When Moses began his mission, he and his brother were alone. By the end they were the natural leaders and Egypt was destroyed. The were standing for the right thing while Pharaoh tried to lie his way out.
Quick D’var Torah – Parashat Bo
We are entering Parashat Bo, the parasha where the real geulah begins. From this point on, Egypt doesn’t just suffer plagues—it is systematically dismantled.
The first of the final three plagues is arbeh, locusts. Locusts consume everything in their path. This isn’t symbolic—it’s economic collapse. Egypt’s agriculture, its wealth, its future, all wiped out. The Egyptian economy is finished.
Then comes darkness. The Egyptians are plunged into darkness, while the Israelites have light. This is more than physical—it’s ideological. Egyptian belief is a culture of darkness. Ours is a movement toward light. The very first thing Hashem creates in the Torah is light, because light represents clarity, truth, and life.
Egyptian culture worshipped death. One of the first acts of a new Pharaoh was to begin building his tomb. Their entire civilization was oriented toward death and the afterlife. Judaism is the opposite. We honor the dead—but we worship life. We preserve life, protect life, and sanctify life, because without life, nothing else matters.
Then comes the final blow: the death of the firstborn.
But already by the plague of locusts, something critical happens. The Egyptian people themselves realize Pharaoh is finished. Moshe says something will happen—and it happens. Pharaoh’s narrative collapses. The people begin to turn on him. Now Pharaoh isn’t just fighting Moshe; he’s dealing with internal rebellion. Everything is unraveling.
The man everyone once mocked—Moshe—is now clearly running the show.
History repeats itself.
Think about Glenn Richter, who in the 1960s said that quiet diplomacy to save Soviet Jewry wasn’t working. The establishment told him, “This will never work.” But he didn’t listen. He organized protests, changed the conversation, and helped bring about the Jackson–Vanik Amendment, forcing the Soviets to allow Jews to leave. He moved mountains. And eventually, the Soviet Union itself collapsed.
The lesson is powerful: sometimes redemption requires people willing to act, to speak truth, and to step on toes.
That’s what happens in Parashat Bo. The Jews begin learning that redemption isn’t passive. Under Moshe’s leadership—and Hashem’s guidance—they start taking responsibility for their future. Moshe is no longer seen as an outsider. His leadership comes from integrity, truth, and moral courage. He says what needs to be said, regardless of the consequences.
And that’s real leadership: doing what’s right, caring about your fellow Jew, and refusing to live by a false narrative—even when it’s uncomfortable.
Something very important to think about.
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