Parshat Bo
9 Shevat 5761- Issue #12
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Torah Thoughts Relating To Current Events
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An Occasional Series by Michael Freund of Raanana, Israel
Comments/Feedback: parsha_sheet@hotmail.com
Previous Parsha Sheets
1. Blinded by the Dark
The Parsha opens with G-d instructing Moshe to go to Pharaoh and demand once again that he free the Jewish people. Pharaoh remains stubborn, obstinately refusing to let the Jews go, even as his own advisers plead with him to do so. Egypt is struck by the eighth plague of locusts, followed by the ninth plague of darkness. The Torah describes the darkness as having a direct impact on the Egyptians day-to-day life: ?they did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place? (Chap. 10, verse 23).
The question: What is the meaning behind the Torah?s description of the plague of darkness?
The answer: The Chiddushei HaRim (Rabbi Yitzchak Meir, Rebbe of Ger, 1799-1866) says that the Torah?s description of the plague teaches us an important lesson: the worst type of darkness is when a person does not see the suffering of his fellow man (?they did not see one another?) and refuses to get up and help (?nor did anyone rise from his place?). The plague of darkness reflected the reality of Egyptian society: the average Egyptian was unwilling to see his neighbor and his needs and to offer assistance. Since they were unwilling to help one another, the darkness that enveloped the Egyptians was such that ultimately they could not even move themselves.
The lesson: As Israelis prepare to vote for the third time in five years, we are reminded once again that while the Jewish state is blessed with a vibrant democracy unique in this part of the world, we are also saddled with an inane political system which undercuts its effectiveness. Our parliamentary system comprises national parties, most of which in fact are constituent parties representing narrow sectors of society. As a result, the legitimate needs of one sector often get overlooked because a certain government ministry is run by another party, which will tend to the needs of its own voters while disregarding those of people unlikely to vote for it. But as we see from the Chiddushei HaRim?s observation on Egypt, a society in which people refrain from helping each other is a society living in darkness. Narrow political or sectoral interests must give way to the overriding national interest, whether in the field of education, health or security. Only then will we as a society be able to tackle the multitude of problems demanding attention. For if Israel is truly to be a light unto the nations, it must begin by sweeping away the darkness at home, namely the darkness of division.
2. Moonstruck
Pharaoh remains intransigent even after the plague of darkness ends, telling Moshe that the Jews may leave but their cattle, the Jews? primary possession, must remain behind in Egypt. Moshe rejects Pharaoh?s proposal, leading the Egyptian king to eject Moshe from his presence. G-d tells Moshe about the tenth plague, saying that the Jews will finally leave Egypt after it has struck. Then, in the middle of the narrative, the Torah tells us that G-d commanded Moshe and Aaron regarding the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh (New Moon), the first mitzvah given to the Jewish people as a nation (Chap. 12, verse 1). Henceforth, the Jewish people would use their own lunar calendar.
The question: What is the significance of the fact that the Jewish people were commanded by G-d to use a lunar calendar of their own, different from the solar calendar used by much of the rest of the world?
The answer: The Sefat Emet (Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter, the second Rebbe of Ger, 1847-1905) says this symbolizes that the nations of the world can only survive and thrive when the sun is shining on them ? i.e. when it is their moment in the sun, as it were. But once their day has passed, once their sun has set and night descends on them, they fade from history (such as the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Soviet Union, etc.). By contrast, notes the Sefat Emet, the Jewish people continue to exist and shine even in the darkness of exile, just as the moon glows in the darkness of the night. Similarly, the Midrash states that the moon is symbolic of the Jewish people in that, as part of its monthly cycle, it slowly dwindles and diminishes until it is invisible to the naked eye, and people think that it has all but disappeared. Then, it suddenly shines anew, growing in size until it reaches its full dimensions. This, says the Midrash, encapsulates the story of the Jewish people throughout history: even at times when the nation seemed on the verge of disappearance, it returned to shine in all the fullness of its glory and splendor, just like the moon.
