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Why did Pharaoh wage war over just three days when Egypt faced total destruction? The dialogue in Parshas Bo reveals the plagues weren't about economics but control—Pharaoh refused to be dominated, even at catastrophic cost. The shiur applies this dynamic to marriages and relationships, showing how the need to control others stems from lack of self-control.
Rabbi Zweig analyzes a perplexing dialogue in Parshas Bo where Pharaoh's advisors tell him "all is lost" after seven plagues, yet Pharaoh continues to refuse Moshe's demands. The shiur presents three fundamental questions: First, why does Pharaoh initially agree to send the Jews when told all is lost, but then reverse course when Moshe specifies that everyone—including children—must go? Second, why did it take seven plagues for anyone to recognize that God could overpower Egypt when the first plague (blood) already demonstrated God's absolute power? Third, and most perplexing, why would Pharaoh wage a devastating war over merely three days of the Jews' absence, especially when the plagues had already cost Egypt far more than three days of productivity? The answer, Rabbi Zweig explains, lies in understanding that the entire confrontation was fundamentally about control, not economics or politics. God wasn't simply forcing Pharaoh to release the Jews—He could have done that easily by maintaining the plagues until the Jews were safely out of Egypt. Instead, God repeatedly removed each plague after Pharaoh promised to release the Jews, giving Pharaoh the choice to keep his word. This pattern demonstrates that God wanted Pharaoh to choose submission, not merely be forced into action. As Rashi (רש"י) explains on the verse "Ad mosai me'anta le'anos mipanai"—the issue wasn't sending the people out, but Pharaoh's refusal to submit to God's authority.
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Parshas Bo, Shemos 10:7-11, 14:5
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