(La Salle University Digital Commons)
Perhaps the single greatest work of art that synthesizes Easter and Passover is the famous da Vinci “Last Supper.” I recall visiting the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, where Leonardo created the mural on the refectory wall in the late 1490s. In addition to the grandeur of the painting, I was struck by the hole that was cut through the wall in 1652, as the nuns had decided to create a doorway to get directly to the kitchen rather than walk around the wall. The arched top of the doorway cut off a part of the mural, below the table in the center, as you can see in the photo above. (In fairness, by the time the hole was cut, the mural was all but unrecognizable because of damage from humidity. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Supper_(Leonardo)#Damage_and_restorations.)
In today’s bridge from last Sunday’s discussion of Rembrandt’s etchings (https://www.cumber.com/market-commentary/rembrandt-pairing) we’ll focus on the Passover Seder and specifically the ten plagues. The New American Haggadah (a well-received 2014 version of the Passover story and ritual), in an attempt to accurately translate the Hebrew language text, lists the ten plagues as follows: “Blood, frogs, lice, a maelstrom of beasts, pestilence, boils, hail-full-of-fire, locusts, a clotted darkness too thick to pass, and lastly, the killing of the firstborn.” Ritual has these ten plagues recited at the seder by the entire assemblage. And a special cup of wine (the second of four) is reduced from full measure by a drop as each plague is read. This is done by dipping a finger into the cup and placing the drop on a plate. The lesson is that one does not celebrate a “full cup of joy” when articulating the Lord’s punishment. Reams of text and centuries of study have dissected aspects of this ritual.
So, let’s review the story of Moses, Pharaoh, and the Exodus to see whether there are lessons we can apply to the COVID pandemic today. We consulted a number of books and scholars. For brevity we will cite only one: The Stone Edition of the Chumash, with commentaries.
Readers of the Bible may readily recall the Passover story. I will attempt a very brief summary and recommend a reading of Exodus 7–15 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%207-15&version=NIV). The Lord gives instructions to Moses and Aaron, who convey them to the monarch of ancient Egypt. Pharaoh refuses the entreaty and is then confronted with a series of ten progressively worsening plagues, ending with the killing of the firstborn. Pharaoh eventually relents; he allows Moses to lead the people (600,000 of them) on a crossing of the miraculously parted sea. Perhaps the final verses of Chapter 14, after the crossing of the sea, when the Lord lets the waters flow back and drown Pharaoh’s pursuing army, describes an 11th plague, even if that chapter is not read at the Passover Seder. In fact, some scholars argue that the only real plagues are the killing of the firstborn and the destruction of Pharaoh’s army.
Many scholars sort the ten plagues into categories. The first plagues were to warn Pharaoh and to establish the reality of the Lord’s power. Scholars note that Pharaoh’s magicians were able to replicate some of the early plagues (for instance, with blood-colored water). Plagues were used to establish the credentials of Moses and Aaron as messengers of the Lord. Other plagues were to prove that God could intervene in worldly affairs. Those could not be replicated – some had no earthly explanation. All of these views have been argued over the ages, and in the end we each have to decide for ourselves what we can believe.
In the tenth plague Pharaoh had to confront the prospect of his own death. Scholars note that he was a firstborn. The Bible says, “Pharaoh rose up at midnight, he and all his servants and all Egypt, and there was a great outcry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was no corpse.”
Now, many in the religious community have viewed COVID-19 as a plague of biblical significance. See for instance “The Eleventh Plague: Passover in the Time of Coronavirus,” https://religionunplugged.com/news/2020/4/6/the-eleventh-plague-passover-in-the-time-of-coronavirus. Certainly, this pandemic has raised existential questions. One that I find myself asking is, does it take prevalent death to motivate widespread social change? The COVID plague has reached many households. Still, we see the behaviors of sorcerers who, like the ones who served Pharoah, concoct illusions. Johns Hopkins Public Health reports that there has been a 50% increase in anti-vaccine conspiracy accounts on social media. “The insidious spread of false health information has matched the spread of COVID-19 stride for stride,” writes Tara Kirk Sell, PhD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. (“It's time for a US strategy to combat health-related misinformation and disinformation,” https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/544717-its-time-for-a-us-strategy-to-combat-health-related-misinformation-and?rl=1)
Perhaps the pandemic has prompted serious questioning among you, your family, and your colleagues, as well. What are some of your “take-homes” as we hopefully begin to see the light at the end of this deadly, claustrophobic tunnel?
Many look at the Bible and see a teaching tool, others see the lessons of a history book or directives for a faith. Clearly, one can either work for the betterment of humankind by doing what is required to end a plague, or one can be used by those who would inflict pain and suffering by choosing to do otherwise. In this COVID period the “good book” offers much to consider.
Wishing you good health and a peaceful holiday period.
David R. Kotok
Chairman of the Board & Chief Investment Officer
Email | Bio
Links to other websites or electronic media controlled or offered by Third-Parties (non-affiliates of Cumberland Advisors) are provided only as a reference and courtesy to our users. Cumberland Advisors has no control over such websites, does not recommend or endorse any opinions, ideas, products, information, or content of such sites, and makes no warranties as to the accuracy, completeness, reliability or suitability of their content. Cumberland Advisors hereby disclaims liability for any information, materials, products or services posted or offered at any of the Third-Party websites. The Third-Party may have a privacy and/or security policy different from that of Cumberland Advisors. Therefore, please refer to the specific privacy and security policies of the Third-Party when accessing their websites. Sign up for our FREE Cumberland Market Commentaries Cumberland Advisors Market Commentaries offer insights and analysis on upcoming, important economic issues that potentially impact global financial markets. Our team shares their thinking on global economic developments, market news and other factors that often influence investment opportunities and strategies.
