וַיָּ֥קָם מֶֽלֶךְ־חָדָ֖שׁ עַל־מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יָדַ֖ע…”
“There arose a new king in Egypt who did not know..
Exodus 1:8, in this week’s Torah Portion (פרשת שמות)
The “new king” who rose in Egypt forced the Israelites to perform hard labor (v. 1:9-11), because “he did not know”. Egyptians began to loath the Israelites due to the social structure, thus making their labor more challenging(vv. 13-14), all because the “new king” “did not know”.
It took three prophets (one with privilege), ten plagues, and the splitting of the sea to destroy another “new king” who still “did not know”.
Let us develop the leadership of Aaron, the positivity of Miriam, and the courage of Moses to fight against the “new king” “who does not know”.