Goals for our class this morning:
1. Explore the lesson we were taught about the plagues
2. In ancient times floods, locust, illness were the results of sins - is this how we believe God/the world works today?
- If yes, how do we support our children through natural disasters?
- If no, what do we see as the message of the plagues for our children today?
3. Our older children have just lived through a plague, how do we honor that even if they don’t connect it
(יז) וַיְנַגַּ֨ע ה' ׀ אֶת־פַּרְעֹ֛ה נְגָעִ֥ים גְּדֹלִ֖ים וְאֶת־בֵּית֑וֹ עַל־דְּבַ֥ר שָׂרַ֖י אֵ֥שֶׁת אַבְרָֽם׃
(17) But 'ה afflicted Pharaoh and his household with mighty plagues on account of Sarai, the wife of Abram.
Everett Fox on Exodus 7:14
In the Plague Narrative, the root kaved, “heavy,” occurs ten times—five times referring to Pharaoh’s heart and five referring to the plagues themselves. The latter are perhaps seen as the direct outcome of the former.
Spoiler: God sends plagues, they're terrible, Pharoah says make it stop. They say - let us go serve God in the wilderness. Pharoh agrees. The plague abates, Pharoah changes his mind.
(יד) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה כָּבֵ֖ד לֵ֣ב פַּרְעֹ֑ה מֵאֵ֖ן לְשַׁלַּ֥ח הָעָֽם׃ (טו) לֵ֣ךְ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֞ה בַּבֹּ֗קֶר הִנֵּה֙ יֹצֵ֣א הַמַּ֔יְמָה וְנִצַּבְתָּ֥ לִקְרָאת֖וֹ עַל־שְׂפַ֣ת הַיְאֹ֑ר וְהַמַּטֶּ֛ה אֲשֶׁר־נֶהְפַּ֥ךְ לְנָחָ֖שׁ תִּקַּ֥ח בְּיָדֶֽךָ׃ (טז) וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵלָ֗יו יְהֹוָ֞ה אֱלֹהֵ֤י הָעִבְרִים֙ שְׁלָחַ֤נִי אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר שַׁלַּח֙ אֶת־עַמִּ֔י וְיַֽעַבְדֻ֖נִי בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר וְהִנֵּ֥ה לֹא־שָׁמַ֖עְתָּ עַד־כֹּֽה׃ (יז) כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר ה' בְּזֹ֣את תֵּדַ֔ע כִּ֖י אֲנִ֣י ה' הִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֜י מַכֶּ֣ה ׀ בַּמַּטֶּ֣ה אֲשֶׁר־בְּיָדִ֗י עַל־הַמַּ֛יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּיְאֹ֖ר וְנֶהֶפְכ֥וּ לְדָֽם׃
(14) And ה' said to Moses, “Pharaoh is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go. (15) Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is coming out to the water, and station yourself before him at the edge of the Nile, taking with you the rod that turned into a snake. (16) And say to him, ‘ה', the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you to say, “Let My people go that they may worship Me in the wilderness.” But you have paid no heed until now. (17) Thus says ה', “By this you shall know that I am ה'.” See, I shall strike the water in the Nile with the rod that is in my hand, and it will be turned into blood;
Here are my friend and colleague, Rabbi Jeremy Ruberg's suggestions for speaking to our children about plagues. Which make sense for your family? Which do not? Why?
His suggestion is to be honest and explain the following (in no particular order):
- The plagues were not a joke and were not "silly"
- People were hurt and died in the plagues.
- The Death of the Firstborn means that children and adults were killed.
- We don’t fully know why God chose to send 9 plagues before sending the 10th
- The plagues might have been a necessary evil to prevent greater harm.
- The plagues were meant to protect the Jewish People.
- The plagues illustrate God's great power.
- The fun bags of plagues use at seder should be used as a method to teach and not belittle
- Talk about God – we don’t do it enough.
- Emphasize that we pour out wine/grape juice at the Seder to remember the suffering the plagues caused.
And similarly, Rabbi Yoḥanan said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And the one came not near the other all the night” (Exodus 14:20)? The ministering angels wanted to sing their song, for the angels would sing songs to each other, as it states: “And they called out to each other and said” (Isaiah 6:3), but the Holy One, Blessed Be, said: The work of My hands, the Egyptians, are drowning at sea, and you wish to say songs? This indicates that God does not rejoice over the downfall of the wicked.