Bo: Exodus 10:1-13:16 | בֹּא- שמות
Exodus Bo: The Killing Miracle, a metaphor for humans.
Foster Bible Pictures 0063-1 The Death of the Firstborn (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
| 1. The lord said to Moshe: “Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, in order that I may place these signs of mine in his midst, | א. וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל משֶׁה בֹּא אֶל פַּרְעֹה כִּי אֲנִי הִכְבַּדְתִּי אֶת לִבּוֹ וְאֶת לֵב עֲבָדָיו לְמַעַן שִׁתִי אֹתֹתַי אֵלֶּה בְּקִרְבּוֹ: | |
| 2. and in order that you tell into the ears of your son and your son’s son, how I made a mockery of the Mitzrim (Egyptians), and my signs that I placed in them, and you will know that I am the lord.” | ב. וּלְמַעַן תְּסַפֵּר בְּאָזְנֵי בִנְךָ וּבֶן בִּנְךָ אֵת אֲשֶׁר הִתְעַלַּלְתִּי בְּמִצְרַיִם וְאֶת אֹתֹתַי אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי בָם וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי יְהֹוָה: | |
The quote Te’allati ba-Mizrim, translated commonly as “I made a mockery of Pharaoh” is basically making the point that the actions of God made the Pharaoh with all his power look ridiculous, no more no less. Male lineage to your son and son of sons is noted and a sign of a different time. In other parts of the scriptures we read dor le dor, from generation to generation, which is a much more inclusive way, but not in this passage.
Send them so they can worship me, says the common translation, but the word “lawod” (root: ain-bet-dalet) literally means work (for / on) me. The Hebrew word for worship is actually another root Sameh-Gimmel Dalet (he. lesaged). To work me means may mean two things. 1.) The slaves longing for freedom are to become workers of the lord, in that sense there is a parable between the workers , servants of the pharaoh and the workers of God, but more than that as we later see, they are supposed follow some commandments and do a few things in order to be Jewish. They have to work their Jewishness and their relationship to God.
If one takes Rashi‘s comment Supposedly Pharaoh predicted that there will be blood when the Israelites go to the desert, so he refuses to let their children go. That bloodshed Rashi writes is an indication of a vision of the circumcision that will happen soon.
If Rashi is right this could be an early sign of the dispute that is still on going on the topic of circumcision. With the pharaoh describing it as evil and the Hebrews as a sign of their Jewishness. So the pharaoh rules that the children are not to go to ve exposed to that evil. Through his law locust overcomes the Egyptians.
The locust is carried by wind, first it invades from the East and then it is carried away by the wind from the West and into the Red Sea. This is once again not a magic appearance of locust, but the invasion happens trough the explanation of how it could have occurred naturally, hence once again we are dealing with natural phenomena attributed to God in an age where this was the easiest way to explain these.
Again like in last weeks parasha God hardens the heart of pharaoh. So God is in charge of everything pharaoh does and says in some way. I come to think if at the end the events are not existing to teach the Pharaoh a lesson, but much more the Israelites, and the story continues how the liberation ought to be remembered and the way God brought you out of Egypt.
Mezuzah – White Shin on Linen (Photo credit: Carly & Art)
But before they leave Egypt the final miracle is to occur that will make all the difference: Lambs have to killed, their blood smeared at the door posts and then then their meat eaten. In the same night God kills all first-borns who are are not Israelites, or rather anyone first-born in any household who has not got blood on the door-post.
