Parashat Bo continues the Exodus tale, growing grimmer with every verse. Egypt is racked by locusts, then darkness, with Pharaoh’s heart wavering and then stiffening with each blow. Moses warns Pharaoh about the final, terrible plague, which enrages him. Then the text takes a strange turn, with a commandment for the Israelites to “ask the Egyptians for gold and silver.” Is this payment for their slave labors? Is it “bribe us to go away”? Curious.
Then, abruptly, God moves on to other things, to commandments about the Pesach meal and the future, beginning with this:
הַחֹ֧דֶשׁ הַזֶּ֛ה לָכֶ֖ם רֹ֣אשׁ חֳדָשִׁ֑ים רִאשׁ֥וֹן הוּא֙ לָכֶ֔ם לְחָדְשֵׁ֖י הַשָּׁנָֽה׃
This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you. – Exodus 12:11
This week, I am simply going to pose YOU some questions:
What about the Exodus story is speaking to you right now?
With whom in the story do you most identify?
With whom do you find it hardest to identify, and why?
I look forward to your thoughts.
I thought Shmot was all about Redemption! Where is the commentary beyond the story? How do I con-temporize Bo.
I’m sorry, Michael, I am in the grip of a nasty virus and could not focus on the post as I might have wished. This week, I suggest there are many sources around the web for divrei Torah.