31 January 2025
Week of 26 January – 01 February 2025
Torah portion: Ex. 10:1-13:16 Haftarah: Jer. 46:13-28
The Parasha of this Shabbat (Parashat BO: Exodus 10: 1-13:16) marks the continuation of the previous Parasha concluding with the three final plagues that God imposed on Egypt in order to obtain from Pharaoh the freedom of the people of Israel from Egypt, who were under a regime of slavery, so that they could serve the One and Unique God in a free manner. At the conclusion of the Parasha we have the institution for future generations of the celebration of Pesah for the people of Israel which is the concrete mark of God’s liberating action upon his people.
We have several scenarios to reflect on: Why did God need ten plagues? Wouldn’t it have been possible to convince Pharaoh with less? What would be the purpose of this pedagogy applied by God? Another detail without an answer is that Pharaoh did not free them earlier because God, Himself, hardened his heart so that Pharaoh would act in this way and so that God would achieve His objective.
We have learned that the Bible places us before the affirmation of God, the Lord and Creator of all who exists, that there is no other God besides Him. This fact is not evident to Pharaoh, however, even the people of Israel need to be absolutely certain of this truth.
First of all, it is not the negative aspect that should stand out from this long account, but God’s pedagogy so that the people (Pharaoh) understand God’s Oneness and God’s invincibility before false gods and that His great deeds are proclaimed throughout the earth: “For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now, I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth” (Ex 9: 14-16).
On the other hand, the commandment (perhaps the first) is established for the people of Israel to tell the deeds of God to the new generations in continuity for the future: “And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD” (Ex 10:2).
We learn from the text that God uses Aaron and Moses to demonstrate His power before Pharaoh and his servants. Some plagues are caused by Aaron, others by Aaron and Moses together, and others by Moses alone. Moses, who refused to take on the mission that God had asked of him and only accepted it with Aaron present, at a certain point God forms him in his responsibility for the mission and he alone acts in God’s name in applying the plagues. Interestingly, in the death of the animals (Ex 9:1-7) and in the death of the firstborn of Egypt (Ex 11), it was God Himself who acted, without the intermediary of Moses and Aaron. As if to teach us that it is, God who decides about life – there is no intermediary.
This Parasha teaches us, therefore, that not only the powerful magicians of Egypt, as well as Pharaoh and all of Egypt, were convinced of the absolute and universal power of God (“And the magicians said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of God!” (Ex 8:15), but also the people of Israel saw the wonders that God performed before their eyes, leading them to freedom to serve Him and to announce and proclaim the wonders of the One and Unique God to future generations as a witness before all Nations, as the people chosen by God.
This week’s Parasha Commentary was prepared by
Elio Passeto, NDS, Israel, Director
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