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Why does the Torah (תורה) emphasize telling children about the Exodus rather than internalizing it ourselves? The shiur develops a profound yesod: we can only understand God's love as a Father when we function as parents ourselves. When we give our children the Seder message—that God cares enough to punish those who harm us—we simultaneously internalize that our own suffering was divine love, not abandonment.
Rabbi Zweig opens with three textual questions from Parshas Bo. First, why does the Torah (תורה) introduce the purpose of the plagues—"so you can tell your children and grandchildren"—only now, after seven plagues have already occurred? Second, why does the verse emphasize telling children rather than internalizing the lesson ourselves? Third, why does the Torah say "you will tell your children...and then you will know I am God"—shouldn't we first know ourselves before teaching others? The shiur explains that from Parshas Bo forward, Pharaoh has lost his free will; God has hardened his heart. The remaining plagues are no longer pressure tactics but pure acts of divine vengeance—God is "playing with" Pharaoh, punishing him specifically because he harmed the Jewish people. Rashi (רש"י) on the preamble to the Ten Commandments teaches that even though the Egyptians deserved punishment for their wickedness, God held back until they attacked the Jews. This demonstrates that the plagues were expressions of God's love for us—making us feel protected and valued. The Hebrew word for revenge, nekamah, shares its root with kum (to stand up), because vengeance rebuilds the victim's self-respect.
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Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Shemos 10:1-2 (Parshas Bo)
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