PARSHA SUMMARY
Parshas Bo opens as the eighth plague hits Egypt: a thick swarm of locusts devour the Egyptian crops. Pharaoh begs Moses to remove the locusts and promises to free the Jews as soon as he complies. Moses asks G-d to remove the plague - but when the locusts are gone, Pharaoh reneges on his agreement. The ninth plague arrives and envelops the land of Egypt in darkness. When the plague ends, Pharaoh remains adamant in his refusal to release the Jewish People. G-d instructs Moses to warn Pharaoh about the upcoming tenth plague, in which each and every firstborn Egyptian male will die.
The narrative is interrupted as Moses teaches the Jews a number of important laws. The laws of Rosh Chodesh (exactly when to begin a lunar month) are taught, as well as the laws of the Korban Pesach (Passover offering) and the Passover holiday.
As promised, the tenth plague arrives and every Egyptian firstborn male dies. Pharaoh is panic-stricken and changes his tune. He now orders the Jews to leave Egypt. The Jews leave Egypt in great haste, with loaves of unleavened bread (matzah) on their shoulders, and with great amounts of wealth in their sacks (given to them by the defeated Egyptians). The Torah portion concludes with a series of Passover-related laws, the commandment to redeem the first-born child and to wear tefillin (phylacteries).
The True Nature of the Universe
Natural phenomena generally occur in predictable cycles. Certain regions are susceptible to hurricanes, others to tsunamis, still others to earthquakes, and so forth. While nobody can predict too far ahead of time when they will occur or in what degree they will hit, these occurrences follow a natural pattern: An earthquake usually occurs along a fault line, and a hurricane often forms where weather systems converge.
Yet the makkos (ten plagues) were different. They totally defied logic. Every single plague broke the accepted natural order from start to finish. From water turning into blood, to wild animals living side by side, each plague overturned another rule of nature to demonstrate to both the Egyptians and the Israelites how G-d continues to control the forces of nature long after He created them. The plagues proved that the world doesn’t operate on auto-pilot, even though it may appear that way.
This week’s Torah portion describes how after the seventh plague, barad (hail), G-d tells Moshe to warn Pharaoh about the upcoming eighth plague. While G-d tells Moshe that Pharaoh won’t listen because He had hardened his heart and his servants’ hearts, G-d tells Moshe that one purpose of the plagues was to show the Jews how G-d rules the world and that they should transmit this concept to future generations. Whatever occurs in the world isn’t a matter of chance, and this was proven to us through the plagues.
We are not always worthy of witnessing open, obvious miracles, yet we always have the ten plagues to remind us of G-d’s omnipotence and how He skillfully maneuvers the world to ensure the world and its inhabitants achieve their ultimate destiny.
The Midrash relates that a Roman noblewoman once asked Rabbi Yose ben Chalafta: “How long did it take G-d to create the world?”
“Six days,” he replied.
“And what has He been doing since then?” she asked.
“Marrying off couples,” he responded.
She scoffed at that answer. “What’s the big deal in doing that?” she said. “I’ll marry off all my servants tonight just to prove how it can be done.”
“To you it may seem simple, but to G-d it’s as difficult as splitting the Red Sea,” he responded.
The noblewoman went home and attempted the experiment. She lined up her male and female servants and married them off to each other. The next day she was horrified to see many of her servants in a foul mood, many of them injured with broken arms and legs. They complained to her. “You think I want to marry this person?” they said. “Why did you make me marry him/her? I can’t stand it! Get me out of this immediately!” Seeing that her ruse had failed, she returned to Rabbi Yose ben Chalafta and admitted that a Higher Power does need to take care of such seemingly mundane tasks.
Rabbi Yose ben Chalafta taught this noblewoman that what seems to be a natural order of events – two people meeting each other and deciding to marry – isn’t a simple matter at all. So many different steps must take place in order for them to “happen” to meet at the right time or be introduced to each other – obviously a Higher Authority must be at work, making all the arrangements.
The ten plagues proved G-d’s control over the world in a very public way, but everyday occurrences can reinforce this concept for us on a personal level. G-d who manipulated the forces of nature to wreak havoc on Egypt is the same one who manipulates nature in a more subtle manner to help us achieve fulfillment in life. When we look carefully for His presence, we will find it. A greater appreciation of His presence can then energize us to reach ever greater levels of personal growth.