SPOTLIGHT ON THE
BIBLE: EXODUS
One line in the bible sums up the importance of memory:
"And there arose a new king who knew not Joseph."
(Exodus 1:8).
If Pharaoh had only been reminded of how Joseph
had been of service to the old ruler, perhaps the
entire story of the Exodus might never have
happened. But Pharaoh was not reminded, and the
Israelites were treated as if they were a threat
to the Egyptians. How much harsher the Israelites
must have considered their treatment by Pharaoh
when they remembered that they had originally
been invited into the country and that they had
been of benefit to the Egyptian rulers in the
past!
Medieval rabbis asked, "Why did Pharaoh need
ten plagues before he made up his mind to let the
Jews go?" In a midrash, they suggested that
Pharaoh forgot how calamitous each plague was
after it was over. Unable to recall the pain once
it was no longer felt, he hardened his heart and
refused Moses' command to "Let My people
go!"
As we retell the lessons of the Exodus each year,
so should we remind ourselves of the danger of
forgetting.
