Parsha Va’eira
Moshe
feels like he has failed in his mission. Pharaoh has increased the loads and
burdens of the Bnei Yisrael. Pharaoh has rejected the signs that Moshe showed
him. Moshe feels like quitting now. He has regrets and he has brought the
people from hope to desolation. Before we go into the Asser Makkos (ten plagues
or literally ten punches) I have forgotten what I wrote that the plagues came
in groups of three. Moshe meets and warns Pharaoh about the plague. The next
plagues are announced precisely what they are and finally the third comes
suddenly. (Took this from Rabbi Etzion may years ago in and past blogspot and
wrote it better my memory is a bit weak on the proper language so you might
want to look back 10 to 12 years ago in the archives.)
6:2
And God spoke unto Moses, and said unto him: 'I am the LORD; 3 and I appeared unto Abraham, unto
Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name YHWH I made Me not known
to them.
They knew the NAMES – G-D, L-RD and ALL
MIGHTY they did not know the TETRAGRAMMATION.
4
And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of
Canaan, the land of their sojourning’s, wherein they sojourned. 5 And moreover I have heard the
groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I
have remembered My covenant. 6
Wherefore say unto the children of Israel: I am the LORD, and I will bring you
out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their
bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great
judgments; 7 and I will take you
to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am the
LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you in unto the
land, concerning which I lifted up My hand to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and
to Jacob; and I will give it you for a heritage: I am the LORD.'
HASHEM appears to Moshe to fortify him and
he goes to repeat the message to the Bnei Yisrael, but …
9
And Moses spoke so unto the children of Israel; but they hearkened not unto
Moses for impatience of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
Now the Bnei Yisrael
were more exhausted and did not have time to think of redemption as they were
further crushed in spirit.
10
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 11
'Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go
out of his land.' 12 And Moses
spoke before the LORD, saying: 'Behold, the children of Israel have not
hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised
lips?'
If it were an officer ordered by a general
perhaps this is a legitimate question. However, when one is commanded by the
Creator of the World it is not. There is a rhyme and reason for everything,
only in our limited ability, we cannot see it.
13
And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the
children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of
Israel out of the land of Egypt. …
This whole passage is
only to get the lineage of Moshe and Aaron as leaders of the Bnei Yisrael as we
stop here and do not deal with the rest of the Shevasim (tribes).
… 26 These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom
the LORD said: 'Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt
according to their hosts.' 27 These are they that spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring
out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are that Moses and Aaron. 28 And it came to
pass on the day when the LORD spoke unto Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 that the LORD
spoke unto Moses, saying: 'I am the LORD; speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt
all that I speak unto thee.' 30 And Moses said before the LORD: 'Behold, I am of uncircumcised
lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?'
Moshe because of his stutter has very
little confidence in his speaking ability. Yechezkel was an eloquent speaker.
The difference was that Moshe was eventually listened to by the people while
the prophecy of Yechezkel the people ignored and the Temple was destroyed.
7:1 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'See, I
have set thee in God's stead to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy
prophet. 2 Thou shalt speak all
that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he
let the children of Israel go out of his land. 3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My
wonders in the land of Egypt.
Pharaoh cannot understand Moshe’s speech
and Aaron translates it making the prophecy stronger. [It well may be from the
time of Yosef to the time of the death of Levy, a particular dynasty reigned in
Mitzrayim. After that a new dynasty arose. For it is written about a new
Pharaoh that knew not Yosef. If this is the case, the language of the older
courts of a previous Pharaoh in which Moshe was raised was different from the
language of the current Pharaoh as dynasties did change hands.]
4
But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay My hand upon Egypt, and
bring forth My hosts, My people the children of Israel, out of the land of
Egypt, by great judgments. 5 And
the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth My hand upon
Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.' 6 And Moses and Aaron did so; as the
LORD commanded them, so did they. 7
And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old,
when they spoke unto Pharaoh.
You should know that
Pharaoh will not harken unto you. However, all of Egypt and his close servants
will see MY power.
8
And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 9 'When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying: Show a wonder for
you; then thou shalt say unto Aaron: Take thy rod, and cast it down before
Pharaoh, that it become a serpent.' 10
And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so, as the LORD had
commanded; and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants,
and it became a serpent. 11 Then
Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers; and they also, the
magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their secret arts. 12 For they cast down every man his
rod, and they became serpents; but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. 13 And Pharaoh's heart was hardened,
and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken.
