Again the Parsha reveals events that sound very familiar to what is happening in our world today:

The hardening of the world in refusal to let G-d’s people go, the plan for population control and full control of every area of individual life and choice. And many people are in a panic. But we see what happened with Pharaoh: At the end of Parsha Va-eira, (Exodus 9:27) after the plague of hail, Pharaoh admits his guilt and says: “this time I have sinned: Hashem is the righteous One, and I and my people are the wicked ones…(34) Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder ceased, and he continued to sin; and he made his heart stubborn, he and his servants. Pharaoh’s heart became strong and he did not send out the children of Israel as Hashem had spoken through Moshe.”

But, who was it that hardened his heart? This is the first time Pharaoh admits to sinning; he is beginning to weaken. But it goes on to say that his heart was hardened. In the first verse of Parsha Bo, we see Hashem taking credit for the hardening of his heart: …”Come to Pharaoh, for I have made his heart and the heart of his servants stubborn so that I can put these signs of Mine in his midst; and so that you may relate in the ears of your sons and your son’s son that I made a mockery of Egypt and My signs that I placed among them—that you may know that I am Hashem.

Hashem told Moshe back in chapter 7:3 that he would harden Pharaoh’s heart, but from a close look at the wording of the succession of his denials, Pharaoh hardened his own heart until he began to weaken at the plague of Hail. At this point Hashem moved in and kept him from weakening, as if he had gone too far, and no repentance was now possible.

We see evil taking the reigns of the world powers, even in our own blessed Holy Land. We see things getting tighter and tighter, more lock-downs and more control, more threats if the plague is not controlled. Can we see a repetition of the Egyptian scenario? But at this time Pharaoh is not a single ruler, but a New World Order and every nation has come under the sway of this power. We have not seen deliverance from this Pharaoh, not yet. They claim the virus has mutated several times which feeds right into the take-over of the world by the manipulators of governments and people. Just as ancient Israel did under the reign of Pharaoh, we tremble as we see Evil taking over and we plead with Hashem to deliver us. Can we hold on just a little longer until Hashem shows His wonders and His ability to overthrow any and all who stand in the way of His plan? Is the New World Order being hardened just like Pharaoh to oppress all who will not subject themselves to its control? Threats of having our rights taken away, threats of being deprived travel privileges, of being denied normal activities that we have enjoyed in the past if we do not get their vaccine. And this is only the beginning. And as we bow down to the demands they will only increase and the oppression will grow.

But though we tremble for what is coming, we must not fear for Hashem is watching everything and it will be only a little longer before He sets us free. We may have to go through some very bitter times. Yet if we look to Him, we will find comfort. G-d forbid that we should bow in subservience to Pharaoh at a time like this! We must let His power be manifest.

Don’t we see the parallel? Didn’t Israel also cry out against Moshe and the proffered deliverance when Pharaoh extended the abuse? Yes that was back a few chapters ago, and in this weeks Parsha, we are studying the actual deliverance and the Song of the Sea, yet may we study it with Emunah that this is a strong prototype of what is coming and believe that there WILL be deliverance through the mighty Hand of Hashem!

If we look closely we will also see that Hashem led Israel right into an apparent trap at the Sea of Reeds, where they would appear to be locked in by the sea, only to finally finish off Pharaoh and his army? What are the possibilities of something similar happening today? Will we still clasp on with Hope in Hashem, and stand steadfast even when things seem to get worse and worse and we seem trapped with no recourse?

Isa 52:1-12: (Sefaria)

For thus said the Lord GOD: Of old, My people went down To Egypt to sojourn there; But Assyria has robbed them, Giving nothing in return. What therefore do I gain here? —declares Hashem— For My people has been carried off for nothing, Their mockers howl —declares Hashem— And constantly, unceasingly, My name is reviled. Assuredly, My people shall learn My name, Assuredly [they shall learn] on that day That I, the One who promised, Am now at hand. How welcome on the mountain Are the footsteps of the herald Announcing happiness, Heralding good fortune, Announcing victory, Telling Zion, “Your God is King!” Hark! Your watchmen raise their voices, As one they shout for joy; For every eye shall behold Hashem’s return to Zion. Raise a shout together, O ruins of Jerusalem! For Hashem will comfort His people, Will redeem Jerusalem. Hashem will bare His holy arm In the sight of all the nations, And the very ends of earth shall see the victory of our God. Turn, turn away, touch nothing unclean as you depart from there; Keep pure, as you go forth from there, You who bear the vessels of Hashem! For you will not depart in haste, Nor will you leave in flight; For Hashem is marching before you, The God of Israel is your rear guard.”

