Yesterday in synagogues the world over, the Torah portion of Beshalach was recited. Once again, we heard how after a year of devastating plagues Pharoh, the king of Egypt, expelled the Children of Israel from his land. Three days later regretting his decision, he took chase after them with his powerful army. It was at the banks of the Red Sea he caught up to them. The Jews found themselves in an untenable position. With no other choice, they threw themselves into the sea. We all know how the waters parted, the Jews walked through on dry land and when the Egyptians followed them, they drowned. A major miracle.
Had the Hague been around then, there probably would have been charges of Genocide. The 210 years of cruel slavery the Children of Israel had endured would have been ignored. The drowning of the Jewish babies in the Nile would have been overlooked. The plaintiff would have focused on the blood in the Egyptians’ water, the frogs in their beds, culminating with the genocide of the innocent first-born sons on the fourteenth of the Hebrew month of Nissan. It would have mourned the total decimation of the Egyptian army a week later. The Jews would have been cast as aggressors.
There was no Hague back then. The Children of Israel continued on their way, received the Torah, and after forty years of wandering entered the Holy Land. Can anyone imagine how different the world would be today if there had been a Hague? Thankfully, there was not.
No comments:
Post a Comment