Pharaoh had snake charmers that turned
them stiff like rods but Aaron’s rod was a real almond rod. When it was a snake
it was capable of swallowing the real snakes and it turned into a rod upon
touch.
14
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Pharaoh's heart is stubborn, he refused to let
the people go.
As HASHEM had warned so that Moshe would
not consider himself a failure.
15
Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou
shalt stand by the river's brink to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a
serpent shalt thou take in thy hand. 16
And thou shalt say unto him: The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, hath sent me
unto thee, saying: Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness;
and, behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened; 17 thus saith the LORD: In this thou shalt know that I am the
LORD--behold, I will smite with the rod that is in my hand upon the waters
which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. 18 And the fish that are in the river
shall die, and the river shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to
drink water from the river.'
Red clay or red algae took over the river
and whenever the people dug for water it also turned blood red which makes me
think that it may have been more that a natural phenomena.
19
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Say unto Aaron: Take thy rod, and stretch out
thy hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and
over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become
blood; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in
vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.'
Since the river had saved Moshe, Aaron
brought the plague on the river.
20
And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and
smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the
sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to
blood out the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water
of the river. 25 And seven days
were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.
Each plague lasted 7 days except that of
the Bechor (first born) that lasted one night only.
… 26
And the LORD spoke unto Moses: 'Go in unto Pharaoh, and say unto him: Thus says
the LORD: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 27 And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy
borders with frogs. 28 And the
river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into thy house, and
into thy bed-chamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and
upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs. 29 And the frogs shall come up both
upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.'
The first plague did not affect Pharaoh as
he had wine and beer to drink but for the ordinary man, water was the problem.
This time, the frogs were all over including banging into Pharaoh and his bed
chamber and garments to be warn.
8:1 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Say unto Aaron:
Stretch forth thy hand with thy rod over the rivers, over the canals, and over
the pools, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.' 2 And Aaron stretched out his hand
over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.
3 And the magicians did in like
manner with their secret arts, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. 4 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and
Aaron, and said: 'Entreat the LORD, that He take away the frogs from me, and
from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice unto the
LORD.'
The Gemara asks how is this so? In Egypt the
magicians used the power of negative spiritual beings. There is a whole Aggadah
of Shlomo HaMelech and the Shaydim. The Shaydim have no power to move small
objects such as lice.
5 And Moses said unto Pharaoh: 'Have thou this
glory over me; against what time shall I entreat for thee, and for thy
servants, and for thy people, that the frogs be destroyed from thee and thy
houses, and remain in the river only?' 6
And he said: 'Against to-morrow.' And he said: 'Be it according to thy word;
that thou may know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.
You will so be forced to recognize G-D and HIS
power. I came up with this theory while working on the Drasha. There is always
more to the Parsha than meets the Pshat or meets the eye. We know that the
river turning to blood was because of events 80 years beforehand when all
babies were thrown into the river. What about the other plagues? They made fun
of the Bnei Yisrael being crushed by working in the Pyramids like stepping on a
frog. Or the Bnei Yisrael are like lice, boils, a plague, they are some many
like locusts, etc.
7 And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from
thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in
the river only.' 8 And Moses and
Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried unto the LORD concerning the
frogs, which He had brought upon Pharaoh. 9 And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs
died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields. 10 And they gathered them together in
heaps; and the land stank. 11
But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and
hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken.
Millions of frogs died and gathering up the
rotting corpses was a stinky task.
12 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Say unto Aaron:
Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats
throughout all the land of Egypt.'
Gnats? The Hebrew Kinim is lice. Lice are too
small for the negative spiritual energies to handle.
… 14 And the magicians did so with their secret
arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not; and there were gnats upon man,
and upon beast. 15 Then the
magicians said unto Pharaoh: 'This is the finger of God'; and Pharaoh's heart
was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken. 16 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Rise
up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the
water; and say unto him: Thus says the LORD: Let My people go, that they may
serve Me. 17 Else, if thou wilt
not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon
thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses; and the houses of the
Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they
are.
Flies? The Hebrew is Arov or mixture of noxious
beasts. Chabad = a mixture of noxious creatures!
18 And I will set apart in that day the land of
Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms beasts.
Just like with the other plagues, the Bnei
Yisrael were unaffected. However, with the black plague in Europe the lack of
deaths due to cleanliness of the Jews led to pogroms.
The Egyptian animals got either plague, anthrax or some sort of flu that killed many.