Yet now the nation of Israel has declared that they will close the airport to those who wish to make Aliyah. Surely this will arouse Hashem’s anger! People stand with bags packed waiting to come home and yet those in charge of the Land are not allowing it. But the Scriptures promise that it WILL happen and it MUST happen for these prophecies are not idle tales! We have yet to see the mighty movements on the world stage that will open the doors to bring the sons and daughters home so that the world will know that Israel is Hashem’s chosen and then the nations will be astounded when they see Jacob arise from the ashes of disdain:

Isa 52: 13-15“Indeed, My servant shall prosper, Be exalted and raised to great heights. Just as the many were appalled at him— So marred was his appearance, unlike that of man, form, beyond human semblance— Just so he shall startle many nations. Kings shall be silenced because of him, For they shall see what has not been told them, Shall behold what they never have heard.”

And then they shall proclaim (Isa 53:1) “Who has believed our report and to whom is the Arm of Hashem revealed?”

Israel will be exalted after suffering the woes that come upon the world, just as we did in Egypt. We must hold on to the Hand of Hashem like never before! Yes it will look as if all our resources are being cut off, just as when Israel had traveled several days into the wilderness and ran out of water and then food as we see in Beshalach. It will be easy to think that Hashem has abandoned us, but may we not cry out (as they did) that it would have been better for us to die in the land of Egypt than to face the trials of G-d’s people in the Land!

At the end of Parsha Bo, we are instructed when questioned in the future by our sons and daughters as to the meaning of the redemption firstborn and the Matzoh we are to recount the story of Pesach, the killing of the male firstborn of Egypt. We are to show them the promise that Hashem will surely redeem his firstborn son (Israel).

Exo. 4:22: “You shall say to Pharaoh, So said Hashem, My firstborn son is Israel.”

And we sing Dayenu, “it would have been enough”, remembering that the foreshadowing of what we face now was prefigured in our release from Egyptian bondage.

It is time Oh HASHEM, to rise! Show Your Hand and make a mockery of the nations that oppress your people and let us hope as we wait for your promise to set your people free!

Vaera: Exodus 6:2 through 9:35

Let my People Go! World Lock-downs

Hashem spoke to Moshe and told him he was going to take the people out from under the oppression of Egypt. Moshe tells Hashem that the children of Israel have not listened to him and how can he expect Pharaoh to listen. Hashem tells him he has made him a master over Pharaoh, that Pharaoh will not heed him to let Israel go because Hashem will harden his heart. But that Hashem himself will take the children of Israel out of Egypt with a strong hand.

Thus starts a plea bargaining between Moshe and Pharaoh which backs Pharaoh in a corner from which he cannot escape. His ego is at stake, And even when he confesses that he is guilty, he is hardened to continue to resist the quest to let Israel go.

At this time the world has demanded detailed lock-downs.. The Government of Israel has not only locked the country down several times for several weeks at a time but at the same time has offered its citizenry as guinea pigs for the Pfizer vaccine trials. And those who refuse this burden will be subject to even more extensive lock-down measures. No more international travel. No more national parks or restaurants…the threats build up and the people shudder. Some rush for the vaccine to guarantee they will see their children and grandchildren, just to find out that the vaccine does not keep them from getting the plague. Yes they have been promised a passport, under the conditions of receiving whatever boosters they are required to have. And nobody thought that Israel would force its own people to obey the nations of the world who represent Pharaoh and Egypt. But Hashem has something to say about it:

Jer. 23:1-3 “Woe to the shepherds that destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture! Says Hashem. Therefore, thus says Hashem, G-d of Israel against the shepherds that feed My people; You have scattered My flock, and driven them away, and have not taken care of them: behold, I will punish you for the evil of your doings, says Hashem. And I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries into which I have driven them and will bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them who shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be lacking says Hashem.”

And so Egypt is among us and there is no guarantee that the land is a safe place…EXCEPT that Hashem has promised to protect us. Yes the long arm of Pharaoh has reached now into the land of Israel to claim its subjects and the leadership are quite happy to turn us over for their own personal profit and standing with the world leaders.

Micah 7:2-3, 7 JPS “The pious have perished from the land, and there is no upright among men; All lie in wait to commit crimes, One traps the other in his net. They are eager to do evil: the magistrate makes demands, And the judge (judges) for a fee; The rich man makes his crooked plea, and they grant it…(7) But I will hope in the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”

Amos 2:6: “…I will not turn away (Israel’s) his punishment, ; because they sold the righteous
for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;”

The plagues of Egypt lasted about a year according to some Biblical commentaries. The plague of Corona (whether or not it is what we think it is) has lasted almost a year. How much longer will humanity suffer under darkness and distress? We see how even as the plagues became more and more extreme and damaging, the hardened heart of Pharaoh clearly did not care about his citizen’s health or well being. It was all about his narcissistic claim to be a god. And today we see our prime minister anxious to hold on to his position at all cost, even the cost of the lives of the people of Israel, and even to the extent of forming an alliance with the Arabs to keep his place on the throne.

So what are the parallels that we see to this Parsha?

