1. Tefillin
2. Golden Calf
3. Forms of Heresy
4. Notes (2023)
5. Chapter 10
   1. Locusts
   2. Darkness
6. Chapter 11
7. Chapter 12
8. Chapter 13

The only difference between nature and the miraculous is that we are accustomed to the former, and startled by the latter.

Notes (2023)

Although I have carried the inspiring and resounding story of the Exodus from Egypt, the event through which our Nation, my nation, was formed, this time the reading of this Parasha left me with a rather uninspired feeling. The story is riddled with strangenesses and disconcerting unfoldings that leave one with a strange taste.

The Exodus is not stated as G-d’s desire to free His people, but rather as a means to show the Egyptians and the world at large, His Greatness. In other words, it was a vanity project rather than something to benefit His people.

That our liberation was built on infanticide. That G-d felt it was necessary to kill all the first-born of Egypt in order to enable the Hebrews to leave and eventually establish their own nation is appalling enough, but that G-d destined that by “hardening Pharaoh’s heart” until the final act of infanticide occurred. As the omnipotent Creator of all things, surely that was not the only way to do this?

There is the strange effects of the plagues, which were never discussed. For instance, as the locusts ate all the green vegetation the hail did not destroy; that much livestock died as a result of the death of all first-born; that the Egyptians “gave” the Hebrews their valuable possessions as well as much of the livestock that remained. It is obvious that Egypt must have been left in a very sorrowful state. Besides there being no historical record of this, there is also no record of an estimated two to two-and-a-half million people leaving Egypt, which was a country that would hardly have had more than that many people. For instance, the estimate of the total population of Egypt around 150 BC is around 2.9 million! So, more than half of Egypt left in the Exodus, and there is no mention of this in the annals of Egyptian history!?

Q: Besides the question of what is the reason for ten plagues? Why not just two or three? Why the build up? Is this to make a story of it? Are the plagues presented in any order of severity? For until the infanticide, there were no people killed in any of the plagues, though they experienced serious discomfort.

An essential purpose of the story is for us to remember this event, and to teach it to our children - that “G-d took us out of Egypt with a mighty hand!” — a situation which He, Himself, formed.

As it says previously, Jacob (and Isaac) knew that Joseph had to be sold into slavery so that the Exodus and the Revelation at Sinai could occur. This is just a piece of the story — but required the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, more than once.

Q Why the need for this to occur. Perhaps an essential part of the story is to emphasise that nothing can really occur without G-d’s Hand playing a part in it even when He is not apparent, He is still playing His part.

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List of Events

The chapter begins with the command, בֹּ֖א אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה, “come to Pharaoh”. Continuing with an explanation of the reason for the plagues. (v1) This is not the first time G-d has spoken thus. לְמַ֗עַן שִׁתִ֛י אֹתֹתַ֥י אֵ֖לֶּה בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ - “that I may display these, My signs among them.” You will bear witness to this event (v2), where I “humiliate the Egyptian and display my signs”. He is doing this so “you may know that I am יהוה.”

Q Why does G-d need all this worship, all this glorification? Or is it not a need, but an acknowledgement of a reality? Perhaps this performance is not for G-d, but for us, for humanity itself!

They approach Pharoah, and, speaking in G-d’s name, demand that he humble himself and “let my people go”. N [The popular use of this phrase as a slogan, leaves out the predicate, what comes after we are “free” of the oppressor. The full statement is “Let My people go that they may worship Me” – שַׁלַּ֥ח עַמִּ֖י וְיַֽעַבְדֻֽנִי.]

This is approaching the climax of this particular drama. The last two plagues, the plague of the locusts and the plague of darkness, occur. (Ch. 10) Then, G-d prepares us for the final blow, that of the killing of the first-born of Egypt, through which we will be released. He commands us to request gold and silver objects from the Egyptians. He explains to Moses and Aaron what He is about to do. (Ch. 11) In the following chapter, G-d explains the details of this event, and the preparations that are necessary. He declares this to be a day of remembrance for all time, beginning the seven days of the [Feast of] Unleavened Bread. (Ch. 12)

He proceeds to carry out the killing of the first-born, whereupon the Hebrews gather their families and their possessions and leave Egypt — after 430 years. Then G-d instructs Moses and Aaron in the law of the Passover offering חֻקַּ֣ת הַפָּ֑סַח. And so G-d “freed the Israelites from the land of Egypt.” (Ch. 12)

v12:5
וַיְהִ֕י בְּעֶ֖צֶם הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה הוֹצִ֨יא יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֧י יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם עַל־צִבְאֹתָֽם׃

We are commanded to sanctify the firstborn in order to atone for the killing of the firstborn of Egypt. Followed by a reminder to eat unleavened bread for seven days. Then we are commanded to, what has become today, lay tefillin.

