As the Plagues of Egypt are about to begin, the Torah relates that God tells Moses to tell Aaron to stretch out his hand over the river. It seems strange that Moses does not do it himself!

Our sages offer a compelling explanation. Since the river sheltered Moses in his basket when he was an infant, Moses is not allowed to hit the river now, and instead, Aaron is given the job. The reasoning seems somewhat odd. What difference does it make that the river once “helped” Moses? Will it be “insulted” if Moses hits it now? Since when do rivers have feelings? And why is it better that Aaron hit the river?

Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl discusses this question in his book Talks on the Book of Exodus (Sihot LeSefer Shemot) and says that we are Concerned about Moses and his soul, rather than about the river’s feelings,

“The Torah teaches us about showing gratitude toward the world as a whole. Moses is not showing appreciation for the sake of the river, but for his virtue and self-education. Showing gratitude is a skill that needs to be practiced every day by demonstrating appreciation to your Creator, your spouse, children, friends, and yes, even to inanimate objects. One needs a profound awareness about the importance of showing gratitude, as it is challenging to avoid being tainted by ungratefulness. People should set aside fixed times to exercise this important trait.”

I recently read an article on parenting about how we speak to Siri or Alexa. The article stated that when we are in the habit of yelling, speaking in an unkind way and not showing gratitude to Siri or Alexa, that lack of gratitude permeates our relationships. Neither Siri nor Alexa are people, humans, or are created in the image of God. In a sense, they are objects created to serve us. Despite that, how we speak to them puts us in the habit of speaking in that manner.

We then may lapse into that curt manner of speaking with people and forgetting to express our thanks. Further, if children hear an adult’s lack of gratitude to Siri or Alexa, they learn that this is an appropriate way to speak. When we show a lack of care to our objects or our virtual assistants, we are accustomed to that behavior. Soon, one may treat animals and people in this same unkind way.

The Torah and our Rabbinic Commentators are teaching us that we must always treat objects with respect and gratitude because that behavior translates to how we treat other people.

At the start of the great miracles of the Exodus, the Torah emphasizes the basics, the need to show gratitude. Before Moses leads the Children of Israel out of slavery, he teaches them to take note of even the small actions and to say, “Thank you.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Metz