t let you do this.”

Pharaoh is also surprised at Moshe, who grew up in the palace. Of all people, Moshe should appreciate the great strides Egypt was making in all fields. Egypt was on the cutting edge of science, medicine, architecture, and even religion with all its G-d’s. Egypt was the future of civilization at its best. Egyptian culture will reign supreme forever! The Jews could be part of this historical development, and Moshe wants to take them into the barren desert to become nomads! Useless, irrelevant, and insignificant creatures! Useless to themselves and the world! Pharaoh won’t allow it. Jewish intelligence, talent, and resourcefulness are terrible things to waste.

So Pharaoh sounds like a mentch after all. His arguments will echo many times through history, you hear it even today.

So what was wrong with Pharaoh?

Pharaoh’s problem was he thought Moshe wanted to go in search of G-d, to find or invent religion. In fact it was G-d who was searching for the “nation from within a nation” because he needed them. Once Pharaoh realized this, he not only let the Jews go, he rushed them out of Egypt because, “You don’t keep G-d waiting.”

Pharaoh now understood that Judaism was not to be another religion and Jews would not be religious. This was something else. This divine project would in fact be more relevant through history than Egypt, and long after Egypt is consigned to the museums of the world.

Judaism is vital, alive, and making trouble as much as before, with no sings of its infirmity.

But we need to be reminded of this truth daily “in remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt.” Jewish leaders need to make decisions based on Torah and Jewish Law, not on the values of Western civilization! We all need to put G-d’s agenda before our own and teach our children Torah before any other subject. Only then will the Pharaoh’s of the world realize the truth and help us make it a reality.