Parshat Bo
The last three plagues are visited on Egypt: a swarm of locusts devours all the crops and greenery; a thick, palpable darkness, and the firstborn are killed.
Parshat Bo
(Shemot 10:1-13:16)
The last three of the Ten Plagues are visited on Egypt: a swarm of locusts devours all the crops and greenery; a thick, palpable darkness envelops the land; and all the firstborn of Egypt are killed at the stroke of midnight of the 15th of the month of Nissan.
God commands the first mitzvah to be given to the people of Israel: to establish a calendar based on the monthly rebirth of the moon. The Israelites are also instructed to bring a "Passover offering" to God: a lamb or kid is to be slaughtered and its blood sprinkled on the doorposts and lintel of every Israelite home, so that God should pass over these homes when He comes to kill the Egyptian firstborn. The roasted meat of the offering is to be eaten that night together with matzah (unleavened bread) and bitter herbs.
The death of the firstborn finally breaks Pharaoh's resistance and he literally drives the Children of Israel from his land. So hastily do they depart, there is no time for their dough to rise, and the only provisions they take along are unleavened. Before they go, they ask their Egyptian neighbors for gold, silver and garments, draining Egypt of its wealth.
The Children of Israel are commanded to consecrate all firstborn and to observe the anniversary of the Exodus each year by removing all leaven from their possession for seven days, eating matzah, and telling the story of their redemption to their children. They are also commanded to wear tefillin on the arm and head as a reminder of the Exodus and their resultant commitment to God.
(Use with permission from www.Chabad.org)
1/18/2024
It impacted me, because after only four year studying the Torah in a kosher way, with its commentaries I still discover something knew that pertains only to me, lkie the Torah Portion that HaShem Had chosen for me. Two or three weeks ago I was inspired to sketch the cycles of the moon for a new painting. Then in the last two Torah master class on the parashat Bereshit that I am taking virtually from Mexico with an excellent teacher has been on the subject of the lunar cylcle and the teachings of Rabbi Isaak Luria the Ari and his kabbalistic explanation about the assymetry of femenine energy in creation and how the Creator had caused this idea for Creation manifested in the cycle of the moons. Tha information is so rare an unknown by the mainstream schools and secular education, that it gave me a tremendous sense of gratitude to HaShem for giving me the merit to learn about it before my 70th birthday in a few months. Through that class it was revealed to me the logic of the last 5784 years, the generation gap of the last 60 years and the continuous process to complete the sixth millenium to welcome the Meshiah, and once again the subject of the lunar cycles were mention in this last parashat Bo, as the first mitzvah to be observed, the creation of the lunar calendar. ( a cycle that reflects the inner cycles of the femenine physical monthly changes)