Midreshet Amit

 

Were the makkot only for the Egyptians or was everyone able to learn something from them? Last week's Parasha, Parashat Va'era, discusses the first 7 makkot. This week's Parasha continues to discuss the rest of the makkot in detail. Parashat Va'era ended off with Pharoah not letting the people go even after Hashem sent 7 plagues to Egypt. Hashem appears to Moshe and says to him “I have made his heart and the heart of his servants stubborn so that I can put these signs of mine in his midst.” What was Hashem trying to prove to Pharaoh and the Egyptians with the last three makkot? The makkot were Hashem's way of proving to the world that he exists and is present in everyday life. On Pesach we divide the makkot into three sections which shows three connected messages. The Egyptians didn’t react to the first 2 makkot because their magicians were able to do the same. But once it came to כינים, the Egyptian magicians weren’t able to recreate the lice, which proves the first message of the makkot. Hashem is all powerful and an average person cannot compete with the strength of Hashem. The next three makkot show Hashem's involvement in our everyday life. The Egyptians couldn’t handle the dying farm animals, or the wild animals coming out of no where, but pharaoh’s stubborn personality did not let him realize that he is not as powerful or as great as god. Some make the mistake of thinking that the ultimate God for the Egyptians was the Nile river, but in reality the Sun God was the God that they gave most appreciation to. When Hashem sent the locus plague it was only one step towards targeting their sun god. The locus covered every part of Egypt , including the sun, which only took away a part of their light. Then came darkness which took the light away from them completely. The last one is makkat Bechorot which took place in the middle of the night. The Egyptians thought that the sun was able to control every aspect of their life but these last three makkot show that there is no one who compares to Hashem and his power in this world.
 

Often times we go through our days not noticing the little things that happen to us. It shouldn’t take the biggest miracles to notice that god is involved in every aspect of our life. Sometimes it takes time for us to notice how much god really cares for us and is watching over us like our own parents do. 

 
On Tuesday night we dedicated the night לעילוי נשמת Daniella Nechama Moffson. We heard the most inspiring and heartfelt stories about her that we can all take lessons for the rest of our lives. The light she left in this world continues to shine everyday and impacts each one of us. If we take the little moments that Hashem has in store for us everyday we can light up our own lives and be our own powerhouse for life. Shabbat Shalom!