The Passover: A Torah Study

Moshe and Aharon returned to Matsarim and stood before Par'oh with the word of Yah: "Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness" (Shamwath 5:1).

Par'oh's response: "Who is Yah, that I should obey His voice to let Yasharal go? I do not know Yah, nor will I let Yasharal go."

This was not merely a political standoff. Par'oh claimed divinity for himself. The entire system of Matsarim was built on the worship of false gods — the Nile, the sun, animals, Par'oh himself. Yah was about to dismantle every one of them.

The Ten Plagues

Each plague was a direct judgment against specific false powers that Matsarim worshipped. Yah was not merely punishing — He was demonstrating, in front of all nations, that He alone is Alahim.

1. Water to Blood (Shamwath 7:14-25)

Moshe struck the waters of the Nile and they became blood. The fish died. The river stank. The Matsarim worshipped the Nile as a source of life — Yah turned their god into death.

2. Frogs (Shamwath 8:1-15)

Frogs came up from the river and covered the land — in houses, beds, ovens. The frog was associated with the goddess Heqet, a symbol of fertility. Yah turned their idol into a plague.

3. Lice (Gnats) (Shamwath 8:16-19)

Aharon struck the dust and it became lice throughout all the land. Par'oh's magicians tried to replicate this and could not. They said: "This is the finger of Alahim." Even the sorcerers recognized Yah's power.

4. Swarms of Flies (Shamwath 8:20-32)

Yah sent swarms upon Matsarim — but He made a distinction. The land of Goshen, where Yasharal dwelt, had no flies. This was the first separation. Yah was publicly distinguishing His people from the nation that enslaved them.

"I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am Yah in the midst of the land." — Shamwath 8:22

5. Livestock Disease (Shamwath 9:1-7)

A severe pestilence fell on all the livestock of Matsarim — horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep. But of the livestock of Yasharal, not one died. Par'oh sent investigators. He confirmed the distinction. And still his heart was hardened.

6. Boils (Shamwath 9:8-12)

Moshe cast ashes toward heaven, and boils broke out on man and beast throughout Matsarim. The magicians could not even stand before Moshe because of the boils. Their power was broken.

7. Hail (Shamwath 9:13-35)

Yah sent a hail so severe that it struck down everything in the field — man, beast, and every plant. Fire ran along the ground. But in Goshen, there was no hail.

Before sending this plague, Yah explained His purpose directly to Par'oh:

"But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." — Shamwath 9:16

This was not random destruction. It was a revelation. Yah was making His name known to all the earth through these events.

8. Locusts (Shamwath 10:1-20)

Locusts covered the face of the whole earth so that the land was darkened. They ate every plant that the hail had left. Par'oh's servants begged him: "How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go!"

9. Darkness (Shamwath 10:21-29)

A thick darkness covered all of Matsarim for three days. No one could see anyone else. No one rose from their place. But all the children of Yasharal had light in their dwellings.

Matsarim worshipped Ra, the sun god, as the supreme deity. Yah simply turned off the sun. Three days of absolute darkness demonstrated that the god they worshipped most was nothing.

The Hardening of Par'oh's Heart

Throughout the plagues, the text says both that Par'oh hardened his own heart and that Yah hardened Par'oh's heart. This is not a contradiction. Par'oh chose rebellion first. Yah used that rebellion to accomplish His full purpose — all ten plagues needed to be completed so that all of Matsarim's gods would be judged, and so that Yah's name would be declared in all the earth.

"For the scripture says to Par'oh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.'" — Shamwath 9:16

The Final Warning

After the ninth plague, Par'oh told Moshe to get out: "Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!" (Shamwath 10:28)

Moshe replied: "You have spoken well. I will never see your face again."

One plague remained. The worst. The one that would change everything.

Discussion Questions:

1. Each plague targeted a specific false god of Matsarim. What does this tell us about how Yah views the worship of anything other than Him?

2. Yah made a distinction between Matsarim and Yasharal starting with the fourth plague. Why do you think He waited until then to visibly separate His people?

3. Shamwath 9:16 says Yah raised up Par'oh specifically so that His name would be declared in all the earth. How do you see Yah using even rebellious leaders to accomplish His purposes?

4. Par'oh's heart was hardened both by his own choice and by Yah. How do you understand the interplay between human choice and Yah's sovereignty in this passage?