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Having Fun
Hashem toyed with Paroh. The signs He directed Moshe to perform were weak, and ambiguous. Actually, they were deliberately weak and deliberately ambiguous.
Paroh was unimpressed. Not only the signs, but even the Makos were (at least originally) things Paroh could reproduce, masking and belying Hashem’s power.
Hashem played weak. He staged it to appear that He was but another of the many Powers in Paroh’s God-book. Then he increased the pressure, screw by screw. He was fooling around with Paroh, as a cat toys with a mouse before pouncing. He made a fool of him.
This is what is meant by; ‘As I have SPORTED with Egypt…’
Sometimes it looks as if He is not active. However it merely seems that way…
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What’s In A Name?
Hashem told Moshe that his forefathers knew Him only as Kel Shakai; the name YKVK was unknown to them’. What does this mean?
YKVK is a word built of two: YK – ‘the Force’, KVK – ‘the Omnipresent’. Its implication is that He is an unchanging and Omnipresent G-d. Unchanging in His essence, and unchanging in His word. Just as His essence is always the same, – there can be no shifting or changing element in Him, – so too His word is unchanging.
His Word is inevitable, not to be denied, to be fulfilled by all means.
Hashem was telling Moshe; ‘I promised things to the Avos; they didn’t merit seeing that whatever I say is fulfilled. They did not witness ‘YKVK’. That is changing. You will now see Me fulfill ALL my promises; taking the Jews out of Egypt and bringing them to their Land.
When learning about the Exodus keep the meta-message in mind:
Hashem delivers on His Word!
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Talking About Him
In the Haggadah we read that there wasn’t only ten plagues, actually there were more, at least forty. Why did Hashem make so many miracles in Egypt; isn’t a few enough?
The Torah answers; the reason for all those miracles is ‘so all should know Hashem’s name’. A wonder two is not enough; we need a BARRAGE of nissim to psyche the message in.
This is for us today too, I think. We praise Hashem a bit here and there, but tend to go small. What’s really needed is to talk about Hashem until we are blue in the face. We need to devote thought to telling others about how Hashem makes our lives work right and all His favors to us. (The Shabbos table is a good time!)
He deserves all the publicity. And He is totally worth talking about…
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Saved By The Service!
Moshe demanded of Paroh ‘Let My people go out and serve Me in the desert’ Hashem told Moshe at their first meeting that He was redeeming them for good, not for a jaunt in the desert. Was Moshe’s demand a sham, merely a smokescreen?
Rashi in Chaggigah says that at Sinai the Jews sacrificed Shlamim. It was of those sacrifices Moshe spoke of when he said ‘and serve Me in the desert’. Were these done to substantiate Moshe’s words after the fact, or was there imperative value in them themselves?
Ought the Jews be saved?
The Egyptians benefited by keeping their slaves, the Jews by going free. The Jews weren’t virtuous enough to merit freedom, and the Egyptians indeed had saved them from starvation during the seven year draught, entitling them to payback. The sides were about equal.
However Hashem introduced Serving Him into the discussion – the Jews were to go free in order to serve Him in the Desert. The Exodus was now justified.
So serving Hashem was central to salvation, for it enabled the Exodus. Although sacrifices were actually offered, it was symbolic of more: the Jews were redeemed from Egypt to serve G-d, not to enjoy bagels and lox.
‘Send out My nation, and they shall serve Me’, says Hashem.
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The Cost Of Ego
Pharaoh was on top of the world; huge wealth, powerful army, prosperity and impressive culture. Yet when Moshe asked for a paltry three day vacation in the desert he refused. Even recognizing that Hashem was with Moshe, and that he was headed for ruin, he held his position.
Ultimately he lost all – his army drowned, his people dead or starving, his wealth ‘borrowed’. Left destitute and ruined, his country was a shambles.
Why?? Why didn’t he say ‘You say Hashem sent you? Prove it, and you may then have your vacation?’ Why wasn’t he more reasonable??
