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Why does the Midrash emphasize that Pharaoh had to go to Moshe, rather than the greater defeat of losing his entire nation? The shiur develops a radical understanding: Pharaoh was not merely a charlatan pretending divinity but possessed actual spiritual power as the Sar (angelic prince) of Egypt. His ultimate defeat was not just political—he lost his ruchniyusdik position, his status in the celestial hierarchy. Going to Moshe represented surrendering his claim to deity itself.
The shiur opens with a close textual analysis of the dialogue between Pharaoh and Moshe at the climax of the tenth plague. The pasuk states that Pharaoh called for Moshe and Aharon in the night. The Midrash emphasizes a puzzling detail: Pharaoh had to come to Moshe, rather than Moshe coming to him as had been the pattern throughout the plagues. Moshe asks Pharaoh, "What do you want? Who comes to whom?" The Radal explains that Moshe is pointing out the reversal: "Until now I always came to you. Now you're coming to me. Tell me what you want." The central difficulty the shiur grapples with is why the Midrash treats this role reversal—Pharaoh having to seek out Moshe—as the primary defeat and humiliation. Seemingly, the much greater defeat was losing the entire Jewish nation, three million slaves, and seeing Egypt destroyed. Why does the Midrash make the "mi bo etzomi" (who comes to whom) the ikar chiddush? Why is Pharaoh's loss of royal status and having to come to Moshe emphasized more than the catastrophic national loss?
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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.
Parshas Bo - Pharaoh calling for Moshe
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