8
And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron: 'Take to you handfuls of soot of
the furnace, and let Moses throw it heavenward in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 And it shall become small dust over
all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man
and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.' 10 And they took soot of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh;
and Moses threw it up heavenward; and it became a boil breaking forth with
blains upon man and upon beast. 11
And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the
boils were upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.
All the plagues somehow brought about this
skin disease across Egypt except for the Bnei Yisrael.
…17
As yet exalt thou thyself against My people, that thou wilt not let them go? 18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I
will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt
since the day it was founded even until now. 19 Now therefore send, hasten in thy cattle and all that thou hast
in the field; for every man and beast that shall be found in the field, and
shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall
die.' 20 He that feared the word
of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee
into the houses; 21 and he that
regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the
field.
So far, Moshe has
delivered in the name of HASHEM 6 plagues. Those who believe that HASHEM is the
cause of them and not natural freak occurrences put the cattle and other livestock
and their servants in barns. Those who were laughing things off like Pharaoh
left them outside. The results would be clear and easy to observe.
22
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven, that there
may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every
herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.'
Hail with fire in it, darkness perhaps are
natural events from a super volcano across the sea called Stromboli. Fire in
the hail with thunder and lightning could be volcanic ash spewing super-heated
hundreds of miles in the air at great speeds. Darkness could be a tremendous
amount of volcanic smoke. A few years ago a volcano in Iceland grounded flights
over much of Europe. This was a normal volcano not a super one like Stromboli.
(Giant boulders were found on Cypress from the explosion.)
23
And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and
hail, and fire ran down unto the earth; and the LORD caused to hail upon the
land of Egypt. 24 So there was
hail, and fire flashing up amidst the hail, very grievous, such as had not been
in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that
was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the
field, and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were,
was there no hail.
Again in this plague the Bnei Yisrael were
spared.
27
And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them: 'I have
sinned this time; the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 28 Entreat the LORD, and let there be
enough of these mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye
shall stay no longer.'
This time it was too much for Pharaoh and
he had to call for Moshe to stop the hail. Pharaoh is cracking under this
plague and willing to let the Bnei Yisrael go and it looks like without
preconditions at this time.
29
And Moses said unto him: 'As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread
forth my hands unto the LORD; the thunders shall cease, neither shall there be
any more hail; that thou may know that the earth is the LORD'S. 30 But as for thee and thy servants, I
know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.'-- 31 And the flax and the barley were
smitten; for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bloom. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were
not smitten; for they ripen late.
This time two main crops were destroyed as
they grow earlier than wheat. The Omer of Barley was cut around Pessach and the
Bikurim of barley and wheat were brought at Shavuos.
…35
And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the children of
Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.
Parsha
Bo
The Makkos have a dual purpose. One to make a Kiddush HASHEM in Egypt and secondly to educate the future generations of what happened in the exodus.
3 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him: 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before Me? let My people go, that they may serve Me. 4 Else, if thou refuse to let My people go, behold, to-morrow will I bring locusts into thy border; 5 and they shall cover the face of the earth, that one shall not be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remains unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field; 6 and thy houses shall be filled, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; as neither thy fathers nor thy fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day.' And he turned, and went out from Pharaoh. 7 And Pharaoh's servants said unto him: 'How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God, know thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?'
Pharaoh’s heart might be hardened but the servants and minister didn’t get their hearts and they are scared for all that Moshe says does come true when a prophecy is released.
8 And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh; and he said unto them: 'Go, serve the LORD your God; but who are they that shall go?' 9 And Moses said: 'We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds we will go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD.' 10 And he said unto them: 'So be the LORD with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones; see ye that evil is before your face. 11 Not so; go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that is what ye desire.' And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.
Pharaoh has to desire to let the main group of slave labor go with their families for then they can flee him.
12 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Stretch out thy hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.' 13 And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all the night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt; very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. 15 For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left; and there remained not any green thing, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt.
Recently there was a plague of locust that did not come after all the other plagues but came by itself. Billions upon billions swarming but they did not darken the skies or cover the face of the earth. They did tremendous damage despite the crop dusting by aircraft. I can only imagine what it was like then probably trillions of insects.
16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said: 'I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. 17 Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that He may take away from me this death only.' 18 And he went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the LORD. 19 And the LORD turned an exceeding strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea; there remained not one locust in all the border of Egypt. 20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.
Pharaoh, the god-king, admits that he is against a more power G-D and that he has sinned but as soon as the Makkah ends, he reneges on his word.
