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Why does Parshas Bo introduce a new preamble to the plagues, and why does Hashem (ה׳) send Moshe to warn Pharaoh when the Rambam (רמב"ם) says Pharaoh lost his free will? The shiur develops a fundamental distinction: Pharaoh lost his ability to submit to Hashem, but retained the choice of whether he wanted to be a slave master. The entire purpose of the plagues was to determine if Egypt enslaved the Jews because they were programmed to, or because they desired slavery—a test that has profound implications for understanding justice, free will, and the nature of following orders.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a series of perplexing questions about Parshas Bo. Why does the Torah (תורה) introduce a new preamble before the eighth plague ("Bo el Pharaoh ki ani hichbadti et libo")? Why wasn't this stated before the first plagues? Additionally, the Rambam (רמב"ם) raises a fundamental problem: the Torah states that Hashem (ה׳) hardened Pharaoh's heart, meaning Pharaoh lost his free will to do teshuvah. Yet Hashem continues sending Moshe to warn Pharaoh and command him to send out the Jewish people. If Pharaoh cannot change, why continue the charade? Why not simply punish him without the warnings? The shiur addresses an even deeper philosophical question that both the Rambam and Ramban (רמב"ן) grapple with: At the Bris Bein Habesarim, Hashem decreed that the Jewish people would be enslaved for 400 years. If this was an absolute decree that had to happen, how could the Egyptians be punished for fulfilling it? The Rambam answers that while Hashem decreed slavery would occur, He didn't specify which nation would enslave them—every nation had the choice. The Ramban objects: if someone has to do it, why not volunteer? The Ramban's own answer is that the Egyptians were only punished for the excess—they went beyond what was decreed by drowning children and adding cruelty.
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Parshas Bo
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