COME

Moses and Aaron with Pharaoh by Mark Chagal

The week's Torah portion is called Parshah "Bo" (בֹּ֖א).  It begins in Exodus 10:1.

“The Lord said to Moses: "Come (Bo) 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,"

[Note: I have seen Bo translated as "go," but I can assure you the Hebrew word is "come."]

I did another blog post on the same Torah verse just the a couple of days ago. Here is link to "Answering the Call."

The entire portion includes Exodus 10.1-13.6 and cover several key events in the history of the Hebrew Israelites: 

• 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.
• 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. They depart so hastily that there is no time for their dough to rise, and the only provisions they take along are unleavened. 
• Before they go, they ask their Egyptian neighbors for gold, silver and garments—fulfilling the promise made to Abraham that his descendants would leave Egypt with great wealth.
• The children of Israel are commanded to consecrate all firstborn, and to observe the anniversary of the Exodus each year by removing all leaven from their possession for seven days, eating matzah (unleavened bread), and telling the story of their redemption to their children. They are also commanded to wear tefillin on the arm and head as a reminder of the Exodus and their resultant commitment to G‑d."

I want to focus on the word Bo (Come) in the bible.

"Come" in the Bible is a powerful word of divine invitation, calling people to draw near to God for rest, salvation, repentance, and spiritual nourishment. It is seen that way in the Gospel's such as with Yeshua's invitations "Come to Me, all who are weary" (Matthew 11:28) and the final call in Revelation for all to "Come" and receive the water of life. "Come" signifies a spiritual movement, often requiring a change of heart or action, accepting God's promises. 

Key Meanings & Examples:

Invitation to Presence: God invites people to "Come now, let us reason together" for reconciliation (Isaiah 1:18).

Call to Follow Jesus: Jesus tells disciples, "Come, follow Me," leading to deeper understanding and life (John 1:39, Matthew 9:9).

Promise of Rest: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28-30).

Spiritual Thirst: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink" (John 7:37).

Final Invitation: The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come. And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come; let theĺ. one who desires take the free gift of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17). 

In essence, "come" is a fundamental biblical theme representing God's persistent outreach and the human response needed to receive.

In our Exodus story, Moses is answering a call. "Come" is not a commandment to "Go" (לֵ֧ךְ) like Adonai gave Jonah. 

Jonah 1:2—Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim against it, for their evil has come before Me.

Gematria Clues:

When I am studying out words and letters, I like to see if Hebrew gematria offers any clues. 

"Come" in Hebrew "Bo" is spelled בֹּ֖א Bet Aleph 

בּ is 2

א is 1

So Bo's gematria value is 3. 

 

"Father" in Hebrew "Av" is spelled אב Aleph Bet 
א is 1
בּ is 2
So Father's gematria value is 3. 

So we have 2 3's. (2 3's is 6 or 6 is 2 3's)

The first 3 letters in the Hebrew aleph-bet equal 6.

א - 1
בּ - 2
ג - 3 

1+2+3=6

So both Bo and Av point to the third letter in the Hebrew Aleph-Bet, which is Gimel. Gimel has a value of 3.  

Gimel (3) in Hebrew is where we get the word for camel, "gamal" (גָמָל) which begins with the letter gimmel, is intimately related to the letter's symbolism of movement, elevation, and charity. Historically representing a camel, the gimmel signifies the "lifted up" nature of the animal and its ability to carry (nourish) others, as well as the concept of running to perform acts of kindness. 

Meditate on the letter Gimel (3).