The Good And Evil Pharaoh

Question: What is the good Pharaoh who received the Jews?

Answer: We have to examine this concept with regard to a person.

We believe that the ego leads us forward: civilization, expansion, and growth. “We will fly to the stars, attain and know everything, discover! We, we, we!” This is good healthy egoism. It is essential since otherwise we wouldn’t develop.

If we weren’t patient with a child, for example, and continuously limited him, he wouldn’t develop. Therefore we constantly allow him to develop, even egoistically, no matter how, and when he reaches a certain age, let’s say 13, we begin to teach him how to limit himself.

Let’s not forget that until this age a person is immersed only in his evil inclination, and from the age of 13 onward, the good can appear under the influence of education. The age of 13 is a relative term. Baal HaSulam talks about that in the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar.”

I remember that my son who studied in religious schools used to say: “What do you want from me? I am only 9, wait until I am 13.”

This is called the seven years of satiety when the nation is satisfied with everything. We try to unite and at first everything goes well. The ego is patient with us saying: “Cooperate, everything is good, everything is right.” Then disputes and conflicts begin to break out between us.

This is also what happens with people who are in love, when they begin to live together, or in international relations: “Now we will work together and do certain things and achieve something! We, we, we, we!” Everything is fine; egoism is good and everything is wonderful, and suddenly something negative seeps from within. No matter what we do, a hindrance will eventually appear; the evil Pharaoh will arise.

When you start something you should know that if you perform actions that do not lead, with the help of love and mutual connection by using the method of the wisdom of Kabbalah, to balance between good and evil, the evil, which seems attractive and charming at first, will later kill you. The angel of death attracts and entices you, gives you a drop of poison and you are dead.

This is the reason that you should look for the balance point between the two forces of good and evil, everywhere, in every action.
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From KabTV’s “A Talk About Passover” 3/18/15