The Price of Eggs

Egg prices are rising again. It seems surreal and borderline unbelievable how expensive the most basic staple of our diet has become. Some restaurants have begun charging a 50-cent surcharge for any egg one orders. In 2019 which seems like decades ago, a dozen eggs were less than $1.50. In the enlightened era of 2025, it is not uncommon to see eggs being sold for over $5.00 per dozen. This dramatic rise is just one example of why food prices, in particular, and the cost of goods in general, have skyrocketed recently. As the essential cost of goods and services continues to increase, people's salaries are not nearly keeping up at the same pace. The anxiety people have associated with Parnassah, or their material livelihood, is not a new issue and will continue to be ongoing until the end of time. Indeed, the prevalent Talmudic view is that even during the Messianic Era, humanity will continue to struggle with poverty and the challenge of bringing home enough funds to afford some food on the table. The Talmud famously says that "providing a person's food is as difficult as splitting the Red Sea." On a superficial level of understanding, this text is somewhat discouraging. After all, it is quite difficult for the sea to split. If earning a basic livelihood is equivalent to splitting the sea, then we are in serious trouble! I heard a fascinating insight on this Talmudic passage some time ago that provides me with a much better understanding. If one recalls the story of the immediate prelude of the splitting of the sea in this week's parsha, the Jewish people had their backs to the sea while the mighty Egyptian army aggressively pursued them. It appeared to be an imminent bloodbath of the nascent nation at the hands of the mighty Egyptian empire. As a people of faith, they cried to God for salvation. The people were praying for a miracle akin to a "David vs. Goliath" moment in which a vastly under-armed underdog defeats the favored heavyweight. They were not praying or hoping for the sea to split from behind their backs and open up a passage of dry land amidst the raging waters. The most dramatic miracle of the ages was equally unexpected in how it occurred. It could have only happened from the ultimate "Redeemer of Israel," who, in today's terms, is the ultimate in an "outside the box" manner and delivers unexpected results. The least likely possibility of the sea splitting behind them was orchestrated by the Redeemer of Israel. Similarly, in our pursuit of our daily livelihood, we often think that our breakthrough will come if a specific sequence of events were to occur. We must keep in mind that the ultimate Sustainer and Provider will deliver the results many times from the least expected source. Until that time comes, let's take a deep breath about the prices of eggs. Have a Peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yakov Fisch