Good Shabbes
I just have to say before beginning how wonderful it feels to have all the people that matter to me crowded into this room. It is really special to know the treks people have made to be with us today. Grandpa and Grandma have overcome an unbelievable number of obstacles to be here, coming all the way from England. This means a lot to me, so thank you to them and everyone else sitting here for sharing this.
Just to warn you, this is on the longer side. So you might want to get comfortable.
When sitting down to read my portion, I had in mind one of the common perceptions of G-d, as loving, kind and merciful. But, as I began to read, it seemed as though G-d did not quite fit this description. Although we are supposed to have an intimate relationship with G-d, this portion suggested to me that perhaps we do not really know G-d. Still as we grow up we become acquainted with different sides of G-d.
Parshah Bo starts in Egypt with the quest of the Israelites for freedom from an oppressive Pharaoh. G-d hardens Pharaoh’s heart and subsequently Egypt is struck by the plagues of locusts and darkness. Before the last plague, the death of the Egyptian first born, G-d tells Moses and Aaron what to do in the holiday of Passover so that their children will not die in the plague. Scared by this final plague, Pharaoh commands the Jewish slaves to leave. Before escaping, they pause only for a moment to follow G-d’s instructions, asking their neighbors for valuables. The parashah ends with a commandment to remember the Passover and what it means through tfillin, a physical sign on one’s arm and forehead, and telling generation after generation.
The way the past generations have told me the story of Exodus was generally through children’s stories. In these stories, the Egyptians and the Pharaoh are portrayed as awful and cruel in the extreme, while G-d, on the other hand, is usually portrayed as loving, kind and parental. And although we see G-d commanding destruction with the plagues and the closing of the sea on the Egyptians, it did not seem that bad because I saw it as legitimate for such evil people as the Egyptians to be killed. And G-d’s role at the end was emphasized, bringing Bnai Israel out of bondage. We went back to some of the actual stories that I was read which we still have in our basement . In Bible Stories for Little Children "The Hebrews had crossed the Sea of Reeds… safely. But the soldiers could not get across. And the Hebrews were free at last. They thanked HaShem. They sang a prayer to G-d. Who is like You, O G-d, among the mighty? Who is like You glorious in holiness, awe inspiring, working wonders? Amen." In the Artscroll Youth Pirkei Avot it said that "Whatever Hashem does is good even if we do not understand why He does something we must have Emunah, faith that it is good." As I grew and learned prayers I still saw descriptions of G-d as the same Kind, merciful parent figure. For example, in the Barch Sheamar prayer that we said this morning, it describes G-d as a "merciful, or compassionate Father."
But when rereading this parsha I was confronted with descriptions of G-d that were much more complex and challenging. For Example, G-D hardens Pharaoh’s heart. G-d makes decisions for Pharaoh but then punishes him for these decisions : In Psukim 1-4 of Bo "Go to Pharaoh for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his courtiers in order that I may display these my signs among them…How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?" Then later,"For if you refuse to let My people go , tomorrow I will bring locusts upon your territory" G-d seems to want to show G-d’s miracles even if they cause destruction. G-d destroys all of the land of Egypt when Pharaoh does not listen to him. It seemed a little much because for one, Pharaoh did not harden his own heart and also Pharaoh did not know G-d previously.
Although this is slightly contradictory, it is not the only time it happens. On the one hand G-d lets the Israelites remain enslaved for 430 years and on the other hand, when Pharaoh does not let them go in a snap G-d brings terrible punishment. So on the whole the characteristics that are shown in Bo seem to be ones that IN A HUMAN we would not like. But maybe for G-d there are better reasons.
So one obvious question is why is there is a difference between the way people seem to perceive G-d versus the way G-d is represented in Bo? As with all questions posed to Jews there are many possible answers. One explanation is that our readings change as we grow up because when stories are geared for young people, generally we do not like to show the more challenging sides of G-d. Similarly as a child grows up, a parent’s role changes so maybe these different perceptions of G-d are because G-d is like a parent who is raising the children of Israel. So G-d might then do what is appropriate to make the nation of Israel grow given circumstances. And therefore in the different situations of t’fillah, approaching G-d on a day-to-day basis, versus our history, the birth of our nation G-d would interact differently. Perhaps it is not G-d who changes but our relationship with G-d. One way of understanding this is that G-d is so big that we cannot know all of G-d and so we relate to different sides of G-d in different circumstances.