21
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Stretch out thy hand toward heaven, that there
may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.' 22 And Moses stretched forth his hand
toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three
days; 23 they saw not one
another, neither rose any from his place for three days; but all the children
of Israel had light in their dwellings.
Not only is the darkness so think that at
first it blocked out the sun but it was such a pollution that they could not
see one another and only feel the darkness with such trepidation that they could
not move from their places three days.
24
And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said: 'Go ye, serve the LORD; only let your
flocks and your herds be stayed; let your little ones also go with you.' 25 And Moses said: 'Thou must also
give into our hand sacrifices and burnt-offerings, that we may sacrifice unto
the LORD our God. 26 Our cattle
also shall go with us; there shall not a hoof be left behind; for thereof must
we take to serve the LORD our God; and we know not with what we must serve the
LORD, until we come thither.'
We go to sacrifice without conditions.
27
But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go.
He refuses to let the people go.
28
And Pharaoh said unto him: 'Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face
no more; for in the day thou see my face thou shalt die.'
If you dare come once more before me, you
shall die.
29
And Moses said: 'Thou hast spoken well; I will see thy face again no more.'
Therefore, I shall no beg you anymore. I
warned you: 22
And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh: Thus says the LORD: Israel is My son, My
first-born. 23 And I have said
unto thee: Let My son go, that he may serve Me; and thou hast refused to let
him go. Behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born.' This
plague you were warned about then. You have forgotten but not harkened. This is
what you are going to get. As for the first born children, HASHEM put the souls
into the bodies from the well of souls and now their Tikkun is complete. They
return to HASHEM’S well of souls in the next world with a better status.
11:1 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Yet one plague
more will I bring upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go
hence; when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence
altogether. 2 Speak now in the
ears of the people, and let them ask every man of his neighbor, and every woman
of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.'
Moshe will not grow rich here as he is busy
looking for Yosef’s bones for removal for burial in Schem some 40 years into
the future.
3 And the LORD gave the people favor in the
sight of the Egyptians.
Take whatever you want, just don’t bring any
more Makkos upon us.
Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the
land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the
people. 4 And Moses said: 'Thus
says the LORD: About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt;
Why “about” midnight. HASHEM can be more
precise, but human clocks and timing errs. So as not to make a Chillul HASHEM
with an error by man, Moshe says “about” or “around” midnight.
Moses said, So said the Lord: When he stood before Pharaoh, this prophecy was said to him,
for after he [Moses] left his [Pharaoh’s] presence, he did not see his face
[again]. — [from Exod. Rabbah 18:1, Mishnath Rabbi Eliezer ch. 19] At the
dividing point of the night: Heb. כַּחֲצֹתהַלַיְלָה, when the night is divided. כַּחֲצֹת is
like “when the meal offering was offered up (כַּעֲלוֹת) ” (II Kings 3:20); [and like] “when their anger
was kindled (בַּחֲרוֹת) against us” (Ps. 124:3).
This is its simple meaning, which fits its context that חֲצֹת is not a noun
denoting a half. Our Rabbis, however, interpreted it like כַּחֲצִי הַלַיְלָה,
at about midnight [lit., half the night], and they said that Moses said
כַּחִצֹת, about midnight, meaning near it [midnight], either before it or after
it, but he did not say בַּחֲצֹת, at midnight, lest Pharaoh’s astrologers err
and [then] say, “Moses is a liar,” but the Holy One, blessed be He, Who knows
His times and His seconds, said בַּחִצוֹת, at midnight. — [from Ber. 3b]
5 and all the first-born in the land of Egypt
shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sits upon his throne, even unto
the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born
of cattle. 6 And there shall be
a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there hath been none like
it, nor shall be like it any more.
Today when we do the fast of the first-born,
women are not included but in Pessach Mitzrayim they were.
7 But against any of the children of Israel
shall not a dog whet his tongue, against man or beast; that ye may know how
that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.
Normally dogs bark at strangers, but when you
leave Egypt they will not as the fear of G-D and the ability to see the Shechinah
upon Yisrael will sooth them.
8 And all these thy servants shall come down
unto me, and bow down unto me, saying: Get thee out, and all the people that
follow thee; and after that I will go out.' And he went out from Pharaoh in hot
anger.
And all these servants of yours will come down: [By using this phrase,] he [Moses] showed respect for the
throne, because eventually Pharaoh himself went down to him at night and said,
“Get up and get out from among my people” (Exod. 12:31),
although Moses had not originally said, “You will come down to me and prostrate
yourself to me.” -[from Exod. Rabbah 7:3; Mechilta, Bo 13] who are
at your feet: Who
follow your advice and your way. and afterwards I will go out: with all the people from your land. he exited from Pharaoh: After he had completed his words, he went out from before him.
