Appliance Science

“A

nd Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Tell Aharon, take your stick and spread your hand out on the waters of Mitzrayim’….and there will be blood.” (Shemos 7:19)

Why didn’t Moshe hit the Nile? Rashi explains that it wouldn’t be fitting, since the Nile had protected Moshe as a baby. Similarly, before the plague of lice, Moshe didn’t hit the sand because the sand had done him a favor when it hid the Miztri Moshe killed.

This obviously begs explanation. How can we say that an inanimate object did a favor and that we must act properly toward it? (Rav Shach, Meirosh Amanah)

Throughout life, we form many bonds and relationships. In our home, we’ve added to those connections by developing a kinship with many of the inanimate objects who share our four walls. We even name them. You’d think that being on first-name basis would mean we had a mutual, trusting relationship, but unfortunately, as any therapist will tell you, not all relationships are two-way streets.