by Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant
Torah Parsha (BO) is a sequel to last week’s Parsha, VA’EIRA, which concluded with the perpetuation of the enslavement of the Jews in Egypt, despite the seven devastating plagues, which God had imposed on the Pharaoh and his people. In BO, God relentlessly exacerbates the essence of His final three plagues. The Lord said to Moses: “I will place these signs of mine in his midst, in order that you tell into the ears of your children, and your children’s sons and daughters, how I made a mockery of the Pharaoh, and you and they will know that I am the Lord”(1). This is one of four times in which God returns to the theme of passing on this story from generation to generation (2).
Once again, Moses approaches the Pharaoh and tells him: “This time the plague is locusts, so overwhelming, that nothing will be able to continue to grow in Egypt”(3). The locusts invaded every house, and swarmed the earth, so that nothing could even be seen. At first Pharaoh appeared willing to concede to Moses’ plea, to free the Jews; and, God reversed the plague and thrust all the locusts into the Red Sea; but, once again, the Pharaoh changed his mind. An enraged God then sent darkness, “darkness so thick that one could not even see his neighbor. No one was able to rise from his place for three days, but for all the children of Israel, there was light” (4). The people of Egypt, from the slaves to the royalty pleaded with the Pharaoh to take action “before all of Egypt is lost” (5).
Suddenly, right at the climactic moment, there is an interruption. EXODUS, Chapter 12 begins with Moses, himself, explaining to the Israelites, God’s plan for the tenth plague: the slaying of the first-born (whether infant or adult) of all creatures living in Egypt. He continues with God’s instructions: “Each Israelite will slaughter a lamb at twilight on the fourteenth day of the month. You will place blood from the lamb both on the outside, and the inside of your houses. When I see the blood I will ‘pass over’ your homes, so you will be spared” (6).
“In the middle of the night” (7), the time of dreams and nightmares, screams emerged all across Egypt. There was a “loud cry, for there was no house where there was not someone dead” (8).Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, because his first-born son was also killed. “He spoke tersely, like one seized by a terrible dread, who cannot speak calmly” (9). In grief and desperation, he told Moses and Aaron to take their people and leave Egypt, to worship their God.
Finally, after four hundred and thirty years of bondage, every Jew living in Egypt was free; and, every year, for thousands of years, the Jewish people continue to celebrate Passover, in remembrance of the homes of their ancestors, which were ‘passed over’ in the midst of the horror of God’s tenth plague.
FOOTNOTES
(1) Exodus (10.1-10.2)
(2) Exodus (12:26-7), (13:8), (13:14)
(3) Exodus (10:12-10:15)
(4) Exodus (10:21-10:23)
(5) Exodus (11:2)
(6) Exodus (12:12-13)
(7) Exodus (12:30)
(8) “A Commentary on the Book of Exodus” (Page 145)