Rabbi Shay Tahan
More Than a Pharaoh: The Clash of Human Desire and Divine Power
in english
 

 

As we read through our parashot describing Moshe Rabbeinu's interactions with Pharaoh, one thing stands out: Pharaoh tries hard to portray himself as a god who created the world. For example, when Moshe needs to speak to him, Hashem tells him he will find Pharaoh at the river. This is because Pharaoh goes there to relieve himself in secret, avoiding the palace bathroom so that people won’t see him and realize he isn’t a god.

Another example is what the prophet writes in Ezekiel (29:3), Pharaoh is quoted as saying, “The Nile is mine, and I have made it.” This reflects his claim of divine control over nature and the sustenance of Egypt, as the Nile was central to their survival (Shemot Raba 8, 2).

But this is quite troubling: Why would Pharaoh feel the need to portray himself as a god? Pharaoh was the leader of the world’s greatest empire at the time and the most powerful man on the globe. He had everyone bowing down to him, and every wish of his was immediately fulfilled. With such absolute power and control, one might wonder why he would go to such lengths to convince others of his divinity. What more could he possibly want to gain when he already had everything?

The answer lies in the nature of human beings. By definition, humans are never truly satisfied. Hashem created us with an innate need and desire to always accomplish more. As Chazal say, "A person who has 100 seeks 200, and once he has those 200, he wants 400."

This perpetual striving for more drives people to set new goals, conquer new territories, and surpass their previous accomplishments. It's a fundamental part of what it means to be human: an inherent dissatisfaction with the present and an unrelenting urge to reach beyond it.

We can see this in today’s world powers as well. President Trump sought to annex Canada and buy Greenland; Putin aims to reclaim Ukraine; and Erdogan aspires to revive the caliphate, starting with Syria and expanding throughout the Middle East.

The same was true for Pharaoh. He wasn’t content with being the world’s most powerful ruler; he sought to take over Hashem’s power, as He was the only one above him. Pharaoh's desire to elevate himself to the level of the divine was not just an ego trip, but a reflection of the intrinsic drive for humans to reach beyond their natural limits. Pharaoh already had everything a man could desire—wealth, control, and influence—but that was still not enough. What Pharaoh failed to recognize is that a true god has no desires and needs no further conquest. His power is complete in itself; He does not seek to surpass Himself. Pharaoh’s longing to be more than human—more than a king—ironically proves that he was only human, as true divinity is beyond such yearning.

But there is also a message here for us. We can learn that while we are human and naturally seek to accomplish more, we have the ability to elevate ourselves spiritually by redirecting our desires. Instead of pursuing physical wants and material gain, we can shift our focus to spiritual growth. For example, rather than striving to accumulate more money, we can aim to achieve deeper learning and a better understanding of Torah. This shift in our desires allows us to move closer to becoming more godly in our actions and intentions.

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