Parashat Bo- Respecting People’s Privacy
Parashat Bo begins with Moshe’s warning to Pharaoh about the eighth plague, the plague of locusts. Curiously, the Torah tells that when Moshe finished issuing the warning, he suddenly left the palace: "He turned away and left Pharaoh’s presence" (10:6). In the warnings preceding the other plagues, we do not find Moshe suddenly leaving. Why did Moshe walk out at this point, and why did the Torah deem this worthy of mention?
Some have explained based on the subsequent verses, which tell that Pharaoh convened with his advisors to discuss the threat of locusts. As the empire had already begun crumbling due to the first seven plagues, Pharaoh was understandably concerned about the devastation that swarms of locusts could bring to the country, and so he summoned his advisors for a meeting. Moshe saw that Pharaoh was calling a meeting, and so he politely left in order not to invade the king’s privacy. Pharaoh’s meeting with his staff was clearly a private matter that was not intended for outsiders. Therefore, Moshe courteously stepped aside to allow Pharaoh his privacy.
This episode thus teaches a profound lesson in Derech Eretz (proper manners and etiquette). As wicked and cruel as Pharaoh was, Moshe still afforded him the basic decency of respecting his privacy. Even Pharaoh deserved this courtesy, of having his private affairs kept private. All the more so, then, we must exercise extreme care with regard to the private affairs of our friends, relatives and fellow community members. We all have a Yeser Hara (evil inclination) to hear what’s happening in other people’s private lives, and we often relish the opportunity to eavesdrop or gain access to "classified" information about other people. Moshe’s conduct reminds us that even people as sinful as Pharaoh deserve the right to privacy, and we have no business meddling into anybody else’s affairs.
The story is told of a Rabbi who, like many Jews in Czarist Russia, was imprisoned by the Russian authorities on false charges. As he was led to the courtroom for his trial, two officials began speaking about the case right next to the Rabbi. Not wanting him to understand what they were saying, they spoke French, a language with which they assumed the Rabbi was unfamiliar. As soon as the Rabbi heard them speaking, he stepped away from them.
Moments later, the officials angrily grabbed the Rabbi and shouted, "Such arrogance! Who gave you the right to leave? What made you think you could just walk away?"
"Let me explain," the Rabbi replied. "When I heard you speaking French, I realized right away that you did not want me to understand what you were saying. The truth is, however, that I am fluent in French. I therefore walked away so that I would not hear this conversation, which obviously was not intended for me to hear."
When the officials heard what the Rabbi said, they immediately set him free. They realized that a man of such integrity could not possibly have committed the crimes attributed to him.
Later, when the Rabbi was asked to explain his conduct, he pointed to Moshe Rabbenu’s leaving the palace ahead of Pharaoh’s meeting with his advisors.
If wicked men like Pharaoh and the authorities in Czarist Russia were deserving of privacy, then certainly we must respect the privacy of our friends and families, and keep away from matters that were not intended for our ears.
