Chochmas Nashim: Bo: Come
By: Suri Davis
It is late in the week, I usually have my dvar torahs written by now, so much going on, still processing this secular new year. We can feel the eight macos/plagues that G-d sends upon the people. After 210 years that the Egyptians enslaved the Jews, bathed in the blood of Jewish children and oppressed them, I am reminded of Lamentations, where Jeremiah turns to our oppressors, those who laid waste to our Holy Temple and Jerusalem and stated:
Gam Alayach yaavor kos, tishkiri v’tisari, basically, what goes around comes around. We are ten months into our pandemic, under lock and quarantine, unable to travel to our holy country which we took for granted. Now we read about the plagues our oppressors are experiencing, and the last two in this week’s torah portion, the plagues of darkness and the death of the firstborns, reminds us that as our pandemic numbers worsen, when we scream out to G-d, there is redemption.
G-d tells Moses “Come down to Egypt.” Why does G-d say come and not go. It is because G-d is in Egypt to personally attend to the Jews, and with His right hand redeem us, “Emo Anochi Batzarah/I am with you in your pain and suffering.”
After 210 years of oppression, we should be able to gloat and shout out the joy for the Egyptian downfall, yet we learn from our Jewish laws on Passover, that while we say a complete Hallel on the first two days of Passover, which is a prayer of thanks and praise to G-d, we say half the prayer on the remaining six days of Passover, as G-d put it “The people I created are drowning in pain in the Red Sea, and you want to sing praise?” In other words, there is a sensitivity for all people even the enemy, as the Rabbis teach us, “when your enemy falls, do not rejoice.” All is from G-d, and He is sad when he has to punish any of His children.
Darkness, when there is no clarity and an inability to move. Death of the firstborns, natural leaders, who can lead the people of out darkness. We have a new United States president, a new messenger of G-d in this country, he is merely a messenger. We continue to ask G-d that He use His right hand to remove the plagues and challenges, and redeem us, so that we can serve Him in closeness as dedicated servants.
This Thursday is Tu B’shvat, the new year for trees. It is a harbinger of spring and hope of renewal. We eat fruits for which we make a shehecheyanu, thanking G-d for keeping us for this moment. We renew our attachment to the special produce of Israel, the source of all prosperity in the diaspora, and we start our countdown to the festive holiday of Purim, a month later. We come full circle to the holiday which for some was the last time we enjoyed large family holidays together.
We pray in our Havdalah serice, which ends Shabbos, “layihudim haytah orah v’simchah v’sasson v’ykor/the Jews had light, joy and happiness,” words echoed in the Megillah of Esther. As we approach the Torah portion of redemption, and we approach the month where we celebrate communal redemption in the time of Mordechai and Esther, we contemplate the end of plagues, and pray fervently that redemption is hastened speedily in our time.
Happy Tu B’shvat.
Good Shabbos.
-Suri