Tonight I'll be giving a short Torah teaching, known as a "D'Var" (a word) for my Jewish Federation of Dutchess County January 2026 board meeting. Here's what I have planned.
TITLE: ANWERING THE CALL
I think it's fair to say that you all know "the story" at least on the surface of this week's Parshah. Exodus 10:1-13:16--Parshah Bo. "Bo" means come. It's actually how I call my sheep.
Our portion picks up in Exodus 10:1 at the 8th plague. It marks a pivotal moment in the Jewish people's story, where God reveals His purpose in hardening Pharaoh's heart and that of his servants before the final plagues, setting the stage for a display of divine sovereignty, judgment, and what will become Israel's enduring testimony.
Exodus 10:1-2
The Lord said to Moses: "Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, in order that I may place these signs of Mine in his midst, and in order that you tell into the ears of your son and your son's son how I made a mockery of the Egyptians, and [that you tell of] My signs that I placed in them, and you will know that I am the Lord." |
Pharaoh's repeated defiance invites God's stern hand and the final three "signs" among the Egyptians. God hardens Pharaoh's heart to ensuring the plagues culminate in a full display of His power rather than an early concession that would diminish the full revelation on the Passover.
Hashem states one of His core intents: intergenerational testimony —"that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson"— God commands Moses to transmit the story of God's harsh dealings with Egypt, embedding it in Israel's memory. This ensures perpetual knowledge that "I am the Lord," linking the plagues to covenant identity and a warning for future generations.
The larger story challenges simplistic views of authority, justice, and personal biases. Pharaoh drowns in the Reed Sea pursuing Israel (Exodus 14:28), ending his tyranny abruptly. On the other hand, the Exodus generation, spared that fate and despite signs and miracles, perishes miserably in the wilderness over 40 years (Numbers 14:29-35), their corpses littering the desert.
Poetic Justice and Irony
The freed slaves, sparred by the blood of the Passover lamb, reject the land flowing with milk and honey—craving Egypt's "fleshpots" (Numbers 11:5)—and die not by flood or sword but from slow attrition: thirst, plague, fire, serpents (Numbers 16-21) with their unmarked graves mirroring Pharaoh's watery tomb.
Shared Failure of Sight
Both succumb to spiritual blindness: Pharaoh ignores plagues, the Hebrews ignore manna and cloud. Neither grasps "I am the Lord" (10:2)—Pharaoh defies, Israel doubts. Pharaoh's pride drowns him, the slaves' unbelief buries their generation in the wilderness.
Conclusion
I'll conclude with a few hypothetical questions to help us learn about ourselves:
If you knew that you would die grumbling in the desert, would you have left Egypt?
Would you have had the courage and faith to trust God and follow Caleb's report, or would you have listened to the other spies?
It's easy to say in hindsight. But what about today? If you don't believe the Passover happened as it's explained in our Torah, what makes you so sure that in your unbelief you aren't missing signs today? What makes our generation better than the generation who died in the desert?