Dear Friends:
 After the Pharaoh who had elevated Joseph to power died, "A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph." (Ex. 1:8) Was it really possible that this newly arrived Pharaoh knew nothing of the great man who had just saved Egypt from starvation? Certainly not! Rather, this new king deliberately closed his eyes, mind, and heart to all of the good that Joseph wrought, and decided to subjugate the Israelite people.
 | | Caught Red (Sprinkle) Faced. |
In a similar vein, a few months ago I saw a cute video on YouTube about a little boy being quizzed by his mother about the sprinkles on his face. Despite her persistent line of questioning and the evidence clearly in sight, the boy steadfastly denied that he had eaten anything.
From an early age, it seems that we humans are programmed to deny the obvious, especially when admitting it can cause us harm.
This is true not only of big things, but little ones as well. Despite our knowledge that exercise does more good than taking  countless medications, we are content to remain couch potatoes. Despite the overwhelming evidence that fast food and sugary drinks are harmful, we continue to super-size our orders. Despite the numerous reports about watching our weight, being sensitive to signs of heart disease and stroke, and drinking alcohol in moderation, we put on blinders and live our days as though those warnings are for the benefit of someone else and not us.
Pharaoh paid for his blissful self-imposed ignorance with the infinite harm done to his people and family by the ten plagues. Let us not suffer the same fate by pretending not to know that which we know is the truth.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
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