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The purpose of the plagues was to teach that all are human, that all are equal before God.

The Torah relates that when Moses came upon the Egyptian beating a Jew he looked up and down and did not see a man. That means he saw other people but no one willing to take a stand against the injustice before their eyes.

We have to remember that no matter how nice the government is to us in the beginning in the end they will act in their own self-interest.

Esau’s head ended up on Isaac chest. Esau had good intentions, but he always did the wrong thing.

When Jacob gives Judah the blessing of leadership, it was because of his natural ability to lead was tied to his innate sense of humility. This is what made Judah a great leader.

When Jacob blesses his sons, Simon & Levi, he comments that their anger should be controlled. He understood why they attacked Schem, but that they went about it in the wrong way.

In Jewish thought the Temples were destroyed due to senseless hate among the Jews, not because the Babylonians nor the Romans were more powerful. If God had not willed the Temple to be destroyed it would not have been.

We might think that we do not influence much but we do not see the bigger picture. Sometimes what we consider a small act can have a tremendous impact.

Hanukah saved what was to become Western Civilization. In the Greek and Roman worlds human life was cheap. Mistreatment of slaves was normal. In the Jewish world it was the exact opposite.

The story of Hanukah seems natural but it shows how God’s hand is in the world guiding the events that occurred.