CHOCHMAS NASHAIM: PHARAOH BIDEN FORGETS JOSEPH ISRAEL
By: Suri Davis
Starting the second book of the Pentateuch, Exodus, the book begins with “a new king arises on Egypt who didn’t know Joseph.”
Hmmm. One might have thought if it was centuries, or even merely decades, later, the amnesia would make sense. Joseph was viceroy for decades who saved Egypt and the entire region from famine and was the brilliance, at the hand of G-d, which brought great wealth to Pharaoh and Egypt and solidified Pharaoh’s power in the region and world. B’derech hateva, in the course of the natural world, how could Pharaoh not know Joseph.”
The countries of the world who suffer tragedy, can count on Israel to come to their aide. EVEN THE GREAT AMERICA, when the Surfside building collapsed, relied on Israel for recovery. When Israel has now suffered its greatest loss since the Holocaust, those countries remain silent.
All the news casts which reported how United States officials were coming to Israel to show support, was frankly fatuous. The officials came to Israel to handcuff it and warn it to curtail its efforts to route out its bestial enemy. The demented Biden supported Israel for a quick second and a half, and “our friends” in Congress our largely silent.
Biden has pulled the Gerald Ford naval carrier from the Red Sea, which was supposed to have warned Hezbollah not to escalate. FAILURE. The Gerald Ford said goodbye as it knew that Iran was sending its warships to the Red Sea.
Thank you President Biden, Israel needs to learn once and for all, Yisrael b’tach B’Hashem, ezram umaginam hu/the Nation of Israel relies on G-d for He is their aide and shield. Que sera, sera, it is all in G-d’s hands.
How is it that Pharaoh didn’t know Joseph? I have written often of the Hebrew word to know, Layda. Adam knew Eve, and in Exodus Moses asks G-d to reveal His essence so Moses could know Him. To know is to know, as Maimonides writes in his Mishneh Torah, that it is a commandment to know that G-d created the world and keeps it running every minute of every day, and nothing in this world occurs without G-d permitting it to do so. No one has power, not even the great Pharaoh, unless G-d has commanded it be so.
So while Pharaoh knew of Joseph’s existence, he did not know that the source of Joseph’s power was G-d, as revealed in next week’s torah portion when Pharaoh says “etzbah Elohim he/it is the finger of G-d,” sure there is a divine spirit, but that spirit does not actively watch over the world.
Mr. Biden, American presidents have come and gone. German presidents have come and gone. Russian presidents have come and gone. Roman and Babylonian emperors and Greek emperors too, they are gone, but the Jews are here to stay, with your help, or not. We are a small country, we are few in the world at large, but we are important enough to want to be annihilated by great superpowers, G-d had and has other plans.
Hey nations of the world, you think your plans to decimate is unique? Nope. G-d told Abraham that his descendants will be strangers in a strange land, subject to slavery and antisemitic laws throughout its history, but G-d would redeem Israel with great riches. We confirm this promise in every Passover seder in the song of v’he sheamdah, “in every generation, there will be those who stand up to destroy us, but G-d saves us from their hands.” History is on our side. Sure, we get smacked down, but when we cry out o G-d, He listens and saves us, and the very first time He had to save His nation was from the hands of 210 years of slavery, more about that in coming weeks.
So Mr. Biden, we don’t need your henchmen coming to Israel to strongarm us, you will see that we will survive and thrive without you, or any other country, for WE ARE THE CHOSEN NATION. You have played your election cards with Pro-Palestinians, how’s that working for you? Chalomot paz.
Good Shabbos.
-Suri