WILL GO EXODUS VI: 2-IX: 35
The sentiment of the Hebrews for the Egyptians was surely ambivalent. On the one hand, they had enslaved them, but it should not be forgotten that during the famine period that reigned in the region, Egypt had welcomed the patriarch Yaacov and his descendants in the lands of Goshen.
With the succession of the pharaohs the extraordinary managerial work of Yosef was forgotten, who knew how to direct the Egyptian economy in such a way that the abundance stored during the years of the “fat cows” served to feed the population during the period of scarcity.
Hakarat HaTov, recognizing the goodness of others is a moral imperative in Judaism. In that regard, Rabbi Yaacov Ruderman of the Yeshiva Ner Israel highlighted the biblical account of how God told Moshe to tell his brother Aharon to take his staff and hit the Nile River.
Why didn’t Moses receive this assignment? According to Rashi, that river had protected baby Moshe when he was placed in a basket; therefore, it was not correct for him to use a cane to strike against the same element that had protected him in the past. Hakarat HaTov’s attitude comes out again in the case of the lice plague with which God struck the Egyptians.
At the same time, it must be remembered that, in addition to serving as a teaching to the Egyptians and all peoples that no human being should be enslaved, the plagues were a demonstration of God’s might. This time Moshe did not participate directly, as he did in the other plagues, he did not hit the ground so that insects should rise and devour the skin of the people, because the same ground had served to hide the Egyptian foreman he had eliminated when he mistreated one of the Hebrew slaves. He could not hit the ground that allowed him to hide the body of the Egyptian who brutally punished a Hebrew slave.
Moshe was multifaceted and excelled in different fields. Above all, he was the legislator and teacher par excellence. Moshe Rabbenu is the term we usually use, and it highlights that study and teaching are the basic spiritual tools of Judaism. But at the same time, he was a warrior, a strategist who knew how to lead the people through the sands of the desert and face all the kings and kingdoms who opposed their going to their historic destiny: the conquest of the Promised Land.
In the case of the confrontation with Midyan, Moshe did not hesitate to order the battle against that town, but this time he abstained from leading the troop because he had resided there for many years, after having fled from the wrath of Pharaoh because of the episode of the Egyptian foreman.
The laws of Maaser and Bikurim, the tithe and the first fruits, serve to demonstrate gratitude for the generosity of the land that responds to man’s labor. Harvest is not a necessary consequence of sowing. Harvest takes place thanks to the design of the Almighty, who renews His creation day by day.
On the other hand, in a moment of anger, Moshe referred to the people as rebellious and ungrateful “Mamrim”, for their constant complaints about any discomfort during the years of pilgrimage through the desert. He cannot remain indifferent to kindness and generosity. Even at the time of the loss of a loved one, the Brachah Dayan HaEmet, the recognition of Divine Justice – which surely takes into account elements that are unknown to us -, at the same time invites to reflect on life, the years that the mourner accompanied his family and contributed to the welfare of society, which are reason for gratitude to the Creator.
While gratitude constitutes a moral obligation, anticipating it, subtracts part of the gallantry that must accompany actions. Therefore, Jewish tradition considers the superiority of Chesed shel Emet, any kind of action that is done with a deceased, because he, the deceased, is not in a position to repay it. Although Judaism is based on Din, the strict observance of the Law, there is no doubt that a characteristic like Hakarat HaTov adds a deeper spiritual dimension to the person who practices it.
