As we begin the Book of Exodus, we meet an anti-Semite with power. He believes that the Jews are powerful and will take over Egypt. That there is no evidence of this doesn’t matter to him.
A Quick D’var Torah – Parashat Shemot
As we begin the Book of Shemot (Exodus), the Torah sets the stage for one of the most formative periods in Jewish history.
The Jews originally come to Egypt not as slaves, but as honored guests. They are invited because of Joseph, the viceroy of Egypt, who saved the country from famine. Under Pharaoh’s protection, the Jewish people prosper and multiply.
Then the Torah tells us: “A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.” The commentators debate what this means. Was it literally a new Pharaoh? A new dynasty? Or was it the same Pharaoh who chose to forget Joseph and what the Jews had done for Egypt? The Torah leaves the question open.
But what is clear is that this Pharaoh develops a fear of the Jews. He sees them growing in number and imagines them as a potential “fifth column”—a hidden internal enemy. Importantly, there is no evidence for this fear. The Jews had shown loyalty, contributed to Egypt’s success, and posed no threat. But facts don’t matter to a conspiracist.
This is a pattern we see again and again in history. Many antisemites are conspiracists. They believe in secret Jewish power, hidden plots, and imagined threats that have no basis in reality. Pharaoh may be the first recorded example of this mindset.
Notice something else: Pharaoh does not expel the Jews. Instead, he enslaves them. This too is a recurring theme. Antisemites often claim to hate Jews—yet they refuse to let them leave. The Soviet Union is a modern example. It was openly antisemitic, yet it would not allow Jews to emigrate, fearing that Jews elsewhere would somehow unite and destroy it.
The irony, of course, is obvious. There are about 16–17 million Jews in a world of over 8 billion people. The idea that Jews could “take over the world” is absurd. We are simply not that numerous—and in any case, we have no such desire. What Jews want is to live as Jews, keep mitzvot, and try to make the world better by being better people.
But in the conspiracist’s mind, reason is irrelevant. They “know” the truth, and no evidence can change it. That is Pharaoh’s fear, and it becomes the basis of Jewish slavery in Egypt.
I’m reminded of someone I sit next to in shul, Glenn Richter, who for many years led the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry. Even after the Holocaust—when Jews had been utterly powerless—the Soviets still feared Jewish influence. Today we are no longer helpless; we have a state and the ability to defend ourselves. But the mindset of conspiracy hasn’t disappeared.
The Torah teaches us that this fear, born of imagination rather than fact, is what drives oppression. And our response, then and now, is not to abandon who we are—but to continue living proudly as Jews.
Something to think about.
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