ויאמר משה לפרעה התפאר עלי למתי אעתיר לך ולעבדיך ולעמך להכרית הצפרדעים ממך ומבתיך רק ביאור תשארנה. ויאמר למחר ויאמר כדברך למען תדע כי אין כה’ אלוקינו
(שמות ח’ ה’-ו’)
רש”י: “התפאר עלי… השתבח להתחכם ולשאול דבר גדול ולומר שלא אוכל לעשותו. למתי אעתיר לך את אשר אעתיר לך היום על הכרתת הצפרדעים, למתי תרצה שיכרתו, ותראה אם אשלים דברי למועד שתקבע לי.”
Rashi: “Glorify yourself over me… glorify yourself by being wise and asking for a great (difficult) thing and saying that I am unable to do it. For when should I entreat on your behalf – that which I will entreat for you today regarding the extermination of the frogs: at what time do you want them to be exterminated? And you will see if I carry through on my word for the time that you set for me…”
Almost comically, Pharaoh asks Moshe Rabbeinu to pray that the plague of frogs end a day later, thereby dooming himself and his nation to an extra 24 hours of deafening croaking. Several commentators explain Pharaoh’s reasoning as follows. Perhaps Moshe did not actually hold any power over the frogs, only he knew that the plague was destined to cease at that time. By asking Moshe to pray that the frogs leave tomorrow (instead of today), Pharaoh could discern if Moshe really was “running the show”.
But Rashi seems to say something else. He writes that Moshe told Pharaoh to ask for a “great thing” by designating the time at which the frogs should be exterminated. Pharaoh’s request was not simply a trick aimed to expose a charlatan; he asked Moshe to carry out an extraordinary task. But what was so “great” about excising the frogs tomorrow and not today? What was it meant to prove?
By this point, Pharaoh knew quite well that Moshe could manipulate the forces of nature. But to rule over time is an entirely different matter. The entire creation, human beings included, exists within time. We cannot control time; that realm belongs to the Creator alone. Pharaoh imagined that Moshe had access to higher powers. Just as one of us might insert a dollar into a soda machine for a can of soda, Pharaoh thought that Moshe could “insert” a tefillah and receive his request. But why should Moshe be able to decide when it happens? Either the prayer works, or it does not! By successfully praying now that the plague end tomorrow, Moshe demonstrated that these plagues were being orchestrated by One who is above time, indeed above reality itself.
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As predictive systems improve, they often give the false impression that the future is already known. Take “Waze” as an example. Before you even pull out of the driveway, you are informed just when you will arrive at your destination. Often after getting slowed down by a traffic jam (as the Waze predicted), the driver thinks to himself, “Now I’ll speed up and get there faster.” But still he arrives precisely when Waze predicted; Waze knew he would drive faster afterwards! But, as we know, Waze does not actually know the future. It is only aware of the obstacles which exist on the roads at the present.
It is for this reason that there can be no Waze for the development of a human being. A machine could theoretically take into account all the obstacles which lay in the way of one’s development. But that is only half the story: you still must account for the person himself: the forces that are found within him, his Bechira (choice). And that is the realm of the future; there can be no predictive system for personal development. Only the Borei Olam is above time; the future is closed off for the rest of us.
