Shalom Friends;
This week, our Parshat HaShevua — Parshat Bo is being sponsored by Ayton & Ayelet Lefkowitz dedicated Lilui Nishmas Ayton’s Grandmothers: Chana Michla bas Zeev Yitzchak and Miriam bas Avraham and his Grandfather Klonimus Yechezkel ben Yehuda, and dedicated for Israel’s total victory and eradication of Hamas and their terrrorist buddies, safe return of all chayalim — physically, mentally and spiritually, and liberation of all hostages held by the Wild Beasts. To the Lefkowitz family, many thanks for your sponsorship and kindnesses through the years.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShevua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShevua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
skype: mark.burt3
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For this author, Parshat Bo annually relates to that nutty parody, composed by Guess Who, of a crazy tune which got a lot of radio play back “in the Old Country” a few decades ago, “Does Your Korbon Pesach Lose It’s Flavor Tied to the Bedpost Overnight?” (Actually, the real title to the song was “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It’s Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight?”) Here’s hoping that subscribers to this Parshat HaShevua, especially newer subscribers will click on the above YouTube link for a bit of levity.
Over the years, this author’s nutty parody has cut right to the chase, to the very heart of our Parshat. The lamb was seen by the Mitzriyim (Egyptians) as one of their myriads of “gods”. Therefore, Hashem mandated the Mitzvot of taking the Korbon Pesach publicly, slaughtering it and applying the da’am on Jewish doorposts. The going up from Mitzrayim (Egypt), enroute to their ultimate goal “…a land flowing with milk and honey …” — the Yetziyat Mitzrayim is, at least, as relevant to the National entity (B’nei Yisrael) today, particularly today, during the war against the wild beast terrorists of Hamas and their terrorist friends on multi-fronts, as it was then, as it relates to emunah (belief in) and yirat (fear of) Hashem.
Just a note here for historical perspective: from the point where Moshe experienced the revelation of the Burning Bush on the 15th of Nissan in the year 2447, to Moshe’s first approach to Pharaoh, through the ten plagues (the asseret makot), to the Jews’ liberation from the Egyptian slavery and oppression: there spanned exactly one year. (Cited from “The Jewish Timeline Encylopedia,” by Mattis Kantor, page 26) “The Jewish Timeline Encylopedia” notes:
The B’nei Yisrael who left Egypt on the 15th of Nissan included 600,000 men between twenty to sixty years of age. In normal demographic extensions, this would add up to a population of approximately 2,000,000 people. (ibid)
In light of the events of the War of Simchat Torah being fought by IDF, which Prime Minister Netanyahu and others have referred to as “Our second War of Independence,” this author deems it appropriate to revisit and expand further on the topic of negotiations on the levels of political and governmental diplomacy.
Rabbi Shmuel Goldin ponders the dialogue between Moshe and Pharaoh in his sefer “Unlocking the Torah Text” as the plagues (makkos) increase in intensity over Pharaoh’s refusal to permit the B’nei Yisrael their three-day “festival to Hashem” (Sefer Shemot, pages 69-70):
As the intensity of the afflictions increase over the course of the plagues, Pharaoh offers three compromise positions to Moshe and the B’nei Yisrael: worship your G’d in Egypt (Rabbi Goldin citing Sefer Shemos, Perek 8, posuk 21), depart Egypt temporarily with some of the people while others remain (Rabbi Goldin citing Sefer Shemos, Perek 10, posuk 10), depart Egypt temporarily with the entire nation but leave your cattle behind (Rabbi Goldin citing Sefer Shemos, Perek 10, posuk 24).
Moshe emphatically rejects each compromise in turn.
The second of these… compromises appears toward the beginning of Parshat Bo, in the following… conversation between Moshe and Pharaoh:
Pharaoh: “Go and worship your Lord! Who are they that shall go?”
Moshe: “With our young and with our old we will go! With our sons and with our daughters! With our sheep and with our cattle! For it is a festival of the Lord for us!” (Rabbi Goldin citing Sefer Shemos, Perek 10, posukim 8-9)
How can Pharaoh ask, after all that has taken place, “Who are they that shall go?” Hasn’t Hashem made it abundantly clear that He demands the release of the entire people?