v12:9 & 12:16
וְהָיָה֩ לְךָ֨ לְא֜וֹת עַל־יָדְךָ֗ וּלְזִכָּרוֹן֙ בֵּ֣ין עֵינֶ֔יךָ לְמַ֗עַן תִּהְיֶ֛ה תּוֹרַ֥ת יְהֹוָ֖ה בְּפִ֑יךָ כִּ֚י בְּיָ֣ד חֲזָקָ֔ה הוֹצִֽאֲךָ֥ יְהֹוָ֖ה מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃

“And this shall serve you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead —in order that the Teaching of יהוה may be in your mouth—that with a mighty hand יהוה freed you from Egypt.”

Again we are commanded to sanctify the firstborn in order to atone for the killing of the firstborn of Egypt. But no reminder to eat unleavened bread for seven days. Ending in the line that has brought us to the laying of tefillin.

Chapter 10

These are laws basic to our tradition, which have here been written down in the Torah, before the Ten Commandments were Given at Sinai. Q Is that to underline the circularity of time, as seen om the spiritual realm? To us, time might seem linear. But when seen at from a higher realm, perhaps our time looks circular? Like a vortex that, when looked at from above, will look like a circle, or a spiral.

n10:1] וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־משֶׁ֔ה בֹּ֖א אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה—The Lord said to Moses: “Come (in) to Pharaoh”…

Rabbi Shimon [bar Yochai] said: Now it is time to reveal secrets that are bound above and below. Why does it say, “Come to Pharaoh”? It should have said, "Go to Pharaoh"? G‑d had brought Moses into a chamber within a chamber, into the abode of the supernal mighty serpent that is the soul of Egypt, from whom many lesser serpents emanate. Moses was afraid to approach him, because his roots are in supernal regions, and he approached only his subsidiary streams. When G‑d saw that Moses feared the serpent, He said, "Come in to Pharaoh."

N הִכְבַּ֤דְתִּי אֶת־לִבּוֹ֙ ואֶת־לֵב עְַבָדָיו — The verse says “I have hardened his heart”. However, הִכְבַּ֤דְתִּי is hiphil, a passive form, basically meaning “to be a burden, to weigh heavily on someone”. Not that he hardened his heart, but that his, Pharaoh’s, heart was heavy, or burdened… In fact, according to Sefaria, it says:

1. make heavy, a yoke
2. make heavy, dull, unresponsive
3. cause to be honoured

n10:2] למען תסַפר — to relate. Literally, to be worthy of telling, or a story. The lesson here is that HaSHem is not aloof, but Master every day of all events. God creates the stage and the actors, and we “play” our parts—and with free choice — or not.

n10:2] התאללתי — How I (G-d) have mocked the Egyptians.

G-d is the first cause of everything.

n10:3,7] עד־מתי “Pharaoh and his advisors have seen My total control of the elements, and still you remain obstinate. NEven though this seems to be by G-d’s wish… although I like the line that is taken, that you will see later. That by strengthening Pharaoh’s heart, it meant that He encouraged—even gave permission for—Pharaoh to act according to his inclinations. I shall break your stubbornness—which cannot be broken, because that did not seem to be G-d’s wish—through attrition. There will be a series of plagues until you submit.”

N Which brings up the suffering of the people because of one man, their king, who stubbornly refused to let our people go. These are the innocent victims of the battles between kings. Here it is between G-d and Pharaoh, and although many would slate me for that comparison, it is very much how it is represented in this story. It is the power of the Egyptian gods against the power of HaShem. A tale of my King is more powerful than yours!

In addition, as has so often happens, while the people suffer and often die for the cause, the actual cause of their suffering, the Pharaoh survives.

לענות מפני —humbled. Literally, “to answer to my face”. Pharaoh would not bend to Divine Will.

N Even though that Divine Will had also “hardened his heart”. In the end the people paid the price for Pharaoh’s intransigence by being killed in war - “his country destroyed”, "his army—though of wounded and dying—drowned. It might have been a “spiritual” war, a war between gods, but many died because of it, just like the millions that died in the holocaust.

Locusts אַרְבֶּ֖ה

v10:4] We will bring locusts down upon you. Locusts in Hebrew are arbeh, which means destruction, but the letters are similar to harbeh, which means abundance or bounty.

N When looking at our lives, do we focus on the negative instead of the positive? Do we focus on our challenges or difficulties? From arbeh, we can choose to see the good and adjust our attitudes, to reframe and see the abundance and bounty. It is almost by beginning with the heh, or ‘h’, which represents G-d, knowing that all extends from His Mercy, we can adjust our attitude, and bring much into the place where there is little.

