Parashat Bo

This week’s portion, “Bo” – literally “come to,” or “go to” (as in “go to Pharaoh") – tells the incredible story of the Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt. Thus, more than 430 years after Israel (Yaakov) himself arrived in Egypt (Exodus 12:40), the People made of his disciples is now leaving that same country during 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, along with their children, families, companions, and much property (Ex. 12:37), have left their homeland without hesitation, only to follow their new leader into the unknown. Recall – there were very few means of transportation back then: No cars, airplanes, trains or other land-carriers; there were some ships, but none at their disposal. Thus, all those people left Egypt on their own two feet; they all have literally “walked away” from Egypt. And while their departure was haste, they did receive divine instructions on how to prepare for it (instructions that may be well used today as well): “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 this that the Lord have performed for me when I have left Egypt” (Exodus 13:8)), but also selected portions of the constituent She’ma text (Ex. 13:9 (“And this shall serve as a sign on your hand…”); Ex. 13:16 (similar)).   In short, there are many reasons to read the portion in its entirety this week.

In my post today I would like to make two short comments: The first about the issue of collective corporal punishment, and the second about the act of leaving a homeland.

I. The Tenth Plague

Two weeks ago, at the very beginning of the book of Exodus, we were quickly introduced to the new King of Egypt and to his 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 might have thought as we read the text, “what have those little babies done to deserve such an early encounter with death for no fault of their own.”  The rest of the text, to be sure, suggests that the Hebrew midwives never abided by the King’s order, a refusal that merited a quick summons to the King’s Court for a short “supreme court” hearing (Exodus 1:17-20; perhaps due to a successful representation, no harm was done to them).  Still, the impression of a brutal, arbitrary, and extremely unjust punishment – bore by a vast group of people for no fault of their own – remains with us as one of the most horrifying, and defining, characteristics of the new Egyptian King.

In today’s portion, we learn of a much wider-scale, collective “first-born” punishment scheme – one that actually occurred in reality (as opposed to being merely planned).  To recap, after performing nine of the plagues (which the text insists on calling “marvels” (Ex. 12:10), which also brings back the notion of the number “ten” discussed last time), Pharaoh still refuses to “let my People go.”  Thus, God – through Moshe – 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 Moshe: “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 the likes of which has never happened before and shall never happen again.” (Ex. 11:5-6).  To eliminate any doubt, and as highly emphasized by the Passover Haggadah, this measure was undertaken by God himself (“And Moshe 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 death is absent.” (Ex. 12:30).

Clearly, God’s “last measure” here was intended as a direct reaction to Pharaoh’s diabolic scheme to kill every “Hebrew” first born. But was that too strong a measure? Faithful readers of this blog may have a basic idea of the institute of First Born in those times and its economic significance.  The death of this entire group must have had, therefore, a much greater effect on Egypt – economically, security-wise, and socially, to name but a few areas – than the mere loss of several men of Egypt. Indeed, an entire generation of future leaders was wiped in a single night. To put things in perspective, however, Pharaoh’s plan was much harsher: it targeted all the newborn males, 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 to the fullest. Was this too harsh?

Recall that most Egyptians had no say in the tough-measure negotiations that took place between Pharaoh and Moshe.  Yet, they suffered the most, each family losing its own first-born.  But the exact same argument could be made by the Israelites, who did no harm to Pharaoh – in fact, they did much good -- and yet were about to lose all their male newborns.

The measure, it should be said, worked well.  Pharaoh – who just threatened Moshe to not to see his face again, “for the day you shall see my face again you shall die” (Ex. 10:28) – now calls Moshe and Aharont to a meeting in the middle of the night (the same night where God killed all first-born) and practically rushes them to “get up and get away from my People.” (Ex. 12:31). And so they do.  But does the effectiveness of the measure justify its degree?  In modern “law of war” terms, the question is whether the measure is proportional:  could we have reached the same result by applying a lesser mean or measure? (Note, for instance, that none of the previous nine plagues were successful; then again, none of them has inflicted any death, though they did inflict much suffering. Does this speak in favor or again applying such final measure?.  According to my late father, “the fact that it worked shows it was the right measure.” In other words, ‘The proof is in the pudding.’ And my dad is usually right. Is he right this time too?

II. On Leaving Your Country

An overlooked aspect of this week’s portion is the fact that this is the first time in history that a mass immigration has occurred (or, at least, has been documented). An entire nation, more than million in numbers, is getting up in one night and leaving their homeland of 430 years.  Did they have any last thoughts, fears, hesitations? Were they all unanimous in their decision? Sure, their life was close to hellish; sure, they wanted to get away. But leaving a homeland is far from being trivial (indeed, later in the desert we shall hear these same people complaining time and again of the proverbial “pot of meat” they have left behind).

Indeed, a physical transfer – such as leaving one’s homeland – is a very hard thing to do. So is a mental one – as in a religious conversion.  In this case we have a huge group of people who is about to experience both. How can an entire nation, then, get up and leave in one night? 

In stark contrast to the first portion in Exodus, where Moshe faced some serious opposition and doubt as to authority, here the People of Israel immediately “bow down and kneel” when they heard his instructions. (Exodus 12:28).  And while it is true that in the coming weeks we’ll be hearing several times about their grievances, that single night has demonstrated a singular picture unity by the People of Israel, never to be repeated before or since. 

Now think for a moment of yourself and of a decision to leave everything behind and run for freedom. Would the decision to do so be easier if you knew that you would be joined by everyone you know, all your family, friends, and neighbors? Or would it be easier to do it all on your own? The answer, I suspect, may help us understand that “single night unity” that prevailed among our people. I wish we would live to see other nights like this.

Shabbat Shalom,

Doron