It was a Power play; Pharoh wished to show that he couldn’t be swayed…
Do we ever stand on principle instead of giving in instead!? Naw, not us…
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‘Chiel Beis Ha’eli’ Syndrome
Paroh sent royal investigators to see if any Jews’ cattle died during “Arov”. None did, and he stiffened his neck.
If it made no difference, why check in he first place??
Had some Jewish cattle died Paroh WOULD have negotiated. He’d say ‘I’m not convinced this is Hashem’s Hand, but I will hear His terms anyhow’. He could save face. However not a single Jewish animal died, so Paroh refused to deal.
A man may oblige you, but only if he is not coerced to. Compel him to do it, and you invite opposition and dissent.
When Yehoshua destroyed Yericho he cursed he who dared to rebuild it. The curse: With the death of his first-born he will lay the [city] foundations, and with the death of his last son he will set its wall-gates.
Chiel of Bais El rebuilt Yericho in defiance of Yehoshua. When he began its construction his first son Avirum died, when he set its gates S’giv, his last son, died, exactly as Yehoshua had cursed.
So why did he persevere? Didn’t he see what was happening?
Such is man. He refuses coercion, despite the cost of losing every last child!
The moral is that
1) we recognize our own propensity towards contrariness and guard against it,
2) should we hope to move people, don’t force them. Motivate them instead, and attain better results.
3. Recognize that being a rebel for its own sake is useless. No one likes coercion, but sometimes its mature to go along with it.
Don’t let your independence force you into doing a wrong or foolish thing. That’s coercion too!!
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Err, Hashem Needs A Hand From You…
Moshe’s demand of Paroh seems unreasonable: The all-powerful G-d has requested that you send His nation – the Jews – to serve Him. Really, now; The All-powerful G-d seeks Paroh’s permission?! Is this some kind of joke??
Instead of proving Hashem’s power, every additional Makah proves that Hashem cannot do as He wishes. The more Makos, the more conclusively it proves that Hashem has lots of tricks, but cannot act directly!
What gives?
1. The world’s purpose is Serving Hashem, choosing good over evil. Anything precluding human choice goes against the basic premise of the world; Hashem will not do that. Paroh’s permission – his choice – was crucial. Hashem would not simply airlift His people out. He might twist Paroh’s arm until he gives in, but it needs to be Paroh’s decision.
2. Miracle has levels. Most miracle used during the Makos were nature miracles. For instance, Hashem blew a strong wind all night and assembled locust from all over. However, he did not create them especially for this event. Airlifting the Jews out would represent a higher form of miracle, one above nature. Hashem was unwilling to do those right now.
(Perhaps greater power is controlling nature, displaying that ‘nature’ is a force of G-d, than suspending nature and doing miracles instead. That shows power, but nothing about who runs this world.)
1. The world was created with ten Maamaros. It could have been done with one, says the mishna, but was done with ten in order to leverage reward to people upholding the world, and punishment to those destroying it. After Hashem invested all that effort, every action we do is so more meaningful.
So too with the Makos, there was meaning to having a long and invested process. More on that below!
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Being Taken Seriously
Moshe [to Paroh] ‘Can we sacrifice the Egyptians’ Veneration before their eyes without them stoning us? Let us go into the desert and worship there!’
Why did Moshe talk of ‘the Egyptians’ – wasn’t Paroh Egyptian too? Didn’t he also venerate sheep? Never mind the peasants, could he agree to sacrificing them – even out of sight??
Moshe was laughing at Paroh. He said: ‘Paroh, you and I know this sheep business is silly. But the common folk,- poor slobs, – they believe it. For their sakes lets do it out of sight’ [-The ultimate verbal aikido move-]
Whats the opposite of this? Taking another seriously. Silly as he may be, it is meaningful to him. Respecting another means taking his concerns seriously.
Do we truly respect others?