This plague introduces a new element. It is meant to make a mockery of Egypt, so that Egyptians and the Jewish people will “know HaShem’s greatness.” That the Jews are included in this event speaks of the fact that even amongst the believers, there are those whose belief is imperfect and needs to be adjusted. This apparently happened at the splitting of the sea when those whose faith was not pure gained true faith in HaShem and his servant Moshe (14:31).

n10:5] וְכִסָּה֙ אֶת־עֵ֣ין הָאָ֔רֶץ - They shall cover the surface of the land. עֵ֣ין signifies the eye, so it is literally the “eye of the land”. It continues to say that “no one will be able to see the land.”

n10:9] כי חג־ה’ לנוּ — Everyone must participate.

ט. וַיֹּ֣אמֶר משֶׁ֔ה בִּנְעָרֵ֥ינוּ וּבִזְקֵנֵ֖ינוּ נֵלֵ֑ךְ בְּבָנֵ֨ינוּ וּבִבְנוֹתֵ֜נוּ בְּצֹאנֵ֤נוּ וּבִבְקָרֵ֨נוּ֙ נֵלֵ֔ךְ כִּ֥י חַג־יְהֹוָ֖ה לָֽנוּ:

n10:9] We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters

Pharaoh was willing to let the menfolk go, as long as the children remain behind; for as long as the younger generation remains “in Egypt,” there would be no future for the people of Israel.
The “Pharaohs” of our day have the same attitude. If the older folk wish to cling to Jewish tradition, that is perfectly acceptable; but the youth should be raised in “the spirit of the times”…
— (Maayanah Shel Torah)

בִּנְעָרֵ֥ינוּ –social station, Heb. bi-n’areinu u-vi-ziqneinu, taking na’ar and zaqen as terms of social rank—lit. “with our underlings and with our elders.”

N This is an example of the details that are left to the “actors”. G-d gave Moses instructions. Here was a situation that one can assume was not covered in those instructions. G-d never said to Moses specifically “take all the people”. Perhaps during his negotiations with Pharaoh, Moses realised that it had to be everyone. Allowing only the elders and leaders to leave would be a pyrrhic victory. Also, according to R’ Bachya, as Moses knew the purpose of the exodus was the revelation at Mount Sinai, he knew he had to include the children. This underlines the principle that “the commandments are (equally binding) for everyone.”

n10:10] כי רעַה נגד —evil intent. Pharaoh was astute in guessing that Moses and the people had no intention of returning from their excursion. N This is quite a climactic moment when Pharaoh accuses Moses of treachery.

רעה is thought of as a star. Expressed through the Egyptian astrologers’ prediction that the nation would be formed in blood. This was thought to be the blood of the paschal lamb, but was instead the blood of the circumcision. This is the argument Moses used against G-d after the sin of the Golden Calf. It was, in essence an egotistical argument, playing into G-d’s: “You are better than them.”

N Perhaps Moses was blessed in the sense that the opposing force, Pharaoh, was clear. Here and now, who the Pharaoh is, is not so obvious. Who is the clear opposer that I can say to G-d, “You are better than him?”

My only prayer here is: "If this is the way we have to go, if this is the path we have to walk, may we do it with grace, with love and forgiveness in our hearts—and with gratitude. My deepest prayer is that there is another way, and that you will guide those of us who believe in You, along Your Way, the way that is closer to Your Will—with outstretched arm and great judgments. For evil walks freely in the world, and it needs to be banished again. It must return home to its place in the heavens.

Summary

Moses warns Pharaoh about the locusts. Then Moses walks out (v6), knowing that Pharaoh and his advisors must be worried about the famine that will ensue. His advisors capitulate (v7), but not Pharaoh.

The Pharaoh calls Moses, and offers him a compromise. The men can go, but the women and children—the future of the nation—have to stay behind, almost hostages to ensure Moses’ return. Pharaoh even demands a list of the elders and leaders who will go. Moses responds that everyone, including the women and children, will need to go.

He then accuses Moses of treachery (v10), claiming that his G-d will not be with someone who will accept his dishonesty. N Though this is not true for Moses has been obeying G-d’s commands assiduously.

Q Where did Pharaoh get this logic from? What does he know of the Jewish G-d (or did he get information regarding HaShem from his advisors)? And why would he try and sway Moses by trying to turn the characteristics of his G-d against him? Is he trying to turn Moses’ own beliefs against him?

n11] Pharaoh then counters that there is no reason for children at such a ceremony

n17] שׂא נא —Forgive me: The locusts descend on Egypt, such as has never been seen before or since. They fill the homes, and eat everything green. They strip the trees and the crops, and cover the land. Realising what is facing them, Pharaoh summons Moses and begs him to forgive him. The people can go, just remove the locusts. He even goes so far as to acknowledge Moses as his master too.

n19-20] Pharaoh had promised not to sin again, however, after the West wind blew away all the locusts (including those that had been collected for food), G-d then again burdened Pharaoh’s heart and he refused to let our people go. Note: This is an illustration of the principle: If one wishes to contaminate oneself, the way is open to you.