From the
English version we would not know that around midnight was said unto Pharaoh
but here we see that the ending of the exchange is only at this point that
Moshe left. The fact is that Pharaoh might not have heard the part about the
jewelry or the dogs not barking as that is part of the prophecy but the first
born, the time and the servants asking or begging Moshe to leave will occur.
9 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Pharaoh will
not hearken unto you; that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.'
Pharaoh will not listen to you. This is all part
of MY plan. After all, I said, “Vayechi Ohr” and there was light!
10 And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders
before Pharaoh; and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the
children of Israel go out of his land.
This
was the end of that part of slavery and the plagues a new revolution is about
to take place before redemption.
Remember the first Rashi in Beresheis. This is where the story of Am Yisrael really begins as we start to become a free nation. First order of business is establishing a calendar. Every 29 days 12 hours and 793/1080 parts of an hour. Therefore, some months will be 29 days and other 30 days that fits into a 19-year cycle.
3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying: In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household; 4 and if the household be too little for a lamb, then shall he and his neighbor next unto his house take one according to the number of the souls; according to every man's eating ye shall make your count for the lamb.
The first Korban Pessach was outside of Eretz Yisrael as a special event. People were Tumay and sacrificed it. There was no Korban Chagigah and it was the only lamb eaten. Taking into account the amount of people eating the Korban and the weight of a sheep in meat. I asked Google how much an adult sheep weighs. A female between 45 – 100 kg or 100 – 220 lbs. a male between 45 - 160 kg or 100 – 360 lbs. The amount of meat one gets from an animal is 48 – 52% depending. https://www.handsourced.com.au/butchered/how-much-meat/ This gives us 22.5 -80kg 50 - 180 lbs. Since it was a lamb of the first year we can count more on the lower weight. Eating the lamb until satisfied with none left over would give us @ about a half pound or quarter of a kilo at best for an adult male a very large grouping for members of the tribe. Perhaps they ate more at that time but based on quarter to half pound hamburgers that are sold as people eat the Pessach with Matzos and Maror, I can only speculate and a child according to his/her ability not to mention females. During the second Mikdash the group was about 50 adult males. This would be a small ewe or ram. The census was 600,000 kidneys from the Korban making a population of 30,000,000 males offering sacrifices! Oy what we lost in the destruction, slaughter and inquisition. Golda Meir once said something like 192,000,000 Jews were lost, murdered, forced to convert over the centuries. So if you are Jewish and reading this, consider yourself lucky!
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year; ye shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats; 6 and ye shall keep it unto the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at dusk. 7 And they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side-posts and on the lintel, upon the houses wherein they shall eat it. 8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
The meal is fixed in the Torah. We vary from it nowadays with people eating fish and some with soup but the original meal was roasted meat. We do not eat roasted now and preferably poultry on the first (outside of Israel and second night) of Pessach as it is too close to the Korban. Some people avoid being in Yerushalayim nowadays as the population of Jews because close to half the Jewish world’s population and a sacrifice might be soon required.
9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof. 10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; but that which remains of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
The original Korban Pessach was eaten until the break of dawn. Now the Rabbis have made a fence around the Torah in order to keep a person from going over the time that Midnight would be the deadline for eating the sacrifice or today the Apikoyman Matzo.
11 And thus shall ye eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste--it is the LORD'S Passover.
Be prepared to march out of Mitzrayim and start your journey towards Eretz Yisrael.
12 For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.
You should only know that the Judges of then will be revised in the future when I shall judge the nations. Some of you will be unworthy like in the plague of darkness 80% of the Bnei Yisrael died. In the future 2/3rds of mankind will be wiped out. Because of the Shoah, the number of Jews to die will be much less as in 75 years the 6 to 7,000,000 would have turned into 28,000,000 or more so that we will lose a much smaller percent of the population that does not deserve to be redeemed. Those living in Eretz Yisrael will have a higher survival probability than outside of Israel. For even the worst Atheist in Israel is like he has ELOKIM and the best Rabbi outside of Yisrael as if he was an Atheist.
13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and there shall no plague be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. 14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever. 15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; howbeit the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses; for whosoever eat leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16 And in the first day there shall be to you a holy convocation, and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you. 17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore, shall ye observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance forever.
