No community start suggestion yet.
Why did Moshe trust Pharaoh repeatedly despite broken promises, and why did Pharaoh keep resisting when defeat was inevitable? A Midrash about a lion, donkey, and fox reveals the answer: the battle was never about the outcome but about control. The shiur demonstrates that most human conflicts—including those in our homes—are fundamentally control struggles, not disagreements over actual issues.
Rabbi Zweig addresses two perplexing questions from Parshas Vaeira that arise from the plagues narrative. First, why does Moshe Rabbeinu repeatedly trust Pharaoh's promises to release the Jewish people, only to be deceived time and again? After the first betrayal, why doesn't Moshe simply keep the plagues active until the Jews are safely out of Egypt? Moshe appears naively trusting when simple wisdom would dictate holding leverage until freedom is secured. The second question concerns Pharaoh's behavior: Pharaoh clearly recognizes God's existence and power through the devastating plagues. He repeatedly begs for relief, acknowledging God's supremacy. Yet he continues to resist. Given any rational definition of God, Pharaoh must know he cannot win this battle. The Ramban (רמב"ן) describes Pharaoh as a wise person running a world power—so what rational calculation could possibly motivate him to continue a fight he knows he must lose?
Looking for the full summary?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Dedicate a Shiur in Parsha
L'ilui nishmas a loved one. In honor of a simcha or yahrzeit. As a zechus for a refuah sheleimah. Your dedication helps carry Rabbi Zweig's Torah to learners around the world.
Up Next in this Series
Why does the Torah emphasize Rivka's Aramean ancestry when describing her marriage to Yitzchok? The shiur reveals that Arameans were master manipulators with extraordinary sensitivity to others' psychology. Rivka inherited this keen insight but channeled it into genuine chesed, which requires understanding what recipients actually need rather than what givers want to provide.
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 Vaeira
Looking for the full transcript?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Why does the Torah separate Avrohom's eulogy for Sarah from his crying for her? The shiur shows that Sarah required a public eulogy focused on the communal loss of a leader, not Avrohom's private grief. This teaches that we must view Jewish tragedies through a national lens first, seeing attacks on Am Yisrael as collective losses that dwarf personal concerns.
