Parashat Bo, Exodus 10:1-13-16

This week’s portion, “Bo” (roughly translates into “come to”) offers the incredible story of the Exodus: The tale of how all Children of Israel left Egypt more than 430 years after Israel (Jacob) himself arrived there (Exodus 12:40) in a single night. And what a remarkable story that is. The portion – both very eloquent in style and very rich in data – tells us how more than 600,000 adult males, with their children, families, companions, and much property (Ex. 12:37), suddenly got up and left Egypt. And recall – there were no means of transportation back then: No cars, no trucks, no busses, no airplanes, and no ships (at least not at their disposal). They all left on their own two feet; they all walked away from Egypt. And they prepared well for leaving in a hurry, with divine instructions that may well-resonate even today with every parent who would like their children to leave in a hurry: “And this is how you shall eat [your last meal before departure]: your loins must be girded, your sandals on your feet, and your walking poles at hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly.” (Ex. 12:11)

The text of this week’s portion is one of the classics, containing not only vast portions of the Passover Haggadah (including the famous justification of its very title: “And you shall tell your son [“Ve’hee’ga’de’tah le’vin’cha”] on that day the following: It is for that that the Lord performed for me when I have left Egypt” (Exodus 13:8)), but also selected portions of the constituent She’ma text (Exodus 13:9 (“And this shall serve as a sign on your hand…”), 13:16 (similar)). In short, there is many a good reason to read this portion in full.

Today I would like to make two short remarks, one about collective corporal punishment, and the other about the act of leaving a country in which you were born.

The Tenth Plague

Two weeks ago, at the very beginning of the book of Exodus, we quickly introduced to the new King of Egypt’s most brutal decree: “And the King of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives . . . and said: “When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the birth stones: if it is a boy, you shall kill him, and if a girl – she would live.” (Exodus 1:15-16). “How unjust,” we may think as we read the text, “what have those little babies done that they deserve meeting their faith in such a horrific way.” The rest of the text, by the way, suggests that the Hebrew midwives never abided by the King’s order, for which they were summoned for a quick “supreme court” hearing with the King (Exodus 1:17-20 – no harm was done to them). Still, the impression of a brutal, arbitrary, and extremely unjust punishment – bore by a vast group for no fault of their own – remains with us as one of the most defining characteristics of the new King.

In today’s portion, we learn of a much wider-scale, collective “first-born” punishment scheme – one that actually occurred. To recap, after performing nine of the plagues (which the text insists on calling “marvels” (Ex. 12:10), which also brings back the issue of “ten” discussed last time), Pharaoh still refuses to “let my People go.” Thus, God – through Moses – turns to a measure of last resort: The Plague of Killing All First Born.

Three full chapters (Ex. 11-13) are dedicated to the planning, announcement, preparation for, and then meticulous execution of this drastic measure. It begins with God’s dramatic message to Moses: “One more plague I will bring upon Pharaoh and Egypt, and after that he will send you away…” (Ex. 11:1). And what is that plague? “And every first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the first-born of the slave-woman who is behind the grind stone, and all of the first-born of the cattle. And there shall be a huge cry in the entire land of Egypt, a cry like which has never been, and like which shall never occur.” (Ex. 11:5-6). To eliminate any doubt, and as highly emphasized by the Passover Haggadah, this measure was undertaken by God himself (“And Moses said, so said God: Towards midnight I will go out into the land of Egypt” Ex. 11:4); not by a messenger, not by an angel, and not by a seraph. Rather, God himself implemented this drastic measure, which resulted in “no household in Egypt in which there is no death.” (Ex. 12:30).

Clearly, God’s “last word” was in direct response to Pharaoh’s diabolic scheme. But was that too strong a measure? Faithful readers of this blog know something about the social institute of First Born in those times. Eliminating all first born must have had, therefore, much greater effect than merely the coincidental loss of several men of Egypt. To be sure, Pharaoh’s plan in comparison was even harsher as it targeted all male newborn, not only the first born. Yet Pharaoh’s idea remained just that – an idea, while God’s plan to inflict pain upon the entire nation of Egypt (and their property) was executed in full. Was this too harsh? Recall that most Egyptians had no say in the tough-measure negotiations that took place between Pharaoh and Moses. Yet, they suffered the most, each family losing its first born. The same could be said about the Israelites, who did no harm to Pharaoh and yet were about to lose all their male newborn.

The measure, it should be said, worked well. Pharaoh – who just threatened Moses not to see his face again, “for the day you shall see my face again you shall die” (Ex. 10:28) – now calls Moses and Aharon in the middle of the night (the same night where God killed all first-born) and practically rushes them to “get up and get out of my People.” (Ex. 12:31). And they do. But does the effectiveness of the measure justify its degree? In modern constitutional terms, the question is whether this measure is proportional: could we have reached the same result by a much lesser of a measure? (Note, for instance, that none of the previous nine plagues has inflicted any death on Egypt – though it did inflict much suffering; should that be a consideration in inflicting this one final measure?). According to my dad, the fact that it worked, shows that it was the right measure. ‘The proof is in the pudding’, he says. And my dad is usually right. Is he right this time?

Leaving Your Country

An overlooked aspect of this week’s portion is the fact that this is the first time in history when a mass immigration was recorded. An entire nation, more than million in numbers, is getting up in one night and leaving their homeland of 430 years. What were their thoughts, fears, hesitations? For anyone who has ever left his or her homeland, leaving your country is far from a trivial move. In the States, even leaving your state of birth to “migrate” to one of the larger cities (NY, Chicago, L.A.) is not so simple. How can an entire nation, then, get up and leave?

In stark contrast to the first portion in Exodus, where Moses faced some serious issues of obedience and recognition, here the People of Israel immediately “bow down and kneel” when they hear his instructions. (Exodus 12:28). And while it is true that in the coming weeks we’ll be hearing several times about their grievances (in particular, how Moses separated them from the “pot full of meat” they had in Egypt to bring them into the desert), that night was a night of unity and obedience.

Now think for a moment of yourself and all the people you have ever known (and many you haven't). Would it be easier to leave your country with all of them, beginning a long journey to a country unknown? Or would you rather do it on your own? The answer, I think, informs us of this amazingly unified answer by the Children of Israel.

Shabbat Shalom,

Doron