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Why does Parshas Bo introduce a new reason for the plagues—"so you will tell your children and grandchildren"? The first seven plagues established Hashem (ה׳)'s sovereignty. Now the Torah (תורה) shifts: Hashem wants a personal relationship with us, not merely obedience. The disputes over whether children and animals should join the exodus become theological debates about the nature of closeness and a dynamic, service-based relationship with Hashem.
Rabbi Zweig explores a fundamental shift in the purpose of the plagues between Parshas Vaeira and Parshas Bo. The shiur opens with several textual difficulties: Why does Parshas Bo introduce a new preamble to the plagues ("so you will tell your children and grandchildren") when seven plagues have already occurred? Why does the Torah (תורה) limit this transmission to children and grandchildren specifically, and not great-grandchildren? Why does the verse say "you will tell... and then you will know I am Hashem (ה׳)" rather than the reverse order—first knowing, then telling? And why is there no explicit warning given to Pharaoh before the eighth plague, unlike all previous plagues? The answer lies in recognizing two distinct phases in the plague narrative. Parshas Vaeira establishes one clear purpose for the plagues: "v'yadu Mitzrayim ki Ani Hashem"—so that Egypt should know that Hashem is the Master of the world. This is essentially a power struggle, establishing divine sovereignty. By the end of the seventh plague (borod/hail), Pharaoh explicitly admits this: "Hashem hatzaddik, va'ani v'ami harsha'im"—Hashem is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Pharaoh acknowledges that Hashem controls the world and that his resistance is sinful. The Torah even states that after the plague was removed, "vayosef lachato"—he continued to sin, meaning Pharaoh now knows he is doing wrong but persists anyway.
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