Shemot (Exodus) 10:1 – 13:16 As Parshat Bo Begins, Moses And

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Bo Shemot (Exodus) 10:1 – 13:16 As Parshat Bo begins, Moses and Aaron criticize Pharaoh for refusing to allow the Israelites to leave, and promise that locusts, the eighth plague, would soon arrive. The plague is lifted when Pharaoh pleads with Moses and Aaron, but G-d once again hardens Pharaoh’s heart and the Israelites are not freed. Then the plague of darkness falls without warning, with only the Israelites having light where they live. G-d tells Moses that the next plague will be the last and Moses warns Pharaoh that G-d will triumph with the slaying of all the firstborn of Egypt. Before the 10th plague is visited upon Egypt, Moses and Aaron teach the Jewish people the special laws of the Hebrew month of Nissan, as well as the laws of Passover. On the tenth day of the first month, (the month of Nissan) the people are to slaughter a lamb, smear its blood on their doorposts, and eat its roasted flesh hurriedly in remembrance of their speedy Exodus from Egypt. In the future, this festival is to be a time of remembrance. For seven days, they are to eat only unleavened bread (Matzah). The people are also commanded to teach these mitzvot to their children so that the festival will be a reminder to all generations that G-d freed the Israelites from Egypt. With the arrival of the 10th plague, all the firstborn in the land of Egypt are struck down. Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron and tells them to depart with the Israelites. Because of their haste in leaving Egypt, the people take their bread dough with them before it has a chance to rise. They also take spoils from the Egyptians. The Torah portion concludes noting that the Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years. .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Parshat Va'era
Canfei Nesharim: Parsha Vaera Parshat Va’era: The Earth is the Lord’s By Dr. David Goldblatt Divine chastisement, brought in the form of affliction and suffering, can be an effective, if undesirable, instrument for individual and social learning. The ten plagues that G-d visits on the Egyptians and their Pharaoh in this week’s portion Va’era (as well as in next week’s portion Bo ) publicly demonstrate G-d’s power to both Egypt and Israel. In the warnings and reproofs accompanying the plagues, G-d and Moses ( Moshe ) use ten variations of the phrase “to know the Lord.” After Pharaoh beseeches Moshe to end the seventh plague of hail, Moshe tells him it will stop once he (Moshe) leaves the city and spreads out his hands to G-d. Moshe admonishes Pharaoh: “That you may know that the earth belongs to the Lord.” 1 This phrase, expressing the dominion of G-d and the limits to humans’ power and control over the earth, has relevance for and resonance with modern man’s place in the world and humanity's role in the current environmental predicament. The plague of hail was qualitatively much harsher than the ones preceding it, and G-d’s forewarning was correspondingly the longest and most severe until then. In this warning, however, was a strong measure of Divine compassion for the Egyptians. G-d urges them to bring in their servants and animals from the field to spare them from destruction. The G-d- fearing among the Egyptians heeded and lived, while the heedless perished.
[Show full text]
Beshalach (When He Sent)
An Introduction to the Parashat HaShavuah (Weekly Torah Portion) Understanding the Torah From a Thematic Perspective Beshalach (When He Sent) By Tony Robinson Copyright © 2003 (5764) by Tony Robinson, Restoration of Torah Ministries. All rights reserved. —The Family House of Study— Examining the Parashat HaShavuah by Thematic Analysis Welcome to Mishpachah Beit Midrash, the Family House of Study. Each Shabbat1 we gather in our home and study the Scriptures, specifically the Torah.2 It’s a fun time of receiving revelation from the Ruach HaKodesh3. Everyone joins in—adults and children—as we follow the Parashat HaShavuah4 schedule. We devote ourselves to studying the Torah because the Torah is the foundation for all of Scripture. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the Torah will help us more fully understand the rest of the Tanakh5 and the Brit Chadasha.6 Furthermore, as Yeshua stated Himself, the Torah teaches about Him. So we study the Torah in order to be drawn closer to Yeshua, the goal of the Torah. As believers in the Messiah we have discovered the richness of the wisdom of the sages of Israel. These men, who devoted themselves to the study of the Torah, have left us a rich heritage. Part of that heritage is a unique method of learning and interpreting the Scriptures. It’s called thematic analysis. In thematic analysis we search for the underlying theme/topic of each passage of Scripture. By studying Scriptures related by a common theme, line upon line and precept upon precept, the Scriptures open up to us in a unique manner that is clearly inspired by the Ruach HaKodesh.
