Moshe
changed the wording
After
months and months of HASHEM showing the Mitzrim that He alone controls
every aspect of creation, Moshe is instructed to warn Pharaoh that if at
this point he doesn’t let the Jewish people go, then exactly at the stroke
of midnight, every first born in Mitzraim will die.
Yet,
when Moshe appeared in front of Pharaoh, he changed the message and said,
“If Pharaoh doesn’t free the Jews, then approximately at midnight
every first born will die”.
Rashi is
troubled by why Moshe would change the wording of HASHEM. Rashi answers that
Moshe was afraid that if he gave an exact time, the Mitzrim would be
watching the clock, they might miscalculate and rather than assuming that
they were wrong, they would attribute the error to Moshe, and assume that he
was a liar. To remove this potential pitfall, Moshe changed what
HASHEM said, and told Pharaoh that around midnight- the first born will
begin dying.
How did
the Mitzrim tell time?
This Rashi seems
quite difficult to understand. In our times we have precise instruments to
measure time, we have clocks, watches, and chronographs…In the ancient world
timepieces were crude. During the day, a sundial might provide some degree
of accuracy- give or take a few minutes. But the Maakah of Bechoros was at
night. The way the Mitzrim would tell time at night was by gazing at the
stars. They would look up at their alignments and approximate the time. How
accurate could this possibly be? The telescope had yet to be invented,
sophisticated mathematics was yet to be discovered. So what right would they
have to assume that they were right and Moshe was wrong?
Ten
months of being proven right
What makes this
even more difficult to understand is that for close to a year, Moshe and
Aaron would miraculously appear in Pharaoh’s palace and foretell what would
happen if Pharaoh didn’t allow the Jews out of Mitzraim. Time after time,
exactly as Moshe predicted, the events would occur. In the precise manner,
in the specific time, and with startling exactness—what Moshe said would
happened- did happen. So why would the Mitzrim assume that they were correct
and Moshe was lying? Isn’t it much more likely that they were the ones who
made the error?
I am
never wrong
The answer to
this question seems to be based on human nature. We tend to assume that our
opinions are correct, regardless of the evidence against us, and
irrespective of who we might be arguing with. While we may not have given
much thought to how we arrived at our concepts, once something becomes
accepted as our opinion, it becomes very difficult to change
We are
heedless in the forming of our opinions
Moshe
was afraid the Mitzrim would calculate the time, and despite their accuracy
being quite questionable, they would jump to the conclusion that Moshe was
wrong – in fact he was a liar – that he fabricated the entire situation. To
prevent this, Moshe said “around Midnight”.
The
implications of this concept are far reaching, when we take it to its
logical conclusion. Let’s assume for a minute that Moshe hadn’t changed the
expression, and said that exactly at midnight HASHEM will kill the
first born. Moshe was afraid that when the Maakh began the following would
happen: the Mitzrim would calculate the time, and they might conclude that
at exactly 11:45 PM the Makah began. What does that prove? It proves that
Moshe was off by a few minutes- therefore what? Everything else he has said
till now has been true. But even more, the reality is that every first born
has now miraculously died, exactly as he said they would. So what possible
conclusion could the Mitzrim have reached that it was worth Moshe changing
the expression that HASHEM said to him.
Here
again we see another human tendency, Moshe was afraid that he be defrocked-
discredited, once caught in one lie, the assumption would be nothing he said
would have any credibleness-despite it being proven true time after time.
Rather than carefully go back and see that the basis of their opinion was
highly speculative, they would assume Moshe was wrong, and they would then
create an entire philosophy – despite the overwhelming evidence against it.
This
concept has great relevance to us both on the receiving as well as on the
giving end. To be effective, truthful people we must recognize our tendency
to be biased. When we find ourselves in a disagreement with others, it is
difficult to hear another person’s position, regardless of the logic or
evidence in their favor. Whether in regards to politics, sports, the economy
or what color tie best matches this suit, we tend to be heedless in the
formation of our opinions, yet when challenged we become locked in, almost
incapable of hearing the other perspective.
“A man
convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still”
And,
this idea has great impact on the other side of the coin, when it is our
goal to convince others. Whether a co worker we wish to influence in issues
of religion, or a child in regards to acting responsibly, the more clearly
we understand human nature the more effective we can be.
The
operating principle is arguing will beget the exact opposite reaction that I
am seeking -- The more directly I confront a belief that you hold – the
more you will resist giving it up.
The
reason for this is, that when I directly challenge something that you think
to be true- it is no longer the belief that is under assault – it is you. It
is as if I am ripping out a bastion that supports you- and, your instinct
for self preservation will come to your defense. At this point that very
idea that you may not have fully believed up till now becomes rooted and
grounded in your very being, and you become almost incapable of giving it
up. Doing so, would be admitting defeat, something we find so distasteful.
The
only method to effectively influence others is to recognize the inner makeup
of the human, and then gingerly bring people around to the correct understanding,
allowing their sense of self to remain untouched.
For
more on this topic please listen to Shmuz #136
– I’m Never Wrong
