Pharaoh stubbornly disregarded G-d’s overwhelming power shown to him and his people through the plagues. Since Pharaoh so severely misused his freedom of choice, G-d took it away from him. Therefore, from the fifth plague on, although under normal circumstances Pharaoh would have conceded and let the Jews out, since he had abused his power …
Tag: Vaeirah
Sep 26
Stubborn
(Torah Portion Va’eirah) Stubborn Before our forefather Yaacov passed away, he made his son Yosef promise that he would bury him in the land of Israel. One reason Yaacov gave why he did not want to be buried in Egypt was that he foresaw through prophetic vision that Egypt would experience a plague of lice …
Sep 26
Heavenly Sounds
(Torah Portion Va’airah) Heavenly Sounds Our leader Moshe came to the Pharoh with specific instructions from G-d to free the Jewish people. Pharoh responded, “Who is G-d that I should listen to him.” Pharoh’s denied the existence of G-d until the seventh plague, which was fire mixed with hail. Pharoh finally caved in, calling Moshe …
Sep 26
Supernatural!
(Torah Portion Vaeirah) Supernatural! The Mishna in Ethics of our Fathers lists ten items that were created in the time between the end of the sixth day of creation and before the Holy day of Shabbos began. These ten items were not bound by the laws of nature because they were formed after the six …
Sep 26
A Day Off
(Torah Portion Va’erah) A Day Off! Have you ever wondered how the Egyptians were able to effectively enslave the Jewish populace in Egypt? The Torah relates that the Pharoh seeing the steep hike in the Jewish birthrate was worried that they would become a majority and powerful enough to take over the land. This claim …
Sep 26
Gratitude!
(Torah Portion Vaeirah) Gratitude! We know that the Jews were bitterly enslaved by the Pharoh. But what were they forced to do? The Torah tells us that the Jews built the areas of Pisom and Ramses, which contained large warehouses used to store the immense wealth that Egypt had accumulated, (primarily through Yosef’s efforts.) Our …
Sep 15
Global Warmth
(Torah Portion Va’eirah) Global Warmth! The Torah relates that the first three plagues, blood, frogs and lice were brought about by Aaron striking with his staff. The question raised is why weren’t these plagues brought about through Moshe, as he was the one who generated the rest of the plagues? We know that Moshe was …