Readings for Saturday, January 24, 2026
Bo (Go)
10:1 - 13:16
Shemot (Exodus)
Bo is the third sedrah in the Book of Shemot (Exodus). The Hebrew word “Bo” means “Go.” The sedrah takes its name from the fifth Hebrew word in the first verse, “And the Lord said unto Moshe: Go (Bo) in unto Pharaoh.” Bo includes a description of the last three plagues, the Deliverance from Egypt, a series of laws including those relating to observing Pesach, Rosh Chodesh (the New Moon) and the Redemption of the First Born. Summarizing this sedrah is difficult because the material, as just described, does not always follow in a smooth narrative. Rather, these items are dispersed throughout the text. Also, the amount of material presented in the sedrah and its significance is almost overwhelming. Bo marks the beginning of the significant rollout of the 613 Commandments. The entire Book of Bereshit contains three commandments. The sedrah of Bo, alone, contains 20 commandments. The list of these commandments is at the end of this and subsequent weekly guides. Biblical Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin is the source for the wording and numbering
The Plagues
Even
though some commentators have divided the plagues into 3-3-3-1, the Torah
readings divide them into seven (Shemot) and three (Bo). As we continue to see in our studies, the
combinations of three, seven and ten are quite common, reinforcing the belief
that these numbers have certain mystical “powers.”
Eighth Plague (10:1-20) - The Plague of Locusts follows the previous pattern with Pharaoh promising to obey God if the plague is lifted and then going back on his promise.
Ninth Plague (10:21-29) - The Plague of Darkness deviates from the pattern of the first eight. The other plagues supposedly each lasted a week. Darkness only lasts six days. According to some the seventh day of darkness will come later at the Sea of Reeds. The narrative of the ninth plague ends with Pharaoh threatening Moshe’s life. He still stands haughty in the face of the Almighty.
Tenth Plague (11:1-9, 12:29-30) - The Death of the First Born is divided into two parts. First comes the promise of the plague. Then comes a description of the plague itself. However, these two parts are separated by 25 verses pertaining to the observance of Pesach.
Rosh Chodesh (12:1-2)
The
Commandment to Observe the New Moon is the second law given to the
Hebrews. It is the first commandment
given to the entire Israelite nation.
This position of narrative primacy is probably an indicator of the
importance of this commandment.
Additionally, since the Jews have spent most of their time living
without a land, the calendar is of supreme importance because we have spent so
much of our existence dwelling in the fourth dimension - the dimension of time.
The Deliverance From Egypt (12:31-42)
Pharaoh
finally gives in. He orders Moshe and
Aaron to take the Israelites and leave.
In the sparest possible language the text describes the hurried
departure of the Israelites carrying their unleavened dough and the wealth of
Egypt. Tradition states that 600,000 men
plus their families departed Egypt.
Others have translated the word “elef” differently so that the number
leaving is more like 6000 men plus their families. Additionally, the Torah tells us that a mixed
multitude departed with the Israelites.
These were probably non-Israelite slaves who took advantage of the chaos
to leave Egypt. According to some, this
mixed multitude will stay with the Israelites until Sinai and the Golden
Calf. Regardless, their departure at the
time of the Exodus can be interpreted as
proof that freedom is for all people.
The Laws of Pesach (12:3-28) (12:43-51)
(13:3-10)
The
laws themselves are listed below in the section entitled “Commandments.” The laws of Pesach can be divided into two
parts. The first set of laws addresses
the behavior of the Israelites at the time of the first Pesach, the actual
deliverance from Egypt. Here we find the
commands concerning the sacrifice of the lamb and dabbing the doorpost with
blood. The second set of laws covers
additional requirements for observing Pesach for all time. The laws are not mutually exclusive and are
actually supportive.
Redemption of the First Born
(13:1-2,11-15)
Since
God spared the first born males of the Israelites, they now belong to Him. Hence the law comes to us requiring their
redemption. This has given rise to the
ceremony known as “Pidyon Ha Ben” or Redemption of the First Born.
Tefillin (13:16)
The
Sedrah ends with one of those strange sentences that seem to have no connection
with what has gone before or what is about to happen. “And it shall be a sign upon your arm and
ornament between your eyes, for with a strong hand Hashem removed us from
Egypt.” This statement will give rise to
the wearing of the Tefillin. In other
words, when one dons the Tefillin each morning that person is performing
another ritual that reminds us of the Exodus.
