YHVH
charges Moshe to "go to Pharaoh,"
and it is this "going" which our Parasha is named after (literal
meaning of "bo" is "come"). The approximately
three and a half chapters of Parashat Bo encompass a number of central themes.
The historical narrative (describing the last plagues, some of the Israelites'
preparations to leave Egypt and a few of their moves), is interspersed with
themes of redemption, ransom, the Pesach celebration, injunctions to instruct
the future generations, and several teaching tools which are to accompany the
nation of Yisrael down the road of time. Thus, at the outset of Yisrael's
travels, which ultimately will bring them to the Land of Promise
The
educational theme is evident right at the beginning, by the reason given for
the "signs" performed in Egypt Egypt
By this time in the narrative, the land of Egypt
Par’oh's now-exasperated servants complain about Moshe, describing him as
a "mokesh" – “snare”
(10: 7). However, according to Ee’yov (Job) 34:30, it is a Godless king, such
as Par’oh, who “should not reign lest the people be ensnared" (emphasis added)! Indeed, no sooner were the locusts
removed, when Par’oh's persistence brought about the ninth plague. Total darkness descended upon his land, and his
people were ensnared once more.
The darkness was so thick that it could be "ya'mesh", that is, "felt" or "touched"
(10: 21. See also Genesis 27:12, describing the concern of Ya'acov, who was
impersonating his brother, lest his father should discover his real identity by
“touching” his smooth skin). In 10:23 we are struck by the contrast between the
total darkness prevailing over Egypt
It is time now to prepare for the last phase, and for the start of a new
one. YHVH declares to Moshe that He is about to strike the final blow on the
Egyptians and on their king, “afterward he will let you go from here;
when he lets you go he will surely drive you out of here altogether” (ref.
11:1). The last phrase may be also rendered (although this does
not negate the conventional meaning): “he will send you from here, as if
sending off a bride will he expel you from here” (“surely” – ‘kala’ here – can
mean completely OR a bride). The (Hebrew) terms for “driving” and “sending” are
terms also used for divorce. What’s more, when in the next verse Moshe is told
that Israel is to ask from their neighbors articles of silver and gold, one
wonders if this isn’t symbolic of a bride’s dowry, dowry that she was now to retrieve,
upon her ‘disengagement’ from the relationship with Egypt and its ruler, being set
free to follow YHVH to “the wilderness, to a land not sown” (ref. Jer. 2:2).
Moshe goes on to convey to Pharaoh the news regarding the slaying of the Egyptians
firstborn sons, in place of Yisrael’s slain sons, while the slaying of Egypt
The blood over the Hebrews’ doors enabled YHVH to steer clear of their
homes by passing over - "pasach"
(ref. 12:23) - a verb rooted
in p.s.ch (pey, samech, chet) and means to “pass" or "skip".
Yishayahu (Isaiah) 31:5 says: "Like flying birds, so YHVH of Hosts will
protect Jerusalem
We have already noted that our Parasha is 'didactically inclined,' with 12:14-22
being devoted to instructions pertaining to the future life of the Israelites,
once planted in their own land. This passage is fraught with distinct words and
terms. We already examined the notion of "allocating" in verse 4. In verse 6 we note that
the lamb was to be "kept"
(from the 10th of the first month, until the 14th). But
rather than a verb, a noun is used there - "mishmoret," of
the root sh.m.r (shin, mem, resh). In verse 17 the Children of Yisrael are
instructed "to observe the Feast of Matzot". "Observe" is again
from the same root, meaning “to keep, or guard”, while in verse 24 the
Israelites are told, "to observe", literally "keep", what
now becomes an ordinance to be practiced upon entering the Land. In the future,
the night commemorating the exodus from Egypt
The lamb was to be slaughtered on the 14th day of the month,
"at twilight" (12:6), which is "ben arba'yim”. “Arbayim"
is the plural form of “erev”
(evening), the all-familiar term we have been discussing over and again. Most
interpreters and commentators believe that "between the evenings"
(its literal meaning) denotes "twilight". However, there exists a
minority view that supports the literal “between the evenings”, making that
expression a reference to an entire day, between the 14th and the 15th. The meat was to be eaten with bitter herbs,
“maror”, and unleavened bread called "matza",
which are thin
wafer-like crackers baked without yeast (12:8).
The root m.tz.h (mem,
tzadi, hey) means “to drain out” to the very last drop of water (e.g.
Jud. 6:38), since the leavening agents require liquid in order to be activated.
The bitter herbs most likely point to the "bitterness" experienced by
the Children of Yisrael in Egypt
In 12:14 we encounter for
the first time one of the words for "feast" - "chag" (although in verb form it
appeared already in Ex. 5:1). Since the annual reoccurrence of the Feasts makes
them cyclical, “chag” is related to the verb "choog" which describes a circle (Job 22:14; Pro. 8:27; Is.
40:22). By its very nature this word implies not only a (set) time, but also a
place - a “circle”. Another such
'multi-dimensional' word is holy "convocation", also appearing here
for the first time (v. 16). This "holy convocation" or "assembly",
is "mikra kodesh". The
root k.r.a (kof, resh, alef) means “to call”, even though the
"convocation" - the assembling - is made up of people. The
"mikra kodesh" (i.e. the congregation) is designated, therefore, by
its calling, but is also connected to a place. In Yishayahu (Isaiah) 4:5, for
example, we read: "Then YHVH will
create over the whole area of Mount
Zion
In their Egyptian Pesach, the Israelites were promised that, "the
blood shall be a sign for you on the houses... And when I see the blood, I will
pass over you" (12:13). This "seeing"
(of the blood) brings to mind another "seeing" on the part of YHVH,
as was stated by Avraham, who on the road to Mount Moriah responded to his
son's inquiry regarding the offering, saying: “YHVH will see (literally) for himself the
lamb for the offering" (Gen. 22:8 italics added). And although (at that
time) it was a ram that was provided, the beginning of the fulfillment of those
words is taking place now, in Egypt, later to have a further fulfillment, to an
even greater degree, by another Lamb. One more connection to the Lamb of Elohim
is found in 12:46, where it says that none of the bones of the lamb are to be
broken, an injunction which finds its fulfillment in Yochanan (John) 19:33.
