How to Tackle the

from having tackled Pharaoh

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Government

7 Timely Lessons

At the end of Days, to bring Moshiach

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Inside we see how they also apply to dealing with the Government (and the people behind it) in the Last Redemption.

The following are some of the tactics used by Moses & Aaron to deal with Pharaoh in the First Redemption.

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Parallels

Firstly, some relevant

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Pride

When you go against "agreed norms" –

you need to be proud of who you are

and what you represent.

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Moses was unsupported by his fellows,

and mocked by Pharaoh and Egypt, 

when he appeared before them with his "ridiculous" request

(for the Jews to serve their G-d for 3 days).

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In Egypt,

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At the End of Days

Moshiach will take over world politics.

Funny?

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Initially

it sounds ridiculous.

Reality.

But it is the eventual

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1. Come to terms

with the ultimate reality of Moshiach replacing world governance.

To play a part in this transition, you need to

2. Be proud of it

because you will be mocked during this transition.

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• Moses couldn't just pray to G-d and Pharaoh would crumble.

• Interaction with Pharaoh was a must.

• Moses was sent to address, deal with, and eventually break him.

• We similarly need to interact with and confront the Government and the People.
• Face-to-face is an essential element of effecting change.

Interaction

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2

Respect

• Moses was commanded to address Pharaoh with respect
• Similarly, when dealing with the Government and the People behind it, we must respect them.

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3

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Frank

Conspiracy | Plotting | Scheming | Hidden agendas

Religion | Serving G-d | He's Almighty, controls Earth as well

There was no need for:

But to say things as they are:

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"So said the L-rd G-d of Israel, 'Send out My people, and let them sacrifice to Me in the desert.' "

That's what Moses did:

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Why Be Frank?

• Going out of Egypt – sounds like some joke or a game
• There's no threat to Pharaoh (that would otherwise have to be disguised)
• That was at least initially. Later on, Moses was too important to ignore or assassinate.

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Also

The truth gives Pharaoh a chance to repent,

to change.

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Furthermore,

as much as Egypt think it's a joke

(because they have not a shadow of doubt that Pharaoh is in full control),

the reality is exactly the opposite –

It's a joke to even contemplate that the time of Redemption has come and the Almighty G-d "cannot" take His People out of Egypt.

Because it's so guaranteed, there's no need for plotting.

A Joke – Either Way

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“Religious Threats”

Are a thing of the past.

Governments are not intimidated by them.

So they can be voiced as they are.

Same thing nowadays.

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However, not the whole truth...

Need some diplomacy:

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Diplomacy

• "Let us go for 3 days"
• That's what Moses presented to Pharaoh.
• Was that the real intention?
• Obviously not.
• Why wasn't G-d transparent with Pharaoh, instead allegedly misleading him?

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Pharaoh Wasn't Stupid.

• Pharaoh knew full well the implications of the repeated request to worship G-d in the desert.
• This can be inferred from the conditions he kept stipulating:
  • Worship here rather than the desert,
  • Children stay here,
  • Cattle stays here
• However both sides avoided to deliberate on the real intention (not coming back). 

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as much as

they can handle.

It has to be palatable. The whole truth is too radical.

Pharaoh didn't agree to the "3-Days".

But he was willing to listen. 

And eventually he was forced to let go.

You tell people

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More on the duplicity against Pharaoh – at the end these slides

(as an Appendix)

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Messianic Diplomacy

The Coming of Moshiach needs to be "sold" in palatable form...

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Similarly, with the Coming of Moshiach, we need

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Cannot

You

tell those opposing change (= Egyptians),

and definitely not the Government (= Pharaoh),

of the full implications of the Coming of Moshiach.

There would be no dialog.

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say to them:  

"You are going to experience spirituality"

(= 3 days away from your Egypt).

This implies you will come back to the same lifestyle (= Egypt) after that experience.

If one's lifestyle is to be "lost", that would freak out anyone any day.

You

Can

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Truth

is you will come back.  Physicality remains.

(as opposed to the first Exodus, when they did not come back, rather Egypt was lost).

However life will not be the same...

Our relationship with the Physical World will be enlightened.

as described at length in The End of the World topic.

The

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But you still can't tell someone that his lifestyle will be lost.

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Warn

• Moses preempted each of the maladies that befell Egypt. 
• "We told you."
• It wasn't to show off or impress. 
• It was to provide a chance to change.

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"... lest He [G-d] strike [you] with a plague or with the sword."

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We Know the Future

• We are not prophets like Moses.
• But we know what's going to happen (the pending Messianic Times), and why.
• So we can warn the Government (and the People),
• To give them a chance to change and prepare.

