Bo - בֹּא : "Go/Enter (Modern: Come)"
Torah : Exodus 10:1-13:16
Haftarah/Prophets : Jeremiah 46:13-28
Apostolic Writings : Rom. 9:14-29; 1 Thes. 5:12-22
Parashah Summary:
This week we conclude the ten plagues with the plagues of locusts, darkness and the death of the first-born. The laws of Passover are presented, followed by the commandment to wear tefillin, consecrate the first-born animal and redeem one's first born son. The Torah tells us that at some time in the future your son will ask you about these commandments and you will answer: "With a show of power, God brought us out of Egypt, the place of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us leave, God killed all the first-born in Egypt, man and beast alike. I, therefore, offer to God all male first-born (animals) and redeem all the first-born of sons. And it shall be a sign upon your arm, and an ornament between your eyes (Tefillin), for with a strong hand the Almighty removed us from Egypt" (Ex. 13:15).
WEEKLY WORD
BO - The Blood of the Lamb
Adapted from ffoz commentaries
A Story from Jewish lore about a dream of Pharaoh:
In his dream, he had seen himself sitting on his throne. An old man appeared before him, holding a big scale which he hung up before Pharaoh. He reached out with one hand, grasped all the nobles and princes of the Egyptian court, bound them, and placed them on one side of the scale. Then he brought a little white lamb and put it on the other side of the scale, and behold-the scale continued dropping until the little white lamb had pulled them all down. Pharaoh awoke with cold sweat on his brow. - Yalqut Shimoni, a talmudic parallel
In Parashat Bo, Moses and Aaron continue to wage a war of signs and wonders while Pharaoh continues to harden his heart and to be hardened in heart. A plague of locusts descends upon Egypt, turning the ground black with their sheer numbers, devouring every living thing. A plague of darkness blots out the lights of Egypt with a darkness so heavy that it was palpable. Yet in the houses of the Israelites there was light. Finally, the signs and wonders culminate with a terrible and awe inspiring final plague, one that will strike at the very heart of Egypt, breaking through even Pharaoh's hardened heart: the Plague of the Slaying of the Firstborn.
The LORD describes how He will pass over Egypt at midnight striking dead the firstborn of every family. Even the firstborn of the cattle will be struck dead. Since Pharaoh's firstborn was heir to the throne of Egypt, he was alleged to be divine as well. The death of Pharaoh's firstborn proves Pharaoh's mortality and helplessness before the true God.
From a Messianic perspective, the imagery and implications of the Passover are unmistakable. Among all the sacrificial services of Torah, none is so well known and oft remembered as the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb. The Passover Lamb is the first sacrifice that Israel, as a nation, is commanded to make. Juxtaposed against the drama unfolding in Egypt, the Passover sacrifice strikes an indelible impression on the mind of the reader.
The stakes are very high. Death is coming to the land of Egypt. Even the Israelites in their midst will not be spared. The LORD is coming to strike the firstborn of man and beast. It is to be a judgment from heaven, a terror in the night.
Merits of innocence and guilt are not considered. Faith and creed do not enter this equation. The righteous will perish with the wicked. Previous plagues had shown particularity, sparing the Israelites in the midst of Egypt. The tenth plague, however, will be completely impartial. Just as in life itself, death knows no boundaries.
Only those within homes marked by the blood of a lamb will be spared. Had the Egyptians imitated the ritual slaughter of the Passover, marking their homes with the blood in like manner, they too would have been spared. The only criteria for salvation, in this instance at least, is the blood on the doorway.
So too in Messiah - Salvation is found in the refuge of His blood !
In his dream, he had seen himself sitting on his throne. An old man appeared before him, holding a big scale which he hung up before Pharaoh. He reached out with one hand, grasped all the nobles and princes of the Egyptian court, bound them, and placed them on one side of the scale. Then he brought a little white lamb and put it on the other side of the scale, and behold-the scale continued dropping until the little white lamb had pulled them all down. Pharaoh awoke with cold sweat on his brow. - Yalqut Shimoni, a talmudic parallel
In Parashat Bo, Moses and Aaron continue to wage a war of signs and wonders while Pharaoh continues to harden his heart and to be hardened in heart. A plague of locusts descends upon Egypt, turning the ground black with their sheer numbers, devouring every living thing. A plague of darkness blots out the lights of Egypt with a darkness so heavy that it was palpable. Yet in the houses of the Israelites there was light. Finally, the signs and wonders culminate with a terrible and awe inspiring final plague, one that will strike at the very heart of Egypt, breaking through even Pharaoh's hardened heart: the Plague of the Slaying of the Firstborn.
The LORD describes how He will pass over Egypt at midnight striking dead the firstborn of every family. Even the firstborn of the cattle will be struck dead. Since Pharaoh's firstborn was heir to the throne of Egypt, he was alleged to be divine as well. The death of Pharaoh's firstborn proves Pharaoh's mortality and helplessness before the true God.
From a Messianic perspective, the imagery and implications of the Passover are unmistakable. Among all the sacrificial services of Torah, none is so well known and oft remembered as the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb. The Passover Lamb is the first sacrifice that Israel, as a nation, is commanded to make. Juxtaposed against the drama unfolding in Egypt, the Passover sacrifice strikes an indelible impression on the mind of the reader.
The stakes are very high. Death is coming to the land of Egypt. Even the Israelites in their midst will not be spared. The LORD is coming to strike the firstborn of man and beast. It is to be a judgment from heaven, a terror in the night.
Merits of innocence and guilt are not considered. Faith and creed do not enter this equation. The righteous will perish with the wicked. Previous plagues had shown particularity, sparing the Israelites in the midst of Egypt. The tenth plague, however, will be completely impartial. Just as in life itself, death knows no boundaries.
Only those within homes marked by the blood of a lamb will be spared. Had the Egyptians imitated the ritual slaughter of the Passover, marking their homes with the blood in like manner, they too would have been spared. The only criteria for salvation, in this instance at least, is the blood on the doorway.
So too in Messiah - Salvation is found in the refuge of His blood !
*** |
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
"Man's advocates are repentance and good deeds."
- Talmud: Sabbath, 32a
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