1. Pharaoh will not let the people go, he claims them as his property: The country claims it’s citizens as it’s property to use as an experiment for the “solution” of the global pandemic. The entire country is in lock-down. We cannot go anywhere for the government has declared that we must stay in our homes until the pandemic is under control.
2. The people would not listen to Moses out of fear of Pharaoh. The people of Israel now act similarly as if they do not believe that Hashem can provide a way for them to travel and to live if they do not submit to the requirement of a vaccine that is untested and filled with dangerous and even unclean things (things like fetal tissue).
3. Pharaoh becomes less and less powerful over the people of Hashem. This part has yet to be played out. Only as people realize that the power of control will lessen as Hashem reveals what is in the darkness of the grand deception being played out, will they find courage to hold on until they are delivered.
   
   The stage is set and the countdown has started. Let us hang on as Pharaoh is weakened and the Hand of Hashem is revealed!

Exodus 1:1-6;1

Moshe flees Egypt for Midian after trying to save one of his people from a whipping, kills an Egyptian and buries him in the sand. When he discovers that his own people have spread the rumor about what happened, and was advised that Pharaoh was seeking to kill him, he escaped before the guards could capture him. He finds lodging and a new lifestyle with Yitro, Priest of Midian where he is given Zipporah, one of the daughters of Yitro for a wife. He becomes a shepherd. After a period of time he meets up with Hashem at the burning bush, and the rest is history!

What we see unfold is in the face of the extreme anguish of the Jews under Egyptian slavery, the small request to have a 3-day break to worship their G-d in the wilderness amplifies the oppression. Pharaoh defies Hashem, stating: Who is Hashem that I should obey his voice?” and then commands that no more straw be provided for the Israelites who are building his pyramids. The supervisors are beaten when the people do not fulfill their normal quota. They turn on Moshe and Aharon and accuse them of bringing more trouble upon the people, clearly showing their almost complete lack of Emunah in the power of Hashem and the promise to deliver them.

Moshe takes it to Hashem, and asks why He got him involved if He was going to let the people suffer? That Pharaoh has made things much worse since he came to Egypt and requested the favor for Israel. Hashem replies for Moshe to wait and see what He is going to do to Pharaoh. And that is the end of the Parsha.

I find this very very intriguing in the light of what has happened in the past few weeks in the world! There is a plague affecting humanity and the Jews are not exempt. The ones who represent the nation of Israel have accepted the rulings of the nations as to how to control their own people. Israel has thrown out their own vaccine to be in step with the popular Pfizer vaccine. The leadership is clearly looking to the nations for advice and not calling out to Hashem. And the people will suffer because of their decisions. Verses from Tanakh come to mind:

Yeshyahu 9:15 “For the guides of this people cause them to err and they who are led by them are destroyed.”

Yeshyahu 1:23 “Your princes are rebellious and associates of thieves; each of them loves bribery and pursues payments.”

The idea that the government prospers at the expense of its people shows that the government is not a government for the people but a people for the government. We see great changes in the governments of the nations and in Israel today. Could it be that Mitzraim is still in control? That we must be delivered from oppression here in our own land? Surely it is time for Hashem to rise and show His Power.

Yeshyahu 10:1-3: “Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, And to the writers that write iniquity; To turn aside the needy from judgment, And to take away the right of the poor of My people, That widows may be their spoil, And that they may make the fatherless their prey! And what will ye do in the day of visitation, And in the ruin which shall come from far? To whom will ye flee for help? And where will ye leave your glory?”

When it was time to deliver Israel from Egypt, the trouble got worse. Today, when the children of the exile are turning their hearts towards home, multitudes asking for Aliyah, the problems increase. Death tolls are reportedly increasing like never before and the leaders show by their desire to get on board with the nations that they don’t believe Hashem can or will protect His people. While the great second Exodus has begun, all hell breaks out to destroy them. Isn’t this what we see in the first Exodus? Are we seeing birth pangs that come with the return of the the sons of Jacob?

Yirmiyahu 30: 6-7: “Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child;

Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it; it is a time of trouble unto Jacob, but out of it shall he be saved.”

Next week we will study the plagues Hashem sent to humble Pharaoh and break the yoke of Egypt and the oppression. Will we see something in Israel and the lands where the exiles are locked down and oppressed? Will we have another plague? Great troubles have hit the world. This past week, the US congress mocked Hashem and his creation of man and woman, father and mother in an opening prayer that has gone viral using “Amen and Awoman”.

The prophet Yirmiyahu predicted punishment of the nations where Israel has been in Exile:

Yirmiyahu 30:11 “…for I will bring annihilation upon all the nations among whom I have dispersed you, but upon you I will not bring annihilation; I will chastise you with justice, but I will never eliminate you completely.

Where will it all end and when will Hashem arise with power to save His people?

Yoel 2:17 “Let the priests, the ministers of Hashem, weep and say: “Oh, spare your people, Hashem! Let not your possession become a mockery, to be taunted by nations! Let not the peoples say, ‘Where is their G-d”?