The Fifth Step: Dever-Pestilence – The Holy Animal
Two Types of Animal Souls
The plague of dever-pestilence was the first to actually do more than just serve as a nuisance or a source of fright, but it killed their livestock, a major source of income; it put a dent in their economy.
Furthermore, the Torah underscores that this plague distinguished between Jews and Egyptians. The animals of the Jews did not succumb to the plague of pestilence.
This was an even greater miracle than in the preceding plague of arov. It is not as great a wonder that wild animals did not invade Goshen as much as the fact that the epidemic that killed animals did not spread to Jewishly owned animals even if they were together with Egyptian owned animals.
What does this mean in terms of our development?
After having destroyed our relationship with the icons that we worship (represented by the plagues of blood and frogs, respectively, which came out of the Nile, the river the Egyptians deified), and having recognized the idea that small, incremental steps are cherished by G-d (symbolized by the plague of lice, the tiny creatures that only G-d was able to create and not Pharaoh’s sorcerers), and after realizing our special relationship with G-d (exemplified by the plague of the mixture of wild animals that affected the Egyptians and not the Israelites), the fourth plague takes us a step further.
Not only is it important for us to realize that there is a holy side to our personality that is distinguishable from our unholy (“Egyptian”) part, it is equally important to appreciate that even the animal within us consists of two dimensions, and one of these dimensions is also unique and should be appreciated for its uniqueness.
There is one aspect of our animal nature that cannot be salvaged. The part of us that is destructive, spiteful, and hateful, to cite a few examples, must be eliminated. But the parts of our animal nature such as self-interest, jealousy, pride, desire for pleasure, etc. can and must be harnessed for the good.
And while it would seem far more appropriate to cultivate our G-dly soul’s sense of altruism and quest for the spiritual, the only way we can get there is by allowing our “animal” to feel that there is good in spiritual pursuits because they satisfy our selfish interests as well.
When jealousy motivates us to learn more and do more good for the world that is a stepping stone to doing good for its own sake.
When we use our pride to develop the requisite strength to resist temptation, or to stand up to the plate and meet challenges, it is the good animal in us that makes us do the right thing.
When our pursuit of pleasure leads us to savor the incredible joy and pleasure in Torah study—this is the holy animal in us expressing itself.
Hence, in the fifth plague of dever, G-d struck the Egyptian animals but not those of the Israelites. By absolutely rejecting the Egyptians’ animals and simultaneously lending support to the positive side of our animal nature we are capable of getting off the ground and on our way out of the stifling environment of Egypt.
As long as we feel the dichotomy between the G-dly—and noble part of our personality—and the animal and more base part, we will always feel conflicted. And a person who is struggling will be less capable of developing a healthy self-esteem needed for emotional and spiritual growth.
Punishment for Disrupting Family Life
The Midrash relates that this plague that devastated their animal population was a punishment for the Egyptians because they disrupted Jewish family life by forcing their Israelite slaves to go to deserts as shepherds. Their punishment thus was the loss of their animals.
The area where our animal soul’s positive and holy desires are most pronounced is in the area of family life.
The Talmud relates that when the prophets and sages realized how destructive the evil impulse for idol worship had been in the days of the first Temple, they prayed to G- d to eliminate the passion that people had for idolatry. G-d acceded to their request.
Upon realizing that they succeeded in removing a major obstacle in the Jewish Nation’s spiritual life, they were emboldened to petition G-d to remove the impulse for immoral behavior as well. G-d acceded to their request, temporarily, that caused all procreation of all species to be halted.
They then realized that while the impulse for idolatry was inherently and thoroughly evil and had to be removed, the impulse for intimacy can and must be harnessed for the good.
Parallel to the Fifth Commandment
This fifth plague can thus be said to parallel the Fifth Commandment of honoring our parents.
In the narrowest sense, parents are our providers and honoring them is a way to guarantee that we are taken care of. It is a prime example of how serving a higher authority can be motivated and reinforced by self-interest.
In a broader context, the entire structure of the family— with a father and mother at its head—is designed to create a self-contained and self-centered institution for doing good. In the aggregate, all these institutions are what provide for a stable and good world. The family ultimately becomes the stepping stone to selfless efforts on behalf of those who are outside of our immediate family and community.
Once we have destroyed the false icons, appreciated the value of every effort, and built up our self-esteem (by realizing the uniqueness of our G-dly soul, and that even our animal side has positive energy that can and should be harnessed for the good), we are ready for “tough love.” We are ready for the educational aspect of the sixth plague of boils.
Divine Attribute - Tiferet
According to the teachings of Kabbalah this plague is related to the Divine Attribute of Tiferet, translated as beauty and is associated with the trait of harmony and compassion.
The connection to the plague of Pestilence can be understood in light of the foregoing analysis.
When we have a dichotomous existence; when our G-dly and animal souls go in different directions, either by shunning our animal soul or feeling contempt for the animal soul, it is neither beautiful nor harmonious. For harmony to exist we must learn how to bring the two souls together by getting the animal soul to pursue positive goals for its own selfish reasons. Beauty exists—Chassidic thought stresses—only when there is a blend of different colors and hues.
A person who has only one soul functioning properly is not expressing the faculty of beauty. It requires the synthesis of both the G-dly and animal souls.
Connection to Moshiach
One of the most famous prophecies concerning the Messianic Age is about how the animals will live together in harmony and peace and that they will also live together with humans in harmony and peace. Whereas the animal— and the animal soul within—is a mixed bag; there are some very positive aspects to our animal soul, as stated, and there are also some very ugly aspects.
In the Messianic Age, the “animal” will retain only its positive aspects, enabling it to enjoy a totally harmonious relationship with the G-dly soul.
Therapy: Recognize that while the animal nature is the enemy within you and you must therefore tackle your animal nature, but you must distinguish between the “Egyptian animals” and the “Israelite animals.” Not all animal drives are bad. Bring harmony and beauty to your life.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Voeira by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
