Parshat Bo
At the height of the final plague, the plague of the firstborn, Pharoah calls Moshe and Aharon and tells them he agrees to let the Jews leave Egypt unconditionally. Before they leave, one of the things needed to be done is to acquire the wealth of Egypt. Moshe tells the Jews to go to their Egyptian neighbors and borrow/take their jewellery from them. In 12:36 the Torah says, "וה' נתן את חן העם בעיני מצרים וישאלום" - Hashem gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, and they lent to them [their jewels].
Why was this חן necessary? The Egyptians would have given the jews whatever they wanted at that point, just to get rid of them!
The חן does not even make sense - the Jews were just responsible for the decimation of Egypt and the Egyptians culmiating in the horrific death of a large percentage of Egyptians and all of the sudden they find favor and like the Jews? For Hashem to do that seems to have no purpose nor any logic and rationale!!??
Any ideas?
Showing posts with label plagues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plagues. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
whose team are you on?
Parshat Bo
What was the purpose of putting blood on the doorposts? The common (mis)perception is that it was to differentiate between Jewish and egyptian houses, so Hashem would only slay the firstborn in Egyptian houses, but not in Jewish ones.
Did Hashem really need their assistance in order to differentiate the houses? Would Hashem not know which house belonged to a Jew and which to an Egyptian?
That can't be the reason for the blood. On the verse in 12:13 "ולא יהיה בכם נגף" Rashi explains to us that if an Egyptian firstborn was in a Jewish house, that would not protect him and he would still be smitten and a Jew in an Egyptian home would not be harmed..
So what was the purpose of the blood on the soorposts?
Rashi says the blood was to show Hashem that they were busying themselves with the mitzvos and then Hashem would skip over them.
There are times where a person can just quietly do his thing and move along. There are other times where that is not enough. One, sometimes, needs to stand up and be counted. One needs to say out loud which team he is on and who he is loyal to.
This is one of those times. Put the blood on your doorpost. That will show Hashem that you are declaring you are on Gods team.
What was the purpose of putting blood on the doorposts? The common (mis)perception is that it was to differentiate between Jewish and egyptian houses, so Hashem would only slay the firstborn in Egyptian houses, but not in Jewish ones.
Did Hashem really need their assistance in order to differentiate the houses? Would Hashem not know which house belonged to a Jew and which to an Egyptian?
That can't be the reason for the blood. On the verse in 12:13 "ולא יהיה בכם נגף" Rashi explains to us that if an Egyptian firstborn was in a Jewish house, that would not protect him and he would still be smitten and a Jew in an Egyptian home would not be harmed..
So what was the purpose of the blood on the soorposts?
Rashi says the blood was to show Hashem that they were busying themselves with the mitzvos and then Hashem would skip over them.
There are times where a person can just quietly do his thing and move along. There are other times where that is not enough. One, sometimes, needs to stand up and be counted. One needs to say out loud which team he is on and who he is loyal to.
This is one of those times. Put the blood on your doorpost. That will show Hashem that you are declaring you are on Gods team.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
The end-game is near
Parshat Bo
By the plague of חשך - darkness, the plague brings thick darkness for three days. Then Pharoah calls Moshe and tells him that he has reconsidered and is letting them go to pray in the desert, but only with the animals they need for sacrificing to God. The rest of the cattle needs to stay behind in Egypt (sort of a gaurantee that they will come back). Moshe rejects that and insists that they be allowed out with no restrictions.
In 10:27, one verse later, Hashem hardens Pharoah's and Pharoah no longer wants to let them go, and then throws Moshe and Aharon out of the palace.
This whole discussion between Moshe and Pharoah must have taken place after the plague had already concluded. During the plague itself, we know nobody was able to move, so this could only have taken place after the plague had finished.
This is different than by all the other plagues. In the other plagues, while it was ravaging Egypt, Pharoah pleaded with Moshe to remove it, and he agreed to let them out and then changed his mind after the plague. Or Moshe removed the plague on his own and then brought a new plague, with no discussion between him and Pharoah.
For Pharoah to agree to his demands (in theory) after the plague had concluded is something new.
By the other plagues it was clear he was agreeing to let the Jews go just as a way of gettng the plague cancelled. When the plague was no longer, he was then open to having his heart hardened and change his mind.
This time is different as the plague concludes, then Pharoah agrees to Moshe, then he changes his mind. There is no change from when he agreed to when he changed his mind.