Themes:
Commandments
4. The obligation to bless the new moon each
month. 12:2
5. The slaughtering and preparing of the
Paschal lamb. 12:6
6. The obligation to participate in the eating
of the Paschal lamb. 12:6
7. The prohibition against eating the Passover
lamb raw or boiled; it must be roasted.
12:9
8. The prohibition against leaving remains from
the Paschal lamb. 12:10
9. The requirement to remove chametz from one’s
possession before the beginning of Pesach.
12:15
10. The obligation to eat matzah during
Pesach. 12:18
11. The prohibition against having any
chametz in one’s possession throughout Pesach.
12:19
12. The prohibition against eating any food
containing chametz during Pesach. 12:20
13 -14. The forbidding of certain individuals to eat
the Paschal lamb. 12:44
15. The prohibition against removing any
part of the Paschal lamb from the house in which it was first eaten. 12:46
16. The prohibition against breaking any of
the Paschal sacrifice’s bones. 12:46
17. The stricture against an uncircumcised
man eating the Paschal lamb. 12:48
18. The command to redeem the first
born. 13:2.
19. The prohibition against eating any
chametz during Pesach. 13:3
20. The stricture against chametz being seen
in any Israelite dwelling during Pesach.
13:7
21. The obligation to tell one’s child the
story of the liberation from Egypt. 13:8
22. The requirement to redeem a firstborn
donkey. 13:13
23. The obligation to break the neck of a
firstborn donkey that is not redeemed.
13:13
Pesach
The
term itself can be translated as pass over and has given rise to the English
name for the holiday. It is also the
name of the sacrifice offered in observance of the holiday. In reading the laws of Pesach, one can see
the outline of the Seder and hear words found in the Haggadah. Some of the practices that come from the laws
found Bo include:
·
The observance of Pesach on
the 14th of Nissan in the evening for seven days;
·
The Seder as a way of
telling your children of the Exodus in a family environment;
·
The eating of bitter herbs
and Matzah;
·
The placing of the Shank
Bone on the Seder Plate;
·
The removal of chametz from
our homes;
·
The eating of only Kosher
for Pesach foods during the holiday; and
·
The Fast of the First Born.
(There may be more, but there are
space limitations).
Creation and the Exodus
These
are the two seminal events in the Torah.
One marks the beginning of mankind; the other the beginning of the
Jewish people. We are reminded of this
in the Shabbat Kiddush when we invoke the commemoration “of the work of
creation” and the commemoration “of the exodus from Egypt.” Also this explains how we can have more than
one “new year.” Rosh Hashanah comes in
the seventh month but is the New Year.
It is the New Year marking the start of creation. The month when Pesach is observed is the
“beginning of the months…the first of the months for you” (12:2). This is the “New Year” of the Jewish
people. The Exodus marks the beginning
of the Jewish people as a unique nation.
Tefillin
The
actual commandment concerning the wearing of Tefillin will come later in the
Torah. But in this sedrah we read “And
this shall serve you as a sign on your hand and as reminder on your forehead
that with a mighty hand the Lord freed you from Egypt” (13:9). This is an obvious reference to donning
Tefillin. We are being told that when we
wear them we are doing so to remember the Exodus from Egypt. Since donning Tefillin is one of the first
things a Jew does every weekday morning, we can see that remembering the Exodus
is a conscious act that should infuse our thoughts and behavior on a daily
basis.
Pidyon Ha Ben
The
ceremony for the Redemption of the First Born finds its origins in this sedrah
(13:1-2). The ceremony is really a rare
one. It must only be observed when a
woman’s first born is a male. If a
daughter was born first or if there has been a miscarriage the ceremony is not
performed. Also, in the event of a
cesarean birth, the ceremony is not performed because the commandment has to do
with “the first issue of the womb.”
Finally, the ceremony is not performed when the first male issue is of
the tribe of Levi. The ceremony cannot
take place until the youngster is at least thirty days old. Usually, the ceremonial table is set with
Challah and a Kiddush cup. The mother
brings the youngster to the father and the Kohein, to whom the father has given
five silver coins. A highly stylized
dialogue takes place between the father and the Kohein that includes a special
Blessing of Redemption and a Shehecheyanu.
There is a legend I heard as youngster.
