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Seven of the Ten Plagues are found in this week’s Parashah. R’ Meshulam Feish Segal Lowy z”l (1921-2015; the Tosher Rebbe in post-War Hungary and Montreal, Canada) writes: The ultimate purpose of all of the miracles connected with the Exodus is so that all of mankind will recognize that “there is Someone in charge in the palace” (a phrase borrowed from a Midrash regarding Avraham’s discovery of Hashem) and that everything is run with Hashgachah Peratit, i.e., Divine interest and involvement in world events and attention to detail. Moshe delivers this message in Hashem’s Name repeatedly in our Parashah: “So that you will know that there is none like Hashem, our Elokim” (8:6); “So that you will know that I am Hashem in the midst of the land” (8:18); “So that you shall know that there is none like Me in all the world” (9:14); and “So that My Name may be declared throughout the world” (9:16). We likewise say in our daily prayers (quoting Nechemiah 9:9-10): “You observed the suffering of our forefathers in Egypt . . . You imposed signs and wonders upon Pharaoh . . . and you made a great Name for Yourself, as clear as this very day.”

The Tosher Rebbe continues: Acknowledging Hashem’s Hashgachah Peratit is the ultimate purpose of all of our prayers, beginning with Pesukei D’zimra and continuing through the Blessings surrounding Kri’at Shema. Each day, upon repeating the same prayers, a person can attain a deeper understanding of Hashem’s greatness, and a person’s Emunah can be strengthened. Thus we read (Tehilim 150:2--also part of our daily prayers), “Praise Him according to His abundant greatness”--i.e., “Praise Him (Hashem) according to (one’s own, ever-increasing appreciation of) His abundant greatness.” (Avodat Avodah)

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“Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aharon and commanded them ‘el’ Bnei Yisrael and ‘el’ Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to take Bnei Yisrael out of the land of Egypt.” (6:13)

Midrash Rabbah, cited by Rashi z”l, interprets “el” (אל) to mean “concerning” or “regarding.” Rashi writes: “Concerning Bnei Yisrael”--to deal with them in a gentle manner and to be patient with them. “Concerning Pharaoh, the king of Egypt”--that they should show him respect as they spoke. [Until here from Rashi]

The Talmud Yerushalmi interprets ‘el’ to mean “to,” and it asks: What commandment did Moshe give to Bnei Yisrael at this time? It answers: He commanded them regarding freeing Jewish slaves. [Until here from the Yerushalmi]

R’ Yosef Rosen z”l (1858-1936; the “Rogatchover Gaon”) writes: The Yerushalmi is teaching that the Exodus was conditioned on Bnei Yisrael’s committing that, in the future, they would free their Jewish slaves after six years of servitude (see Shmot 21:2) or at the Yovel / Jubilee year (see Vayikra 25:10). If Bnei Yisrael would not fulfill that condition, they would be returned to the status of slaves.

Bnei Yisrael did not, in fact, live up to that condition, and they were punished, as we read in the Book of Yirmiyah (34:14; see Rashi there). Specifically, the booty that Bnei Yisrael received from Egypt at the time of the Exodus had the status of the gift that a master must give his slave when he goes free (see Devarim 15:13). Since Bnei Yisrael failed to fulfill the Mitzvah that was the condition upon which they were freed, they became obligated to become re-enslaved to the Egyptians in some sense. Therefore, relates the Gemara (Pesachim 87b), the equivalent of the booty they received was recaptured by the king of Egypt in the days of King Rechavam, son of King Shlomo. (Tzofnat Pane’ach)

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“Entreat Hashem--there has been an overabundance of thunder of Elokim and hail.” . . .

“Moshe said to him, ‘As for you and your servants, I know that you are not yet afraid of Hashem Elokim’.” (9:28-30)

R’ Pinchas Zalman Horowitz z”l (1832-1906; Krakow, Galicia) explains: The Name “Hashem” refers to G-d’s Attribute of Mercy, while the Name “Elokim” refers to His Attribute of Justice. Pharaoh did not believe that one deity could have both attributes, so he said: Entreat Hashem and see if He can stop the thunder of Elokim.”

Moshe replied: I will do that, but I know that you and your servants nevertheless will not believe that Hashem is Elokim. (Ahavat Torah)

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“I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and I will multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.” (7:3)

Many commentaries ask: If Hashem “hardened Pharaoh’s heart,” implying that He took away Pharaoh’s free will so that Pharaoh could not have emancipated Bnei Yisrael even if he had wanted to, why did the Egyptians deserve these punishing plagues? Commentaries give various answers to this question.

