Dear Friend,

This week we read about the first of the Ten Plagues, in which G‑d had Moses turn the Nile to blood. Of all things, why the Nile, and why blood?

My grandfather heard the following thought from the Rebbe, of sainted memory, over 65 years ago:

The Nile River was the Egyptians’ sole source of water, and they worshipped it as a god. After all, without the Nile there would be no bread to eat and no life-sustaining blood coursing through their veins.

G‑d, however, was sending them a message: “It is not the Nile that nourishes you. It is I who gives you life. Proof is that if I turn the water to blood, bypassing the process that I have put in place, not only will the Nile not give you life, it will make you ill.”

It is not my job, my hard work, or my unique talents that give me life, but G‑d, who in His kindness orchestrates things just so that I may sustain myself.

So, even as we swim up the Nile, trying to stay afloat and solvent, let us make sure to recognize G‑d as the true Giver of Life.

Menachem Posner,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team