Parashat Bo
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Synopsis
Parashat Bo commences with the continued pleading of Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh to let the Hebrew slaves go free. Pharaoh continues to refuse and the Egyptians are punished with plagues of locusts, darkness, and, finally, the death of their firstborn. Pharaoh tells Moses “Be gone from me!” and finally the Hebrews are free to go. Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt and proclaims that each year on the evening on the fourteenth day of the first month a festival lasting seven days will be a celebration of the Egyptian liberation. Matzah shall be eaten during the seven days and the first night shall be spent recalling the events of the liberation.
Themes;
1) Taking Gold and Silver From Egyptians
2) The Creation of Pesach
Taking Gold and Silver From Egyptians
When leaving Egypt the Israelites took gold and silver from the Egyptians. Were these spoils of slavery, gifts or just reparations after years of slavery. Different commentators have different opinions about the reasons for the Israelites leaving Egypt with gold and silver but all agree it wasn’t a case of robbery and was most likely a case of reparations. There are similarities between these moneys and those received by Israel from Germany after the second world war. The question at hand is whether it is better to take the money which places a value on the lives lost or not. Almost 60 years ago this was the debate between David Ben Gurion and menachem Begin.
The Creation of Pesach
The origins of Pesach lie in the story of the liberation of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt. Pesach is one of the three foot festival and is for many the highlight of their Jewish year, a time for family and friends to gather round the Seder table and remember. The traditions of the Pesach have continued to develop over the generations and originate from before the enslavement of the Hebrews. Early Hebrew shepherds set aside a lamb for each household to be slaughtered on the 14th day of the month of Nisan and have its blood smeared over the doorposts and lintel. Early Hebrew farmers used to rid their homes of leaven bread in the period starting from the same date. These traditions combined at some point under the story of the exodus. The traditions of Pesach are ever evolving metaphors that have grown and developed over centuries. Who knows what they will change into in the future.
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