[Show full text]
When Feeling Trapped: Torah Reflections on Parashat Shemot
When Feeling Trapped: Torah Reflections on Parashat Shemot Exodus 1:1 – 6:1 I have noticed that my prayer life often becomes richer when my life becomes more challenging. When things are going well with me, it’s easy for my heart to close to both the uncertainty and the possibility of the present moment. I start to believe that I’m in control of my life, and that I don’t need anyone’s help -- least of all, God’s. The first time I really prayed the Psalms I was on the bus, headed to the doctor’s office for a biopsy. My partner was pregnant with our son, and the prospect of dealing with a serious illness at the same time that I was about to become a parent felt like falling off a cliff and not knowing if I’d crash into the rocks or if a parachute would open so I could float to a gentle landing. That time, it was the parachute. But before I knew that, my heart opened to God in a way it never had before. There’s an ancient teaching about our ancestors, Abraham and Sarah that tries to explain why they were childless until their old age. It says that “the Holy One longs to hear the prayers of the righteous.” As long as Abraham and Sarah yearned for a child together, they called out for God’s help and needed God to answer. There’s a subtle but important difference between believing in a God who makes people suffer as a way of entering into relationship (which I don’t) and being aware of the ways that suffering and longing can draw us near to God (which I try to be).
[Show full text]
Parashat Vaera 5774 by Rachel Farbiarz December 28, 2013
Parashat Vaera 5774 By Rachel Farbiarz December 28, 2013 Parashat Vaera continues the conversation between God and Moses following Moses’s first encounter with Pharaoh. God persists in his alternately tender and impatient wooing of the reluctant emissary, while Moses insists that he is unfit for the task. As before, Moses’s feelings of inadequacy center on his difficulty with speech, now captured, ironically, by his poetic lament: “I am uncircumcised of lips.” 1 The Torah does not identify the nature or origins of Moses’s difficulty. Rashi postulates that Moses had an actual speech impediment—perhaps a stutter or a severe lisp. 2 A midrash explains that Moses’s impeded speech dated from infancy when the angel Gabriel had guided him to place a hot coal in his mouth. 3 Perhaps Moses was deeply shy, a shepherd who preferred the company of animals over people with their insatiable demand for words. Lending further obscurity, Moses’s impediment is wholly self-described. We learn of it only through his own protests at having been chosen as Israel’s liberator. Whereas the omniscient biblical narrator provides the descriptions of its other central characters, 4 it is silent on Moses’s “heavy-mouthed and heavy-tongued” 5 condition. The absence of this narrative corroboration implies that Moses’s impediment loomed larger in his own mind than as a handicap perceptible to others. Whatever the impediment’s nature, it is clear that each utterance exacted a painful toll on Moses. God therefore sends Aaron to be his brother’s mouthpiece, and Aaron remains at Moses’s side as the two heap threats and plagues upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
[Show full text]
Exposition of Genesis: Volume 1 by H
Exposition of Genesis: Volume 1 by H. C. Leupold Christian Classics Ethereal Library About Exposition of Genesis: Volume 1 by H. C. Leupold Title: Exposition of Genesis: Volume 1 URL: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/leupold/genesis.html Author(s): Leupold, Herbert Carl (1892-1972) Publisher: Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library Print Basis: The Wartburg Press, 1942 Rights: Copyright Christian Classics Ethereal Library Date Created: 2005-10-07 Status: This document would benefit from proofreading. The Greek text needs to be corrected. CCEL Subjects: All; Bible; LC Call no: BS1151.B3 LC Subjects: The Bible Old Testament Works about the Old Testament Exposition of Genesis: Volume 1 H. C. Leupold Table of Contents About This Book. p. ii Title Page. p. 1 Introduction. p. 2 Chapter 1. p. 19 Chapter 2. p. 55 Chapter 3. p. 76 Chapter 4. p. 102 Chapter 5. p. 126 Chapter 6. p. 138 Chapter 7. p. 158 Chapter 8. p. 169 Chapter 9. p. 179 Chapter 10. p. 194 Chapter 11. p. 208 Chapter 12. p. 220 Chapter 13. p. 235 Chapter 14. p. 243 Chapter 15. p. 257 Chapter 16. p. 267 Chapter 17. p. 277 Chapter 18. p. 289 Chapter 19. p. 297 Chapter 20. p. 310 Chapter 21. p. 318 Chapter 22. p. 330 Chapter 23. p. 343 Chapter 24. p. 352 Chapter 25. p. 369 Chapter 26. p. 384 Chapter 28. p. 407 Chapter 29. p. 416 Chapter 30. p. 428 Chapter 31. p. 442 Chapter 32. p. 459 Chapter 33. p. 472 iii Exposition of Genesis: Volume 1 H.
