Parashat Bo- Recognizing Hashem’s Absolute Control

Before the tenth and final plague, Makat Bechorot (plague of the firstborn), Moshe came before Pharaoh and warned him about the impending calamity that G-d would bring upon Egypt. Moshe then predicted that this plague would cause Pharaoh to finally relent and allow Beneh Yisrael to leave Egypt: “And all these servants of yours will come down to me and say: Leave, you and all the people under your charge! – and afterward, I will leave” (11:8). The question arises, why did Moshe need to say, “Ve’ahareh Chein Eseh” – “and afterward I will leave”? Beneh Yisrael had been waiting for centuries to leave Egypt. Moshe had spent a year repeatedly urging Pharaoh to let Beneh Yisrael go, and Pharaoh continually refused. Is it not obvious that they would leave Egypt after the plague of the firstborn, when Pharaoh told them to leave? The Seforno (Rav Ovadia Seforno, Italy, 1475-1549) explains that Moshe was telling Pharaoh, “We will leave later.” He was emphasizing that Beneh Yisrael would leave Egypt “Ahareh Chen,” at some later point, and not the moment when Pharaoh would order them to leave. Pharaoh commanded Beneh Yisrael to leave in the middle of the night, right after the plague of the firstborn struck, but Beneh Yisrael did not leave until morning. This, the Seforno explains, is the meaning of “Ve’ahareh Chein Eseh” – that Beneh Yisrael would not leave immediately, but only later. We must then ask, why was this case? Why, in fact, did Beneh Yisrael delay their departure from Egypt until morning? Wouldn’t we have expected them to leave immediately when they finally had the opportunity to do so? Rav Shalom Schwadron, the “Maggid of Jerusalem” (1912-1997), explained that this was done to demonstrate to Pharaoh G-d’s absolute, unlimited control. Pharaoh all throughout assumed that he enjoyed full control over Beneh Yisrael, and so he refused the demand that He allow them to leave. And even when he finally was forced to yield, Pharaoh thought he could still exert his control over Beneh Yisrael, and drive them by force out of the country. G-d wanted to show Pharaoh that he had no control whatsoever over Beneh Yisrael – neither to keep them in Egypt, nor to send them out of Egypt. And so even when Pharaoh finally relented, G-d did not allow Beneh Yisrael to leave when Pharaoh wanted them to leave, and their departure was delayed until the morning. They left on G-d’s terms, not on Pharaoh’s terms. Developing this point one step further, Rav Schwadron explained that Pharaoh’s enslavement of Beneh Yisrael was commissioned by G-d. Hashem had decreed that Beneh Yisrael should spend hundreds of years in bondage, in preparation for their receiving the Torah at Sinai. Pharaoh was nothing more than a pawn, the means through which G-d fulfilled His decree. It was therefore critically important for Beneh Yisrael to leave Egypt when G-d decided, and not when Pharaoh decided. G-d wanted to show Pharaoh that he never had control over Beneh Yisrael, that it was always G-d who orchestrated the events. Of course, this message is intended not only for Pharaoh, but also for us. We must remember at all times that G-d exercises full, unlimited control over the universe, and there is nobody in nothing in the world that acts independently of His power. Anything that happens has been decided by G-d. This awareness should bring us comfort and solace during times of hardship and distress, assuring us that G-d’s control over the world – and over our lives – is absolute, and He is always caring for us, even under the most trying circumstances.