This paragraph has the laws of Pessach in a nutshell. This is for all future generations. The splitting Yam Soof has not yet occurred for the seventh day. The punishment is Kares in this world and especially the next.
18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. 19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses; for whosoever eats that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a sojourner, or one that is born in the land. 20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.'
We only hold the sojourner today to be a Ger Tzeddek as the Ger Toshav usually buys our Chometz.
21
Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them: 'Draw out,
and take you lambs according to your families, and slaughter
the Passover lamb. 22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood
that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side-posts with the
blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his
house until the morning.
I have in my garden Asov or hyssop also
known as Marjoram or Zatar. It grows if left to its own to over 45 cm or even
1.5 feet which is good for the sprinkling of the blood.
23
For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the
blood upon the lintel, and on the two side-posts, the LORD will pass over the
door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite
you.
If we go by Sefer Yechezkel or Daniel it
appears that the Angel Gavriel put an ink Tav on the forehead of who will live
and a blood red one on who would die.
24
And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for
ever. 25 And it shall come to
pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as He
hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. 26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto
you: What mean ye by this service? 27
that ye shall say: It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S Passover, for that He
passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the
Egyptians, and delivered our houses.' And the people bowed the head and
worshipped. 28 And the children
of Israel went and did so; as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did
they.
From the 10th they tied up the
sheep which was the god of Egypt and the Egyptians were afraid to stop them or
protest.
29
And it came to pass at midnight, that the LORD smote all the firstborn in the
land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the
first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the first-born of
cattle. 30 And Pharaoh rose up
in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a
great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
Even a god-king can feel a revolution
brewing. He also lost his first born child so was knocked out of commission.
31
And he called for Moses and Aaron by night and said: 'Rise up, get you forth
from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the
LORD, as ye have said. 32 Take
both your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me
also.'
Most of his servants were burying their
dead and some had died. He had his chariot saddled and went personally calling
for the Bnei Yisrael to leave.
33
And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, to send them out of the land in
haste; for they said: 'We are all dead men.' 34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their
kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
The original Matzos were most likely what
we call Lafa today which is a thin and giant version of a pita bread.
35
And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked
of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment. 36 And the LORD gave the people favor
in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And
they despoiled the Egyptians.
This jewelry would be used for the golden
calf, the Mishkan and family heirlooms.
37
And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred
thousand men on foot, beside children.
… 43
And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron: 'This is the ordinance of the Passover:
there shall no alien eat thereof;
Only the Bnei Yisrael can eat from the
Korban. The most wicked Jew was more privileged than the most righteous Yisro
or Iyob from the Bnei Noach despite their prophecy and closeness to HASHEM.
44
but every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised
him, then shall he eat thereof.
Slaves that you have bought and are ready
to become a Ben Yisrael upon conversion, since they are dependent on your table
they shall eat with you and these slave-servants upon release shall become
Jews.
45
A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof. 46 In one house shall it be eaten;
thou shalt not carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither
shall ye break a bone thereof. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 And when a stranger shall sojourn
with thee, and will keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be
circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one
that is born in the land; but no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. 49 One law shall be
to him that is home born, and unto the stranger that sojourns among you.' 50 Thus did all the
children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
These are more or the
laws of Pessach and the Parsha concludes with the laws regarding the first
born.
11
And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanite,
as He swore unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, 12 that thou shalt set apart unto the
LORD all that openeth the womb; every firstling that is a male, which thou hast
coming of a beast, shall be the LORD'S. 13
And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt
not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck; and all the first-born of man
among thy sons shalt thou redeem. 14
And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying: What is this?
that thou shalt say unto him: By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from
Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15
and it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go that the LORD slew all
the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the
first-born of beast; therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the
womb, being males; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem. 16 And it shall be for a sign upon thy
hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes; for by strength of hand the LORD
brought us forth out of Egypt.'
That is why this Parsha is put in the Tephillin.
Andrew
and Sharon are saved from death by listening to a Rabbi.
It
was 2004. Andrew and Sharon went to a Rabbi to marry them and set the date for
Dec. 2004 even put down a deposit on a Wedding Hall. The Rabbi asked them
questions to make sure that they were Jewish and had not been married before.
Everything seemed fine.
After
a few days, Sharon returned to the Rabbi and told him that she was married
before for six hours and had it annulled. However, she had not obtained a
Jewish Divorce. The Rabbi quickly arranged for a Beis Din in LA, CA to give
Sharon a GET the problem was that she would have to wait 92 days according to
Halacha after the divorce to remarry. Sharon wanted to do things right and she
and Andrew had to postpone the wedding and change the date with the Wedding
Hall. They would also have to delay their honeymoon.
