The ten plagues that were visited upon Pharaoh and all of Egypt, as they unfold in this week’s Torah portion of Va’era, testify to the true meaning of G-d’s name: The One who brings all of reality into being, and the One who can rock the very foundations of creation by changing that reality.

These plagues were not a punishment for Egypt; they were a tool for the revelation of G-d’s presence in a world where everything appears to be happenstance.

In this week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long presents fascinating historical proof from the annals of ancient Egypt that provide eye-witness accounts of the Torah’s description of the ten plagues, and the devastation that was wrought on Egypt.

Rabbi Richman presents an amazing, visual etymological analysis of the Hebrew terms for "exile" and ‘redemption,’ and the spiritual implications of these vast ideas – forces that move through history in the Divine plan leading to the Ultimate Redemption.