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Drash
for Shabbat Bo This week's Torah portion deals with the final three plagues brought upon the Egyptians. Moses warns Pharaoh that the final plague will be coming at midnight and that God will go through the houses and kill every firstborn male, man or beast. This ultimate display of God’s power finally persuades Pharaoh to let the Jewish people leave Egypt and end their enslavement. Just prior to the event, Moses tells the Jewish people that God commands that they feast that evening on a roasted lamb to be eaten only with unleavened bread and then place the lambs’ blood on the door posts of their houses. God explains that the reason for placing the lambs’ blood on their door frame is to identify them as Jews to be ‘passed over’ and spared. If we think about this, why would God, the all-knowing, need a sign on the door frames to identify where the Jews are living? It would seem that God does not! How can this be explained? We can assume that God, the creator of man, must have had a motive. One explanation might be that man needs symbols and reminders to keep his faith alive. Do these symbols and rituals reinforce religious concepts? Could it be that these actions are what man needs in order to strengthen the message? Similarly, do Jews need to affirm their faith in God for their own growth? Would we ever have joined together as a people if we did not take those steps of placing the lambs’ blood on the door frame, eating unleavened bread or by performing circumcision? Evidently the idea of trusting in God was not enough. This faith needs to be reaffirmed with actions. These are questions that have been asked and debated for ages and will continue as long as we survive as a people. Regardless of the various reasons or explanations, in Judaism we have so many wonderful symbols and rituals to join us as a people and keep our faith alive. Lighting the Shabbat candles, sharing a Passover Seder or the B’nai Mitzvah of our children are such wonderful traditions and rituals. They remind us of our past and instill the values and traditions for the future of Judaism. Shabbat Shalom.
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