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Moshiach And The Frogs
We are commanded to recall the Exodus. Why?
The SMa”K posits it to be unconscionable that Hashem pulled the Jews out of Egypt to hang out and perform at the level we are at now. The energy and effort Hashem expended in the Jews’ Delivery points directly to the Moshiach era, a larger end-goal.
Therefore, the backdrop to the Exodus is the advent of Moshiach. This is the endgame. Keep this in mind while reading of the Makos.
The ten Makos compare with the ten Maamaros the world was created with. [Mishna, Avos] Hashem did ten Makos to ensure the coming of Moshiach. Such extended effort cannot come to naught; the end result cannot but be realized.
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Its Not About You, Buddy!
Moshe addressed the Jews. But they did not hear him because of their stress and workload.
Moshe said to Hashem ‘Even the Jews didn’t listen to me, how will Paroh?!’ If the Jews – to whom I brought a message of redemption – didn’t listen, will Paroh, to whom I carry news he doesn’t want to hear?!
However the Jews didn’t listen only because of their situation. Does that have to do with Paroh?
Moshe assumed the problem was with him, not with the Jews. He thought he was ignored because of his speech impairment. But it wasn’t true. It had nothing to do with him at all.
When someone is gruff with us or blows up, don’t assume its you. It might not be about you at all…
(Don’t be teflon either, assuming it MUST be the other guy!)
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Snakes And Crocodiles
Hashem told Moshe to stand before Paroh and ‘take in your hand the staff that turned to a snake… tell Paroh…:”I will hit the Nile with this staff in my hand”‘
Two staffs metamorphosed: Moshe’s staff turned to a snake, and Aharon’s turned to a Tanin. Rashi explains that a Tanin is a sort of snake too, however the steady designation of Moshe’s staff as turning to a snake and Aharon’s to a Tanin indicates that the message was not the same.
The haftorah tells of Jews trusting in Egypt (many generations later) who proved untrustworthy. The Navi compares Egypt to a staff that a man leans on, however instead of supporting his weight, it breaks and strikes him in his chest.
Perhaps this imagery is Moshe’s staff: it turned from a walking stick – something a person leans on – to a snake, a malevolent danger to man.
Aharon was another thing entirely. In the Haftorah, Paroh is referred to as ‘the Great Tanin’ – the great serpent or crocodile lurking in the Nile. Paroh, the Tanin. became a stick of wood – impotent – at Aharon’s touch. Aharon turned a Tanin into a staff. Moshe’s sign was the opposite: turning a staff into a snake.
Dam, the plague of blood, turned the Nile, Egypt’s lifeline, into bloody poison. The staff turned into a snake. That’s why Hashem specified: “take in your hand the staff that turned into a snake”.
So who made the waters turn to blood? The plain reading seems that both Moshe and Aharon had a hand in it – Aharon stretched out his staff and Moshe hit the river. The pasuk says that Hashem told Moshe to say to Aharon ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over Egypt’s waters…and Moshe and Aharon did as Hashem said and they lifted the staff and struck the waters…’
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Raise Up Thine Hands
Moshe told Paroh that he would raise his hands to Hashem – a reference to prayer. However the Rambam codifies that in prayer one ought to clasp his hands at the heart, the right over the left. How do we explain the difference?
1. The Be’er Sheva suggests that since the non-Jewish custom has become to pray with outstretched hands the Rambam felt that it was inappropriate to use it.
2. Perhaps the basic premise is that in prayer one stands as before a king. In old times one stretched out his arms in gesture before a king, in the Rambam’s one clasped his hands. What changed is the custom in addressing kings.
The Beis Yosef seems to support this a bit by saying that each place ought to follow their local custom of standing before a king.
1. The Rambam’s son, Rav Avraham asks the question and answers that in the first and last three brachos one ought to stand as before a king, but in the middle blessings – where one asks for things – he should stretch out his arms and beg!