It is clear from the plague of darkness that all semblance of "free will" is gone. While Hashem has been hardening Pharoah's heart, until now He has done it in a way that looks natural. Now he is dropping all appearances. The end-game is near. The level has been ratcheted up a couple of notches. We are in the bottom of the ninth and it is time to get serious.
By the plague of חשך - darkness, the plague brings thick darkness for three days. Then Pharoah calls Moshe and tells him that he has reconsidered and is letting them go to pray in the desert, but only with the animals they need for sacrificing to God. The rest of the cattle needs to stay behind in Egypt (sort of a gaurantee that they will come back). Moshe rejects that and insists that they be allowed out with no restrictions.
In 10:27, one verse later, Hashem hardens Pharoah's and Pharoah no longer wants to let them go, and then throws Moshe and Aharon out of the palace.
This whole discussion between Moshe and Pharoah must have taken place after the plague had already concluded. During the plague itself, we know nobody was able to move, so this could only have taken place after the plague had finished.
This is different than by all the other plagues. In the other plagues, while it was ravaging Egypt, Pharoah pleaded with Moshe to remove it, and he agreed to let them out and then changed his mind after the plague. Or Moshe removed the plague on his own and then brought a new plague, with no discussion between him and Pharoah.
For Pharoah to agree to his demands (in theory) after the plague had concluded is something new.
By the other plagues it was clear he was agreeing to let the Jews go just as a way of gettng the plague cancelled. When the plague was no longer, he was then open to having his heart hardened and change his mind.
This time is different as the plague concludes, then Pharoah agrees to Moshe, then he changes his mind. There is no change from when he agreed to when he changed his mind.
It is clear from the plague of darkness that all semblance of "free will" is gone. While Hashem has been hardening Pharoah's heart, until now He has done it in a way that looks natural. Now he is dropping all appearances. The end-game is near. The level has been ratcheted up a couple of notches. We are in the bottom of the ninth and it is time to get serious.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
making Pharoah a friar
Parshat Va'Eira
In Chapter 9 we encounter Moshe bring upon the Egyptians the plague of "Dever" - plague/disease . Moshe approaches Pharoah and warns him that if he refuses to "Let my people go" he will bring about the next in the series of plagues. He goes on to describe it saying the hand of God will smite your cattle, horses, etc., a very serious plague. In 9:4 we see Moshe add a discrimination. he says, "Hashem will distinguish betwene your cattle and the cattle of the Jews and none of the Jews' cattle will die".
Why did he have to add this remark? He never added it by any of the previous plagues, so why now? Anyway, Pharoah probably aready realized that no Jew would be affected, just as they were not affected by any of the previous plagues. So why did Moshe have to mention it this time?
After seeing Pharoah change his mind after each of the previous plagues, Moshe felt it was time to up the ante. Killing animals might not even have been such a big deal in Pharoahs eyes. Sure it is bad, and the financial loss could have been devastating, but thinking of what the Egyptians had already suffered through and were going to suffer through, the animals dropping dead does not seem like such a big deal.
It might well have been easier, at least psychologically, for Pharoah to have gotten through this one than any of the others.
So Moshe "dug it in". He rubbed salt in Pharoah's royal wounds. He told Pharoah that not only are your cattle and animals going to drop dead, but the Jews will not lose even a single head of cattle. That is an infuriating thing to be told. It would have enraged Pharoah. In today's terms, nobody wants to look like a "friar" and that is exactly what Moshe is doing to Pharoah.
That statement of Moshe's might have been even worse than the actual plague.
In Chapter 9 we encounter Moshe bring upon the Egyptians the plague of "Dever" - plague/disease . Moshe approaches Pharoah and warns him that if he refuses to "Let my people go" he will bring about the next in the series of plagues. He goes on to describe it saying the hand of God will smite your cattle, horses, etc., a very serious plague. In 9:4 we see Moshe add a discrimination. he says, "Hashem will distinguish betwene your cattle and the cattle of the Jews and none of the Jews' cattle will die".
Why did he have to add this remark? He never added it by any of the previous plagues, so why now? Anyway, Pharoah probably aready realized that no Jew would be affected, just as they were not affected by any of the previous plagues. So why did Moshe have to mention it this time?
After seeing Pharoah change his mind after each of the previous plagues, Moshe felt it was time to up the ante. Killing animals might not even have been such a big deal in Pharoahs eyes. Sure it is bad, and the financial loss could have been devastating, but thinking of what the Egyptians had already suffered through and were going to suffer through, the animals dropping dead does not seem like such a big deal.
It might well have been easier, at least psychologically, for Pharoah to have gotten through this one than any of the others.
