Ehav4Ever
Well-Known Member
Concerning the "wise men" of Pharaoh:
- According to Saadya Gaon in his commentary to the Torah he mentions (דבר הנעשה בחשאי ובהסתר) i.e. essentially slight of hand tricks. Also, mentioned in Emunoth and Deoth book 3 section 5 that they did things that were (כפא מסתורא אדא כשף) hidden to make their attempt work and that if one were to check it they would find that they were doing nonsense.
- Malbim states that they took skins of dead tinim and the Hartumim were under the skins moving them to make them appear as if they were alive. He brings down also a midrash that claims that they brought in (תנוקות מן אסכולית שלהם) students from their schools to manipulate the skins to make it appear that they were alive.
- Soferno states (עַל תַּבְנִית וּתְמוּנַת תַּנִּינִים, אֲבָל לא בִּתְנוּעָתָם) and also (לא הָיָה כחַ בַּחַרְטֻמִּים לָתֵת תְּנוּעָה בַּתַּנִּינִים) i.e. they could produce the form of tinim but they could not give it life/movement.
- According to the midrash Sepher HaYashar, Pharaoh had a dream and the interpretation from the dream from Bilam was that a child would be born to Am Yisrael who would cause the downfall of that empire of Egypt and would lead Am Yisrael out of Egypt. (Remember what Me'am Loez stated earlier that earlier Bilam started out as a interpreter of dreams before he went on to do Qosem.)
- When Pharaoh asked for advice on what to do about the above and he requested advice from Reuel, Iyov, and Bilam. He took Bilam's advice but saw that Bilam's advice did not work. (He saw that Am Yisrael were still increasing in numbers.)
- Later the Sepher HaYashar only states that Pharaoh suspected Mosheh was the one that the dream was about when he saw Mosheh as a child, who was in his court doing things that seemed to allude to the dream he had. (According to the midrash Bilam reminded him but that Hashem sent a malakh to confuse the situation.)
- Rashi states, based on Shemoth 1:22 that the day Mosheh Rabbeinu was born, Pharaoh’s astrologers told him that a Jewish deliverer had been born, but they weren’t sure whether it would be someone of Am Yisrael or an Egyptian. Rashi further states that the Egyptian astrologers miscalculated by about 3 months. See below
- אף עליהם גזר. יום שנולד משה אמרו לו אצטגניניו היום נולד מושיען, ואין אנו יודעין אם ממצרים אם מישראל, ורואין אנו שסופו ללקות במים, לפיכך גזר אותו היום אף על המצרים, שנאמר כל הבן הילוד, ולא נאמר הילוד לעברים, והם לא היו יודעים שסופו ללקות על מי מריבה.
- There is a view, based on the above, that Pharaoh's astrolgers, and Bilam, really didn't know anything but simply provided a solution to Pharaoh's dream for either their own politcal reasons or just to satisfy Pharaoh's desires, based on the information he provided from his dram, in a way that it couldn't be 100% proven wrong.
- Mosheh ben Haim of Mesora.org states: "So when they would make predictions, 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 positioned astrologers as a source of security to placate him at times when he was in doubt. All that was needed was that Pharaoh believed them. When objective reality could not be ascertained, emotional security filled the gap."
- Mosheh ben Haim from Mesorah.org further states - "The astrologers were in positions of counsel due to Pharaoh’s need for advice. They counseled Pharaoh with general statements, such as those where they could not be proved wrong, i.e., “you will have 7 daughters, and you will bury 7 daughters”. If Pharaoh approached them and said, “Where are my 7 daughters?”, they could respond. “You will have them yet”. Similarly, they stated, “A savior of the Jews is to be born”. Pharaoh was superstitious, and out of a fear of an uprising, he, like any other leader insecure of his reign, might resort to following the only prospect for success, that being the astrologers’ advice of slaying even Egyptian males. Who said this was the only day they told Pharaoh that a savior could be born? Perhaps they said this on many occasions, and chance had it that they also said it on Moses’ birthday. Keep in mind that the astrologers previously stated that a savior is to be born. The first time they said this, they were unsure about his date of birth, and they were unsure about his origin, whether it was Egyptian or Hebrew. They were feigning knowledge of future events, as Pharaoh was looking to them for direction. They couldn’t say “we don’t know”. They would either lose their positions, or be killed. They therefore made general statements that had possibility of coming true, based on current events."
I was considering, before answering dantech, making it a seperate topic. It may make it easier for both because they are kind of seperate topics.