By Joseph Shulam.
This Shabbat in the Jewish Synagogues around the world will read from a portion of the Torah called “BO!” “BO” translates to English as “COME.” Within the parashah, the context means “Come to Pharaoh!” The question arises: why “come to Pharaoh?” The phrase would make more sense in English as “Go to Pharaoh!” The phrase “Come to Pharaoh” instead of “Go to Pharaoh” is a notable feature in the dialogue between God and Moses in the Book of Exodus. This particular wording has sparked various interpretations and discussions among scholars and commentators.
“Come to Pharaoh” conveys two essential ideas.
1) There was no need for an invitation or request for Moses to come to Pharaoh.
2) Moses was not subservient to the Pharaoh. He was raised in the palace and had authority in Egypt, like a prince. Act with authority; take the bull by its horns!
“Come to Pharaoh” also implies intimacy and authority. God is the authority in this story, and Moses and Pharaoh are messengers. It is God who is inviting Moses, not Pharaoh. Moses is a messenger of God. God, through Moses, is taking part in this encounter and conversation, as seen with Moses’ request from the Pharaoh. Moses speaks as God himself, “Let MY people Go!”. Moses is not requesting begging and scraping to the mighty Pharaoh of Egypt, “Please release those Hebrew slaves.” Moses commands Pharaoh and even threatens him and all of Egypt.
In Hebrew word )חוצפה (Chutzpah) is often translated into English as “audacity,” “nerve,” or “gall.” However, its meaning can range from brazen boldness to shameless impudence; depending on the context, it could also mean insolence or disrespectful arrogance, boldness, courage, or guts! This little Hebrew “Bo,” meaning “Come” to Pharaoh, has so much meaning and lights up the context with courage, intimacy, power, and confidence, but behind this little word stands the courage and security that Faith and Obedience to God is given to God’s servants. Yes! Dear brothers and sisters, “Holy Chutzpah!” We don’t have enough of it; some say Joseph Shulam has too much of it! This quality of Chutzpah, I confess, that we have as Jews and Israelites was inherited honestly!
Most revealing is that the Pharaoh accepts Moses, who comes to him with a wooden stick and a stutter, a speech imperfection that makes the great Pharaoh nervous and frustrated. Moses is not representing himself or his personal authority. He is merely going on a mission; he is being brought into a direct encounter with the authority of Pharaoh, standing for God’s will and command. He is challenging the authority of Pharaoh himself. Moses represents a much greater authority than Pharaoh. Moses was not humble in front of the Pharaoh. He boldly commands the great Pharaoh, “Let My people go!” There is a process here – liberation always involves a profound conflict of interests. Moses commands the Pharaoh, “Let my people Go!”
There is always a conflict of interest between the powers of this world, i.e., politics and God’s will and directives. Even today in Israel, we are witnessing a conflict of interests and an actual earth-shaking conflict between the religious political parties who don’t want their young men to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (The army) and don’t want to work, claiming that their study of the Torah is more important than defending Israel and taking a part of the burden of defense of their country.
In Israeli politics today, there is no living Moses with the true authority of God to say: “Come to… And demand… And command… Send your young men to contribute their fair share in serving in the army, work and pay taxes, stop the ignorance of your young men who study only ‘Torah’ and religious materials and no math, history, or physics, or go to work to earn money and pay for their living expenses. “
Our portion of this Shabbat also includes part of the ten plagues in which God struck the land and people of Egypt. Modern society questions God’s moral standards when discussing the Exodus. The story of the Ten Plagues in Egypt raises essential questions about morality, justice, and divine Intervention in the Egyptian population. The Children of Israel also experienced the plagues on the Egyptians, specifically the other side of the coin.
The Egyptians were in darkness, and the children of Israel were in the light. The plagues primarily affected the Egyptian population, many of whom may not have been complicit in the oppression of the Hebrews, raising the question of collective punishment, which challenges the moral justification of innocent suffering. There are naturally Moral Constraints on both sides of the divide. The logical assumption from the plagues is that the entire Egyptian population as a collective had no innocence or collective responsibility for their silence, save the daughter of the Pharaoh. We also have the example of the two women who saved the male children despite the orders of the Pharaoh to kill every male child born.
Suffering is a Tool for Liberation, like childbirth. Liberation always involves suffering, often war and bloodshed, prompting debate over whether inflicting suffering can be morally justified to provide liberty, equality, and freedom to people who experience suffering and political abuse! There is such a thing in history as Divine Justice vs. Human Free Will. There is a deep partnership and interplay between divine will and human agency of freedom that delivers humans from moral restraint. Pharaoh’s hardening of the heart complicates any discussions of free will and takes away the freedom of the Pharaoh and the people. There must be a balance between personal freedoms and the collective society around me. God has a program and plan and a script of the trajectory of human history, from before this earth’s creation to the end of history. It ought to be understood that nothing happens in history that is not at least under the observation and programming of the Almighty and his angels. We humans walking on this earth, have limitations. The plan and desire of the Creator decide the present and the future but still leave us, humans, the freedom to do good and make mistakes. There are moments in history when there was divine Intervention and times when God chose not to Intervene.