| 3. Speak to the entire community of Israel, saying, “On the tenth of this month, let each one take a lamb for each parental home, a lamb for each household. | ג. דַּבְּרוּ אֶל כָּל עֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר בֶּעָשׂר לַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה וְיִקְחוּ לָהֶם אִישׁ שֶׂה לְבֵית אָבֹת שֶׂה לַבָּיִת: | |
| 4. But if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbour who is nearest to his house shall take according to the number of people, each one according to one’s ability to eat, shall you be counted for the lamb. | ד. וְאִם יִמְעַט הַבַּיִת מִהְיוֹת מִשֶּׂה וְלָקַח הוּא וּשְׁכֵנוֹ הַקָּרֹב אֶל בֵּיתוֹ בְּמִכְסַת נְפָשֹׁת אִישׁ לְפִי אָכְלוֹ תָּכֹסּוּ עַל הַשֶׂה: | |
| 5. You shall have a perfect male lamb in its 1st year of of life; you may take it either from the sheep or from the goats. | ה. שֶׂה תָמִים זָכָר בֶּן שָׁנָה יִהְיֶה לָכֶם מִן הַכְּבָשִׂים וּמִן הָעִזִּים תִּקָּחוּ: | |
| 6. And you shall keep it for inspection until the fourteenth day of this month, and the entire congregation of the community of Israel shall slaughter it in the afternoon. | ו. וְהָיָה לָכֶם לְמִשְׁמֶרֶת עַד אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה וְשָׁחֲטוּ אֹתוֹ כֹּל קְהַל עֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּין הָעַרְבָּיִם: | |
| 7. And they shall take [some] of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel, on the houses in which they will eat it. | ז. וְלָקְחוּ מִן הַדָּם וְנָתְנוּ עַל שְׁתֵּי הַמְּזוּזֹת וְעַל הַמַּשְׁקוֹף עַל הַבָּתִּים אֲשֶׁר יֹאכְלוּ אֹתוֹ בָּהֶם: | |
| 8. And on this night, they shall eat the flesh, roasted over the fire, and unleavened cakes; with bitter herbs they shall eat it. | ח. וְאָכְלוּ אֶת הַבָּשָׂר בַּלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה צְלִי אֵשׁ וּמַצּוֹת עַל מְרֹרִים יֹאכְלֻהוּ: | |
| 9. You shall not eat it rare or boiled in water, except roasted over the fire its head with its legs and with its innards. | ט. אַל תֹּאכְלוּ מִמֶּנּוּ נָא וּבָשֵׁל מְבֻשָּׁל בַּמָּיִם כִּי אִם צְלִי אֵשׁ רֹאשׁוֹ עַל כְּרָעָיו וְעַל קִרְבּוֹ: | |
| 10. And you shall not leave over any of it until morning, and whatever is left over of it until morning, you shall burn in fire. | י. וְלֹא תוֹתִירוּ מִמֶּנּוּ עַד בֹּקֶר וְהַנֹּתָר מִמֶּנּוּ עַד בֹּקֶר בָּאֵשׁ תִּשְׂרֹפוּ: | |
| 11. And this is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste it is a Pesah sacrifice to the lord. | יא. וְכָכָה תֹּאכְלוּ אֹתוֹ מָתְנֵיכֶם חֲגֻרִים נַעֲלֵיכֶם בְּרַגְלֵיכֶם וּמַקֶּלְכֶם בְּיֶדְכֶם וַאֲכַלְתֶּם אֹתוֹ בְּחִפָּזוֹן פֶּסַח הוּא לַיהֹוָה: | |
| 12. I will pass through the land of Egypt on this night, and I will smite every firstborn in the land of Mizraim (Egypt), both man and beast, and upon all the gods of Mizraim will I wreak judgements I, the lord. | יב. וְעָבַרְתִּי בְאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בַּלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה וְהִכֵּיתִי כָל בְּכוֹר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מֵאָדָם וְעַד בְּהֵמָה וּבְכָל אֱלֹהֵי מִצְרַיִם אֶעֱשֶׂה שְׁפָטִים אֲנִי יְהֹוָה: | |
| 13 And the blood will be for you for a sign upon the houses where you will be, and I will see the blood and skip over you, and there will be no plague to destroy [you] when I smite the [people of the] land of Mizraim. | יג. וְהָיָה הַדָּם לָכֶם לְאֹת עַל הַבָּתִּים אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם שָׁם וְרָאִיתִי אֶת הַדָּם וּפָסַחְתִּי עֲלֵכֶם וְלֹא יִהְיֶה בָכֶם נֶגֶף לְמַשְׁחִית בְּהַכֹּתִי בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם: | |
| 14. And this day shall be for you as a memorial, and you shall celebrate it as a festival for the lord; throughout your generations, you shall celebrate it as an everlasting statute. | יד. וְהָיָה הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה לָכֶם לְזִכָּרוֹן וְחַגֹּתֶם אֹתוֹ חַג לַיהֹוָה לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם חֻקַּת עוֹלָם תְּחָגֻּהוּ: | |
This is a very uncomfortable passage. Why does God need the sign at the door? Surely the all knowing would be able to recognize who is a Jewish person and who is an Egyptian.
