Starbucks and Pharaoh
Imagine if you were miraculously given superhuman power and had the ability to confront an evil monarch, someone who has persecuted, oppressed and murdered tens of thousands of people. How would you approach him? Would you address him in a respectful way or would speak in an insulting and degrading fashion? Whether it was Ivan the Terrible, Hitler, Stalin, or Ahmadinejad, would you see yourself as the representative giving voice to all those who suffered at the hands of this person by yelling, insulting, and speaking in a degrading manner or would you speak in a calm and respectful manner? A short comment from Rashi sheds light on this.
G-d spoke to Moses and to Aaron and commanded them concerning the children of Israel and concerning Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to let the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. (6:13)
Why is he called “the King of Egypt?” There was no way to confuse him—there was no other Pharaoh. This is the unmistakable monarch who had persecuted the Jews. Why mention that he is the King of Egypt? The answer is that Moses and Aaron were being commanded by the Almighty Himself to speak to Pharaoh in a respectful fashion. They were addressing a King; no matter how evil he was, the position requires honor, even if the one occupying that position doesn’t.
Some positions of leadership need to be respected even when the individual occupying them doesn’t. People can disagree on policy or other issues but when we disparage a person who occupies the highest position in the free world, we are doing a disservice to ourselves because we have distorted our sense of honor and dignity for the office and, consequently, we undermine something far greater because an entire country suffers when there is no respect for authority. When children are raised in an environment where they see adults who don’t even have respect for a high-ranking office, and those children don’t yet have the sophistication to make a distinction between the position and the person, they will ultimately conclude that anyone and anything is open game for scorning and belittling.
We all have strong positions on certain issues and policies but that shouldn’t affect how we relate to the dignity we give to the office. In 2020, Starbucks founder and Chairman Howard Schultz considered being a contender for the Democratic nomination for President, he was interviewed on MSNBC’s Morning Joe (January 30, 2019). Co-host Mika Brzezinski asked Schultz to name his favorite Republican president from the last 50 years. Schultz responded with an anecdote about President Ronald Reagan. “I have great respect for Ronald Reagan. I just came from the Ronald Reagan Library. The thing that I took away about Ronald Reagan, aside from all the wonderful things that he did, that really struck me [is that] …Ronald Reagan never took his jacket off in the Oval Office in eight years. Why? Because of his respect for the dignity of the office.”
Pharoah had caused our people to suffer for over 200 years and he was now embarking on genocide, demanding the murder of every Jewish male baby. It doesn’t get more evil than this but at that very moment Moses and Aaron have a lesson to impart; they are told to address this malicious criminal as Pharaoh, King of Egypt—Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister. Why did this lowlife deserve the honor?
When we become casual and dismissive, and lack awe and reverence for human authority, we cannot possibly have awe, reverence, and respect for G-d. This slippery slope begins with our speech and behavior, and how we interact on a daily basis, especially with those with whom we disagree. Basic Jewish belief is that G-d exists; there is a Supreme Being for whom we need to be reverent and grateful. When we lose a feeling for human authority, we will not be able to feel it for the Almighty.
Moses was told to remove his shoes when he approached the Burning Bush so that he would have context for where he was and to Whom he was speaking. But perhaps an even greater lesson was his being told to be respectful to an evil dictator because, after all, he (Pharaoh) occupied a position that demanded respect even though he personally didn’t. Being able to appreciate something awesome requires us first to make sure we have awe.
Good Shabbos