Darkness

n10:21] Stretch out your hand towards heaven, that there shall be darkness over the land of Egypt (10:21)

The plague is the end of a set of three. Like the 3rd & the 6th plague there was no warning. The darkness was broken into the first three days, and then the last three days during which the darkness became so dense that the Egyptians could not move.

Why did G‑d . . . bring darkness upon the Egyptians? Because there were transgressors in Israel who had Egyptian patrons and who lived in affluence and honor, and were unwilling to leave. So G‑d said: “If I bring upon them publicly a plague from which they will die, the Egyptians will say: ‘Just as it has passed over us, so has it passed over them.’” Therefore He brought darkness upon the Egyptians for three days, so that the Israelites should bury their dead without their enemies seeing them.

n10:22-23] לא ראוּ אישׁ Each plague lasted seven days.

“The darkness was not merely the absence of light, but an opaque fog-like condition, that extinguished all flames.” Thus the Egyptians could not light their lamps (Ramban), nor could they keep track of the days and nights לא קמה אישׁ מתחתיו. They could not rise, nor could they go anywhere. The darkness was extreme (Ibn Ezra). “The sitting could not stand, and the standing could not sit” (Rashi). This describes a palpable darkness, almost alive.

n10:25-26] In order to have livestock for the offering, the people left with livestock. It seems that they did not only take their own livestock with them, but also that of the Egyptians.

N No wonder Pharaoh chased after them, as Egypt was looking at a serious famine, with no vegetation and no livestock. What if there was a time dilations here that is not mentioned. As there is no information about how long a period passed between each plague, it could be that a number of years passed between each one?

n10:27-29] This was Pharaoh’s final intransigence. “The wicked do not repent even when standing on the threshold of Gehinnom” (Eruvim 19a). And G-d strengthened Pharaoh’s heart, allowing him to make whatever decision he deemed rational.

Chapter 11

n11:1-8] “Warning of the plague of the first-born”.

n11:1] כָּלָה — complete:

"G-d’s justice decrees whoever refuses of his own free will to obey Him will be forced to do so in a less pleasant way.

• (Avot 4:10).

n11:2] Moses has commanded the Jews to request their valuables from the Egyptians in fulfilment of G-d’s vow to Abraham that his descendants would leave Egypt with great wealth.

Why was it so important that the children of Israel should carry out the wealth of Egypt, to the extent that this was foretold hundreds of years earlier to Abraham as an indispensable component of their redemption?

Every creation contains a “spark of holiness” which embodies its divine purpose. When a person utilizes an object, force or phenomenon to serve the Creator, thereby realizing its function within G‑d’s overall purpose for creation, he “redeems” and “elevates” the divine spark at its core.

Every soul has its own “sparks” scattered about in the world, which actually form an integral part of itself: no soul is complete until it has redeemed those sparks which belong to its mission in life. Therein lies the purpose of galut in all its forms: the exile of the soul from its sublime origins to the physical world, and the various exiles that nations and individuals experience in the course of their history, impelled from place to place and from occupation to occupation by seemingly random forces. All is by divine providence, which guides every man to those possessions and opportunities whose “spark” is intimately connected with his.

As the father and prototype of all exiles, the Egyptian galut was a highly concentrated period of history, in which the foundations were laid for all that was to unfold in subsequent centuries. The material world contains 288 general “sparks” (each of which includes innumerable offshoots and particles); of these, 202 were taken out of Egypt, redeemed and elevated when the Jewish people carried off its gold and silver and used these to construct a sanctuary for G‑d in the desert (see Exodus 25–31).

n11:3] בעיני העם Moses stature grew in the eyes of the people.

n11:4] בחצות הלילה — midnight… This points out a less than savoury aspect of human nature. Even though the first-born were dying around them, the necromancers would snatch at any straw to discredit Moses. This sort of perverse attitude has corrupted human behaviour throughout history. Such is the nature of the wicked: their belief in G-d is so fragile that they will discard it at the slightest provocation.

n11:5] ומת כל־בכור — All the firstborn perished even the poor and foreign captives.

n11:9] Pharaoh’s heart hardened, because there were still wonders to perform. Note: This is an amazing story to see, or understand, or have faith in.

Chapter 12

Now we have a 28 verse interruption to the narrative of the plagues, after which the story continues with the plague of the first-born, during which the following commandments are explained:

1. Sanctification of the new moon
2. The details of the pesach-offering
3. The seder ceremony
4. The pesach laws.

n12:2] Rosh Chodesh The sanctification of the new moon is the first commandment given to the nation. This is so important to the functioning of the society, that it was one of the three prohibitions of the Syrian Greek persecution: this, the Sabbath and circumcision. For without the setting of the new month, the calendar of the year could not be determined, thus the festival cycle could not occur. This new moon is also a time of renewal.

Jewish Calendar

Time is the first creation (see Sforno on Genesis 1:1); thus, the sanctification of time is the first mitzvah commanded to Israel.

The Jewish calendar is based on the moon, and regulated by the sun. The time between one new moon and the next is $29$ days, $12$ hours, $44$ minutes and $3 \frac1{3}$ seconds. Since the month has to consist of complete days, the month vacillates between 29 and 30 days, so that a 12 month year contains 354 days. This is 11 days less than the solar year, and if it had to continue for many years, Nissan would fall in the winter — but the Torah requires that Nissan be חודשׁ אביב , the month of springtime [generally March/April in the northern hemisphere] (Deut 16:1). It is interesting to note that Nissan is not the “springtime” in the southern hemisphere! To solve this problem, the “Jewish leap year” was instituted. It consists of adding a $13^{th}$ month of the year 7 times in 19 years, so that Nissan remains in its proper season.

The Torah provides that Rosh Chodesh can be proclaimed only by the rabbinic court on the basis of two witnesses.

In the year 4119 (358-359 C.E), the court of Hillel promulgated a calendar for all succeeding generations based on the calculation that had historically been used to corroborate the testimony of witnesses to the new moon.

n12:2] החודשׁ הזה — The month, Nissan, in which this commandment was given, is to be the beginning of the months i.e., even though the new year begins with Tishrei, the moons are numbered from the month of the Exodus, so that the Torah refers to Rosh Hashanah as the first day of the seventh month, while Pesach is the fifteenth day of first month (Rashi). By numbering all the months from Nissan — the second month, the third and so on — we are always recalling the month of the Exodus.

The currently used names of the month are of Babylonian origin, and came into use only after the destruction of the First Temple. Those names were retained as a reminder of the redemption from Babylon which resulted in the building of the Second Temple (Ramban).

The word חדשׁ should be understood not as month, but as renewal.

לכם — For you.

The word appears twice in the verse to stress a new relationship between Jews and time. As slaves, their time belonged to their masters, not to them. For they did not have the freedom to act as they pleased when they pleased. But from now on, Jews would be masters of their time, and their only master would be G-d.

n13:3-11] The pesach offering. The word פסח means pass over and it commemorates G-d’s mercy towards the Jewish people on the night of Pesach in Egypt, for He took the lives of the Egyptian firstborn, but he passed over the home where the people (the believers) were eating their pesach-offering. Although the pesach-offering was to be brought annually, the offering in Egypt served a special function that included procedures that applied only in Egypt.

n12:3] עַדַת — assembly. The word derives from יעד , to fix, to appoint, referring to a society united by their common calling, a community (R. Hirsch). This is the first time this word is found in the Torah, implying that the commandment of the pesach-offering ushered in a new era. The people was a nation united by its common calling as G-d’s Chosen People.

n12:3-12] What if you do not eat meat? A form of Nazarite, swearing off all meat products, and a vegan swearing off all animal products.

n12:6] The Pesach Haggadah cites a verse from Ezekiel 12:48, which suggests that the people could be redeemed by blood, meaning both that of the pesach-offering and that of circumcision.

N This could be construed in the wrong fashion. Perhaps it is here that the various rumours of Jew’s including the blood of children in our Matza arose from.

בין הערבים — between the evenings. The afternoon is given this name because it falls between the two “sunsets”: the first is when the noontime sun begins to dip toward the horizon and the second when it sets below the horizon (Rashi).

n12:8] הבשׂר … וּמצות — The flesh … and matzos. There are three positive commandments in this verse: to eat the flesh of the pesach-offering, matzah and bitter herbs. There is a Rabbinic commandment if you cannot eat the pesach-offering, to eat bitter herbs at the Seder.

n12:9] … אל־תאכלוּ — You shall not eat … The preparation of the offering applies to all pesach-offerings throughout the ages; those regarding the conditions under which it is to be eaten applied only to the offering in Egypt.

N Only roasted, not raw or cooked in water! How strange.

N עֲדַ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל - translated as “citizen” of Israel, whereas it stems from the word “testimony, or witness”, the idea being that a member of a community is a testimony or witness of/to that community. But even more, it carries the connotation of the ability to being a witness is based on the fact that you are a participant (citizen) of the community of Israel.

n12:12-13] G-d Himself will carry out the plague

n12:12] …ועברתי… והכיתי —I shall go through… and I shall strike… From this verse we learn that G-d personally N What does that even mean? carried out the plague of the firstborn, and did not send an emissary or angel to do so.

From the birth of Israel as a nation, G-d’s relationship to it was direct and personal, without an intermediary.
— (Maharal).

כל־בכור בארץ מצרים —Every firstborn in the land of Egypt. Since the verse does not speak only of Egyptian or even of human firstborn, it implies that the plague struck even the firstborn of foreigners who were in the land of Egypt. From Psalms 136:10, the Sages derive that even Egyptian firstborn out of the country died as well (Rashi). N[Darn - wrong place, wrong time.]

וּבכל־אלוהי מצרים — And against all the gods of Egypt. The wooded ones rotted and the metal ones melted (Rashi).

Angels too are referred to as אלוהים ְ. The heavenly forces that guide and protect the destiny of Egypt were struck in this plague, so that Egypt would be completely defenceless.
— (Ramban)

N This introduces a new level to our cosmology. There were "angels/Elohim that protected and guided Egypt too. Why would G-d need to strike them with a plague — for I assume that the plague that the angels of Egypt encountered was not the of the death of the firstborn — could He not just order the angels to not interfere with His plans? If He has to strike them down with a plague as well, this intimates a fight between G-d and the Angels! As G-d is the omnipotent Ruler of everything, how come He often behaves in a manner that contradicts that, according to the Sages especially?

n12:13] לָכֶּם לאֹת — A sign for you. It was their devotion to HaShem that saved them.

Since the verse stresses that the sign will be for you, the Sages infer that the blood should have been placed inside the doorway, where it would not be visible to outsiders. The Jewish firstborn were saved from the plague because the blood inside the house signified that those inside involved themselves in doing G-d’s will. It was this devotion to the commandment, not the mere presence of a “safe house” that protected them.

N

It was not the blood that prevented the plague, nor its absence that caused it. The Torah teaches that whoever unequivocally placed his trust in HaShem and did not fear Pharaoh or his decrees, who fearlessly slaughtered Egypt’s god in public and placed the pesach-offering’s blood on his doorposts, thereby demonstrating he was righteous and worthy of being protected from the plague…

N What a family scene that must have been. The preparation was the slaughtering of the lamb, draining its blood, and smearing the blood on the inside lintels of their front door. Then sitting down to eat with the blood dripping off the lintels, the smell thereof beggnning to permeate the room while the screams of the living who encountered their dead penetrating the space around them. It must have been an uncomfortable and scary situation, not a usual calm evening meal.

That does raise a point though. If the firstborn died quietly in their sleep, why would their family members be awake? If their passing was peaceful, no one would discover them till morning. However, was it peaceful? Did they just expire? Or did they suffer beforehand, alerting their family to their plight?

n12:14-20] The Pesach (Passover) Festival

We shall all be free!

Pesach is the inaugural festival of the our people, because it marked our inauguration as a nation. This nationhood was not based on revolution, victory in battle, conquest of land, or any of the other normal manifestations of national pride and struggle for independence.

N However, we had to fulfil the promise of nationhood by settling in Canaan. Which, once we achieved, manifested all of these “normal” characteristics of nationhood. This seems to have been repeated 2000 years later. Please G-d, my prayer here is that modern day Israel does not behave similarly to the manner in which the Ancient Jews behaved — though I fear it might be too late…

n12:15] …שׁבעת ימים — A seven day period… The Sages derive exegetically that there is no requirement to eat matzah through the seven days of Pesach, for the eating of matzah is compulsory only on the Seder night. Our verse teaches that if one wishes to eat a grain product during the Pesach, it must be unleavened (see Rashi).

n12:17] וּשׁמרתם את־המצות — You shall safeguard the matzos.

"If a mitzvah comes to your hand, do not allow it to be “leavened” by delaying its performance (Rashi). The performance of a single mitzvah without delay may be necessary for the salvation of an individual at any moment. (Maskil Ha’David)

n12:19] בַּגֵּר וּבאזרח הארץ — Whether a convert or a citizen of the land. The Torah makes clear that all believers, even later converts whose ancestors did not participate in the Exodus, are equally obligated to keep the commandments (Rashi). N This gives more credence to the idea that it was a mixed multitude that obeyed G-d’s commandment and left Egypt with Moshe.

?n12:19] לא תצה — do not go out. The destroyer is about and there are other destroyers about too. Q However, the previous note says that G-d said that He would carry out this plague? So who were those destroyers mentioned here then?

12:21-28] The Ritual of the pesach-offering

Verse 12:22 describes the Pesach blood ritual that is to be performed forever in front of your children that they may ask “What do you mean by this rite?”. This is a passover sacrifice to HaShem that we perform every year so that we may remember that it was HaShem who passed over our houses and smote the Egyptians.

n12:21] …מִשׁכּוּ — Draw forth… Homiletically, R’ Hirsch renders withdraw from the errors of your past and accept the new values of submission to your G-d, which are symbolised by docile, submissive lambs and kids. N That is a problem when you are in a crises.

n12:22] אְַגֻדת אֵזוב — A bundle of hyssop. Three stalks were required (Rashi). By using the bundle of hyssop the people demonstrated their acknowledgement that only G-d’s intervention could redeem us from Egypt.

N This is the part that we are missing in our society today, especially the woke and rational segments. The ability to resonate with the idea of three stalks of hyssop expressing my acknowledgement of the fact that only G-d’s intervention could redeem us from Egypt. Today, I emphasise that only only by asking, begging, praying, crying, and moaning, beseeching G-d to intervene and redeem us from Babylon today.

Q How old were Menasseh & Gershom when they arrived in Sinai? As Moses was 80 by then.

10th Plague: The plague of the firstborn

n12:29] כל בכור . The first born, eldest son was the one that died. If he was the eldest in the household, and there was no firstborn son, then he, the eldest would die. N Thus every house was affected.

Pharaoh’s capitulation

n12:31] בדברדכם — as you have spoken or prophesised. Moses sent angels. N So did Jacob!

n12:32] Pharaoh survives. N Is that just? He is the one who was responsible for the deaths amongst his people. Moses says they will not slink out at night, but leave proudly in the day. N This contradicts the notion that the Exodus was done in haste. They also had to “pick” up all the valuables that they wished to “borrow” from their friendly Egyptian neighbours.

n12:34] Unleavened: (see n32 above)

n12:35-38] Obeyed the word: The justification for borrowing can be found in n3:18-22, but it is a rather weak argument.

n12:37-42] The estimate is of 600,000 males of fighting age, which makes for a population of around 3 million people.

QHow many people lived in Egypt at that time? The general estimate is maximum 4.5 million (including slaves), minimum 1.5 million.

N There is a note in the Zohar about the 600,000 stating that it is representative of the lower 6 sefirot (the small face).

12:38] A mixed multitude

לח. וְגַם־עֵ֥רֶב רַ֖ב עָלָ֣ה אִתָּ֑ם וְצֹ֣אן וּבָקָ֔ר מִקְנֶ֖ה כָּבֵ֥ד מְאֹֽד:

n12:38] ערב רב — a mixed multitude followed the Jews out of Egypt. Q If you were a slave, no matter what nationality, and you saw an opportunity to gain your freedom, would you not want to be a part of that?

N In verse 12:39 it states that the bread was unleaveaned, since they “could not delay”, whereas this unleavened bread was also called the bread of the traveller. Abraham made some for the angels. It has also been mentioned elsewhere.

n12:40] The duration of the exile was officially 210 years. The 430 year number mentioned here is derived when starting from Jacob.

n12:43] בן־נַכַּר — alienated. The מוּמר, apostate and the non-Jew may not participate in the pesach-offering. The apostate being a Jewish non-believer. Although apostate is used today to define a non-believer in G-d whether Jewish or not.

N This is the law of the passover offering: No foreigner shall eat of it. Yet only the bread is unleavened, and paschal lamb’s meat roasted. I assume it is of that meat that he may not eat?

n12:44] וכל־עבד — Every slave shall be circumcised and shall eat of it. Q So even if the slave is an apostate, he can eat of it?

n12:45] תוטב ושׂכיר A casual labourer or a hired hand are not permitted, even if circumcised, but not Jewish.

n12:46] Part of Kashrut is not to break the bones of the animal (even when eating it). Q And after eating it?

Chapter 13

n13:1-16] Three commandments: Firstborn, Exodus, Tefillin.

n13:3] זכור — Remember. By reciting the third paragraph of the _Shema_we are fulfilling the requirements for remembering the Exodus. However, it is important to remember this event so that it may influence the way you behave and act in your life. It cannot be sufficient to recite the prayer, and then go and do wickedness.

n4] Springtime, however in the southern hemisphere it opposite, and is in the winter time… How do we reconcile that?

*n13:8] והגדת לבנך — Tell your child. As set for in the Haggadah, this verse is directed to the שׁאינו ִיודע לשׁאול, a child who does not realise that there is much to ask [about the observances of Pesach.] It is the responsibility of his parents to initiate the discussion and lead him into the world of understanding his historic calling and the privilege of his obligation to carry on the memory of the Exodus.

n13:9] והיה לךָ — ִIt shall be for you. God’s teachings…

n13:13] פטר וחמור — donkey. Another of the miracles of Exodus, when the donkeys where loaded with much more than they would normally be able to carry. Donkeys are also representative of material possessions, according to R’ Hirsch. By commanding us to redeem them for a sheep, the Torah shows us that all material possessions must be dedicated to His Service. If acquisition and personal aggrandisement are the sole purpose of our wealth, we will lose it. N Is this true? It reminds me somehow of Bill Gates, evil dictators, etc.

n13:14] pideon ha’ben — commandment of the first born

n13:16] לְאות עַל־יָדְכָה וּלְטְוטָפֹת בֵי עֵינֶיךָ — The tefillin is to be worn on your weaker arm, and as an ornament between your eyes, N [Like the bindi.]

