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“And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians.” (12:30)

One who reads the above pasuk cursorily may miss its profound message. How was Pharaoh and all of Egypt capable of going to bed, let alone falling asleep, when they were fully cognizant of what might transpire if Moshe’s warning were to be realized? Had not the first nine plagues taken their toll on the Egyptian people? Even if there has been room to doubt the potential for this plague’s fulfillment, sleep would still have been impossible. This was an integral part of Hashem’s divine plan. Had Pharaoh stayed awake, anxiously waiting to see if this latest warning would be…

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“It was a night of watching unto Hasehm, for bringing them out of Egypt.”(12:42)

The events preceding and including that fateful night are indelibly engraved in the hearts and minds of the Jewish people. The Ten Plagues were the equivilant of ten seminars of instruction in the recognition of the true G-d and the election of Am Yisrael as His people. At each plague, the Jewish people were elevated to new heights of awareness of these two foundamental beliefs. After the tenth lesson they had attained such understanding that Hashem considered them ready to go forward towards the ultimate rendezvous at Mt. Sinai. These experiences will remain with us as ultimate lessons for all…

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“And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, it is because of that (which) Hashem did for me when I went out of Egypt.” (13:8)

A father has the holy obligation to educate his child, as well as to serve as a paradigm of guidance and inspiration to his child. Just as parents are required to provide for their child’s physical needs, they must also be vigilant in sustaining them spiritually. Various techniques have been developed for the appropriate manner in which to educate children.   The Rambam cites Avraham Avinu’s unique approach to reaching out in order to educate the members of a pagan society concerning belief in Hashem . Avrohom had the ability to relate to each person according to his individual level…

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“And in order that you relate in the ears of your son and your son’s son… so that you may perceive that I am Hashem.” (10:2)

The Torah explicitly states the purpose of the Exodus from Egypt. The entire purpose was the transmittal of this event to future generations. Since the Exodus, divine revelation, and the giving of the Torah are the foundation of our belief, it is mandatory that we relate these events to future generations. Relating these events to the next generation, gives them the opportunity to identify with the previous generation, thereby establishing another link in the chain of our national heritage. Why the necessity to relate this to our children and our children’s children? If every father is obliged to teach his…

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“And in order that you relate in the ears of your son and your son’s son that which I have wrought in Egypt and my signs which I have done among them.” (10:2)

Things were witnessed in Egypt that people would talk about for generations. Indeed, in all future encounters nations feared Israel’s potential power because of what transpired in Egypt, yet the Torah tells us that these miraculous occurrences should be told into the ears of our children. If history will proclaim these awesome miracles, why should we then whisper them into the ears of our children? The Torah is teaching us an important lesson. The message of Jewish history depends upon its interpretation. Records of various historical events mean very little. Throughout the annals of Jewish history various miraculous events have…

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“And Moshe replied, we will go with our young and old alike.” (10:9)

Why does Moshe mention the young before the old? Should not the elders go before the young? The Kesav Sofer responds that the young had to be rescued as soon as possible. Since they lacked a proper spiritual upbringing, they were more susceptible than their elders to the Egyptian environment. Only after the youth had left, did the older generation, who still maintained some roots in Judaism, and were more likely to survive spiritually in Egypt, leave. The Koznitzer Magid Zt”l applies a homiletical exposition to this posuk. As we go in our youth, we will ultimately go in our…

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“And the blood shall serve as a sign on the houses in which you are.” (12:13)

Rashi explains this sign shall be for you and not for others. Hence we may derive that the blood was smeared on the inside of the house. The principal reason for smearing the blood on the inside of the threshold was for the Jew to comprehend the importance of self-sacrifice in the privacy of his home. He must concentrate on the inner dimensions of his personality. The essence of the Jewish act is not the one performed on the public stage, but the one performed on the inner stage, when the audience is only Hashem. The only audience to which…

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