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• Pharaoh was a hard nut to crack.
• It took firmness, persistence and assertion.
• 10 plagues + more before and after!
• That's what's required when dealing with the Government.

Persistence

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Summary

Some guidelines for dealing with the Government / Public to bring about the Redemption:

• Pride and confidence in the cause
• Interaction and dialog
• Address with respect
• Be transparent and candid but also diplomatic
• Warn of the consequences of their actions / inactions
• Be persistent as it'll take time and effort to turn them around

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Appendix

Duplicity with Pharaoh

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3 Opinions

as to why only 3 days were requested but eternal freedom was intended:

1. Rashbam: This was standard diplomatic tactics. 3 days was the best Pharaoh could possibly entertain (at least as an initial request. The 3 days was repeated again (after the Pestilence) as Pharaoh was obviously not in any better position to entertain full freedom even by then).
2. Abarbanel: To show that Pharaoh wouldn't even let for 3 days. How-much-more-so -- for good.
3. Ran, Eben Ezra, Shemot Rabba 3:8: To lure Pharaoh to drown in the sea (after realizing they're not coming back) to punish him measure for measure (drown them in the sea for drowning the baby boys).

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Running Away

Another Perspective:

• The 3-Day anomaly wasn't about Pharaoh. Egypt was already lost before the 7th Plague and Pharaoh was a beaten man after the 10th. The door was open. 
• There was a different impediment to leaving Egypt. 
• The poor Jewish slaves had only ever known Pharaoh as a master.  Freedom, or serving another master is a non-existence for a slave. No conscious idea of his true master – G-d.
• Hence no tools whatsoever to actually say good bye to Pharaoh.
• Naturally they would always gravitate back to Pharaoh and Egypt.
• They are stuck in Egypt. [Egypt is stuck in them]
• The only way to beat and escape gravity is, like with a space shuttles, to accelerate and keep flying toward the destination (serving G-d)
• No looking back. 
• Hence a "runaway" (escape) had to be set up.
• Were the Jews to leave Egypt in a comfortable and controlled fashion, it would never have happened.

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Exodus =

Incomplete Redemption

• Hence only temporary vacation could be requested.
• That's the most that could be achieved from Egypt and Pharaoh at the time.
• Hence it was by way of escape and separation, and Egypt had to be exterminated. They were so coarsely material that they could not conceive G-d's dominion in this physical world, no matter what you show them (the 10 miraculous plagues were primarily for the Egyptians).
• That's the deeper reason for the "Punishment".
• But they only drowned after the Jews left them, because the Exodus experience was a must then, and to enable future generations to escape controlling evils.

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References

Moses unsupported by his fellow Jews:  Exodus 5:1 and Midrash Rabba 5:14 (Rashi on verse). That was the first time Moses and Aharon appeared before Pharaoh. After which Some Jews strongly opposed the idea of the Exodus (5:21). And during the rest of the story, you don't find any involvement from anyone else but Moses and Aharon.

Moses mocked by Pharaoh and his Magicians:  Exodus 7:22 and  Midrash Rabba 9:6

Moses commanded to confront Pharaoh:  Exodus 3:10, 3:18, 4:2, 6:13

Moses was commanded to address Pharaoh with respect: Midrash Rabba Shmot 7:3

"So said the L-rd G-d of Israel, 'Send out My people, and let them sacrifice to Me in the desert.' ":  Exodus 5:1

Moses becoming a VIP:   Exodus 11:3

"... lest He [G-d] strike [you] with a plague or with the sword.":  Exodus 5:3

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Exodus had to be a runaway (Mental Redemption): Tanya 31. The only palatable way of presenting the momentous Exodus was as a temporary vacation, and even that was too hard to accept if not for the 10 plagues... Pharaoh (the impurities) knew well that it's not a simple holiday and that once out of Egypt, the smell of freedom to the soul would be too consuming to ever want to return. Hence Moses insisted it must be a "complete" excursion. All Jews, including children, including flock. That was not negotiable. That's the only way to experience true freedom. Cannot leave one foot behind...

Let us... 3 days:  This was explicitly directed by G-d: Exodus 3:18. Note initially Moses and Aharon did not mentioned 3 days (Exodus 5:1). Only when Pharaoh replied no way, did they resort(?) to the 3 days qualifier(?) (next verse).

Egypt was too coarse then: While being tortured to death by the waves of the Sea of Reeds, the Egyptians did proclaim "Who is like You..." but this was a taste of the Messianic Era (that was revealed at the time) when (even) ​all matter will recognize G-d.

The 10 Plagues were (primarily) for the Egyptians:   Exodus 7:5​, 9:16