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Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?: Pharaoh, the Plagues, and His Mutinous Magicians (Parashat Vaera)

January 23, 2009 | By Marisa Elana James

Media Type(s): Torah Commentary

Textual Source: Exodus

Torah Portion: Vaera

This resource is part of the Torah Queeries collection.

The author writes about power-hungry Pharaoh, who is more interested in upholding his own power than protecting his own people, and the cunning strategy of the Egyptians magicians: to use their powers on the Egyptian people – not on Moses and Aaron, and not on the Hebrew slaves. She compares Pharaoh's power to that of having leaders speak on behalf of large populations.

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