Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bo But you, have no fear, my servant jacob, Be not dismayed, o israel! I will deliver you from far away, your folk from their land of captivity; and Jacob again shall have calm and quiet, with none to trouble him. (Jeremiah 46:27) R. Yehoshua said: I have on tradition from our teacher R. Yochanan ben Zakkai, who received from his teacher and his teacher from his teacher, a law given Moshe at Sinai, that Elijah...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bo No one saw his fellow and no one rose from where he was three days, But all the israelites had light in their dwelling places. (Shemot 10:23) You find darkness mentioned three times in the parasha: "That there be darkness", "a darkness one can feel" "and there was pitch dark", -thus alluding to three types of darkness; alata, afela, and arafel. Alata (Translations of the Hebrew terms for darkness are by Robert Alter.)...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bo No one saw his fellow and no one rose from where he was three days, but all the Israelites had light in their dwelling places. (Shemot 10:26) A man could not see his brother – Something new appeared before their eyes, a partition between the light and their eyes. Even people close to each other could not see one another. And so it is written in Midrash Rabba: "A darkness one can feel" – how...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bo This month shall be to you the head of the months; to you it shall be the first of the months of the year. (Shemot 12:2) This month shall be to you the head of the months – By way of example: A son was born to a king, and the king made a celebration. The son was taken into captivity for many years. Eventually he was redeemed, and the king made for him a...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bo So Moses stretched forth his hand toward the heavens, and there was thick darkness over the entire land of Egypt for three days. They did not see each other, and no one rose from his place for three days, but for all the children of Israel there was light in their dwellings. (Shemot 10:22-23) thick darkness – …That is why darkness came in response to their having worked that noble people harshly, as if to...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bo THE LORD SAID TO MOSES, "STRETCH FORTH YOUR HAND OVER THE LAND OF EGYPT FOR THE LOCUSTS, AND THEY WILL ASCEND OVER THE LAND OF EGYPT, AND THEY WILL EAT ALL THE VEGETATION OF THE EARTH, ALL THAT THE HAIL HAS LEFT OVER." SO MOSES STRETCHED FORTH HIS STAFF OVER THE LAND OF EGYPT, AND THE LORD LED AN EAST WIND IN THE LAND ALL THAT DAY AND ALL THE NIGHT. ...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bo THE LORD SAID TO MOSES, "STRETCH FORTH YOUR HAND TOWARD THE HEAVENS, AND THERE WILL BE DARKNESS OVER THE LAND OF EGYPT, AND THE DARKNESS WILL BECOME DARKER." SO MOSES STRETCHED FORTH HIS HAND TOWARD THE HEAVENS, AND THERE WAS THICK DARKNESS OVER THE ENTIRE LAND OF EGYPT FOR THREE DAYS. THEY DID NOT SEE EACH OTHER, AND NO ONE ROSE FROM HIS PLACE FOR THREE DAYS, BUT FOR ALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bo THICK DARKNESS DESCENDED UPON ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT FOR THREE DAYS. PEOPLE COULD NOT SEE ONE ANOTHER, AND FOR THREE DAYS NO ONE COULD GET UP FROM WHERE HE WAS; BUT ALL THE ISRAELITES ENJOYED LIGHT IN THEIR DWELLINGS. (Shemot 10:22-23) No one could get up from where he was – it is not the nature of darkness to so imprison someone that he cannot get up from where he is. Even...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bo SO MOSES AND AARON WERE BROUGHT BACK TO PHARAOH AND HE SAID TO THEM, "GO AND WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD! WHO ARE THE ONES TO GO?" MOSES REPLIED, "WE WILL ALL GO, YOUNG AND OLD: WE WILL GO WITH OUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS, OUR FLOCKS AND HERDS; FOR WE MUST OBSERVE THE LORD'S FESTIVAL." BUT HE SAID TO THEM, "THE LORD BE WITH YOU THE SAME AS I MEAN TO LET YOUR CHILDREN...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parashat Bo THEY SHALL TAKE SOME OF THE BLOOD AND PUT IT ON THE TWO DOORPOSTS AND THE LINTEL OF THE HOUSE IN WHICH THEY ARE TO EAT IT. (Shemot 12: 5) And put it on the two doorposts and the lintel – On the inside. Are you saying it should be on the inside or, rather, on the outside? We learn from the verse, the blood shall be a sign for you (12: 13)...