At the end of last week’s parsha, Moshe (Moses) and Aharon (Aaron) take on the responsibility of being B’nei Yisrael’s (Children of Israel) spokespeople. G-d tells them to go to the people and explain what’s going to happen (G-d’s intention to redeem them, etc) and also to do some miracles or “signs” to really seal the deal. G-d also tells them that when they go to Pharaoh demanding that B’nei Yisrael should be freed, G-d will strengthen Pharaoh’s heart and not let them free.
I think we gloss over the fact that Moshe and Aharon know their first demand to Pharaoh is a lost cause. They go in doing their best (obvi) but know it’s not the end.
Ok back to that soon. So Moshe and Aharon go to B’nei Yisrael, and B’nei Yisrael is convinced! They’re relieved and happy and believe that G-d will redeem them. And then of course, Moshe and Aharon go to Pharaoh, demand, and fail. But Pharaoh not only refuses, but also makes the work even more difficult on the people.
B’nei Yisrael is very mad at Moshe and Aharon now, which isn’t surprising. They don’t know what Moshe and Aharon know — that things are going to be tough for a while but it will all be worth it. But what is surprising is that Moshe is also mad — he goes to G-d very upset that his first go didn’t pan out. Moshe says, “Ever since I came to Pharaoh, he’s just made things worse! And you’ve still not delivered your people.“ Rabbi Jacob ben Asher, or Baal ha’Turim is also surprised by this, explaining that Moshe knew this first try wasn’t it, but he didn’t think his intervention would make things WORSE… he thought things would at least get a little better. But they didn’t.
G-d responds immediately, saying, “You will see what I will do to Pharaoh. He’s going to drive the people out.” Moshe is questioning G-d of course, but mostly he’s questioning Pharaoh. He can’t see a world where Pharaoh does anything that helps B’nei Yisrael.
G-d tells Moshe immediately that he will see change soon, but G-d does it in an interesting way. G-d doesn’t say, “I am so great, it’ll be fine.” G-d’s response is way more validating and way more personal. More like, “I hear your concern, Moshe, and though of course I am pulling the strings, you will see Pharaoh set my people free.”
And this is more of a miracle than the people magically appearing in Israel. To see someone so horribly vile, someone who hates both G-d and B’nei Yisrael so much be the agent of G-d is miraculous.
In this week’s parsha, Va’era, we see 7 of the 10 plagues of Egypt, the Makkot Mitzrayim. Up until the 6th plague, Pharaoh hardens his heart to the plagues of blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts, and dead livestock. But at the 6th plague, boils, we have new language, now it’s Hashem that hardens Pharaoh’s heart. If Pharaoh needs Hashem to harden his heart, doesn’t that mean that he would let B’nei Yisrael go?
Well, yes. So why go on with more plagues if 5 would have convinced Pharaoh? Is it to punish the Egyptians, to punish Pharaoh? No. It’s to convince B’nei Yisrael. At the beginning of this parsha, B’nei Yisrael doesn’t believe what Moshe tells them after the first time Pharaoh rejects the idea at the end of last parsha. The Torah tells us they didn’t listen due to their short breath — קֹּ֣צֶר ר֔וּחַ. Ok, so give them a minute, right? This Kotzer Ruach, this short breath, refers to B’nei Yisrael’s crazy daily lives. They are working extremely hard, so hard in fact that they “don’t have time” to think about spirituality or G-d. Our commentary tells us that Pharaoh did this on purpose, working them super hard so they wouldn’t have the spiritual or mental strength to not be beaten down.
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