Parsha Corner: Parshas Vaeira – Self Destructiveness of Bad Charachter
Parsha Corner: Self-Destructiveness of Bad Character
Parshas Va’eira
In this week’s parsha, we find two striking examples of how negative character traits (middos) led to devastating consequences for the Egyptians.
Example #1: The Plague of Frogs (Tzefardeia)
Chazal teach that the plague of frogs began with a single enormous frog emerging from the Nile. The Egyptians, attempting to kill it, struck the frog repeatedly, but with every blow, more frogs emerged, until the entire land of Egypt was overrun.
This seems illogical—if every strike made the situation worse, why didn’t they just stop?
Example #2: Pharaoh’s Stubbornness
Moshe repeatedly warned Pharaoh of the impending plagues if he refused to let the Jewish people go. Yet each time—beginning with the plague of blood (dam), followed by frogs (tzefardeia), and continuing through the other plagues—Pharaoh stubbornly refused to listen. Even during the plague of hail (barad), when Moshe advised Pharaoh to bring his animals indoors to protect them, Pharaoh ignored the warning, resulting in further losses.
Why wouldn’t Pharaoh simply relent and spare his people the suffering?
The Lesson from Chazal
Chazal explain that the Egyptians’ anger and Pharaoh’s haughtiness blinded them. When a person is consumed with arrogance or consumed with fury, their judgment becomes distorted, and they will persist in self-destructive behavior, no matter how irrational it may seem.
Now that’s a chiddush!
The Takeaway
These two examples underscore the critical importance of refining our middos. Whether it’s controlling our anger or avoiding the pitfalls of arrogance, we see how negative traits can lead to ruin—not just for an entire nation but even for individuals themselves.
Have a wonderful Shabbos!
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