Parshas בא- Strengthening Our Emunah

The story of יציאת מצרים reaches its climax in the Parsha, when Paroah says

קומו צאו מתוך עמי גם אתם גם בני ישראל ולכו עבדו את ה’ כדברכם

The final plague, מכת בכורות was so devastating to the Egyptians that they all insisted that Klal Yisrael should immediately leave מצרים. If this was the case, why then was it necessary for ה’ to bring the 1st 9 מכות? Why couldn’t it have just been מכת בכורות, and Klal Yisrael would have been set free?

We can perhaps answer this based on the Pasuk in begining of Parsha

ולמען תספר באזני בנך ובן בנך את אשר התעללתי במצרים ואת אותותי אשר שמתי בם וידעתם כי אני ה’

Not only is the purpose of the מכות to force Paroah into releasing Klal Yisrael, but it’s also for the purpose of us telling these miracles over to our children and grandchildren to strengthen our Emunah in Hashem. The more we speak about the miracles of יציאת מצרים, the more our Emunah strengthens.

As such, even though 1 מכה could have been enough to get us out of מצרים, we need all 10 so we can retell each, and through that strengthen our belief in Hashem.

The רמב”ן writes at the end of the Parsha that the reason there are so many מצוות that we do in commemoration of יציאת מצרים is for the purpose of strengthening our Emunah. The מצריים did not believe that Hashem runs the world. And it was through the 10 מכות that His reality was revealed to them. There is 1 Hashem and He runs and controls every aspect of the world. And while everyone saw the יד ה’ in מצרים, future generations who were not present there will not merit seeing these open miracles. So in order for these ניסים to continue strengthening אמונה,we were given numerous מצוות to commemorate יציאת מצרים. These include Pesach, Tefilin, Mezuzah, Krias Shema and others. When we engage in these מצוות we remember those miracles and through that, strengthen our Emunah.

Concludes the Ramban, that as we remember and internalize the message of the ניסים of יציאת מצרים, we will gradually also come to acknowledge and realize that everything that accures to us, each and every day, is also ניסים, orchestrated directly by Hashem.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. Rav Yisrael Salanter would frequent an inn during his travels. The proprietor was a G-d fearing Jew. On one his stays by the inn, R’ Yisrael noted the innkeeper being lax in his Mitzva observance. He told R’ Yisrael that some weeks prior, a secular man had visited the inn and challenged the innkeeper’s Emunah by eating non kosher food. “If there’s a G-d,” he said, ” let Him punish me for eating this food.” He ate it, and nothing happened. Watching this incident caused the innkeeper to doubt his Emunah. R’ Yisrael said nothing in response. Some time later, though, he approached the innkeeper’s daughter. ” I heard you’re a talented musician, can you please play a number for me?” The girl refused, saying she was too busy at the time. Said R’ Yisrael ” How then do I know that you can actually play music? Maybe you’re making it up?” The girl pointed to her diploma hanging on the wall. “I proved myself in school, and that’s enough.” Turning to the innkeeper, R’ Yisrael said “Hashem too has already proven Himself in מצרים that he runs the world. He does not need to do it again.”

By remembering יציאת מצרים, may we indeed merit strengthening our Emunah always.