From Pharaoh's Calm to Hashem's Storm (Parsha Pearls: Va'eira) 5786

In this Parshas Review episode, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe as the parsha transitions from Moshe's doubts ("Pharaoh won't listen") to the onset of the Ten Plagues (seven here, three next week), emphasizing Hashem's total control over creation. The rabbi draws a profound lesson from a Talmudic passage in Chagigah: "Woe to those who see but do not realize what they see." The earth rests on pillars, pillars on water, water on mountains, mountains on wind, wind on storm—and the storm rests in Hashem's hand. This chain reveals that everything ultimately depends on Hashem alone—there is nothing to fear, as He holds the keys to all existence.

The plagues were not random but targeted demonstrations: Egypt claimed mastery over nature (Nile, animals, atmosphere, darkness), so Hashem overturned each element to prove absolute divine sovereignty. Pharaoh's calm before the storm mirrors our false confidence in health, wealth, or plans—yet one moment can change everything (e.g., the healthy cyclist who died from a tree stump). We blame others for our "plagues" (jobs, health, relationships), but the true message is to look up: all is from Hashem.

Daily mitzvot (Shema, Shabbos) remind us of the Exodus—freedom from all slavery (materialism, sports idolatry, distractions). Shabbos is the antidote: a day to "be" rather than "do," stripping away worldly pursuits to focus on Hashem, family, and eternity. The rabbi urges investing in this eternal relationship, as true security lies not in fleeting things but in the unchanging hand of Hashem.

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This episode of the Parsha Review Podcast is dedicated in honor of Lenny & Teresa Friedman and in Loving Memory of Yehoshua Ben Yehuda Leib Z"L and Sarah Bat Yisroel Z"L

• Download & Print the Parsha Review Notes:
  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ncaRyoH5iJmGGoMZs9y82Hz2ofViVouv?usp=sharing

Recorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on January 13, 2026, in Houston, Texas.
Released as Podcast on January 14, 2026

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About the Host:
Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback: [email protected]
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Keywords:
#Torah, #Parsha, #Exodus, #Shemos, #TenPlagues, #Trust, #Shabbos, #Divine, #JewishFaith

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