Exodus 10:1–13:16
Parshat Bo
The last three plagues, locusts, darkness and the death of the firstborn, strike Egypt. G-d gives the people their first mitzvah as a nation, sanctifying the new moon, together with the laws of the Pesach offering, matzah and chametz. At midnight the firstborn die, Pharaoh lets the people go, and the portion ends with the mitzvot of tefillin and redeeming the firstborn.
Essays
Parsha Bo – All Dressed Up and Ready to Go All the reasons that were given for our stay in exile have all since expired. Why has G-d kept us here anyhow? One answer: G-d wants us to enter into the Messianic period “fully and ornately dressed.” Rather than just thrust us into a new world of unadulterated goodness and holiness, unprepared, He Parsha Bo – Entering the Crocodiles Den Moses was expected to not only enter in to Pharaoh's palace, but to penetrate his inner sanctum, where he was in his most secure, physically and psychologically, space and taunt him by his very presence, thereby destroying his power. Moses found this to be daunting. For this new task, he was in need Parsha Bo – Don’t Let Your Mitzvos Become Sour Guarding the Matzah represents maintaining humility and not letting our egos gain control over us. When we are not careful about our Matzah, and our egos swell, it is likely that we will postpone the execution of a Mitzvah; we will wait to first convince ourselves about the importance of the Mitzvah Parsha Bo – Finally Free According to one authority we will always have to express our gratitude to G-d for the Exodus from Egypt even in the Messianic Age, despite the fact that the miracle of the Redemption will dwarf the miracle of the Exodus. Without freedom we acquired at the Exodus we could never have attained anythin Parsha Bo – Free and Rich A Jew, from the time of the Exodus onward, says the Maharal (the great 16th century Talmudist, Kabbalist and leader), became an inherently free person. A Jew cannot be truly subservient to others. It goes against his or her very nature and essence. For a Jew to thrust himself into slavery once the d Parsha Bo – From Moses to Moses… The Jewish people were blessed with a leader of monumental proportions. His name was Moses. In the more recent past we were blessed with another Moses , Moses Maimonides, known in his day as Rabeinu Moshe and for all of eternity as Rambam (An acrostic for Rabeinu Moshe Ben Maimon). Indeed, the paral Parsha Bo – Getting Out of the Black Hole! The plague of darkness was not just the absence of light but a substantive and palpable form of darkness. There are times in our lives that we may be missing some light; it is a temporary condition that can be remedied by the study of a little bit of Torah, a small gesture of kindness, participation Parsha Bo – Hardened Hearts We have a Divine soul. We have received the Torah at Mount Sinai at which time G-d said to each and every one of us, “I am G-d your G-d,” in the singular, to indicate that G-d is the life-force and the essence of each individual. We have thousands of years of cumulative holiness which was generated Parsha Bo – Moses the Matchmaker Moses and Moshiach are the matchmakers between G-d and Israel. A matchmaker does not separate between the two parties. Rather he or she brings them together. Moses and Moshiach are the ultimate unifiers. Parsha Bo – Open the Door Freedom is not a right; it is an obligation. Although there are times when we must surrender our freedom for an overriding purpose, we must never allow ourselves to become career servants. The concept of servitude is only desirable when it is service to G-d. Parsha Bo – No More Barking All the earlier plagues were designed primarily to punish the Egyptians, prove that there is an all-powerful G-d, repudiate the Egyptian deities and magicians, and establish the unique status of the Jewish people. The final plague of the First-Born introduced a new dimension: that G-d’s relationship Parsha Bo – Seeing the Light As a preparation for the revelation of the Exodus and the Sinai experience, G-d gave the Jews a foretaste of the Divine light that they would experience on the last night in Egypt and beyond. But this light was so powerful that it overwhelmed the depraved Egyptians and temporarily blinded them. The Parsha Bo – The Essential, Rebellious Jew Shabbos is a reminder of G-d as our Creator. Shabbos also possesses a secondary theme of liberation; a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt. What does liberation add to a person who already lives a blissful Shabbos life of serenity? As peaceful and blissful as living in a private domain can be, we c Parsha Bo – The Angels Were Baffled G-d was not threatening Adam with death; He was telling him that a human being has essentially two options: “You can exercise your G-d given ability to transcend your own nature, but to maintain that level of transcendence you must keep your mind attuned to the Torah. Because it is the Torah mentali Parsha Bo – The Explosion In the Messianic Age, the Rebbe explains, we will not just be the beneficiaries of the conventional kindness and compassion that are associated with Abraham and Jacob. Rather the full force of Divine beneficence will break through all the obstructions that are the product of our shortcomings and the Parsha Bo – The First Mitzvah Judaism is not about religion. It is about transforming the world; making every year, month, week, day, hour, minute and second count. Today is not just today. It is the accumulation of sanctified segments of time that represent a powerful surge of unprecedented energy. The weekdays that we sanctify Parsha Bo – The Last Three Plagues There are two tiers of growth in our spiritual lives. We begin with lessons that touch us on the surface and have a limited impact. These temporary measures must be followed by more powerful influences that are all pervasive. We must see to it that the message of liberation consumes us, penetrates t Parsha Bo – The Two Pronged Approach Freedom can be experienced on many levels. To the extent that we follow the dictates of the G-dly soul over the desires of the animal soul we determine the degree to which we are free. If we do the right thing for ulterior motives our state of freedom is imperfect. When we are not totally free, we c Parsha Bo – Top Priority Whenever we succeed in extricating one Jew from the state of alienation from G-d, and bring him closer to Judaism, we have, in effect, liberated an entire world. Our sages tell us that “one who saves but one person is as if he had saved an entire universe.” Parsha Bo – Windows 5778 The model of true freedom is the Exodus from Egypt. The Israelites were not liberated to be free. They were liberated to become a nation that would stand at Mount Sinai and receive G-d’s constitution—the Torah with all of its commandments.