Leaving beside a small test of who cares enough about God, I conclude that the sign is needed by those to whom this does make a recognisable difference, humans. Did a secret murder commando walk around and kill anyone without that sign at the door? In deed this would have spread much fear, no Egyptian house was without fatality tell us the scriptures. There is nothing to like about this “plague.” But I must say that it possibly also relates simply to the darker sides of our human existence. Killings, sometimes on a mass organised scale have been with us for as long as human history has been recorded, and even before that forensic archaeological findings reveal how people have been murdered before humans were able to make lasting records about it. I think that this event probably did not happen even from a secular perspective, although it is probable that events occurred that are not far from this story, a genocidal invasion where a murderous gang agreed to mark each house with blood after they had searched and killed in it and as a sign of not entering it again and telling allies that they ought to mark their houses too, in order to be spared. I can not imagine a successful slaughter of only the first born door to door, but then again nothing is impossible. Humans have been known to be very cruel against one and another. The slaying of but one person in each family would be a clear action of intimidation. Suzanne Singer (in The Torah a Woman’s Commentary – TTAWC) invites readers in deed to take on the counter-narrative. Whilst Jews are supposed to take on God as a loving power, how would it look from the Egyptian perspective. “What bad have babies and the captives possibly committed to deserve such punishment?”
Realism beside, there is a deeper lesson within which in fact goes in line with the circumcision story that is attached here. What is being said here is that Jewish people should not be afraid in making themselves recognisable as Jewish people. Whilst Jewish history has it that that recognition often caused death and destruction to the very people, here it is said, unless your house is recognizably Jewish you shall experience the same faith as all the others. This leads directly to the requirement of a mezuzah, the small doorpost Torah portion required to be on each entrance door of Jewish houses. If you do not circumcise you shall be cut off the Jewish people, if you do not follow the festival of unleavened bread you shall be cut off.
Once you look at it that way, it becomes a good, yet brutal parable. If you do not make an effort traditions and rites are forgotten, in deed Jewish culture ceases to exist, you need to be recognised to be Jewish in order to be Jewish. Yet in this story there are rewards to being Jewish. For one they may feast on lambs meat,whilst others mourn the loss of their first born. There will be freedom and there will be a secured promised land.
A point to note is Anna Urowitz Freudenstein’s (TTAWC) mentioning that Rabbi’s interpretations have said that all first born were killed men and women, and thus the saviour of Moses, pharaohs daughter who took him from the river was also have been killed, somewhat unjustly.
Also a point that arose in discussion with my friend James, that the circle is now complete. The edict to kill all the male Hebrew babies has turned against the Egyptians themselves.
We are reminded of the Golden Rule that exists in many culture, and also in Hebrew culture:
Hisea 8:7 “they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind”
and
“That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.”—Talmud, Shabbat 31a
Then finally the day has come and the Pharaoh has enough, perhaps he realizes these people are intend to stay who they are, they will by en large not accept him or integrate to become Egyptians, and he orders them to go and bless him. We hear that about 600.000 people leave.
We read the instructions for the festival of passover and for male circumcision of those that are not yet, e.g. slaves and servants who then should be treated as one of them, possibly that their position of servitude and slavery is also transformed. I think this is not a casual mentioning. It wouldn’t make sense if the escaped slaves upkeep slavery in their own right. In any case there were strict rules about servants and slaves for Jewish households, which included the right for rest and a time limit after which a slave could choose to become a free member of the household.
Finally there is a bit of outdated male centred ideology, when the scriptures talk of only the first born males only as requiring special sacrifices to be made by their parents.
(Haftarah) Yimihau Jeremiah 46, 13-28
I wasn’t too sure what to do with this text. It is full of the story of how the Pharaoh was dealt with and how glad the Jewish people should be for it. Once again it discusses the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar into Mizraim. Perhaps the lesson is that all might empires will eventually crumble to another?
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