R’ Yaakov Moshe Hillel shlita (Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Ahavat Shalom in Yerushalayim) answers as follows, based on the Zohar and the teachings of R’ Yitzchak Luria z”l (“Arizal”; 1534-1572): The great philosophers in ancient times--for example, Aristotle--achieved a very sophisticated understanding of G-d as “Ein Sof” / limitless and beyond our comprehension. Ironically, however, their understanding of G-d’s greatness precluded them from acknowledging His Hashgachah Peratit, i.e., His interest and involvement in world events. Instead, they reasoned that He is too lofty to be involved in, or even aware of, such relatively puny matters as man’s affairs. (This, explains R’ Hillel is the significance of the Chanukah miracle, which demonstrates, contrary to Greek beliefs, that Hashem is, in fact, running the world with Hashgachah Peratit.)

Pharaoh, too, was a great philosopher, continues R’ Hillel. Pharaoh acknowledged Elokim, who Pharaoh understood as the G-d who established the rules of nature and now lets the world run automatically. (Note that the Gematriot of “Elokim” and “Ha’teva” / “the nature” are equal.) But, writes R’ Hillel, Pharaoh could not acknowledge Hashem, a G-d Who intervenes in nature with Hashgachah Peratit. (We know Hashem to be one and the same as Elokim. The different names of G-d merely represent different ways that we perceive Him.) Thus, when Moshe said (5:1), “So said Hashem, the Elokim of Yisrael, 'Send out My people’,” Pharaoh responded (5:2), “Who is Hashem that I should heed His voice to send out Yisrael? I do not know Hashem, nor will I send out Yisrael!”

The idea of “Hashem” -- a G-d Who is Ein Sof but also can intervene in nature--was so antithetical to Pharaoh’s world-view that just hearing the Name “Hashem” caused Pharaoh to become more entrenched in his position, thus hardening his heart, writes R’ Hillel. The more Hashem proved through the plagues that He can intervene in world affairs, and the more times Moshe mentioned Hashem’s Name, the more entrenched Pharaoh became. According to this understanding, concludes R’ Hillel, Hashem never took away Pharaoh’s free will; rather, our verse means: “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart when I will multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.” It was Hashem’s “signs and wonders” that caused Pharaoh’s heart to be hardened. (Ruach Ha’yam: Chanukah p.221)

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Shabbat

R’ Yaakov ben Asher z”l (the “Ba’al Ha’turim”; Germany and Spain; 1269-1343) writes: Our custom is to say in Musaf, “Tikanta Shabbat, etc.,” whose words are arranged in the order known as “TaShRaK” (תשר"ק-i.e., in reverse alphabetical order). This is meant to allude to the future redemption, about which we read (Zechariah 10:8), “Eshrekah (אשרקה) / I will whistle to them and gather them, for I have redeemed them.” (Tur, Orach Chaim 286)

R’ Yosef Karo z”l (1488-1575; Greece and Eretz Yisrael; author of the Shulchan Aruch and other works) adds: We allude to the future redemption on Shabbat because that redemption will come about in the merit of Shabbat, as we read (Yeshayah 56:4, 7): “So says Hashem to the barren ones who observe My Sabbaths . . . I shall bring them to My holy mountain . . .” It is further written (Yeshayah 30:15), “In Shuvah and Nachat (both terms suggesting restfulness) you shall be redeemed.”

R’ Karo continues by showing how each series of four letters in reverse order alludes to a word or phrase related to the redemption. For example, Nun-Mem-Lamed-Chaf contains the word “Melech” / “king,” as in the verse (Zechariah 14:9), “Hashem will be King over all the world--on that day Hashem will be One and His Name will be One.” (Bet Yosef)

R’ Zvi Yehuda Kook z”l (1891-1982; Rosh Ha’yeshiva of Yeshivat Merkaz Harav in Yerushalayim) explains further: Why should the redemption be alluded to by the alphabet in reverse? There are many people whose Emunah is weak because things seem to be backwards, i.e., the world is not operating in a way that makes sense to us. When Hashem redeems us, He will show us where He was in that seeming backward-ness. (Sichot Harav Zvi Yehuda: Devarim p.436)

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