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Why did Moshe remind the Jews of Egypt's defeat rather than their recent victory over Sichon and Og when they feared entering Eretz Yisrael? Rashi (רש"י) explains that "hisalalti" means Hashem (ה׳) "played" with Egypt—not warring, but toying with them effortlessly. Even victorious wars leave anxiety and trauma; only Egypt's miraculous, anxiety-free defeat could inspire true confidence.
The shiur opens with the pasuk from Parshas Bo where Hashem (ה׳) tells Moshe, "I hardened Pharaoh's heart so that you may relate to your children what I did to Egypt." Rashi (רש"י) interprets "hisalalti" not as "what I did" but as "sachakti"—I played with them, like a cat toying with a mouse. This linguistic insight becomes the key to understanding a major textual difficulty later in the Torah (תורה). When the Jewish people stood poised to enter Eretz Yisrael after conquering Sichon and Og—described as the two major military powers of the world—they became frightened by the spies' report. Moshe reminded them of the miracles in Egypt to bolster their confidence. But this raises an obvious question: why reference events from forty years ago, which most of the current generation either didn't witness or were too young to remember, when they had just experienced miraculous victories over Sichon and Og mere weeks or months earlier? Logic would dictate that recent, directly witnessed miracles should be far more effective at inspiring confidence.
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Parshas Bo (Shemos 10:1-2), Rashi on "hisalalti b'Mitzrayim"
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