The World has to Change - Va'eira 5786

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 Hashem struck the Egyptians with ten plagues.  I think we are all familiar with them, especially since this is a primary feature of the Seder. Why did Hashem, who is omnipotent,  have to bring plagues on the Egyptians?  Why not just get the Jews out and not let the Egyptians stop them?  Chassidus explains that the ten plagues were intended to break ten levels of impurity.  


Let me explain,  The world is made up of ten parts, described in Kabbalah as “Sefirot.”  The human soul and body mirror these Sefirot, with ten faculties that express our spiritual and physical makeup.  (To explain what they all are is beyond the scope of this essay.)  Each of the ten plagues broke down one of the evil attributes of Egypt.


Hashem did not want to just subdue the Egyptians and force them to let the Jews go.  He wanted to remove the “hard shell” of the evil that Pharaoh and his people represented.  Because when the evil transforms itself, that is much more meaningful than when the transformation comes from above.  The idea of the transformation happening :from the bottom up” fits with the concept of free choice.  Hashem wants us humans to choose to do the right thing, often going against our base or selfish natural desires.  That way our actions are much more meaningful.  This is the purpose of Creation, for us humans to make the world a home for Hashem by our choice.


Egypt was a completely evil and corrupt place, and it was only after all of the ten evil attributes were stricken by the plagues that Pharaoh himself urged the Jews to leave.  This meant that the very power that stood and brazenly defied Hashem, ultimately was forced to actually pressure the Jews to follow His will.


This whole process prepared the way for the giving of the Torah.  The Torah shows us how to transform the mundane world into holiness, and how to overcome the darkness and negativity that is all around us.  Egypt was the most corrupt country, and they had power over the entire known world.  Egypt’s transformation, when they themselves acknowledged Hashem, removed a major obstacle that stood in the way of the work of Torah.


There are many parallels between the exile in Egypt, leading to the receiving of the Torah, and our current exile leading to the great redemption of the world through Moshiach.  But it’s different now.  After millenia of Torah observance, the world has been purified.  The transformation this time will be complete and there will not be another exile after this one.


I know it’s hard to see it when we see so much evil in front of our faces.  But in Egypt the people had a hard time believing Moshe that the redemption was close: “Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel, but they did not hearken to Moses because of [their] shortness of breath and because of [their] hard labor. (Shemot 6:9)  In fact, a year later they were free.  Even though they could not see the change, and the situation had even gotten worse, the process of Exodus had begun.  


It may be hard to deal with the darkness of the world, but we are assured that the redemption is close.  It behooves us not to despair, and to listen to the word of the great Tzadikim of our times who have told us that the time of redemption is here. 


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