[Show full text]
Parasha Meditation Bo
בס”ד Parasha Meditation Bo Shemot 10:1-13:16 By Rebbetzin Chana Bracha Siegelbaum Eradicating our Deepest Fears Introduction: “Come to Pharaoh” – to a Chamber within a Chamber to Confront Your Deepest Fears This week’s parasha opens with Hashem sending Moshe to face Pharaoh, whose heart Hashem 1 Bo el”– בּ ֹא אֶ ל ַפּ רְ ע ֹה has hardened. Hashem said to Moshe: “Come to Pharaoh…!”0F The Hebrew Pharaoh” is usually translated “Go to Pharaoh,” But “Bo” means “come,” not “go.” The Zohar explains why Hashem tells Moshe “Come” rather than “go” to Pharaoh. Rabbi Shimeon 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...” But G*d brought Moses into a chamber within a chamber, to the supernal and mighty serpent from which many levels evolve, which Moses feared to approach 2 himself...1F The Spiritual Block of Fear What exactly did Moshe fear and how does Hashem’s prompting him to “come to Pharaoh” relieve this fear? Fear is one of the main spiritual blocks in most people’s lives. In my EmunaHealing introductory class, I address the Three Primal Fears and how to overcome them. We all suffer from various fears both known and especially unknown. Fear is the underlying emotion that affects our unconscious choices and ambitions in so many ways; it even affects our physical health. What makes our fears so detrimental is that they are invisible, and we aren’t always able to define them.
[Show full text]
Parshat Lech Lecha 5775
Dedicated in memory of Rachel Leah bat R' Chaim Tzvi Volume 6 Number 37 Brought to you by Naaleh.com Parshat Lech Lecha: Eternal Call Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Mrs. Shira Smiles What was it about Avraham that he was us is eternal and not dependent on anything. of his soul that he couldn’t possibly stay alive if chosen to be the father of the Jewish people? But we do know that Avraham was chosen for Hashem’s name was at stake. He understood While the Torah tells us about the righteous his good deeds and we have many statements that the ultimate truth was to give up his life. character traits of Noach, not much is said of in the Torah testifying to this. The Torah says, When he decided to let himself be thrown into Avraham. The Ramban explains that one of “I am Hashem who took you out of Ur Kasdim the furnace, he knew that he could potentially the most pivotal events that showed to give you this land.” The Rambam says be forfeiting his life in the next world for doing Avraham’s extraordinary faith in Hashem was Avraham merited to receive the land of Israel something forbidden. Yet his love for Hashem when he was thrown into the ﬁery furnace in because of the self sacriﬁce he displayed at Ur was so great it wasn’t contingent on any Ur Kasdim. The Ibn Ezra asks, why was this Kasdim. How can we say he wasn’t chosen for reward. The Netivot Shalom says, it was not not written in the Torah? The Ramban any reason? And if we say Avraham and the such a wonder that Avraham wasn’t burned in answers that it would have been impossible to Jewish people were chosen randomly, why in Ur Kasdim.