They
had no idea what G-D wanted from them by postponing their trip to the beaches
of the far east until Dec 26, 2004 when the Tsunami hit the resort area where
they planned to have their honeymoon. They were happily married in Feb. 2005.
A Shidduch for Scarface
I
may have copied and pasted this story in the past as I heard it before even so
it worth repeating. A good Yeshiva Student went for a Shidduch and he had a
scar on his face. Each time the same story that he was a nice fellow and
rejected. He spoke with his friends some suggested going to a Kabbalist and
taking the afterbirth of a black cat the daughter of a black cat. Then burning
the afterbirth. Some suggested a plastic surgery. So he consulted with Rabbi
Chaim Kanjiefski Shlita. The Rabbi listened to the fellow’s problem and told
him that the next time he meets a young lady that he should tell her how he got
the scar.
With
the fellow’s learning capability and good Midos, it did not take long for him
to meet an attractive young lady. They talked and she said that she was
impressed by him. Still she was candid and wanted to know about his scar. The
fellow started off by saying that he was not from a bad neighborhood and did
not get into a fight with a criminal. He then told the following story.
I
was in the old city of Yerushalayim close the Shaar (gate) Schem. Suddenly, I
saw a knife wielding Arab yelling Allah Hu Akbar after a young Jewish girl. I
tackled the Arab and the girl ran away. However, he managed to slice my cheek
and give me this scar. The girl shook a bit and said, “Do you know how long I
have searched for my hero? You risked your life to save me. Such a fellow I
want for a husband. I will marry you.” So instead of the scar hindering finding
a Bashert, it was his salvation!
When
it comes to a Shidduch, when the right person comes along the match goes
through.
An Irgun or Lechi Story
This was told to me by my friend Nachum. The year
was 1947 or 8 and the British Mandate was looking for illegal arms in the hands
of Jews. A roadblock was set up between Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan. Nachum was sitting
on the backseat of the bus. A man had gotten on the bus somewhere in Tel Aviv
and sat down next to him. The guards entered the bus to check, he handed to
Nachum a piece of paper to put in his pocket. Nachum was a child of nine or
less. One of guards came over to the man and asked him what he had in the sack
he was carrying. He answered angrily, “Grenades and explosives!” The guards
left the bus. Nachum returned the paper to him and asked him what was really in
the sack. He replied, “Grenades and explosives!” this time with a broad smile.
Milestone
Rabbi Vishlitsky passes away. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257053
Also spiritual head of Breslov Chassidim Rabbi
Koenig in Israel passes away as I was informed by Rabbi Lazer Brody Shlita.
Labor
throws out the party that tried to undercut it. https://www.debka.com/labor-leader-gabbay-rudely-dumps-livni-breaks-up-their-zionist-union-both-their-prospects-are-dim/
Polls
show that both Shas and Eli Yishai do not cross election threshold alone. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257171
Degel
HaTorah may split from Aguda. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257039
When
you have no platform you don’t talk. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257208
High
Court Orders Ed. Ministry to have army prep school for religious girls. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5443688,00.html
Truck
moves oldest Schul in DC to location for a Jewish Museum. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257426
Court
interferes in Charedi Party status. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257473
Newspaper
Ed-Op boost Ganz’s chance in elections. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5444562,00.html
Inyanay Diyoma
US
warns Iran over Space Program. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/warns-iran-space-launches-tehran-rejects-concerns-190103203536348.html
US
takes an economic campaign against Iran leaving Israel to the military part. https://www.debka.com/netanyahu-us-will-run-economic-war-against-iran-leaving-military-drive-to-israel/
US
Israeli talks on Iran, China etc. https://www.debka.com/bolton-in-israel-for-talks-on-syria-iran-and-chinese-tech-investment-in-israel/
Al
Sisi tells of Egypt-Israel cooperation against Al Qaeda Sinai. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5441188,00.html
After
the arrest of 5 boys held without lawyer and 3 of them with an alibi, police
and Shin Bet prevent members of a Yeshuv from leaving for a demonstration. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257196
Dr.