The severity of the plagues can be seen in modern Godless society, which has crowned ‘self’ as the king of the universe. “Self” has also deposed God and even made Yeshua the Messiah, a butler in the homes of the rich and famous.
If God intervenes with destructive forces, what moral authority does He have to carry out such actions instead of allowing natural consequences to unfold?
Role of Prophecy and Divine Communication: Moses was a messenger who conveyed God’s demands.
The effectiveness of divine communication and the role of those in power (Pharaoh) in responding ethically to prophetic calls are crucial moral considerations. Pharaoh could have avoided the ten plagues in Egypt and the suffering of the Egyptian population. But, here enters the issue of God’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. Reading the text more carefully, we see Pharaoh himself hardened his heart, and God gave Pharaoh the desire of his heart, as He, the Lord, does with every one of us. If we seek to do good, opportunities to do good come before us. The opposite is also true.
Was there a Justification for the Plagues? My personal answer is clear! Reading the prophets of the Hebrew Bible, we see that prophetic cycle and promises are always mixed with divine mercy and judgment.
Divine Justice is not the heritage of Egyptians, Babylonians, Moabites, or the Amaleck. The children of Israel have had more suffering inflicted on them in history than any other nation. (Because whom God loves, He chastises more.) Like Tevyah, the milkman in The Fiddler on the Roof, says: “Would you choose somebody else for a change?”
The plagues in Egypt can be seen as divine retribution and a memorial for all the nations to understand that every deed, collective or private, can be rewarded or punished. Nothing is accidental, according to the prophets of Israel. What happened to Egypt during the Exodus can be interpreted as divine education for all nations if the Passover story is respected. Or it can be seen as only plain vengeance for all the years of abuse and persecution of the nation of Israel upon Pharaoh for his continued oppression and refusal to free the Israelites. In this view, the plagues proved God’s power and justice.
The plagues God sent on Egypt became a symbol of hope in history. To see the oppressed have God on their side and divine retribution given to those who oppressed them. The Oppressed Israelites received the plagues in Egypt as a fulfillment of God’s promises to all of Israel. For the Israelites, the plagues were a sign of hope and deliverance, A sign of the faithfulness of God to keep His promises to Abraham’s seed and to the whole world. The narrative proves that even the most powerful rulers in the world can be toppled like a building of cards, and their evil rulers are like clay in the hands of God.
This is such a big lesson for all of us, and God makes it clear that the plagues are especially for the children of the Israelites. The lesson is both a morality tale and historical proof that there is a God who is faithful to bless the righteous and punish the unrighteous. Liberation theology starts with the first chapters of Exodus. These chapters serve as a moral lesson for the hope of liberation from oppression and slavery, even after an extended period, and are remembered by God, who provides a savior and a deliverer.
The plagues demonstrate Divine power and Sovereignty over the kingdoms of this earth, nature, land, and sea, and the rulers of this world, no matter how powerful and significant they are. The work of God in Egypt with the plagues reveals His power above all the gods and idols of Egypt. The plagues highlight the conflict between Yahweh and the Egyptian idols, showcasing God’s supremacy over both the natural world and other deities, which can be viewed as a moral lesson in faithfulness to the one true God. Above all, the plagues demonstrate God’s love for his children and the nation of Israel.
Moral Education: The plagues function as living lessons in moral and spiritual awakening, meant to instill a recognition of divine authority, justice, and the importance of morality in governance.
The Ultimate Purpose of Redemption in the story of the Exodus is to educate the children of Israel and their descendants that God is faithful to keep His promises. God will sweep away every obstacle and ruler of this world and change the rules of nature to save and redeem. He shows the world and Israel that He is the same God that called Abraham from Ur and Haran and gave him the land of Canaan as an inheritance.
The plagues were righteous, just, and part of a larger narrative that ultimately established an eternal covenantal relationship between God and the Israelite nation. This covenant is a witness and demonstration of God’s faithfulness to His world and especially to His chosen children, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
“Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families and kill the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssops, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. It will come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. And it shall be, when your children say to you, “What do you mean by this service?’ that you shall say, “It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’” So the people bowed their heads and worshiped. Then the children of Israel went away and did so; just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.” (Exodus 12:21-28 NKJV)
There is one mind candy you should learn:
What happened to Pharaoh’s daughter who saved Baby Moses from the waters of the Nile River, and what is her name?
Here is the answer:
In the movie “Moses,” directed by De Mill, Pharaoh’s daughter leaves Egypt with the children of Israel and crosses the Red Sea. Read 1 Chronicles 4:18:
“His wife Jehudijah bore Jered, the father of Gedor, Heber, the father of Sochoh, and Jekuthiel, the father of Zanoah. And these were the sons of Batyah, the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took.”
The Hebrew name Batyah means “daughter of God!“