This Shabbat we study the Parshah Bo, meaning “Come” [to Pharaoh]; Exodus 10:1. The last three of the Ten Plagues are visited on Egypt: a swarm of locusts devours all the crops and greenery; a thick, palpable darkness envelops the land; and all the firstborn of Egypt are killed at the stroke of midnight of the 15th of the month of Nissan.

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G-d commands the first mitzvah to be given to the people of Israel: to establish a calendar based on the monthly rebirth of the moon. The Israelites are also instructed to bring a “Passover offering” to G-d: a lamb or kid goat is to be slaughtered, and its blood sprinkled on the doorposts and lintel of every Israelite home, so that G-d should pass over these homes when He comes to kill the Egyptian firstborn. The roasted meat of the offering is to be eaten that night together with matzah (unleavened bread) and bitter herbs. The death of the firstborn finally breaks Pharaoh’s resistance, and he literally drives the children of Israel from his land.

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In this week’s Torah reading, we read of the devastation of the Egyptian nation through the final three of the Ten Plagues. In the haftorah we read of the punishment G-d visited upon Egypt centuries later, through the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

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G-d reveals Egypt’s fate to Jeremiah: “Proclaim it in Egypt and let it be heard in Migdol, and let it be heard in Noph and in Tahpanhes. Say, ‘Stand fast and prepare yourself, for the sword has devoured round about you.’” The prophet then goes on to describe Egypt’s helplessness and the destruction that it will incur at the hands of the Babylonians.

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The haftorah ends with G-d’s assurance to the Jewish people not to fear, for though they too will be punished and exiled, ultimately they will be redeemed: “You fear not, O Jacob My servant, and be not dismayed, O Israel! for behold, I will redeem you from afar, and your children from the land of their captivity, and Jacob shall return and be quiet and at ease, and there shall be none who disturb his rest. You fear not, My servant Jacob, says the L-rd, for I am with you, for I will make a full end of all the nations where I have driven you.”

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Chabad.org

Every day, transcend the limitations and boundaries set for you by this world. Make every day another Exodus from Egypt.

But with two distinctions: Egypt had to be broken. The world must be repaired. We left Egypt. We must stay within the world.

This is the paradoxical path of inner truth: Remain within the world, but escape its grasp. Because in truth the world is good. But as long as you allow the world to dictate your boundaries, it will not show you its truth.

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Rabbi Tzvi Freeman

There is a fundamental difference between bo (come) and lech (go). To go to something may imply no more than a superficial involvement. For example, you may “go” to study Torah and do your learning, but it will not affect you to the fullest extent. You and the subject-matter may remain two separate entities. To come to something, however, implies that the subject-matter will “enter” your mind and heart, affect and influence you to the point of absorbing unification. Everything in the service of G-d must be done in a way of penetrating to one’s very core. The approach of bo (come) hastens the coming of Moshiach and the redemption from the galut (exile),  speedily in our very own days.

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From an article by Rabbi J. Immanuel Schochet

I see miracles all the time. Walking, talking miracles. If I would be on the lookout, I would notice many more of these living miracles. But every once in a while, the miracle just stares me in the eye and it becomes too hard to ignore.

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Like the Holocaust survivor I met, who saw horrors that no mortal eye should see, yet refuses to miss his daily prayers.

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Or the young woman with flaming red curls who approached me after my hair-covering lecture to tell me she plans to cover her beautiful locks once she marries, but wants advice on how to sensitively approach her parents so they don’t feel rejected by her lifestyle change.

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Or the woman who had an abusive childhood and who would be justified in giving in to bouts of depression, but is determined to use her experience instead to grow spiritually and bring joy to our world.

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Or the man I met in a small European town who decided to uproot himself and move to a new country, a new language and a new career in order to find and marry a Jewish woman.

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These are all miracles. The repercussions of each of these nature-defying acts are world-shattering. These are people inspired to bring positive change to their lives. People who don’t allow the natural heavy pull of inertia, pain or disillusionment to hold them back from achieving greatness. People who break all barriers to connect with their divine soul.

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In this week’s Torah portion, after the miraculous ten plagues are visited on the Egyptians, G-d commands Moses, “This month shall be to you the head of the months; to you it shall be the first of the months of the year.” (Exodus 12:2)

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Up until this point, Tishrei, the month of creation, was considered the first month of the year. Although Tishrei still begins the new year, when counting the months Nisan is considered the first month, and Tishrei the seventh.

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When G-d created the world, He set up divine forces, which we call nature, to govern it. Miracles were the exception. Therefore Tishrei, the month in which the world and its natural forces came into being, was considered the primary month.

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But then came the birth of the Jewish people, a nation that would become living, walking miracles. The miraculous Exodus and our subsequent survival throughout our tumultuous history defy the very laws of nature. The existence of the Jewish people proves that when you are attached to G-d and His Torah, you are not subject to natural limitations.

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And the most profound way in which we transcend nature is by fusing heaven and earth, by breaking through our physical and emotional limitations, striving higher and bringing an awareness of an infinite G-d into this finite, material world.

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Here’s to a week full of living miracles!

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Chana Weisberg