[Show full text]
Parashat Bo the Women Were There Nonetheless …
WOMEN'S LEAGUE SHABBAT 2016 Dvar Torah 2 Parashat Bo The Women Were There Nonetheless … Shabbat Shalom. In reading Parashat Bo this morning, I am intrigued by the absence of women and their role in the actual preparations to depart Egypt. This is particularly striking because women – Miriam, Moses’ mother Yocheved, the midwives Shifra and Puah, and Pharaoh’s daughter – are so dominant in the earlier part of the exodus story. In fact, the opening parashah of Exodus is replete with industrious, courageous women. Why no mention of them here? And how do we reconcile this difference? One of the ways in which moderns might interpret this is to focus on the context in which God commands Moses and the congregation of Hebrews – that is men – to perform certain tasks as they begin their journey out of Egypt. With great specificity God, through Moses, instructs the male heads of household how to prepare and eat the paschal sacrifice, place its blood on the doorpost, and remove all leaven from their homes. They are told how to ready themselves for a hasty departure. Why such detailed instruction? It is plausible that, like slaves before and after, the Hebrews had scant opportunity to cultivate imagination, creativity and independent thought during their enslavement. The opposite in fact is true, for any autonomous thought or deed is suppressed because the slave mentality is one of absolute submission to the will of his master. So this might account for why the Hebrew slaves required such specific instruction. The implication is that among the downtrodden, the impulse for freedom needs some prodding.
[Show full text]
The Torah: a Women's Commentary
STUDY GUIDE The Torah: A Women’s Commentary Parashat Bo DeuteronomyExodus10:1-13:16 32:1 – 52 Study Guide written by Rabbi Stephanie Bernstein Study Guide written by Rabbi Stephanie Bernstein Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, Dr. Lisa D. Grant, and Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss, Ph.D., editors Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, Dr. Lisa D. Grant, and Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss, Ph.D., editors Rabbi Hara E. Person, series editor Rabbi Hara E. Person, series editor Parashat Haazinu Study Guide Themes Parashat Bo Study Guide Themes Theme 1: Israel’s God Reigns Supreme Theme 1: Israel’s God Reigns Supreme Theme 2: The Obligation to Remember—Marking the Exodus in and after Egypt Theme 2: The Obligation to Remember—Marking the Exodus in and after Egypt Introduction arashat Bo contains the last three of the ten divine acts designed to persuade P a reluctant Pharaoh to release his Israelite slaves. Although these acts are most often referred to as “plagues,” the biblical text more commonly uses the words “signs” (otot), “marvels” (mof’tim), and “wonders” (nifla’ot) to describe these heavenly exhibitions of power. Pharaoh’s defiance of God’s command to let the people go brings terrible consequences for the Egyptian people. The preceding parashah (Va-eira) describes the first seven of these divine displays: the Nile turns to blood, frogs swarm over Egypt, dust turns to lice, swarms of insects invade the land, pestilence attacks Egypt’s animals, boils cover animals and humans, and hail destroys Egyptian livestock and fields. In this parashah God displays the final signs: locusts, darkness, and the slaying of the first-born.
[Show full text]
Core Text:Torah- Shemot 2: the Book of Exodus from Sinai to Mishkan RB-BIBLE-413, Spring 2019
Core Text:Torah- Shemot 2: The Book of Exodus from Sinai to Mishkan RB-BIBLE-413, Spring 2019 Instructor: Contact: Rachel Adelman, Ph.D. E-Mail: [email protected] Hebrew University of Jerusalem Office: Room 216 Assistant Professor in Hebrew Bible Hours: Monday 9 - 11 a.m., at Hebrew College or by appointment at other times. Phone: 617-955-7122 Class: Wednesdays 2-3:30 pm; Fridays 11:30 am – 1:00 pm. Beit Midrash Preparation: Wednesdays 9:45-12:30; Fridays 9-11 am. Course Description From Sinai to the consecration of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), this course engages in a deep reading of the narrative and legal sections in the book of Shemot following the redemption of Israel from slavery. We will focus on the main events in the wilderness: the theophany at Sinai, the Sin of the Golden calf, and the building of the Tabernacle. We will draw upon interpretations primarily from classic rabbinic midrash and Medieval commentaries: the Mekhilta, Rashi, Ramban, and Ibn Ezra. We will also engage in a reading of the Revelation at Sinai through the lens of modern biblical criticism (the documentary hypothesis: E, J, P, D, and even R). Requirements: Bereshit RB-Bible 100 and RB-Bible 101 and Shemot, RB-Bible 200 (or instructor approval). Goals of the Course: Reinforce text reading skills of the Humash in the original Hebrew, by reviewing some salient features of Biblical Hebrew phonology, morphology, and syntax, and through the usage of the concordance, B.D.B., and grammar resources. Review critical approaches to biblical scholarship: Source Criticism (the Documentary Hypothesis), textual criticism, and form criticism.
