* TORAH WEEKLY * Highlights of the Weekly Torah Portion and Haftorah. Plus Ani Ma'amin - The Rambam's 13 Principles of Faith. Parshas Bo For the week ending 6 Shevat 5755 6 & 7 January 1995 =========================================================================== This issue is dedicated in honor of Judy & Peter Sheldon Sandra & Stephen Seltzer of WestCliff, England and of Roslyn Heights, New York on the engagement of their children Ella Sheldon and Lev Seltzer =========================================================================== Summary Hashem tells Moshe that He is hardening Pharaoh's heart so that through miraculous plagues the world will know for all time that He is the one true G-d. Pharaoh is warned about the plague of locusts and is told how severe it will be. Pharaoh agrees to release only the men, but Moshe insists that everyone must go. During the plague, Pharaoh calls for Moshe and Aaron to remove the locusts, and he admits that he has sinned. Hashem ends the plague but hardens Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh again does not free the Bnei Yisrael. The country, except for the Jewish People, is then engulfed in a palpable darkness. Pharaoh calls for Moshe, and tells him to take all the Jews out of Egypt, leaving their flocks behind. Moshe replies that they will not only go with their own flocks, but Pharaoh must add his own too. Moshe tells Pharaoh that Hashem will bring one more plague, the death of the firstborn, and then the Children of Yisrael will leave Egypt. Hashem again hardens Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh warns Moshe that if he sees him again he will put him to death. Hashem tells Moshe that the month of Nissan will be the first month in the calendar year. The Bnei Yisrael are commanded to take a sheep on the 10th day of the month, and guard it until the 14th. Everyone should then slaughter his sheep as a Pesach sacrifice, put its blood on their doorposts, and eat the meat. The blood on the doorpost will be a sign to Hashem to pass -- over their homes when He strikes the firstborn of Egypt. The Jewish People are told to memorialize this day as the Exodus from Egypt by never eating chametz on Pesach. Moshe relays Hashem's commands, and the Jewish People fulfill them flawlessly. Hashem sends the final plague, killing the firstborn, and Pharaoh sends the Jews out of Egypt. Hashem tells Moshe and Aaron the laws concerning pidyon haben (the redemption of the firstborn son), and tefillin. =========================================================================== Commentaries "...but for all the Children of Yisrael there was light in their dwellings" (10:23). Our Sages teach us that the plague of darkness that engulfed Egypt was no ordinary darkness, but a darkness so intense that "a man didn't see his brother those three days" (Rashi). It was a darkness like a blindness, in which people would collide with each other. This was followed by another three days in which the darkness was twice as thick, so that "no man rose from his place -- he who sat could not stand up, and he who stood could not sit down" (Rashi). This second darkness was palpable -- like an immobilizing gel. During all this time, the Torah tells us that "for all the children of Yisrael there was light in their dwellings." Why did the Torah specify that the light was "in all their dwellings"? Why couldn't it have just said "The Jews had light", or "The darkness didn't affect the Jews"? Darkness has two dangers: First, darkness brings confusion -- a pillar can be mistaken for a human being, and vice versa. Second, a person becomes afraid to stumble into a pit or a wall and is paralyzed in a straight-jacket of fear. We live in an era of great spiritual darkness in which people are either bumping into each other in their blindness trying to find the next fake guru or instant spiritual high -- they can't tell the difference between a pillar and a man; or they've reached the stage of complete spiritual immobility, afraid to fall into a pit, they've given up and are stuck. In these times of great darkness, it is the radiance and purity of the Jewish home and all it stands for, that continues to shine like a beacon to a benighted world "...but for all the Children of Yisrael there was light in their dwellings." "They (the Bnei Yisrael) requested silver and gold articles from the Egyptians. Hashem made the Egyptians respect the people and they granted their request" (12:25-26). Hashem had promised Avraham Avinu that the Jewish People would leave the servitude of Egypt with great wealth, but why was it necessary that the Egyptians respect the Jews, rather than just to give out of fear. The goal of Creation, writes the Netziv, is that Hashem's glory should fill the entire earth -- that all human beings should recognize Him. When this eventually happens, as Hashem's representatives we will command the respect and favor of the nations. However, this occurs only when we fulfill and perform the mitzvos properly, for a mitzvah performed properly is G-dly and perfect, and can only command respect and admiration. But if we fail to perform the mitzvos properly, we will be considered fools. Any current scorn by the nations of the world is not a sign of our perfection, but rather that something is lacking in our service of Hashem, that we have failed in our role of leading a life of holiness, separate from the nations and their lifestyles. However, when we fulfill our role properly, the entire world will want to share in our service of Hashem. Prior to our first redemption from Egypt -- the model of the final redemption to come -- Hashem brought us favor in the Egyptians' eyes so that we would not forget this ideal. The Egyptians readily gave us vessels of gold and silver to enhance our service of Hashem in the desert. May we merit, through our meticulous performance of the mitzvos, the respect and honor and admiration of the entire world. Then all the nations will follow our lead in serving Hashem and bringing the world to perfection. (Adapted from Rabbi Zev Leff -- "Outlooks and Insights") =========================================================================== Haftorah: Jeremiah 46:13-28 "But you, be not afraid, My servant Yaakov, and be not frightened, Yisrael, for I will save you from afar!" (46:27). When Yisrael does teshuva (returns in repentance to Hashem), the final redemption is hastened and comes before the appointed time. If they do not do teshuva, the redemption will come anyway at the predestined hour. Therefore Hashem tells Yisrael through His prophet `not to fear,' for "I will save you from afar!" Even if you are far away from Judaism, and teshuva is a word unknown to you, He will surely redeem you when the time for the redemption arrives. (Mayana shel Torah) =========================================================================== Ani Ma'amin The Rambam's 13 principles of faith Principle #13: "I believe with complete faith that there will be a resuscitation of the dead whenever the wish emanates from the Creator, blessed be His Name and exalted is His mention, forever and for all eternity." "See, I have placed before you life and good, death and evil." -- Devarim 30:15 Whenever we sin, something in our relationship with Hashem dies. That love, that desire to learn, to pray, to do a mitzvah -- wanes. It would then be natural that, just as a diseased limb does not grow back after amputation, there should be no hope of recovery from a diseased spiritual limb. But Hashem, in His mercy, innovated the concept of teshuva, which gives new life to those vital spiritual organs which sustain our existence. It revives our love for Hashem and revitalizes our relationship with Him. The act of teshuva is then a powerful resurrection of our dulled souls. It is a resurrection of the dead, for when good replaces evil, life replaces death. The resurrection we achieve with our teshuva will make us worthy of the ultimate resurrection of the dead in the days of Mashiach. (Rabbi Moshe Eiseman) =========================================================================== Ohr Somayach Institutions is an international network of Yeshivot and outreach centers, with branches in North America, Europe, South Africa and South America. The Central Campus in Jerusalem provides a full range of educational services for over 550 full-time students. 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