Death of the Firstborn- The Witcher, Pharaoh, Esau & Jacob
On Blessings and Who Receives Them
I was watching The Witcher, Season 2, and I came upon a scene that is straight out of this week’s parsha. (If you haven’t watched it yet and don’t want it spoiled, you may want to skip this.)
SPOILERS BELOW
The Elf Queen has had her baby murdered. In retribution, she kills all the babies of the humans who dared to harm her child. She does this using magic, walking like an avenging angel through the town and marking each child with an invisible sigil. Watch it below- it is very powerful in context of the show, especially the screaming of all the bereaved parents.
I wonder how many people watching the show realize this is a biblical reference.
SPOILERS END
As a child, we learn about these plagues, sing songs about them, see puppet shows with them…it’s a different experience to be a mother and read about them. What God was proving with Death of the Firstborn was His exquisite control over humanity. This was a finely tailored plague that punished the Egyptians for their complicity in having thrown the Israelite baby boys into the Nile. But it was done in such a way that *only the firstborns died.* That sense of careful control was terrifying- because this was a God that did not only bring destruction in His wake, but could kill precisely, and that precision demonstrated both His knowledge (who was a firstborn and who was not, who was Egyptian and who was not) and His incredible ability to differentiate. This cemented God’s incredible supremacy over anyone or anything else that claimed to be a God- they lacked this control, this incredible ability to be precise.
One of the things I’ve been thinking about in reference to this is how people tend not to care until the issue, whatever the issue may be, touches them directly. Many of the other plagues were irritating and frustrating but did not actually result in death. Or, as in those that destroyed animals or crops, if warned in advance people could take measures so they would be unaffected. But in this last plague, every single Egyptian was impacted. Everyone lost a brother, a sister, a mother, a son…death unrelenting.
וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּחֲצִ֣י הַלַּ֗יְלָה וַֽיהֹוָה֮ הִכָּ֣ה כׇל־בְּכוֹר֮ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֒יִם֒ מִבְּכֹ֤ר פַּרְעֹה֙ הַיֹּשֵׁ֣ב עַל־כִּסְא֔וֹ עַ֚ד בְּכ֣וֹר הַשְּׁבִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּבֵ֣ית הַבּ֑וֹר וְכֹ֖ל בְּכ֥וֹר בְּהֵמָֽה׃ In the middle of the night the LORD struck down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sat on the throne to the first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the first-born of the cattle.
וַיָּ֨קׇם פַּרְעֹ֜ה לַ֗יְלָה ה֤וּא וְכׇל־עֲבָדָיו֙ וְכׇל־מִצְרַ֔יִם וַתְּהִ֛י צְעָקָ֥ה גְדֹלָ֖ה בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם כִּֽי־אֵ֣ין בַּ֔יִת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵֽין־שָׁ֖ם מֵֽת׃ And Pharaoh arose in the night, with all his courtiers and all the Egyptians—because there was a loud cry in Egypt; for there was no house where there was not someone dead.
An inescapable plague that touched every single household. There was no house where there was not someone dead.
It’s a sad indictment of humanity that sometimes we do not care until the issue comes to our doorstep.
But I actually want to discuss a different part of the chapter. It’s what Pharaoh says to Moses & Aaron when he tells them to leave:
וַיִּקְרָא֩ לְמֹשֶׁ֨ה וּֽלְאַהֲרֹ֜ן לַ֗יְלָה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ ק֤וּמוּ צְּאוּ֙ מִתּ֣וֹךְ עַמִּ֔י גַּם־אַתֶּ֖ם גַּם־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וּלְכ֛וּ עִבְד֥וּ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה כְּדַבֶּרְכֶֽם׃ He summoned Moses and Aaron in the night and said, “Up, depart from among my people, you and the Israelites with you! Go, worship the LORD as you said!
גַּם־צֹאנְכֶ֨ם גַּם־בְּקַרְכֶ֥ם קְח֛וּ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבַּרְתֶּ֖ם וָלֵ֑כוּ וּבֵֽרַכְתֶּ֖ם גַּם־אֹתִֽי׃ Take also your flocks and your herds, as you said, and begone! And bless me also!”
It makes sense that Pharaoh is ordering the Israelites out- they have brought plague and disaster upon his nation.
But bless me also?
What does that mean? Why in the world would the Israelites bless Pharaoh after all he has put them through? Isn’t that an absurd request?
I was reminded of two different scenes that came prior to this one.
The first occurs between Esau and Isaac.
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר עֵשָׂ֜ו אֶל־אָבִ֗יו הַֽבְרָכָ֨ה אַחַ֤ת הִֽוא־לְךָ֙ אָבִ֔י בָּרְכֵ֥נִי גַם־אָ֖נִי אָבִ֑י וַיִּשָּׂ֥א עֵשָׂ֛ו קֹל֖וֹ וַיֵּֽבְךְּ׃ And Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, Father? Bless me too, Father!” And Esau wept aloud.
The second occurs when Jacob wrestles with the angel.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שַׁלְּחֵ֔נִי כִּ֥י עָלָ֖ה הַשָּׁ֑חַר וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אֲשַֽׁלֵּחֲךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־בֵּרַכְתָּֽנִי׃ Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.”
Here’s what I’m thinking.
Esau despaired when he saw that his brother Jacob received his beloved father’s blessings and there were none left for him. He wept and begged for a blessing- and did, in the end, receive one. This is a blessing that is given to make up for a loss.
In contrast, when Jacob wrestles with the angel, he has the upper hand. The angel requests that Jacob let him go but Jacob refuses to do so unless he is blessed. In that sense, this blessing is requested from a position of power. I, Jacob, have authority over you- the only way that I will release you is if you bless me first.
It seems to me that perhaps Pharaoh’s request was a blend of both of these.
Bless me also - clearly this God favors you and your nation as His chosen. Bless me and my nation also so that I have His favor as well. (This echoes Esau.)
Begone, and bless me also - I will let you go (from a position of strength) but first, I demand that you bless me! (This echoes Jacob.)
The fascinating thing is that Isaac blesses Esau and the angel blesses Jacob. But Moses and Aaron do not bless Pharaoh. Or if they do, it’s not recorded. And this is the same Moses who was willing to intercede for Pharaoh in the past. So what’s changed? Why not bless him now?
I think perhaps at this juncture they have reached a point of no return. Because Pharaoh’s stubbornness and willfulness have brought mass death upon the nation.
Esau cried out for a blessing, and he also chose not to harm his brother while his father still lived- out of love for his father. Jacob had the upper hand but did not wound the angel, even though the angel had wounded him. Both of them were capable of self-restraint. They were capable of control.
But Pharaoh had shown himself utterly incapable of such control. He was a man who forced Moses & Aaron and their God to do their very worst, to bring mass suffering upon all of Egypt. There was no house without someone dead. God didn’t want to do this. Pharaoh forced him to do this. A man like that, a ruler no less, a man who cannot put the needs of others above his own, the needs of his nation above his own, is not worthy of blessing.
But Isaac didn't know that Esau would practice self-restraint.