Because of the Exile, there was a sage who was not quite sure if those
who claimed to be Kohanim really were in the purest sense of that term. So, every time he met a Kohein, he would go
through the ceremony for his son just to ensure that at least one time it had
been done right.
Rosh Chodesh
The
obligation to bless this New Moon creates a monthly mini-holiday. Every month on the first day of the month
(and some months we observe this for two days), Hallel is recited. An extra section is added to the Amidah. The Torah is read and Musaf is recited. On the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh, there is
a special Blessing of the New Month, when the leader announces the exact time
when the upcoming month will begin.
There are no prohibitions against work on Rosh Chodesh. According to some traditional sages (and they
base this on Rashi) Rosh Chodesh should be regarded as a “mini-mother’s day
honoring women for their superior piety by which the Jewish people is eternally
recreated.”
The Tenth Plague
The
Tenth Plagues is different in many ways from the other nine. While the other nine are considered
educational, the tenth is for punishment.
The tenth is to come at a stated time, around Midnight. And the tenth requires active behavior on the
part of the Israelites. They must put
blood on their doorposts and they must stay indoors. The tenth plague also required an act of
physical courage on the part of the Israelites.
They must take lambs ahead of time, days before the actual exodus. But the lamb was sacred to the
Egyptians. By taking the lamb in this
way, the Israelites were being asked to risk death at the hands of the
Egyptians so that they could be part of the Exodus. It is one thing to have faith. It is quite another thing to lay it all on
the line including risking your own life.
The Coming of the Messiah
The
Exodus from Egypt is a harbinger for the ultimate redemption. In the words of the prophet Micah, “Like the
days of your exodus from the land of Egypt, I will demonstrate wonders.” As Rabbi Schneerson points out, “the
deliverance from Egypt was a reward for the faith, which was…internalized by
the Israelites.” “So, too, will the
future redemption be a reward for faith - the faith which disregards the great
concealments of God that our exile brings, and which still holds firm to the
belief in the Messiah. A faith which
does not hover at the outer edges of our minds but which constitutes our most
inward certainty and extends to every facet of our being.”
Punishment
The
Tenth Plague troubles many people.
“Every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of
Pharaoh…to the firstborn of the maidservant who is behind the millstone…” seems
to be a very harsh punishment. To the
modern eye this seems to be punishing children for the sins of the parents,
something later prohibited by Jewish law.
Also, it seems to punish the powerless along with the powerful. This could spark a lively discussion should
your Seder become routine or boring.
Visualizations
In
her commentary on “Bo” entitled Sign on
the Door, Fredelle Z. Spiegel points out the role that visualizations play
in the final act leading up to the Exodus.
The Israelites were not just commanded to slaughter and eat the lamb,
they were commanded to “take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts
and the lintel of the houses in which they are to eat it (the paschal
lamb).” Why were the Israelites to do
this? The popular answer is found in the
second half of verse 13, “when I see the blood I will pass over you, so that no
plague will destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” In other words, the Israelites needed to put
the blood on so that God would know that they had identified themselves as His
Chosen People. But there is a second
reason for this visualization, a reason that should affect our behavior
today. In the first half of verse 13 it
says, “And the blood on the houses in which you dwell shall be as sign for
you.…” What does this mean that the
blood will be a sign for you i.e., the Israelites? By marking the doorposts, the Israelites were
letting God know that these were Jewish homes.
They were letting the Egyptians know these were Jewish homes. But most important they were reminding
themselves that they were Jews living in Jewish homes. Today we put a mezuzah on our doorposts. The mezuzah does let the world know that Jews
live in the house. But more importantly,
it reminds the Jews, as they kiss it on the way in and out of the house, that
this is a Jewish home and that they are Jews.
When parents adorn their homes with Jewish objects - Kiddush cups, seder
plates, Chanukah menorahs and Jewish books - they are reminding their children
that this is a Jewish home. At the
Seder, it is the visuals, the items on the table, that trigger the Children’s
Questions that lead to the entire recitation of the Haggadah. In the home, it is the visuals that trigger
the children’s curiosity about their Jewish heritage. Just as the Blood on the Doorposts reminded
the ancient Israelites that, despite all the privations of slavery, they were
still Jewish, so it is that when we enter our homes, touching the mezuzah with
our fingertips, we are reminded that, regardless of what we have experienced
that day in the secular world, we are still Jews tied to the Promise of Sinai
and the ultimate Redemption.
