A D’var Torah for Pesach
Jewish tradition instructs each of us to see ourselves in the story of Exodus. This year, this invitation is easier for me to access than in years past. However, I am not talking about the part recounted in the seder: the big drama of plagues and the exodus from Egypt. This year, the part of the story that feels most alive and present in my life is the beginning — where a new Pharaoh comes to power and begins the process of enslaving and oppressing the Israelites.
Pharaoh does not immediately enslave or seek to eradicate the minority within Egypt’s midst. Rather, he moves in three gradual stages.
First, he instills fear in the hearts of the Egyptian population by making the Israelites look like a threat, saying, “Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase; otherwise in the event of war they [the Israelites] may join our enemies in fighting against us.” (Exodus 1:10)
Second, Pharaoh sets up a system of harsh labor for the Israelites. Manipulating the fear of the Egyptians in the first stage proves successful, and they become Pharaoh’s accomplices. They agree to become taskmasters over the Israelites, making their life bitter with harsh labor. (Exodus 1:14)
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Then a third step: After harsh labor, Pharaoh moves forward a plan to eradicate the Israelites by killing the baby boys.
Pharaoh’s three point plan has chilling parallels to an issue that I am personally connected to — the plan on the part of modern day Pharaohs to scapegoat, oppress, and destroy the transgender population, including and especially children like my own.
Like Pharaoh, anti-trans activists are manipulating people’s fears in order to lay the groundwork for their anti-trans agenda. One stark example is a recent tweet by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis referring to gender affirming care, which is proven to promote healthy outcomes and save lives, as “mutilation.”
Following in the second step, anti-trans Pharaohs, emboldened by the fear they have sown, aim to put in place systems of oppression in the form of sweeping and unprecedented anti-transgender legislation. In the first three months of 2023, 492 anti-trans bills have been introduced in 47 states.
Regarding the third step in Pharaoh’s plan, there is a debate among the medieval commentators: Did his plan unfold organically or did Pharaoh have the goal of eradication in his mind the entire time? Today if we ask that same question, we have an obvious answer. On March 3, 2023, Daily Wire host Michael Knowles at the Conservative Political Action Conference called for “the eradication of transgenderism” — words met with uproarious applause. I imagine, upon hearing these words, every transgender person in the United States and every affirming spouse, parent, guardian, sibling, or dear friend felt a shiver down their spine and experienced a new level of concern for their safety or the safety of their loved one. I know I did.
Thankfully, the beginning of the Exodus story does not only provide a template for a campaign of hate. It also lays out models for resistance to Pharaoh’s agenda.
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First, we meet two midwives, Shifra and Puah, who refused Pharaoh’s command to kill the baby boys on the birthing stool after the Israelite women gave birth. What I find most remarkable about these heroines is that their principled stance was not necessarily a “success,” for after their refusal, Pharaoh simply ordered every Egyptian to be a vigilante baby-killer. Yet, our tradition lauds these women who “feared God,” who took a principled and loving stance to protect children from harm, even at great risk to themselves.
Next we meet Yocheved, who puts her life on the line to hide her baby boy, a decision that enables a future redemption.
Even Miriam, herself just a child, offers loving protection as she watches her brother find his way to safety.
Finally, in perhaps the most surprising and radical act of all, the daughter of Pharaoh sees a floating basket and saves the Hebrew child’s life by bringing him into Pharaoh’s palace.
Each of these women — without power or status — resisted the evil decrees of Pharaoh through courage and risky acts of defiance. Though their actions were unique, each responded to Pharaoh’s evil with life-affirming, loving acts of protection. Each act in some ways was small and specific, yet each gesture had a transformational impact. Collectively, these small gestures made the future redemption of the Israelites possible.
In a time when modern day Pharaohs are seeking to peddle fear, to oppress, and to erase transgender people, we can take our direction from our brave matriarchs. Those of us with “skin in the game” need everyone else to join in and take this as seriously as we do; lives are at stake. There are many different roles to play. Some of us, especially those directly impacted, may be on the front lines of the struggle, testifying or engaging in acts of civil disobedience. Some of us can educate our communities and dispel the slander and fear-mongering that is taking place. Some of us can donate money to organizations that support trans kids in vulnerable states. But every single one of us can act with love, with compassion, seeking to protect the vulnerable from harm.
Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann is the rabbi of SAJ: Judaism that Stands for All in Manhattan, the first Reconstructionist synagogue in America. Rabbi Lauren is actively involved with issues of racial and economic justice, including housing and homelessness, immigrant justice, as well as reproductive and LGBTQ rights in New York City. In May 2023, T’ruah will honor her with its Rabbinic Human Rights Hero award. Register here.
