Bo

As our redemption got closer, Hashem sent Moshe once again to Pharaoh with the words בא אל פרעה , come to Pharaoh. Many of the commentators ask, why does He say come to Pharaoh when it would make more sense to say לך אל פרעה , go to Pharaoh?

The next words of the posuk seem to be giving a reason for Moshe to be going at all. As the posuk continues כי אני הכבדתי את לבו ,because I hardened his heart. The זרע קודש asks, what kind of reason is that for telling Moshe to go to Pharaoh; if Hashem hardened his heart, what's the point in going? Nothing will be accomplished!

The midrash comments on the words of Hashem ועברתי בארץ מצרים , I passed through the land of Mitzraim. Reb Shimon said that we see how great the love is that Hashem has for the Jewish people, for Hashem revealed Himself in a dirty, impure place in order to redeem the Jews. Egypt was the cesspool of the world & the palace of Pharaoh was the center of impurity. Moshe hesitated to enter into an impure place such as that to talk to Pharaoh. Hashem therefore told him כי אני הכבדתי את לבו for I am going there to harden his heart, so בא אל פרעה come with me to Pharaoh; we will go together. When you go with Hashem, His light overtakes all the impurities & Moshe had no reason to fear going into the palace.

What was the reasoning behind this? Why did Hashem have to put us into the cesspool of the world? Not only did we sink so low, but He had to come into that dirty place himself to get us out!

Later, Hashem tells Moshe & Aaron about Rosh Chodesh. He shows Moshe how the moon is supposed to look when the new month starts; that became the first month.
Rashi says that Moshe had a hard time understanding the exact size the moon should be when it would be Rosh Chodesh,  so Hashem pointed at the moon in the sky & said: when it looks like this, sanctify it; it will be Rosh Chodesh.

The gemara says that the Jews count the days based on the moon while the gentiles count from the sun. The Midrash says that the moon is symbolic of the Jewish people. As the moon gets progressively smaller until it is no longer seen, one may think that it’s gone. Then, it turns around & starts getting progressively bigger until it is once again full. So, too, the Jewish people might stumble & go down & down until they reach the lowest levels. All is not lost, though, for they could always turn around and go up & up until they're back at their full glory. Just as in the future, the light of the moon will become like the sun, so, too, the Jewish people will shine once again.

Perhaps this is why we had to sink so low in Egypt, to connect real fact to the symbolic. Maybe that's what Moshe didn't understand which Hashem pointed to & showed him, "it’s like this". Just like this cesspool of Egypt where the Jews have sunk so low, yet they are now making a complete turnaround & are being redeemed, so, too, any Jew that falls can make the same turn around & come back. We will have the moon throughout the generations to remind us of the fact that no matter how low you go or how hard you fall, you can be like the moon and return once again to full glory!