The Egyptians finally relent to send off the Israelites. According to 12:33,
"they pressed” them to leave. However, "pressed" in this
case is from the root "strong" - "chazak" - which makes it a fulfillment of 6:1 “…For with a
strong hand [Par’oh] will let them go, and with a strong hand he
will drive them out of his land". Another fulfillment,
this time of 3:22, is taking place here in 12:35-36, when the Egyptians consent
to give their former slaves gold, silver and garments. This is described as the
“spoiling of the Egyptians", which, is also a fulfillment of YHVH’s
promise to Avraham concerning
the Egyptian Diaspora, out of which his seed was to "come out with great
wealth" (Gen. 15:14). "Spoiled" is "(va)yinatz'lu," of the root n.tz.l
(noon, tzadi, lamed), which most frequently means to "survive, save,
rescue, or deliver".
In fact, it came up in Parashat Sh’mot (5:23) when Moshe complained to
YHVH on behalf of his people, saying, “For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in
Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all
(italics added)". But now not only are they being "delivered",
but they are also "procuring"
gifts (the form of n.tz.l as it is used here) from their those who subjugated
them. The fact that all of these terms are rooted in the same three letters
lends an extra emphasis, or 'twist', to the rescue story and sheds light on the
protagonists (YHVH as the "savior", and on those who are being
"saved"). The gold and silver will no doubt serve later for the
making of the Mishkan’s articles (and likely also for the golden calf). But
even beforehand, in Shmot (Exodus) 33:6, where the Israelites remove their jewelry, the verb used is
"(va)yitna'tzlu" (again of
the root of n.tz.l). The unusual usage of this word highlights the origin of these
articles.
Upon leaving Egypt
When the time allotted for their sojourn in Egypt
The latter part of the Parasha, 13:1-16, is devoted to further
instructions. First and foremost among them is the "setting apart" of
the firstborn: "…every one who opens the womb among the sons of Israel land of Egypt Egypt
Among the "firsts" in this Parasha, there is a first reference
to a name of a month - the "month of Aviv" (13:4). The literal meaning of "aviv,"
which became synonymous with "spring", is a stalk of grain
whose ears are still green. This word indicates the very beginning of
growth, before the fruit or grain has had time to develop (e.g. Job 8:12; Song
of Solomon 6:11), and is perhaps (also) a reflection on the condition of the
Nation in formation. The fact that the noun “aviv” starts with alef, bet, the
first two letters of the Alphabet, letters that also form the word “av” -
“father”, highlights its “firstness”.
Twice in this portion of instructions we encounter references to the
"signs" that are to be on one's hand and forehead (13:9, 16). These
"signs" are to be for the purpose of remembering and commemorating
the "strong hand with which YHVH brought you out of Egypt Egypt Egypt
Lastly, in order to partake of the Pesach, a man was required to be
circumcised (ref. 12:48), a fact which connects the Paschal lamb to
circumcision. It points clearly to the renewal of the Covenant that was
established with Avraham and his descendants. Interestingly, in Parashat Sh'mot
(4:22) YHVH declares that Yisrael is His “firstborn”, and in the same breath predicts
that because Par’oh will refuse to let His firstborn go, He will kill his firstborn (4:22,23). What
immediately follows is the episode where Moshe’s wife is circumcising her son, using
the term "a groom of blood" (4:24-26). This act and choice of
vocabulary reinforce the connection of the Paschal lamb's blood to the blood of
circumcision.[1] Our
"Groom of Blood" who is Yeshua, is also the epitome of the Pesach offering.
His Blood has rendered us the "circumcision who worships
Elohim in the Spirit" (Phil. 3:3).
* Ha denotes the definite article in Hebrew.
[1] The Chumash Shmot With The
Commentary Daat Mikrah, Pub. Mossad
Harav Kook, Jm. 1991.
Hebrew Tools for Everyday Use
This time we will take the verb “to come”
and see how it is used in third person singular (both masculine and feminine). Notice
that in Hebrew that this verb stays the same in the present and past tense. Above
we encountered “remnant” -“nish’ar”. In Modern Hebrew this is the verb “for
“staying” or “remaining”. You will find out how in Hebrew when the subject of
the sentence is in plural so is the verb that follows. We will also apply the
very common k.r.a (call, read) to second person, singular masculine and to plural
feminine, and end with “come” once more, but this time we will use it in the
same way that it is used in the Parasha (such as in “come to Pharaoh”).
The boy is coming/came and stayed
Ha’yeled ba venish’ar
The girl came/is coming and staying
Ha’yalda ba’a venish’e’ret
(Again,
notice that this verb does not change whether it is in the past or present
form)
Did you call me (addressing a male)?
Kara’ta lee?
Did you (plural) call us (addressing females)?
Karaten la’nu?
Come (masculine) in the spring
Bo ba’aviv
Come (feminine) in the spring
Bo’ee ba’aviv
Now that you know the words “bo” and
“bo’ee”, see if you can detect “bo’ee” in a song that uses another word we
encountered above – “kala” – bride. The name of the song is “Bo’ee Kala” - “Come,
(oh) Bride”.
The music was composed to a poem by renowned
Hebrew poetess, Leah Goldberg (1911-1970).
