Moses and Monica

There are very few Torah portions that automatically make me think of a particular d'var Torah on that reading. Every so often it happens that I might be reading the weekly portion and, at a particular passage, remember something that a particular rabbi may have said. It sadly doesn't happen often enough. Even sadder, this week's portion, Va'era, is the only portion that every year evokes memories of a particular sermon. It's sad because of why I remember it.

Eight years ago, I was in another city for Shabbat Va'era. That was the same week that the story of Monica Lewinsky and her exploits with President Clinton broke into the mainstream. The White House was furiously trying to spin away what it had previously dismissed as mere rumors. Just eight years ago, stories of extramarital affairs (we'll leave whether what the President and Lewinsky did constitutes adultery to another day) were still enough to end a politician's career.

Like many rabbis do all the time, the one at the synagogue I attended that week attempted to use this particular current event to give a relevant lesson about the week's portion. The rabbi spoke of how Moses came along and demanded the Jewish people's release only to have Pharoah and his advisors mock and dismiss him. The rabbi continued to talk about how Moses threw his stick to the ground and it turned into a snake. Those powerful men were so arrogant when they all repeated Moses's feat only to discover that his stick swallowed theirs, the rabbi thundered. The rabbi concluded by saying how, just like Pharoah and his men were so arrogant yet experienced defeat at Moses's hands, powerful men in Washington were having their sticks swallowed by one young woman.

The amazing thing was that, while I was thinking to myself, "Did he just say what I thought he said?!", nobody around me flinched. This particular rabbi is not exactly known for his oratorical skills and most of his congregants tune him out. It may not have woken them up, but I always give this rabbi my attention now. I never know what other valuable lessons I can learn from the Torah.