D'var for Vaera

Sorry I skipped last week, I had midterms and was really busy. 

Anyway, in this week’s parsha, Vaera, God tells Moses to go before Pharaoh and tell him to let the Israelite slaves go free. Moses is unsure of himself at first, arguing that nobody will listen to him, as he has a speech impediment. God tells Moses that his brother will accompany him and speak for him. They go before Pharaoh and ask him to let the Israelites go free, but Pharaoh will not allow this. Moses and Aaron performed miracles before Pharaoh to show him God’s power, but Pharaoh's magicians were able to recreate the same thing, and Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened. 

God instructed Moses to go to Pharaoh again, and say that if he does not let the Israelites free so that they can worship God in the wilderness, God will turn the water of the Nile River into blood. Pharoah refuses, so Moses holds his staff above the Nile and God turns its water into blood. But Pharaoh’s magicians are able to do the same, and Pharoah’s opinion is unchanged.

Seven days later, Moses goes before Pharaoh again, and pleads again to let the Israelites leave Egypt, this time with the threat that God will send a plague of frogs. Pharaoh says no, and the frogs appeared everywhere. But Pharaoh's magicians were able to conjure up frogs as well. 

Eventually, Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and told them that if they removed the frogs, then he would let the Israelites go and worship God in the wilderness. So, God struck down all of the frogs, but after God did so, Pharaoh's heart was hardened again, and he would not let the Israelites go. This process repeats for the plagues of lice, cattle disease, wild beasts (or insects, depending on the translation,) boils, and fiery hail.  However, the magicians are eventually unable to recreate the plagues. Regardless, Pharaoh does not let the people go.