The lesson: Throughout our people?s history, we have been beset by national calamities of a magnitude unprecedented in the annals of any nation. Over 2700 years ago, the Assyrians exiled 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel, who faded into the haze of history. Untold thousands were lost when the Babylonians captured Judea and destroyed Jerusalem. Pogroms, persecutions, Inquisitions and mass expulsions all took their toll over the centuries. The Black Plague, the Chmielnicki massacres and ultimately the Holocaust reduced the Jewish people to just a numerical speck compared to the population of the world as a whole. The survival of the Jewish people is nothing less than a miracle. Even 2000 years ago, the enigma of Jewish survival was apparent: the Midrash Tanchuma on Parshat Toldot records how the Roman Emperor Hadrian could not fathom the Jewish people?s ability to survive. The Midrash quotes him as telling Rabbi Yehoshua: ?How great is the sheep (the Jewish people) which survives in the midst of seventy wolves (the nations of the world)!? to which Rabbi Yehoshua replied, ?How great is the Shepherd (G-d) who safeguards them!? It is because of G-d?s providence that the Jewish people succeeded in weathering the stormy seas of the exile. And as the Sefat Emet and the Midrash point out, even though empires may come and go, the Jewish people, like the moon, continue to shine even when the skies are at their darkest, and will ultimately radiate and sparkle for all the world to see.
3. Hold Your Head Up High
G-d strikes Egypt with the tenth plague, the death of the Egyptian firstborn. At midnight, Pharaoh panics and goes looking for Moshe and Aaron. When he finds them, Pharaoh finally concedes, pleading that the Jews leave Egypt as quickly as possible. The plague hit Egypt hard, but passed over the Jews, leaving them untouched, for G-d had told them to put the blood of a sacrifice on their doorposts, so that, ?The blood shall be a sign for you upon the houses where you are; when I see the blood I will pass over you? (Chap. 12, verse 13). In addition, G-d warns the Jews that while He is carrying out the plague on the Egyptians, they must remain indoors: ?and none of you should go out beyond the entrance of his house until the morning? (Chap. 12, verse 22).
The question: Why were the Jews prohibited from going outside during the plague of the first-born? Wouldn?t that have been the perfect time for them to flee Egypt while the Egyptians were being struck with the plague?
The answer: The Tzror HaMor says that the Jews? exodus from Egypt is an eternal symbol of freedom, one that resonates throughout the generations. G-d Himself took us out, as we recall twice daily in the 3rd paragraph of the Shma prayer: ?I am the L-rd your G-d who took you out of Egypt.? Hence, the Exodus could not take place at night, for then it would have appeared as if the Jews were stealing away like thieves in the night under cover of darkness.
The lesson: When the Jewish people left Egypt, they did so not as lowly, ignoble slaves, but as a free people, marching with pride toward their destiny. Had the Jews been forced to flee in the middle of night, while the Egyptians were busy with the plague, their departure would not have reflected their newfound self-respect and dignity, for that is not how a proud nation conducts itself. After the plague of the first-born had struck, Pharaoh pleaded with Moshe to take the Jews out immediately, in the middle of the night. The Mechilta quotes Moshe as replying, ?Are we thieves that we should depart at night? We will leave with a raised arm (proudly) in full view of all of Egypt!? Moshe then commanded the Jews to prepare to leave the next morning. This simple, almost elementary lesson in national pride seems to have been overlooked by our own government in the past year. Like the adventurers in the film Monty Python?s Quest for the Holy Grail, whose battle cry was ?Run Away! Run Away!?, Israel?s vaunted military fled southern Lebanon in the middle of the night under fire and abandoned Joseph?s Tomb in Shechem (Nablus) in the wee hours of the night, leaving it to be set ablaze and ransacked by a frenzied mob ? in both instances radiating weakness and timidity. Let us hope and pray that the new, soon-to-be elected Israeli government will recall the pride of our ancestors, lift the nation?s spirit and restore its sense of self-respect and dignity, so that we can once again hold our heads up proudly as a people.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(The writer was deputy director of communications and policy planning in the Prime Minister's Office, 1996-99.)
9 Shevat 5761- Issue #12
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Torah Thoughts Relating To Current Events
----------------------------------------------------------------------
An Occasional Series by Michael Freund of Raanana, Israel
Comments/Feedback: parsha_sheet@hotmail.com
Previous Parsha Sheets
1. Blinded by the Dark
The Parsha opens with G-d instructing Moshe to go to Pharaoh and demand once again that he free the Jewish people. Pharaoh remains stubborn, obstinately refusing to let the Jews go, even as his own advisers plead with him to do so. Egypt is struck by the eighth plague of locusts, followed by the ninth plague of darkness. The Torah describes the darkness as having a direct impact on the Egyptians day-to-day life: ?they did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place? (Chap. 10, verse 23).
The question: What is the meaning behind the Torah?s description of the plague of darkness?
The answer: The Chiddushei HaRim (Rabbi Yitzchak Meir, Rebbe of Ger, 1799-1866) says that the Torah?s description of the plague teaches us an important lesson: the worst type of darkness is when a person does not see the suffering of his fellow man (?they did not see one another?) and refuses to get up and help (?nor did anyone rise from his place?). The plague of darkness reflected the reality of Egyptian society: the average Egyptian was unwilling to see his neighbor and his needs and to offer assistance. Since they were unwilling to help one another, the darkness that enveloped the Egyptians was such that ultimately they could not even move themselves.
The lesson: As Israelis prepare to vote for the third time in five years, we are reminded once again that while the Jewish state is blessed with a vibrant democracy unique in this part of the world, we are also saddled with an inane political system which undercuts its effectiveness. Our parliamentary system comprises national parties, most of which in fact are constituent parties representing narrow sectors of society. As a result, the legitimate needs of one sector often get overlooked because a certain government ministry is run by another party, which will tend to the needs of its own voters while disregarding those of people unlikely to vote for it. But as we see from the Chiddushei HaRim?s observation on Egypt, a society in which people refrain from helping each other is a society living in darkness. Narrow political or sectoral interests must give way to the overriding national interest, whether in the field of education, health or security. Only then will we as a society be able to tackle the multitude of problems demanding attention. For if Israel is truly to be a light unto the nations, it must begin by sweeping away the darkness at home, namely the darkness of division.
2. Moonstruck
Pharaoh remains intransigent even after the plague of darkness ends, telling Moshe that the Jews may leave but their cattle, the Jews? primary possession, must remain behind in Egypt. Moshe rejects Pharaoh?s proposal, leading the Egyptian king to eject Moshe from his presence. G-d tells Moshe about the tenth plague, saying that the Jews will finally leave Egypt after it has struck. Then, in the middle of the narrative, the Torah tells us that G-d commanded Moshe and Aaron regarding the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh (New Moon), the first mitzvah given to the Jewish people as a nation (Chap. 12, verse 1). Henceforth, the Jewish people would use their own lunar calendar.
The question: What is the significance of the fact that the Jewish people were commanded by G-d to use a lunar calendar of their own, different from the solar calendar used by much of the rest of the world?
The answer: The Sefat Emet (Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter, the second Rebbe of Ger, 1847-1905) says this symbolizes that the nations of the world can only survive and thrive when the sun is shining on them ? i.e. when it is their moment in the sun, as it were. But once their day has passed, once their sun has set and night descends on them, they fade from history (such as the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Soviet Union, etc.). By contrast, notes the Sefat Emet, the Jewish people continue to exist and shine even in the darkness of exile, just as the moon glows in the darkness of the night. Similarly, the Midrash states that the moon is symbolic of the Jewish people in that, as part of its monthly cycle, it slowly dwindles and diminishes until it is invisible to the naked eye, and people think that it has all but disappeared. Then, it suddenly shines anew, growing in size until it reaches its full dimensions. This, says the Midrash, encapsulates the story of the Jewish people throughout history: even at times when the nation seemed on the verge of disappearance, it returned to shine in all the fullness of its glory and splendor, just like the moon.
The lesson: Throughout our people?s history, we have been beset by national calamities of a magnitude unprecedented in the annals of any nation. Over 2700 years ago, the Assyrians exiled 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel, who faded into the haze of history. Untold thousands were lost when the Babylonians captured Judea and destroyed Jerusalem. Pogroms, persecutions, Inquisitions and mass expulsions all took their toll over the centuries. The Black Plague, the Chmielnicki massacres and ultimately the Holocaust reduced the Jewish people to just a numerical speck compared to the population of the world as a whole. The survival of the Jewish people is nothing less than a miracle. Even 2000 years ago, the enigma of Jewish survival was apparent: the Midrash Tanchuma on Parshat Toldot records how the Roman Emperor Hadrian could not fathom the Jewish people?s ability to survive. The Midrash quotes him as telling Rabbi Yehoshua: ?How great is the sheep (the Jewish people) which survives in the midst of seventy wolves (the nations of the world)!? to which Rabbi Yehoshua replied, ?How great is the Shepherd (G-d) who safeguards them!? It is because of G-d?s providence that the Jewish people succeeded in weathering the stormy seas of the exile. And as the Sefat Emet and the Midrash point out, even though empires may come and go, the Jewish people, like the moon, continue to shine even when the skies are at their darkest, and will ultimately radiate and sparkle for all the world to see.
3. Hold Your Head Up High
G-d strikes Egypt with the tenth plague, the death of the Egyptian firstborn. At midnight, Pharaoh panics and goes looking for Moshe and Aaron. When he finds them, Pharaoh finally concedes, pleading that the Jews leave Egypt as quickly as possible. The plague hit Egypt hard, but passed over the Jews, leaving them untouched, for G-d had told them to put the blood of a sacrifice on their doorposts, so that, ?The blood shall be a sign for you upon the houses where you are; when I see the blood I will pass over you? (Chap. 12, verse 13). In addition, G-d warns the Jews that while He is carrying out the plague on the Egyptians, they must remain indoors: ?and none of you should go out beyond the entrance of his house until the morning? (Chap. 12, verse 22).
The question: Why were the Jews prohibited from going outside during the plague of the first-born? Wouldn?t that have been the perfect time for them to flee Egypt while the Egyptians were being struck with the plague?
The answer: The Tzror HaMor says that the Jews? exodus from Egypt is an eternal symbol of freedom, one that resonates throughout the generations. G-d Himself took us out, as we recall twice daily in the 3rd paragraph of the Shma prayer: ?I am the L-rd your G-d who took you out of Egypt.? Hence, the Exodus could not take place at night, for then it would have appeared as if the Jews were stealing away like thieves in the night under cover of darkness.
The lesson: When the Jewish people left Egypt, they did so not as lowly, ignoble slaves, but as a free people, marching with pride toward their destiny. Had the Jews been forced to flee in the middle of night, while the Egyptians were busy with the plague, their departure would not have reflected their newfound self-respect and dignity, for that is not how a proud nation conducts itself. After the plague of the first-born had struck, Pharaoh pleaded with Moshe to take the Jews out immediately, in the middle of the night. The Mechilta quotes Moshe as replying, ?Are we thieves that we should depart at night? We will leave with a raised arm (proudly) in full view of all of Egypt!? Moshe then commanded the Jews to prepare to leave the next morning. This simple, almost elementary lesson in national pride seems to have been overlooked by our own government in the past year. Like the adventurers in the film Monty Python?s Quest for the Holy Grail, whose battle cry was ?Run Away! Run Away!?, Israel?s vaunted military fled southern Lebanon in the middle of the night under fire and abandoned Joseph?s Tomb in Shechem (Nablus) in the wee hours of the night, leaving it to be set ablaze and ransacked by a frenzied mob ? in both instances radiating weakness and timidity. Let us hope and pray that the new, soon-to-be elected Israeli government will recall the pride of our ancestors, lift the nation?s spirit and restore its sense of self-respect and dignity, so that we can once again hold our heads up proudly as a people.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(The writer was deputy director of communications and policy planning in the Prime Minister's Office, 1996-99.)