[Show full text]
Tribe Spark2 for Children's Service Leaders LECH LECHA.Pdf
For Children’s Service Leaders Welcome to Spark2, the Tribe weekly parsha activity sheet for Children’s Service Leaders across the United Synagogue communities. Thank you for offering to run a service. The US is very proud of the numerous Children’s Services that are run every week across the UK and this would not happen without you. Spark2 gives you an overview of the weekly parsha, a song, activity or Dvar Torah linked to the parsha or important event that week. Every children’s service will be different, in terms of how many participants there are, their age range, its length and the varying abilities of the children. Please read through the document and find the activities that will best suit the needs of your group. It is advisable to read it before Shabbat in case there is some preparation that may be needed in advance. I hope you and the children at your service will benefit from Spark2. Please be in touch if you have any queries, feedback or if I can be of any help. With best wishes, Sharon Radley Head of Education Tribe t: 020 8343 5675 e: [email protected] Lech Lecha Parsha Summary: God speaks to Avram and commands him, “Go from your land, from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you.” Avram and his family are the first people to make Aliya – doing the Mitzva of going to live in the Land of Israel. God promises the Land of Israel to the Jewish people and that “all the families of the world will be blessed” through the Jewish People.” A famine forces Avram and his family to temporarily relocate to Egypt, where an incident with Pharaoh results in Avram leaving Egypt with great wealth.
[Show full text]
Genesis, Evolution, and the Search for a Reasoned Faith
GENESIS EVOLUTION AND THE SEARCH FOR A REASONED FAITH Mary Katherine Birge, SSJ Brian G. Henning Rodica M. M. Stoicoiu Ryan Taylor 7031-GenesisEvolution Pgs.indd 3 1/3/11 12:57 PM Created by the publishing team of Anselm Academic. Cover art royalty free from iStock Copyright © 2011 by Mary Katherine Birge, SSJ; Brian G. Henning; Rodica M. M. Stoicoiu; and Ryan Taylor. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher, Anselm Academic, Christian Brothers Publications, 702 Terrace Heights, Winona, MN 55987-1320, www.anselmacademic.org. The scriptural quotations contained herein, with the exception of author transla- tions in chapter 1, are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catho- lic Edition. Copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America 7031 (PO2844) ISBN 978-0-88489-755-2 7031-GenesisEvolution Pgs.indd 4 1/3/11 12:57 PM c ontents Introduction ix .1 Genesis 1 Mary Katherine Birge, SSJ Why Read the Bible in the First Place? 1 A Faithful and Rational Reading of the Bible 6 Oral Tradition and the Composition of the Bible 6 Two Stories, Not One 8 “Cosmogony” and the Ancient Near East 11 Genesis 2–3: The Yahwist Account 12 Disaster: The Babylonian Exile 27 Genesis 1: The Priestly Account 31 .2 Scientific Knowledge and Evolutionary Biology 41 Ryan Taylor Science and Its Methodology 41 The History of Evolutionary Theory 44 The Mechanisms of Evolution 46 Evidence for Evolution 60 Limits of Scientific Knowledge 64 Common Arguments against Evolution from Creationism and Intelligent Design 65 3.
[Show full text]