Parshat Bo’s name is confusing. As the stage is set for the eighth plague, locusts, God calls on Moses to go (again) to Pharaoh and demand the people’s freedom. But the word used here by God, “Bo,” means not “go,” but rather, “come.” Why is this? The answer of the rabbinical commentators is that Moses will not be alone in the daunting task of confronting Pharoah; God will be right there by Moses’ side and is beckoning him to come along.
This lovely teaching may or may not be the intended meaning of the text. Either way, the confusion is appropriate for a story in which the Israelites repeatedly prepare to flee after each plague, only to be prevented from leaving when Pharaoh changes his mind. They spend their time in a holding pattern, not knowing whether they are coming or going.
This unsettled feeling is reflected in the original Passover ritual, which happens during the story. As the people prepare for the tenth plague to finally set them free, Moses instructs them to spread lamb’s blood on their doorposts, and then to enjoy the lamb as their last meal in Egypt. “This is how you shall eat it,” he says: “Your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly: it is a Passover offering to Adonai.”
We know this same allusion to being on the run is captured by the Matzah we eat on Passover. However, in contrast to that first Paschal meal, we Jews of future generations are allowed to eat the Seder meal in peace. The rabbis insisted we recline on a pillow with a glass of wine. Their message: this is what free people do.
At this moment in our country, many residents, and even citizens, are not free. They live their lives uncertain of whether they will be arrested or deported. This is not just the result of the legitimate goal of enforcing immigration law; it seems to be a deliberate policy to make millions of innocent people feel the fear of insecurity. Today, a group from the Temple is in Richmond, joining others in advocating against these conditions in Virginia.
Another effort, by the Reform Movement, is a campaign to support the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, which would restore the policy of prohibiting immigration arrests in or near schools, hospitals, and houses of worship, so that people could learn, seek medical care, and pray without risking their safety. If you’d like to participate in that effort, click here.
Our tradition teaches that all people should be able to live their lives with the knowledge of whether they are coming or going.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Jeffrey Saxe
