The Torah states, And Moshe said, This is what the Almighty said, Around midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die Exodus 11:4). Rashi cites the Sages of the Talmud that the Almighty actually told Moshe that exactly at midnight He would cause the plague of the death of the firstborn. Why did Moshe then change His words to around midnight when he repeated the Almightys words to the Egyptians? Rashi brings the answer of the Sages that Perhaps Pharaohs astrologers will err in their calculation of the precise midpoint of the night and say that Moses is a liar (Talmud Bavli, Berachot 4a). Amazing! Nine plagues have already hit the Egyptians. Moshe has warned them and been correct each time. Now the firstborn of each family throughout Egypt dies. What difference does it make whether it is a few minutes before or after midnight? The answer: This illustrates the power of a person to find fault. From what might have been a minor discrepancy -- and perhaps a discrepancy due to their own calculations -- they would seek to call Moshe a liar and discredit him totally. When a person wants to find fault, he will find something. Our lesson: Be aware of when we fall into the trap of finding fault when we should be seeing the bigger picture. Be aware when others are fault-finders ... and tread gently because these personalities are easily irritated and difficult to deal with.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 21:45:00 +0000
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