The Torah portion of parashat Bo features the final three of the ten plagues: locusts, darkness and the slaying of the firstborn.

This week’s edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast examines the significance and meaning that these events have for us today. Pharaoh is not just an ancient Egyptian king, but an archetype that still seeks to control us through fear and doubt.

Our portion teaches us that Rosh Chodesh, the sanctification of the New Moon, represents the Torah’s deepest secrets of the true nature of time. Hashem challenges us to be masters over time, beckoning to us to rise above the debilitating despair that Egyptian exile represents, and to become truly free.

Jim Long continues to elucidate us with his amazing knowledge of ancient Egyptian texts that plainly corroborate details of the Exodus experience, including fascinating historical testimony of the ten plagues.