Parshas Bo 5786: Control! Alt, Delete

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Parshas Bo 

לעילוי נשמת האדא בת מרדכי 

 

Control! Alt Delete. 

The Passuk (Shemos 11:8) describes that when warning Pharaoh about the upcoming makkas bechoros, Moshe foretold that all the Mitzriyim will come to Moshe and beg him to lead B’nei Yisroel out of Mitzrayim. Rashi comments that even though Pharaoh himself would end up coming, Moshe did not relate that at this point because it would be disrespectful to Pharoah for Moshe to say: “You will come down to me and bow down to me, saying ‘Leave...’”  

The obvious question on this Rashi is why would Moshe feel the need to demonstrate kavod at all? After all, Pharaoh had tried to kill him in the past, forcing him to flee to Midyan. Now he was actively resisting Hashem’s Will and stubbornly keeping B’nei Yisroel enslaved despite experiencing clear demonstration of Hashem’s Prescence and ratzon. Moshe seemingly had every reason to completely disregard Pharaoh’s authority. First, he was acting on higher authority from Hashem, and second, Pharaoh had proved to be unworthy. Additionally, Moshe clearly knew at this point that Pharaoh’s downfall was inevitable. What would even be the benefit of still being cautiously respectful as if Pharaoh was going to continue to exist as a ruler and somehow matter in some way? There was going to be no more Pharaoh. He made himself irrelevant, so why accord him with any respect?  

Perhaps we could answer that the key driver was all about the principle of the matter. Moshe’s behavior was not about Pharaoh the person, it was about his kingship. Pharaoh may have been evil and on the verge of his demise, but he was king, and leadership is a principle upon which society depends. Authority and respect for its structure are critical for a functioning society. While a bad leader can certainly damage a nation, the concept of authority itself cannot be disregarded. This is what Moshe was unwilling to waver from. The appreciation of what it means for someone to be a king was too important to compromise no matter the external circumstances or emotional impulse. 

This lesson is not a trivial one. Principles are often put at risk in the face of emotions or external factors. However, we must work to ensure that external pressures do not compromise our commitment to fundamental principles. If we allow temporary frustrations, feelings, externalities, or convenience to dictate whether a principle holds, then the principle itself becomes unstable. The moment we compromise on the core, we risk losing the system entirely. 

In engineering, there is a concept known as Control Theory. Control Theory studies how systems maintain stability in the face of disturbances. One key insight is that a system that overreacts to every small disturbance becomes unstable. Excessive feedback causes the system to overcorrect, producing wide divergences from the desired state. Instead of returning to equilibrium, the system amplifies the problem. 

A classic example (and relevant in this weather) is a heating system with a delayed response. If the room is slightly cold and the system reacts too aggressively by cranking up the heat, by the time the room warms up, it becomes too hot. The system then reacts again, swinging back and forth, creating instability. The problem is not the cold itself, it is the lack of restraint in response. The focus needs to remain on the broader sustainability, not the reactive responses to every shift that happens to come.  

This is what Moshe was modeling. Certainly, he was looking at Pharaoh the person and knew he was looking at a dead man walking; someone who effectively drove his country to its demise. At the same time, he was looking at Pharaoh the king, and acknowledged the respect due in principle to a king. Compromising that for his emotions and thoughts about Pharaoh the person, would compromise the way Moshe internalized the sense of authority overall. The preservation of the understanding of the importance of authority was much more important to Moshe than his fleeting feelings about a fleeting person. The system stays stable when the principle doesn’t bend and change for every fluctuation. 

The message is profound and relevant to us today. Disagreement with authority should never bleed into a total disregard for it. Being surrounded by outside pressures should not lead us to moral confusion that has us abandoning principles that we truly feel are fundamentally important. By maintaining control and honoring essential principles, even under extreme pressure, we ensure that our values remain stable and sustainable. 

We need to maintain control over the principles that are important. As for the alternatives that threaten them, we should promptly delete.