Parshat Bo

The New Calendar

This week's parsha contains one of my favorite comments in Chief Rabbi Hertz's classical Torah commentary. He argues that the plague of darkness was a total solar eclipse and therefore, using a calculation of when ancient Egypt experienced a total solar eclipse, he says that the plague of darkness occurred on March 13, 1335 BCE. He goes on to say that since Jewish tradition states that the darkness was on Nissan 1, he concludes that the Exodus from Egypt took place on March 27, 1335 BCE!!!

Nevertheless, it is interesting that the Torah does not give us any dates whatsoever, when it comes to plotting the course of the exodus. We have no idea when the plagues began and how long the whole process took. Was it a few months or even a year, o perhapd more? We have no idea.

There are some hints. For example, when Moshe tells Pharaoh about the havoc the hailstones caused he says: "though the flax and the barley have been broken, for the barley is in the ear, and the flax is in the stalk. The wheat and the spelt, however, have not been broken because they ripen late" (Shemot 9:31-32). From here we can see that the hailstones must have occurred in sometime in Jany/February, after the ripening of the flax, but before the ripening of the wheat.

Nevertheless, it is still hard to chart a timeline for the whole process. Yet, on the verge of the Exodus, God states: "This month shall be to you the head of the months; to you it shall be the first of the months of the year" (ibid 12:2). From this point onwards, Israel has calendar and the Torah begins to chart events, for example, "In the third month of the children of Israel's departure from Egypt, on this day they arrived in the desert of Sinai" (ibid 19:1) and "The Lord spoke to Moses…on the first day of the second month, in the second year after the exodus from the land of Egypt" (Bemidbar 1:1).

We must therefore ask the question, why events prior to the Exodus are not dated, or better, what message is the Torah teaching us by only instituting the calendar at this juncture?

In order to answer to this question, we must understand that in this week's parsha, Israel is about to undergo a fundamental change. Israel is going from slavery to freedom.

Slaves do not have any free time. Their time is not their own, they must be constantly available for their master at all times. Time is not a concept they have. It is not a concept that Israel had. How long did the whole process take? It's possible that Israel did not know!

Yet, this would change at the tenth plague. Israel would then be free. One of the symbols that God gave them, to help them internalize this factor, is the institution of a calendar. Israel is now given human dignity, they are now in control of their time.

Last year's Sedra Short on Parshat Bo, entitled: " The Exodus" appears at http://parshablog.blogspot.com/2008/01/parshat-bo-exodus-towards-end-of-this.html.

Another Sedra Short on Parshat Bo, entitled: "They will Go Forth with Great Possessions" appears at http://parshablog.blogspot.com/2007/01/parshat-bo-they-will-go-forth-with.html.

A further Sedra Short on Parshat Bo, entitled: "The Humiliation of Ra" appears at http://parshablog.blogspot.com/2006/01/parshat-bo-humiliation-of-ra-10.html

Parshat Bo

The Exodus

Towards the end of this week's parsha, the children of Israel leave Egypt after a period of 430 years in Egypt.

The Torah gives two separate reports of the Exodus:

"It came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, and it came to pass on that very day, that all the legions of the Lord went out of the land of Egypt" (Shemot 12:41).

And…

"It came to pass on that very day, that the Lord took the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt with their legions" (ibid 51).

Only ten pesukim separate these two accounts. Indeed, the language of these two pesukim is extraordinarily similar. Most notable is the double use of the rare expression "on that very day" (בעצם היום הזה).

Interestingly enough, this expression appears again twice in quick succession in two separate accounts of Avraham's circumcision.

"Avraham took Yishmael his son and all those born in his house and all those purchased with his money, every male of the people of Avraham's household, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, as God had spoken with him" (Bereshit 17:23).

And…

"On that very day, Abraham was circumcised, and[so was]Ishmael his son, all the people of his household, those born in his house and those bought with money from foreigners, were circumcised with him" (ibid 26:27).

Once again, both these pesukim give exactly the same information. Why is there a need for two almost identical accounts in quick succession?

If we examine the pesukim carefully, we will notice that while they are very similar, in one aspect, they are very different.

The first account of both stories is written in the active, while the second account of both stories is written in the passive.

In the first account of the Exodus, Israel leaves Egypt; while in the second account, they are taken out of Egypt.

In the first account of the circumcision, Avraham actively circumcises everyone; while in the second account, everyone is circumcised.

These two ideas represent humans doing the will of God, with God accepting their actions. While we all look for God's help in our lives, we must recognize that in order for Him to intervene in our lives, we must first go forward and be an active partner.

Last year's Sedra Short on Parshat Bo, entitled: "They will Go Forth with Great Possessions" appears at http://parshablog.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html.

Another Sedra Short on Parshat Bo, entitled: "The Humiliation of Ra" appears at http://parshablog.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_parshablog_archive.html