So Moshe "dug it in". He rubbed salt in Pharoah's royal wounds. He told Pharoah that not only are your cattle and animals going to drop dead, but the Jews will not lose even a single head of cattle. That is an infuriating thing to be told. It would have enraged Pharoah. In today's terms, nobody wants to look like a "friar" and that is exactly what Moshe is doing to Pharoah.
That statement of Moshe's might have been even worse than the actual plague.
get rid of the pain
Parshat Va'Eira
Why did Pharoah agree to allow the Jews to leave and then change his mind, after a number of the plagues?
It is true that Hashem hardened his heart and made him unreasonably obstinate, as the passuk says. But why did he agree and then reverse his decision? Why not have his obstinacy all the way through the plague and never agree at all to let them go, rather than saying yes and then changing his mind?
When the plague was in progress, when we are in distress over something, it might be too much to handle and we need to make the problem go away. Sometimes we will even agree to anything just to make the pain go away. Just to get rid of the problem.
But once the pain subsides, once the troubles are gone, the memory fades. In hindsight, it does not seem like it was really that bad.
Only after the troubles have past, when one is in a calm state of mind with relative tranquility can he then think back and say it was not such a big deal and then reverse his decision. During the time it happens, he just wants to get rid of the pain.
Why did Pharoah agree to allow the Jews to leave and then change his mind, after a number of the plagues?
It is true that Hashem hardened his heart and made him unreasonably obstinate, as the passuk says. But why did he agree and then reverse his decision? Why not have his obstinacy all the way through the plague and never agree at all to let them go, rather than saying yes and then changing his mind?
When the plague was in progress, when we are in distress over something, it might be too much to handle and we need to make the problem go away. Sometimes we will even agree to anything just to make the pain go away. Just to get rid of the problem.
But once the pain subsides, once the troubles are gone, the memory fades. In hindsight, it does not seem like it was really that bad.
Only after the troubles have past, when one is in a calm state of mind with relative tranquility can he then think back and say it was not such a big deal and then reverse his decision. During the time it happens, he just wants to get rid of the pain.
another day
Parshat Va'Eira
Moshe and Aharon bring upon Egypt the plague of the frogs. It gets to be so bad that Pharoah calls Moshe and orders him to beseech from Hashem that He stop the plague. Moshe asks when he would like the plague to be cancelled. In 8:6 Pharoah responds and says, "ויאמר למחר" - - And he says Tomorrow.
Pharoah had the oppotunity to say stop it right now and Moshe would have. Yet he chose to request Moshe only cancel the plague the next day. Why did he do this? Why did he want to suffer for another day with the frogs?
The various commentaries tell us that Pharoah suspected Moshe was possibly a magician. If he would say cancel it right now, Moshe would be able to. By saying canel it tomorrow, he is making it more difficult and maybe Moshe would not be able to and he would prove Moshe to be a fraud.
Look at how destructive and harmful גאוה, haughtiness, can be. Pharoah was willing to suffer with the horrid frogs for an extra day just on the chance that he might be able to prove Moshe to be a charlatan and not a messenger of Hashem.
And don't think the plague was not so bad, not such a big deal, that he could just put up with it for another day. It must have been pretty horrible. It already brought Pharoah to his knees and made him agree to Moshe's demands. For that to have happened, it must have been pretty bad.
Yet despite that, he is willing to suffer for another day...
Moshe and Aharon bring upon Egypt the plague of the frogs. It gets to be so bad that Pharoah calls Moshe and orders him to beseech from Hashem that He stop the plague. Moshe asks when he would like the plague to be cancelled. In 8:6 Pharoah responds and says, "ויאמר למחר" - - And he says Tomorrow.
Pharoah had the oppotunity to say stop it right now and Moshe would have. Yet he chose to request Moshe only cancel the plague the next day. Why did he do this? Why did he want to suffer for another day with the frogs?
The various commentaries tell us that Pharoah suspected Moshe was possibly a magician. If he would say cancel it right now, Moshe would be able to. By saying canel it tomorrow, he is making it more difficult and maybe Moshe would not be able to and he would prove Moshe to be a fraud.
Look at how destructive and harmful גאוה, haughtiness, can be. Pharoah was willing to suffer with the horrid frogs for an extra day just on the chance that he might be able to prove Moshe to be a charlatan and not a messenger of Hashem.
And don't think the plague was not so bad, not such a big deal, that he could just put up with it for another day. It must have been pretty horrible. It already brought Pharoah to his knees and made him agree to Moshe's demands. For that to have happened, it must have been pretty bad.
Yet despite that, he is willing to suffer for another day...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
