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Pharaoh’s Astrologers
Moshe Ben-Chaim
In Exodus 1:22, Rashi states that the day Moses was born, Pharaoh’s astrologers told him that the Jewish messiah had been born, but they weren’t sure as to whether this messiah was born of the Jews or of the Egyptians.
Later in Exod. 2:3, Rashi states that the reason why Moses’ mother Yocheved could not hide him anymore, was because the Egyptians counted the months from when Yocheved and her husband remarried, to determine when a new baby would be born, in order to slay him. Since Moses was born three months premature, his mother was able to hide him that length of time. But at the ninth month, she knew that the Egyptians would be visiting to kill Moses.
A number of questions surface: 1) Did or did not the Egyptians know when Moses was born?
From the first Rashi, they seemed to know based on astrology, but from the
second Rashi, we learn they miscalculated by three months, as they did not
include Moses’ premature birth in their calculations. If they felt Moses’
true birthday was the day the messiah was born, they should have searched
Yocheved’s home three months earlier than they actually did, on Moses’ actual
day of birth. Additionally, they should have ceased killing males from that
day forward, satisfied in their knowledge that they killed the messiah on
that day. The fact that they continued to kill males even after their
calculated day of the messiah’s birth demonstrated their own doubt in their
prediction. 3) Why were these astrologers only “certain” about one aspect (that he was born) but they were ignorant of his nationality?
On the one hand, one could side with the Egyptians and state that when they predicted Moses’ birth, it was indeed his birthday. But since he was born three months premature, they didn’t bother searching his mother’s tent, as they assumed whoever was born, was born at nine months. This still shows ignorance. On the other hand it seems more correct to state that the Egyptians really didn’t know anything, and when they stated that the messiah was born, it was a guess, perhaps to maintain their position. Previously, they suggested that Pharaoh’s dreams of the 7 cows represented 7 daughters who would be born and then die. They were wrong here, and in many other cases. But it wasn’t objectively proven that their theory was impossible, so they remained at their posts.
A Rabbi suggested that this might not have been the first time the Egyptian astrologers predicted the birth of a messiah. The astrologers, as in the past, had to produce information to make them credulous, and to keep their positions. If they never inform Pharaoh of news, Pharaoh might dismiss, or even kill them. Thus, they were always under pressure to provide information to Pharaoh. They also had to be sure that any information couldn’t be proved 100% wrong, so when they would state matters, they would do so either in generalities, or in areas that one can never prove impossible. Alternatively, the astrologers saw that Pharaoh was now subjugating the Jews, as the Jews were more numerous, and possibly could pose a threat to the Egyptians. The astrologers surmised the possibility of an uprising, and weren’t sure whether it would be spearheaded by a Jew or an Egyptian sympathizer. They therefore used rational deduction in their forecast to Pharaoh and told him that it could be either a Jew or Egyptian savior.
The fact that the astrologers could not determine Moses’ nationality, and that the second Rashi implies miscalculation, uncovers their ignorance, and removes any credibility of their astrology.
Perhaps this is why Rashi recorded these two stories, to teach that their astrology is a farce. Just as people today cannot read palms, or foretell events, so too was the case in Egypt. Pharaoh had his astrologers as a source of security for areas where he was in doubt. All that was needed was that Pharaoh believed them. Objective reality was not a concern of Pharaoh. Emotional security was.
The Radak, as well as the Rabbis, dismiss any truth to the Baales Ov (the female conjurer) in Samuel I, 28:7-19. They deny any reality to this story, and call it all “futility, void, lies, and mockery”.
King Saul had visited the Baales Ov to bring up Samuel from the dead. The story on the surface says she did, and that King Saul talked with Samuel. The Radak however quotes the Rabbis and states, “the Rabbis said three things in regards to conjurers, 1) the one who brings up the dead sees but doesn’t hear the dead person, 2) the one who is in need hears, but sees not the dead, and 3) the ones who do not care either way, neither see nor hear anything. Such was the case with King Saul, he was in need, so he heard Samuel talking, the Baales Ov saw, but didn’t hear, and the two who Saul traveled with, Avner and Amasa, neither saw nor heard a thing.”
What does this prove? That King Saul’s discussion with Samuel was a daydream, a fantasy, or an illusion. Just as sometimes we think we hear someone talking to us or calling our name, all but to turn and see nobody there, so too according to Radak and the Rabbis was this case with King Saul and the Baales Ov. Saul was in such emotional need and distress, that he thought he heard Samuel. His two men didn’t care, so they heard nothing. And the Baales Ov needed to keep her status, so she feigned seeing him.
As Jews, a rational people, we do not believe knowledge emanates from sorcerers. They are all false. Knowledge emanates from God, and there are specific ways of uncovering this knowledge - careful analysis, and rational thinking. Just as the study of physics and all other sciences which are based on principles embedded in the tangible universe require methodology to arrive at concepts, so much more so, the abstract world of ideas disclosed to us through the Torah requires a refined, trained, and rational approach.
It is relatively easy to detect when something is an accurate science. If it follows rational principles, it can be a science. If however, we hear statements such as, “this crease in your palm is long, therefore you will live long”, or “wear this red string and you will ward off the evil eye”, we should see no connection between an accidental fold in our flesh or strings, and the avoidance of disastrous situations, which will lead to our death. These types of statements should be immediately identified as outside the rational sphere.
Taking what we hear on the surface as truth, and believing it, is not the way to learn. Even when reading a Rashi, we should look into it, and see if it is as clear as rational ideas should be. If not, perhaps he is teaching us something beyond the surface.
A reader responded to this article as follows: Reader: You seem to say that
Pharaoh’s astrologers were incorrect, in essence guessing, and that Saul did
not really hear Samuel. If so, first of all, why were these episodes recorded
in Tanach? Reader: Also,
if the astrologers were guessing, why would Pharaoh be willing to kill the
thousands of Egyptian boys who would have been born that day? Reader: And
if they were guessing, how did they get the date right? Reader: Similarly,
how did Saul hear from his dream of Samuel correct information about his and
his son’s death in the coming war? And why would he have imagined hearing his
teacher telling him he would die? |