This can be seen in the prayer Avinu Malkenu said around Yom Kippur, the annual day of repentance. In just the title two main characteristics of G-d are named: Avinu, which means our father and Malkenu, which is defined as our King. The Father title seems to represent the close, approachable , caring, and forgiving side of G-d that I was more acquainted with as a smaller person. The Kingly side of G-d seems to me to be the side that holds people accountable and punishes them. This is especially relevant now that I am becoming a Bat-mitzvah and with have to be responsible for my own deeds.
But both roles of Avinu and Malkenu are important because on Yom Kippur G-d has to be punishing so that there’s a reason to repent and people have to be accountable of their sins and mitzvoth which are elements of the Malkenu side. But you also hope G-d is forgiving so that repentance can achieve something, and you can explore and make mistakes like a parent would allow which is more the Avinu side of G-d.
But this raises another question. Why is G-d displaying these different roles at these times? As to why G-d is more Avinu like in Prayer, it seems obvious. It seems as though in t’fillah people must approach G-d and therefore we hope that G-d is forgiving and listening.
So why is there a Kingly G-d in Bo? Especially since after 430 years in Egypt Bnai Israel does not really know G-d, and G-d might want to be approachable. Again, there are several possibilities. One is that Bnai Israel doesn’t know what it means to have a compassionate leader and won’t respect one. An idea inspired by the Etz Hayim Chomash is that G-d could appear this way to make the point that G-d not Pharaoh, or any other human, is freeing the Israelites from Egypt (p351 Etz H) G-d uses all of the plagues and afflictions leading up to the exodus to show Bnai Israel, Egypt and all other nations that it was really G-d releasing them from bondage. A linked idea is that G-d might be trying to teach us compassion for those still in bondage and gratefulness for our freedom which would not have been learned if Bnai Israel had come easily out of Egypt.
Another possible reason as to why the Kingly side of G-d appears in Bo is because Bnai Israel is just getting acquainted with G-d and freedom. Therefore they do not know G-d, but only know what it means to have a king. However in this explanation would G-d then be falling to Pharaoh’s level, or letting one of G-d’s creation’s actions determine G-d’s own actions.
A related idea, is that G-d is doing something like many teachers do. Setting up authority before softening up. In this scenario, G-d’s actions show that G-d is powerful and has authority. The Israelites probably needed these actions because they had not seen any leader as worth following unless he was powerful. This may have been one of the reasons that Moses was not sure if the Israelites would believe him, which is pasuk 1 of chapter 4. Later on G-d becomes more approachable and allows Moses and Bnai Israel to the behold G-d to an extent at Mt. Sinai.
In pasuk one G-d says "Go to Pharaoh for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his courtiers in order that I may display these my signs among them and that you may recount in the hearing of your sons and of your son’s sons how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I displayed my signs among them – in order that you may know that I am the Lord." This suggests that the point of the plagues is to have humans recognize G-d. The quote also shows the moving from physical signs such as the plagues to a spiritual understanding, the belief in G-d. But even now that we have recognize G-d, there are still physical things that are very important to the nation of Israel. For instance T’fillin and the Pascal lamb are two THINGS to remind us of G-d. This too is tied to growing up because the mezuzah originated from the wiping of blood of the Pascal lamb on the doorposts. This movement from sacrifice to prayer is one that shows how the Jewish people grew up and not just individuals. This generational evolution is linked when G-d commands Bnai Israel to "recount in the hearing of your sons" As the people grow up it shows a reason why G-d changed from Malkenu to Avinu. This growing up of the nation is especially relevant now that I am becoming a Bat-Mitzvah and trying to understand my relationship with G-d, Both the parental and kingly sides.
Good Shabbes