The Ten Plagues the First Step to Freedom
These are the Ten Plagues which the Holy
One, blessed be He, brought upon the
Egyptians, namely as follows:
Blood. Frogs. Lice. Wild Beasts. Pestilence. Boils. Hail. Locust. Darkness. Slaying of the First-born.
Learning the Lessons
The Ten Plagues were the means by which G-d gradually got the Egyptians to release their stranglehold on the Jewish nation.
If the A-mighty had so desired, He could have simply wiped out the Egyptians in one fell swoop. There was no need to prolong the agony on either side. The Jewish People—or the “Israelites” as they were then called—did not have to spend an extra year (the time, our Sages state, it took from the first plague until their liberation), to witness the way G-d inflicted pain and misery on their tormenters. We may presume that they would have preferred to be free one year earlier.
Yet G-d chose to strike the Egyptians with the Ten Plagues so that they—and we— would learn certain lessons about life that will enable us to free ourselves from all that gets in the way of enjoying our freedom.
In other words, while physical freedom is a cherished ideal, it will not be all that it is cracked up to be if we remain in an internal prison. If we cannot free ourselves from our bad habits, for example, we cannot truly be free.
Acknowledgement is First step to Freedom
Viewing the Ten Plagues in this light we must view them as ways of ridding ourselves of some of the things that limit us emotionally and spiritually.
The first plague was blood. All of the waterways of the Egyptians turned into blood.
Water was the source of life for the Egyptians. All of their food was produced with the water that came from the Nile through the man made irrigation canals.
It is interesting that the Torah relates how the Egyptians had to dig new wells because all the existing supplies of water were contaminated.
The question arises, if G-d’s intention was to deprive them of water, why did the new supply of water not turn into blood?
A second question may be raised. If the point of the plague was to impress upon them G- d’s might, it was a failure. First, the Egyptian magicians were able to replicate this plague. Second, with some additional effort on their part, they were able to find new supplies of water.
The simple explanation is that G-d did not want them to suffer inordinately for the first plague. There was a gradual increase in the pain inflicted on them from plague to plague.
Thus, G-d just made it extremely difficult for them to obtain clear water. He did not want to deprive them entirely of their water.
On a deeper level, we might suggest, G-d’s intention was to point to a common human failure; of taking things for granted.
Before we can teach someone whom to thank and credit, we have to teach them how to recognize that there is indeed a need not to take things for granted.
Egyptians built an intricate system of irrigation canals. Since they were so accustomed to utilizing this system, they were no longer even grateful to their forebears for having provided them with a means of sustenance. So if they could not even get themselves to appreciate their parent’s and grandparent’s efforts, how could one have expected them to recognize G-d’s role in their lives?
Therefore, the first plague forced them to realize that producing water is not a simple feat. It takes much energy and effort. Now that they were able to appreciate that things do not just happen, they were ready to discover the ultimate Source of everything.
Redemption in Stages
As we approach the ultimate period of Redemption—that has been compared in the Prophetic writings to the Exodus from Egypt—we must go through several stages of development for us to appreciate the need for the Messianic Age.
The Messianic Age is more than a time of goodness and peace. It is first and foremost a time when we will recognize the ultimate source of existence. We will really appreciate G-d’s role in our lives. But, even before we realize that goal, we must try to develop the sense of appreciation period.
By way of analogy: before one could use an instrument to perform a certain function, one must first check to see whether the instrument is in working order.
The instrument we need for Moshiach is acknowledging what goes on in our lives. Acknowledgement leads to appreciation.
When we cease to take things for granted and appreciate everything that we have and all that occurs in our life we can then say that our “instrument” is in functioning order. At that point we then get to use the instrument for its intended and ultimate purpose: recognizing the all-encompassing role G-d plays in our own lives.
This is what preparing for Moshiach entails. Opening our eyes to see what is going on around us. We cannot be oblivious to the cataclysmic events that have occurred, nor should we ignore the more subtle changes that are happening. To become sensitive to all that is going on will help us in achieving our own Exodus from exile into the world of Redemption.
From the book Light from the Future: Haggadah Shel Pesach by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