Sherman on terror, tigers and pussy cats. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/23257
Blaming
a general for an unpopular move by Netanyahu is a disgrace. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257172
Iran
planning war on Israel is a signal that the Ayatollah is weak. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257180
Did
Lieberman leak Trump’s peace plan? http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257041
Marco
Rubio puts forth a bill to guarantee aid to Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257189
Honduras
to move Embassy to Yerushalayim. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257055
Shots
fired at bus in the Shomron driver injured by glass. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257203
US
warning to Syria regarding chemical weapons. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257205
Down-under
old age home with Holocaust Survivors defaced by Neo-Nazis. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257210
Rabbi
calls on Torah Justice for police to release youths suspected of vandalism from
the Shin-Bet torture chambers. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257198
After
explosive balloons and rocket on Ashkelon, IDF attacks many Hamas targets. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257263
Very
cold and floods takes the life of soldier in a navigation course. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257278
F-15
loses canopy at 30,000 feet but lands safely despite the extreme cold. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257279
PA
turns over Egypt-Gaza border to Hamas. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257281
Egypt
– Policeman protecting church killed in explosion. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257211
Ireland’s
oldest Synagogue is vandalized. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257194
Fake
Bomb with antisemitism found at Berkley. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257264
Milestone
Moshe Ahrens, the man who could have been Prime Minister, but turned the reigns
over to a young Benyamin Netanyahu. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257283
4.12
million tourists visit Israel in 2018. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257226
New
political blocs in Israel. https://www.debka.com/israels-leading-parties-switch-from-splits-to-building-blocs/
Turkish
Fuehrer confronts the USA. https://www.debka.com/fresh-turkish-us-crisis-erdogan-refuses-to-see-visiting-us-adviser-again-threatens-kurds/
Iraq
and Israel secret diplomacy? https://www.algemeiner.com/2019/01/07/controversy-erupts-in-iraq-over-reported-secret-dignitary-visits-to-israel/?utm_content=news1&utm_medium=daily_email&utm_campaign=email&utm_source=internal/
Anti-hate
network that sends Jihad hatred. https://dianebederman.com/where-is-bernie-farbers-anti-hate-network-when-imams-spread-hate/
Bederman
on Black Islam antisemitism. https://dianebederman.com/what-is-the-origin-of-louis-farrakhans-hate-for-the-jewish-people/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=socialnetwork&fbclid=IwAR1t6Dama-AbM0BxlUtpeoVtywxV4uxc2l2nwc8RkaDY1sRUqvdzjVYC3nQ
Op-ed: John F. Kennedy: A Democrat No More By:
Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots on American Political
Radio https://thepatriotfactor.blogspot.com/2019/01/op-ed-john-f.html JFK was never an
obstructionist like today's Democrats are...he was a true champion of
bipartisanship...a very dirty and politically incorrect word in today's
Democrat-speak...
True
or just trying to take the heat off of the Shin Bet for torturing Jewish
Youths. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257356
Communist
Mayor of Birmingham AL blames the Jews. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257328
ED-OP:
Netanyahu’s attack on the Justice System a danger – Ben Dror Yemeni https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5441861,00.html
Terrorist
captured just before another shooting attack. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257324
Hamas
claims that it holds 45 Israeli spies. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257357
Humanitarian
crisis on US Southern Border. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257368
Iran
– Hezballah cyberwar. https://www.debka.com/how-shin-bet-chiefs-election-meddling-comment-on-iran-and-hizballah-morphed-into-media-frenzy-against-russia/
Chinese
financial take-over attempts. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257404
4
out of 5 youths released from Shin Bet torture chambers. http://www.isAraelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257427
Many of the youths were troubled before
the putting down of their character, manhood, sleep deprivation and noise.
Rabbi Uzi Meshullam ZTZAL went into jail clear minded and came out like Otto
Warmbier.
Chevron
IDF captures illegal weapons. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257424
US
withdrawal from Syria is a work in progress. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5443009,00.html
How
Israeli technology brought down El Chapo. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5444330,00.html
CAIR
sues to block anti-BDS bill. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5444356,00.html
High
Court Orders Ed. Ministry to have army prep school for religious girls. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5443688,00.html
Truck
moves oldest Schul in DC to location for a Jewish Museum. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257426
57
terror attempts the first week of 2019 we live on miracles. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257462
French
Aliyah drops. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257447
US
may hit Syria again if there is more use of Chemical Weapons. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257453
US
vetoes sale of F-16 to Croatia. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257475
Netanyahu
to visit Chad. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257466
Former
Nazi Guard dies without trial. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257472
Good
Shabbos don’t forget to buy Tu B’ Shevat fruit this week. Stay healthy,
Rachamim
Pauli