Why… does Moshe answer Pharaoh in such a confrontational fashion? He could have simply said, We must all go. Why risk further antagonizing the king with the unnecessarily detailed proclamation “With our young and with our old we will go…”?
Much more is taking place in this conversation than immediately meets the eye. The negotiation between Moshe and Pharaoh overlays a monumental confrontation between two towering civilizations, as Pharaoh and his court begin to face, with growing understanding, the true nature of the new culture destined to cause Egypt’s downfall.
This author notes that Pharaoh, all the while, is feeling the heat of intense pressure from his political advisors to let the Jews go — to be rid of them, due to the pain, discomfort and destruction wreaked upon Egypt by the plagues to date. Ironically, it would seem that these could be the same advisors who, under one possible scenario, ousted Pharaoh from power in a coup d’état because he (Pharaoh) previously supported the Jews, with Pharaoh returning as a “new Pharaoh” who developed politically motivated amnesia “not remembering Yosef” in his lust to regain power.
Rabbi Goldin goes on to explain (ibid, page 70-71):
…Hashem did not instruct Moshe to demand complete freedom for the B’nei Yisrael. From the very outset, the appeal to the king was, instead, to be, “Let us go for a three-day journey into the wilderness that we may bring offerings to the Lord, our G’d.” (Rabbi Goldin citing Sefer Shemos, Perek 5, posuk 3)
In response… [Rabbi Goldin surmises Pharaoh’s response] Pharaoh now argues: All right, I give in! You have my permission to take a three-day holiday for… worshiping your Lord. Let us, however, speak honestly. Moshe, you and I both know that religious worship… remains the responsibility and the right of a select few. Priests, elders, sorcerers… in whose hands the ritual responsibility of the whole people are placed.
Therefore I ask you, “Who are they that shall go? Who from among you will represent the people in… this desert ritual? Let me know… and they will have my permission to leave.
Moshe’s emphatic response is now understandable…: [Rabbi Goldin surmises Moshe’s response to Pharaoh] You still don’t get it, Pharaoh. There’s a new world [being born] and we will no longer be bound by old rules. No longer will religious worship remain the purview of a chosen few… A nation is coming into existence that will teach the world that religious participation is open to all.
….No one and nothing is to be left behind; our “festival of the Lord” will only be complete if all are present and involved.
Rabbi Goldin concludes his vort (ibid, page 71) :
Moshe’s ringing proclamation reminds us that the Exodus [Yetziyot Mitzrayim] narrative chronicles not only the peoples’ bid for freedom, but the beginning of a new chapter in the relationship between Hashem and man, Step by step, a nation is forged that will be based upon personal observance, study and spiritual quest — a nation which will teach the world of every human being’s right and responsibility to actively relate to his Creator.
…The birth of Judaism will open religious worship and practice to all.
Just as Moshe’s negotiations with Pharaoh went nowhere, as to who will leave Mitzrayim to participate in the “festival to Hashem” leading to the final plague — of the first born (Makko B’chorot) of all Mitzriyim, from Pharaoh and the entire Mitzri people, so may politicians and government of Israel stand firm against adversarial deceptions today in dealing with all parties: Hamas and their Gaza terrorist friends, Hezbollah, Qatar, and yes, the US as well.
May our Chayalim emerge with a great victory, and whole — physically, mentally and spiritually. And may the remaining hostages be liberated and returned to their families and communities unharmed — physically, mentally and spiritually.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently re-settled in Gush Katif, once the IDF, by the Yad Hashem, destructs and eradicates the wild beasts of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, all other terror entities, and if necessary Iran, and that our brethren be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them, that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Homesh be rebuilt, as well as the buildings of Yishuv Elchanan, all at total government expense. May our Chayalim return from battle unharmed — physically, mentally and spiritually and may all of the hostages brutally taken by the wild beasts of Hamas be liberated and returned to their families. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is in his fourth year at home in Eretz Yisrael and has embarked on a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her spirit and memory continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. May the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, as should the remains of the two chayalim from the Gaza War of nine years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. May we see, in 5784, the REAL Jews from the Ukraine and Russia make Aliyah enmass — via thorough review by Misrad HaPanim. And may we soon and finally see the total end to the Communist Chinese Wuhan Lab corona virus pandemic and all like viruses and variants. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
Good Shabbos!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
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