B"H

Thursday, Shevat 4, 5776 / January 14, 2016 – HAKHEL YEAR

In this week’s Parsha, Bo, we read about the last three plagues with which G-d punished the Egyptians for enslaving the Jewish people. They are; Locust, Darkness and Death of the First Born.

In this Parsha we also read about the Exodus. The commandment to put on Tefillin on the arm and head is also in Parshat Bo.

In the previous Torah Fax we explained the reason for the first five plagues. Here are the reasons for the last five, which includes the three of this Parsha.

Boils- Pharaoh's excuse for enslaving the Jews is told in Parshat Shmot (Exodus chapter 1); "And the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly and multiplied and the land was filled with them."  Pharaoh said to his people, "The children of Israel are too many... come let us deal with them, lest they multiply." 

Pharaoh enslaved them in order to restrict their "multiplying and being fruitful". For this the Egyptians were punished, measure for measure. As a result of the boils which covered their entire body, they couldn't have marital relations.

Hail- The Torah describes this plagues as, "And the L-rd sent thunder and hail.. and there was fire flashing amidst the hail..." When Pharaoh begged Moshe to take away the plague he said, "Pray to the L-rd, enough of this mighty thundering and hail..." 

The unbearable noise of the "mighty thundering and hail" was a punishment, measure-for-measure, for Pharaoh's claiming, "Who is the L-rd that I shall listen to His voice." 

Locust– The Hebrew word for locust is "arbeh" which also means to multiply. This plague was again a punishment for preventing the people of Israel from multiplying.

Darkness- Due to Pharaoh's decrees that the Jewish males be killed, the mothers would have to hide the babies after giving birth. In many cases the children were hidden in the ground where they survived miraculously. The darkness which G-d brought upon the Egyptians was a punishment measure for measure for the darkness they caused the Jewish children.

Death of the first born- In Parshat Shmot (Gen. 4:22) G-d tells Moshe to go to Pharaoh and say to him, "Israelis My first-born son. And I have said to you let My son go so that he may serve me, and you refused to let him go.  Behold, I will slay your first-born."

Thus, the plague of the first born was measure for measure for enslaving the children of Israel who are called G-d's first-born.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY