When you Choose Shabbat, you choose to learn that every Shabbat is different and special. This week we read from Parashat Bo (Exodus 10:1 through 13:16), the 15th weekly Torah portion in the annual cycle of Torah readings.
According to Wikipedia, Bo contains 6,149 Hebrew letters, 1,655 words, 106 verses and 207 lines of the Torah Scroll. The underlying narrative of Bo, (בֹּא), translated as the command form of “go” or “come“, continues the narrative of the last three plagues that befell Egypt (locusts, darkness, slaying of the first born) and the story of Passover.
Rabbi Michael D Klein of Temple Torat Emet offers his insights on this week’s Torah reading, Bo for Shabbat February 1, 2025 aka 2 Shevat 5785:
“This Sedra begins with a simple word, “B0”, which means come here, if expressed as a command. It describes Moses and Aaron being commanded to come into Pharaoh’s presence to share the next set of plagues to befall him and his people if they do not permit the Jewish people to leave Egypt. With this simple pronouncement, Moses declares G-d’s intentions but also gives Pharaoh another opportunity to repent which he squanders resulting in national disaster to his people.
An interesting Midrash concerning the plagues. The original word for the plague of frogs is Tzfardeah. The Hebrew plural of frog is actually Tzfardim which is used in the subsequent text. Why the disparity?
The Midrash relates that originally the plague began with one giant frog – FROGZILLA! Instead of Pharoah dealing with the cause of the problem- liberating the Jewish people and preventing damage to his own people- he ordered his taskmasters to strike the giant frog. Each time they did so, the giant frog separated into many more smaller frogs which then filled the houses of Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
The lesson presented is: deal with the cause not the effect! If we are faced with a problem, analyze it and use our intellect, resources and faith to solve it . Pharaoh is a paradigm of how not to deal with solutions to a problem. He is steeped in his own arrogance and causes irreparable harm to himself and all Egypt. Eventually, he becomes so hard-hearted, he can no longer extricate himself .
At the conclusion of the narrative, Pharaoh has no other choice but to grant us our freedom and contained in this Sedra are the words, Hachodesh Hazeh Lachem Rosh Chadashim – this month is to you the beginning of our people as a national entity. We emerge from slavery to freedom no longer as separate tribes but united in purpose as a new nation, connected to G-d and each other by common goals and connection to Hashem. May Hashem continue to connect us in Israel and throughout the world as a united people under the banner of Torah and caring for each other. Amen.
Questions to Consider and Discuss:
- Why is the plague of darkness more than just physical punishment?
- Why does Pharaoh not suffer the same fate as all the other first-born in Egypt?
- What role do dogs play in the story? How are they later rewarded?
- Why does the Torah mention that “Moses the man is great also in the eyes of the Egyptians?”
Rabbi Michael D. Klein attended Yeshiva College of South Florida and served as Torah Reader, Hebrew teacher, Chazzan and spiritual leader of various synagogues throughout South Florida. In January 2015 he became Ritual Director, Bnai/Bnot Mitzvah instructor and 7th grade Hebrew instructor for Temple Torat Emet of Boynton Beach. In October 2019 he was accepted into an accelerated track and received his smicha from Yeshiva Adath Wolkowisk and has been the Rabbinic leadership of Temple Torat Emet since August 2020. In September of 2022 he was appointed Rabbinic and Spiritual Advisor of the Florida Region of FJMC.
Choose Shabbat; choose to celebrate, to light candles, sing songs and learn a little Torah.
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