Parashat Vaera - Moshe the Liberator

Parashat Vaera is notorious for the confusion at the beginning - there is blatant repetition of the command to tell Pharaoh the message, and Moshe's complaint. We compare our parasha to the previous Parasha- Parashat Shemot, to look at Moshe's two missions. Moshe appears to believe he has two missions: one to Pharaoh and one to the Jews. What are these different missions? Is God only concerned with the mission to Pharaoh?

Moshe wishes to uplift the spirit of Bnei Yisrael, but is mistaken in his approach: Moshe's mission to Bnei Yisrael will be completed through his mission to Pharaoh. Rather than by oratory, Bnei Yisrael will be liberated by God as the collapse of Egypt and the breaking of their yoke of slavery occurs before their eyes, in a way that is drawn-out enough to transform the way they see themselves.