Promises Made/Promises Kept
In
Bereshit (Genesis), God told Abraham that his descendants would
be slaves for 400 years before He would punish their masters and free them from
bondage. “Know well that your offspring
shall be strangers in a land not theirs, and they shall be enslaved and
oppressed four hundred years; but I will execute judgment on the nation they
shall serve and in the end they shall go free with great wealth.” (15: 13,
14). The book of Shemot (Exodus) opens with
a description of the first part of the promise.
In this week’s portion we read the description of the second part of the
promise including going free with great wealth.
“Tell the people to borrow, each man from his neighbor and each woman
from hers, objects of silver and gold.
The Lord disposed the Egyptians favorably toward the people.” (11: 2,
3) “The Israelite had done Moses’
bidding and borrowed from the Egyptians objects of silver and gold, and
clothing. And the Lord had disposed the
Egyptians favorably toward the people…” (12:35). The message to the our forbearers, and
hopefully for us and our descendants, is that God makes promises and God keeps
his word.
Passover Customs
For
those of you who are looking for new ways to enliven your Passover celebration
you might want to follow the custom of some Jewish communities in which the
people would create dramatizations of the Exodus based on this week’s Torah
portion, as part of their Pesach observance.
“So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading
bowls wrapped in their cloaks upon their shoulders.” (12:34). After their Seder, the Moroccan Jewish men
would “rush out of the house and run up and down the street shouting, “In this
manner our forefathers went out of Egypt, their kneading-troughs bound up in
their clothes upon their shoulders.’” As
part of their dramatization, Jews living in the region of the Caucasus Mountains
would dress “in their festive best” for the Seder and the women would “adorn
themselves with jewelry of all kinds” possibly as visual reminder of the gold,
silver and clothing that the Egyptians had given the departing Israelites.
The Haggadah and Shemot
As
we saw last week, the creators of the Haggadah relied heavily on the Torah as a
source for the actual text. “Maggid” -
the lengthy portion that retells the story of the Exodus - includes several
lines from “Bo.” In explaining the
reason for the Pesach sacrifice, the text says, “You shall say, it is a Pesach
sacrifice for the Lord, because he passed over the houses of the children of
Israel in Egypt, when He struck the Egyptians and He saved our houses; and the
people bowed down and prostrated themselves.” (12:27). In explaining the reason for eating Matzah,
the text says, “And they baked unleavened bread from the dough which they had
taken with them from Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were driven
out of Egypt and could not delay there; nor had they prepared for themselves
any provisions for the way.” (12:39). As
the Seder moves forward toward the first Hallel, the Haggadah again uses the
words of “Bo” to explain why “in every
generation” each of us should feel that we individually were freed from
the Egyptian bondage. “You shall tell
your son on that day saying: for the
sake of this, the Lord did for me when I went out from Egypt.” (13:8). And for those of you who are looking for
“extra credit,” read the section of the Four Sons and see how much of that
interplay comes from this week’s Torah portion.
Problem with translation
At
the start of Chapter 11, God tells Moses about the coming of the final
plague. And then, according to the
modern translations, He says, “Tell the people to borrow, each man from his
neighbor and each woman from hers, objects of silver and gold.” (11:2). The term “borrow” implies that the items will
be returned to their owners after some period of time. But we know that there is no intention of
returning these items to the Egyptians, so is this a case of God being
disingenuous or deliberately misleading?
I think not. A more literal
translation says, “Speak now in the ears of the people and let them request
each man from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor vessels of silver
and vessels of gold.” The literal
translation would seem to remove the moral ambiguity created by the use of the
term “borrow.” Why would the Egyptians
acquiesce to such a request? Possibly,
because, unlike their king, they had come to fear the plagues and they might
have viewed surrendering their values as a “bribe” that would bring them to an
end. Regardless of what the Egyptians
thought, this was a fulfillment of a divine promise that they “would go forth
with great wealth.” These vessels of
silver and gold will appear again in the Torah.
They are the material from which the Golden Calf is made. Note that the command to “request” these
items is sex-segregated. According to
later commentary, the men surrendered their valuables for the Golden Calf while
the women kept theirs and gave them to be used in the building of the
Tabernacle. It is one of those examples
of the higher level of spirituality which we attributed to women.
