Parashah Va’eira

Exodus 6:1—9:35

Notes by Chris O’Quin

January 5^th, 2008

I. Introduction

Our Parashah opens with HaShem’s command to Moses to speak to Pharaoh that he should set the children of Israel free from bondage.
What follows, according to Rashi, is a kind of great military campaign led by HaShem against Egypt. First the water supply is destroyed (blood), and then trumpets are sounded to terrorize the people (the croaking frogs). Next, the army shoots arrows (lice) and the infantry is unleashed against the enemy (wild beasts). After this, lancers enter the battle (pestilence) and the enemy is bombarded with burning projectiles (boils which burned the skin) and with artillery (flaming hail). Following that, the main body of the army is sent into battle (locusts). The enemy is then pinned down in their positions (imprisoned by darkness), and lastly, their high officials are executed (slaying of the firstborn) (Tanchuma, Bo, Ch. 4).
But more than this, it was a battle which was fought on three levels:
First, Personal—between Moses and Pharaoh
Second, National—between Israel and Egypt
Third, Spiritual—between the One True G-d and all the false gods of Egypt

II. The Personal Struggle between Moses and Pharaoh

· The new pharaoh was probably Amenhotep II who ruled (depending on ones chronology) between 1427 and 1400 BCE.

· He was probably a young man in his early 20’s around the time of the Exodus

· He was capable of great cruelty

· He was very skilled in the use of weaponry

· He was very proud of his athleticism

· Amenhotep II conducted two military campaigns that we know of into the region of Canaan

· On his first campaign he personally led his army and subdued seven rebellious kings who had refused to pay him tribute

· After personally killing these kings he hung six of their corpses from the bow of his boat so that he could show all Egypt what happened to those who rebelled against him

· The seventh body he hung from the wall of a city which he felt was of questionable loyalty

· In a second campaign he captured hundreds of enemy horses and chariots and brought back thousands of slaves

· He viewed himself as a god who hovered over the waters of the Nile (see Genesis 41:1)

· He was often referred to as neter nefer or the “perfect god”

· This confrontation is one between the humility of Moses and the overweening pride of Pharaoh

· Conversely, Moses was a lowly shepherd—emptied of all pride during the 40 years of shepherding, but chosen as the “good shepherd” of his people

· Semitic shepherds were despised in Egypt because they ate sheep and rams (Egyptians worshiped the constellation Aries as divine)

· Moses came to Pharaoh representing a G-d of Semitic slaves

· Moses seemed to have some kind of speech impediment

· Moses’ first “diplomatic” effort with Pharaoh seemed to end in utter failure

· Moses appeared before Pharaoh requiring that Pharaoh set his people free. When Pharaoh refused, Moses threw down his staff to become a snake.

· In a mocking tone Pharaoh called in his magicians to perform the same miracle. The Midrash tells us that even his small school-age children were called in to perform the same act.

· The result of this effort was that Pharaoh increased the work-load of the Hebrews to such an extent that the Torah says that they were too exhausted to even breathe.

· This only fed Pharaoh’s pride all the more

· Further, the very fact that Moses continued to come to Pharaoh for permission to leave Egypt only add to his haughtiness. Explain

· Why didn’t Pharaoh have Moses killed? First, because the fact that Moses’ staff (not snake) ate the Egyptian staffs unnerved him. Second, he was greedy to find out the source of Moses’ “magic” so that he could become an even greater and more powerful god.

· Pharaoh’s mocking tone would last through the first several plagues (Exodus 8:25)

· Yet, for all his mockery and pride, Pharaoh would be brought down, showing what G-d can do through an individual whose heart and soul was completely yielded to Him.

· The humble faithfulness, patience and steadfastness of Moses would eventually prevail over the haughtiness and arrogance of this man who would be a god.

III. The National Struggle between Israel and Egypt

“But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal.' Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.” (Exodus 11:7)
Israel was G-d’s “firstborn” and yet Pharaoh was using them as a mere tool for his own ends
Pharaoh was guilty of the sin of Nimrod. Discuss the pride of Nimrod (Genesis 10).
Compare this with Yeshua’s words: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10: 14 & 15)
According to some commentators, the plagues against Egypt were a “measure for measure” punishment for the harm they had brought upon the Sons of Israel, i.e., the blood of the Nile river was to punish Egypt for the blood of the Hebrew babies who had been thrown into the Nile; the croaking frogs which prevented sleep, etc.
Through this we see the character of HaShem—His faithfulness to His Covenant with Israel
His compassion
His power
Explain why His power is a necessary component along with His attribute of compassion (ref. C.S. Lewis’ argument).
The eternality of the Covenant
Explain how being “in Messiah” is to be “in Israel.” (Ref. Charles De Gaul) What does this mean for us as followers of Yeshua?
The display of G-d’s power over Egypt helped Israel when she went to enter the Promised Land. “When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” (Joshua 2:11)

IV. The Spiritual Struggle between HaShem and the false gods of Egypt

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.” (Exodus 9:13-15)
The ultimate purpose for the plagues on the spiritual level mirrors the prayer of the daily Aleinu in which we pray for the day when “G-d will be One and His Name One” in all the earth. That is, the day when “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9)
Through these plagues HaShem brought judgment upon all the false gods of the Egyptians (Exodus 12:12) HaShem turned their “benefits” into acts of destruction
The Nile god was “slain” with the plague of blood
The frog god of fertility, Heka, was “slain” in heaps
The earth god, Seth, was struck by Moses and produced lice
Isis and Serapis, gods of fire and water, “turned on Egypt” by being over powered by HaShem and struck in the form of fire and hail
Ra, the sun god, was extinguished for three days
Through these plagues HaShem demonstrated that there is no Power but His. That were he to withdraw Himself the universe would simply cease to be. Explain

V. Conclusion

What we find in our passage this morning is a fourfold act of redemption
First, HaShem tells Israel “I shall take you to Me”
Second, “I shall rescue you from their service”
Third, “I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm”
Fourth, “I shall take you to Me for a people”
Through this morning’s Parashah we also see three fundamental aspects of HaShem: First, His existence; Second, His Divine Providence over nations and individuals; and Third, His Divine Omnipotence.
In next week’s lesson we will see the final deliverance of G-d’s people from Egypt