The Education of Pharoah, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom

As we begin our reading of Sefer Shemot, the grand story of Yetziat Mitzrayim unfolds before our eyes. We are all aware of the "Ten Plagues" with which Hashem punished the Egyptians - but why was there a need for plagues at all? If the goal was to redeem His "firstborn son" to be free to worship Him - there are many ways that God could have rescued them without afflicting their oppressors. We examine the sequence and presentation of the "plagues" and note a curious pattern which helps us to decipher a broader educational goal with which God addressed Pharaoh and his people.

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