Sifting the Flour
There
is so much going on this portion – so much action-packed narrative, so many
lessons to learn. So, how do we begin to
rank order them. How do we, so to speak, sift this “flour” so we are left with
Maimonides’ “finely sifted flour”? For Rabbi Jonathan Sacks it would seem that
the following three verses are of great importance since he uses them in three
separate commentaries on “Bo.”
·
And
when your children ask you, "What do you mean by this rite?" you
shall say, "It is the passover sacrifice to the Lord, because He passed
over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when he smote the Egyptians, but
saved our houses." (Ex. 12:26-27)
·
And
you shall explain to your child on that day, "It is because of what the
Lord did for me when I went free from Egypt." (Ex. 13:8)
·
And
when, in time to come, your child asks you, saying, "What does this
mean?" you shall say to him, "It was with a mighty hand that the Lord
brought us out from Egypt, the house of bondage." (Ex. 13:14
These verses remind us of what is really important to Jewish survival and growth. Taken together, they show that at the time of these great events, Moses was thinking of the future, not just savoring the present victory. They show the importance of education and training for all children. And it shows how we teach. We teach and we learn with questions. As the Nobel Prize winner’s grandmother would ask him when he came home from grammar school, “Did you ask good questions.” As Sacks pointed out, teaching like this led to the creation by the Jews of the first compulsory education system (1st century) that included providing opportunities for orphans who did not the wherewithal to pay tuition. While our ancient contemporaries were building pyramids, ziggurats and triumphal arches, Jews were creating an educational system. It is this system, based, in no small part on these three strictures that has meant the Jewish people continue to thrive while our ancient contemporaries are consigned the musty dust bin of history.
Haftarah
46:13-28
Jeremiah
With so much to cover in the sedrah, we will keep this brief. As one of three Major Prophets, Jeremiah is worthy of a lot of time. He provides three of the haftarot for sidrot from the book of Vayikra (Leviticus), so we will have plenty of time to give him his just deserts later on.
The Man: Jeremiah lived at a time of great political and social turmoil during the 7th and 6th centuries B.C.E. He was active during the last days of the Southern Kingdom and lived through destruction of the Temple and the early days of the Exile. He was born about 645 B.C.E. in small town outside of Jerusalem called Anatoth in the lands of the tribe of Benjamin. He was part of a priestly family that had found favor with King David but was subsequently banished from Jerusalem by King Solomon. So from his birth, Jeremiah appeared to be destined to play the role of the quintessential outsider. The Jews of Jeremiah’s time were confronted with the challenge of Babylonia. Jeremiah’s advice was to make peace with the Babylonians. His advice was repeatedly ignored. He was branded a traitor and imprisoned. His life was threatened on more than one occasion, and he suffered the indignity of having his writings burned before his eyes. Jeremiah told the first exiles who were sent to Babylonia (pre-586) to become good citizens of their new home. After the destruction of Jerusalem, Jeremiah was taken to Egypt against his will. According to some he died there under questionable circumstances.
The Message: It is complex, multi-faceted and beyond what we can cover this week. He is the reluctant prophet who chastises the people. Some see him as the embodiment of harsh meanness and his name has come into the language in the word “jeremiad.” But he was also a man who put a premium on social justice and ethical behavior. He provided guidelines for identifying false prophets and is the prototype for those who are willing to challenge the military and foreign policy actions of their government while remaining a loyal citizen. Considering events in the United States, this is an excellent example of the timelessness of the teachings of the TaNaCh. Last, but not least, Jeremiah provided a message of hope when all that was going around him should have led to despair and hopelessness. If you want to swim against the stream, Jeremiah will show you how. More importantly, he will tell you when and why you should make the effort.
Theme-Link: The sedrah tells of the humiliation of Pharaoh and the redemption of the Israelites from bondage. In the haftarah, Jeremiah tells of the humiliation of a contemporary Pharaoh. He is relating his message to the battle of Carchemish in 605 B.C.E. when the Egyptians were defeated by the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar. This is the same Nebuchadnezzar who will become King of the Babylonians and destroy Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 B.C.E. This brief haftarah then ends with a message of restoration for the Israelites. It predicts a future redemption that will be even greater than the redemption from Egyptian bondage.
Copyright
January 2026 Mitchell A Levin
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