Redeemed By Our Forefathers

The parsha opens בֹּ֖א אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כִּֽי־אֲנִ֞י הִכְבַּ֤דְתִּי אֶת־לִבּוֹ֙ וְאֶת־לֵ֣ב עֲבָדָ֔יו לְמַ֗עַן שִׁתִ֛י אֹֽתֹתַ֥י אֵ֖לֶּה בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ: וּלְמַ֡עַן תְּסַפֵּר֩ בְּאָזְנֵ֨י בִנְךָ֜ וּבֶן־בִּנְךָ֗ אֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִתְעַלַּ֨לְתִּי֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם וְאֶת־אֹֽתֹתַ֖י אֲשֶׁר־שַׂ֣מְתִּי בָ֑ם.  Why is hardening Pharoh's heart a reason to go to him, he won't listen anyway?  And is there any connection between Pharoh experiencing such events and Klal Yisroel saying it over to their kids?   The Eretz Tzvi says that the possuk means that Hashem was telling Moshe, I could make Pharoh let you go but then it wouldn't be engraved in him the impact of the maakos.  The ten maakos affected the ten depths of the soul (he cites from the Ran the idea of ten levels of the soul.)  It is only through their affect that it will be implanted בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ, inside Pharoh.  Conversely, since the maakos are a refuah for Klal Yisroel, the effect of the maakos become embedded inside Klal Yisroel and it will perpetuated for future generations.

The Shem M'Shmuel in parshas Shemos explains how the three signs God gave to Moses of his hand developing צרעת, the staff turning into a snake and the water to blood correspond to the three Avos for the merit of the redemption stems from our connection to the Avos and Moshe doubted if we till held onto that chain.  It is well known in the name of the Arizal that had we stayed in Egypt any longer we would have sunk into the 50^th gate of impurity and wouldn't be able to get out of Egypt.  Why is that a problem, Hashem can do anything?  The Rambam writes at the end of Ch. 1 of the Laws of Avodah Zarah that had God not taken us out of Egypt, we would have become idol worshipers.  Our connection to the Avos would have been broken.  The 50^th gate of impurity = no more connection to Avos = no merit for redemption.  Yes, Hashem could've taken us out, but then we wouldn't be the children of the Avos, we would be a new nation having to find its own identity.  The maakos removed the rust of the years in Egypt and allowed the blood of the Avos to run freely through our veins.  Rav Tzaddok indeed says that the aggudot azov made up of three stalks represents the merit of the three Avos used to surround our doorposts with blood in order to protect us.  Even if we didn't feel the blood of the Avos within our veins, it still surrounded and protected us.  It is that "blood" which is passed down to the future generations.  

Our connection to the Avos isn't merely a blood relationship, our relationship to God is inherited from them.  The Tanya in Ch. 18 says that אהבת ה ויראת ה became part of the DNA makeup of the Avos so it was passed to all future generations as well.  It is that relationship ultimately that pulled us out of Egypt and we pass down as we recount the Pesach story every year.