The suffix of the word, יָדְכָה, your arm, usually spelled ידך, has the unusual spelling of כה, which alludes to the word כּהָה, weak. This teaches us that the tefillin should be worn on the weaker arm.

וּלְטְוטָפֹת—an ornament. The Talmud explains it to be a golden head ornament worn from ear to ear.
N This is like the binding of the Group that will bring about the משׁיח.

N The dialogue between Pharaoh and Moses makes me wonder what the real dialogues would have been like if we could get the transcripts. It would be like receiving unedited transcripts of what was actually said at the meetings at White House. I thought of this because it says after the plague of the locusts Pharaoh called Moses master. It is highly unlikely that he announced that publically. Another example of this is that it says “he ran around the streets” searching for Moses and Aaron. However, Pharaoh running around the streets would not be performed in the same way we would have done. And why did he just not send one of his servants (or soldiers) after him?

Tefillin

v13:16]

Only one verse long, regarding Tefillin here.

At the end of the Parashat Bo, a sacred duty is placed upon us. To carry into the future,as a sign the laying of tefillin containing scrolls telling of the Exodus. This is essentially to instill an awareness of our responsibility to the G-d of Israel, who liberated us and fashioned us into a nation.

This is a constant reminder for us, an action we repeat almost every day to remind us of who we are, and our duties and responsibilities as human beings who are part of something greater (whether a family, a community, or a belief in the goodness of G-d with whose Help and Guidenwe will herald in the coming of the Messianic era.)

There are four reminders wrapped into the mystery of the tefillin.

Tefillin and the Exodus

1. The principle of the Unity of G-d. God is One.

2. To accept His omnipotence, His Kingship.

In the old language, we spoke of His Kingship — the state, or cloak of King, that is placed upon someone. It speaks of rulers and empires, of the pharaoh and his ilk. It acknowledges and supports the concept of Kingship, which is only apt in reference to the Divine Omnipotent King who truly rules over us all. Rather, it opens the door to human “kings” claiming divine status — and who can object?

3. Karma - reward & punishment.

N The next reminder is that of Karma—acknowledge the dynamics of cause and effect. The previous concept of reward and punishment fitted in to the realm of kingship. It is, after all, a king who metes out reward and punishment, having the sovereign right to. No, G-d does not punish us, nor does he reward us — we reap what we sow. If you behave according to the Will of G-d, as expressed, in part, by the so-called “laws of nature”, you will find balance and some peace. As long as you fight against His Will, you will be beset.

4. The binding.

Finally, there is the binding. The promise and commitment to obey G-d’s mitzvot מִתצבות, His commandments/statutes—which themselves are a binding, form of a commitment to and assertion of the order necessary for the world to thrive.

N These mitzvot were engraved thousands of years ago. The commandments of the Infinite Being would not be given once, and never again. As creation is continuous and evolutionary, and though the laws themselves do not change, the practice of these laws will be continuously evolving as well. Torah is and will be always interpreted and expressed in the vernacular of the time. We cannot deny that Judaism has changed and evolved—as has humanity. Though the Wisdom is eternal, Judaism, the transmitters of this Wisdom, as a practice will have changed, and be changed by the stresses encountered in its existence. We bind the arm—action, opposite to the heart—emotion, and then place the head piece—which represents the intellect and memory. Memory allows us to be conscious and aware of our obligations. My question is whether the practice—the outer form—of these obligations are set in stone, and unchanging. For I put forward that it is the inner obligation(s)—to love Ha’Shem with all your heart and soul—that does not and cannot change.

Exodus and the Torah

These scrolls are reminders of the Exodus from Egypt. It is also acknowledged that there is a dimension of Exodus that affects the whole Torah.

1. It is still ongoing
2. We cannot do the same thing and expect a different result. But what is the changes that are needed?
3. The story is a story of an uprising, a revolution. In essence, it is a story of a liberation struggle with a successful outcome.

The Four Forms of Heresy

1. The world always existed. There is no creator.
2. G-d cannot be aware of daily happenings.
3. Denying any form of reward or punishment, there is no need to take responsibility for the outcome of one’s actions.
4. He is not involved, in nor does He care for, human affa

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