The Test of the Ten Plagues: Did Egypt Want to Be Slave Masters?

Full Summary

Rav Zweig addresses several perplexing questions about the beginning of Parshas Bo. Why does the Torah (תורה) give a new introduction before the eighth plague (Arbeh) when it already explained the purpose of the plagues earlier? Why does the Torah say "Bo el Pharaoh ki ani hichbadti es libo" - "Come to Pharaoh because I have hardened his heart" - which seems like a reason NOT to go to Pharaoh? And how do we understand the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s statement that Pharaoh lost his free will after the seventh plague, yet he still sent out the Jews after the tenth plague? The fundamental philosophical question underlying these issues is how Egypt could be punished for enslaving the Jews when God had decreed in the Bris Bein HaBesarim that the Jewish people would be enslaved for 400 years. If God decreed it must happen, how can the Egyptians be held responsible? The Rambam answers that God didn't decree which specific nation would enslave the Jews, leaving each nation with free choice. The Ramban (רמב"ן) disagrees, arguing that if it must happen, someone must do it, so why punish those who fulfill the decree? The Ramban suggests they were only punished for doing more than required. Rav Zweig proposes a novel resolution based on Rashi (רש"י)'s comment about why even Egyptian slaves were punished in the tenth plague. Rashi explains that although they were following orders, "they rejoiced" in the Jews' suffering. This teaches that following orders while enjoying the act is not truly following orders - it reveals an inner desire to do the action. Applying this principle to Egypt's enslavement: God programmed the Egyptians with a political necessity to enslave the Jews for security reasons, but He never programmed them to WANT to be slave masters. They could have enslaved the Jews reluctantly, viewing it as an unfortunate political necessity. The test of the plagues was to determine whether Egypt wanted to be slave masters or were merely following divine programming. Once Moshe first came to Pharaoh saying "Send out My people," the 400-year decree was complete and the programming ended. From that moment, Egypt had free choice to release the Jews. The first seven plagues tested whether they would release the Jews either because God commanded it OR because they didn't want to be slave masters. After the seventh plague, the Rambam says Pharaoh lost his ability to listen to God due to his repeated refusal, but he could still make a "business decision" to release them because slavery was no longer beneficial. This explains why after Makas Bechoros, Pharaoh expelled the Jews not because he was listening to God, but because he made a practical decision that slavery wasn't worth the cost. The new introduction in Parshas Bo reflects this changed dynamic - from this point forward, the test was solely whether Egypt wanted to maintain slavery when it was no longer programmed or necessary. Regarding the three-day journey: if Pharaoh had listened to God and released the Jews to serve Him for three days, they would have returned to an Egypt ruled by a king submissive to God - a positive environment. But since Pharaoh's release was based on practical considerations rather than submission to God, there was no obligation for the Jews to return to a hostile environment. This interpretation reveals God's tremendous chesed (חסד) - He gave Egypt multiple opportunities to avoid punishment, first by listening to Him, and later by simply choosing not to be slave masters even without listening to Him. The "judgment" (dan) mentioned in the Bris Bein HaBesarim was to determine Egypt's true motivation - were they reluctant servants of divine decree or enthusiastic slave masters who enjoyed their power over the Jewish people?