Thought for the Week

This week in Parashat Bo, we begin with the Israelites very close to freedom, after 430 years of slavery. The commandment to remember we were slaves/strangers in the land of Egypt appears 36 times in the Torah, the most repeated mitzvah of all 613. From generation to generation, we examine this text in order to find contemporary connections that bring us light. At the moment that our ancestors are about to be redeemed, why then is it so important for them to carry with them such dark memories?

The first half of our portion is literally covered in darkness, from the swarming locusts darkening the sky, through the blanket of dark that enveloped the Egyptians, to the dark night within which the first-born perished. Since Egyptians worshipped the Sun god, the increasing darkness and destruction clearly showed the superior power of the Israelite God.

Yet all humans feel vulnerable in the dark. At the end of Shabbat, when the very first night arrived for Adam, he was terrified. He could not see, and thus imagined the worst. God helped Adam to find two flints, with which he could make fire and drive away the darkness.[1] Have we changed much since then?

From ancient to modern times, the Hashkivenu prayer is part of our evening services. It speaks to our primordial instincts, as we list our vulnerabilities (some versions retain the ancient text in which we include Satan[2] and swords as specific threats, others may be more universal). We pray for God’s protection through the night. When we open our eyes in the morning light, our first words are modeh/ah ani, i.e., hurrah! Thank you, God – I’m glad I’m still here! [3] We have survived the dark for another day. So, what about the Israelites? We know from the Torah that they were somewhat querulous – how did they respond to the darkness?

In the Torah text, the focus is clearly on what is commanded by God and thus must be done. It is Rashi who mentions some renegade members of the community. He speaks of the “wicked people amongst the Israelites of that generation who had no desire to leave Egypt, and these died during … the darkness”[4]. This was a perspective new to me. The text does say clearly that “all the Israelites enjoyed light in their dwellings”[5], so who were these Israelites apparently in darkness? This verse also tells us that people were isolated from each other, and were unable to move their bodies. For Rashi, perhaps he saw Israelites who did not wish to leave the lives that they knew, as flouting God’s rules, and thus they had something dark within that he saw as “wicked”.

When I read the text, though what I see is definitely a darkness within, the text suggests an emotional paralysis fed by trauma and despair. It demands compassion rather than criticism. Indeed, as we have seen throughout history — and as so many are experiencing right now — those who suffer are not being punished, they are in the middle of a dreadful situation. Some of us survive the darkness and come home, but not everyone returns intact.

Why then are we exhorted to remember our past as slaves and strangers in Egypt, and that God freed us?

We know viscerally what it is like to be vulnerable, and that gives us empathy. Knowing what it is like to be oppressed inspires us to work for justice at all times — for the stranger, the orphan and the widow — for all to whom justice is denied.

That we were redeemed by God cements our partnership with God, which gives us hope of God’s continuing support in our times of need. Having been freed also comes with the responsibility to care for others, especially those who suffer from ‘otherness’. It is tough work, but we do not give up. And when we find ourselves alone in a dark and desperate place, let us turn to the Psalmist and remember:

A song for ascents.
I turn my eyes to the mountains;
from where will my help come?

My help comes from GOD,
maker of heaven and earth.

[God] will not let your foot give way;
your guardian will not slumber.

See, the guardian of Israel
neither slumbers nor sleeps!

GOD is your guardian,
GOD is your protection
at your right hand.

By day the sun will not strike you,
nor the moon by night.

GOD will guard you from all harm,
and will guard your life.

GOD will guard your going and coming
now and forever.[6]

—

[1] Bereshit Rabbah 11.2, the origin of blessing the light at Havdalah

[2] From a Jewish perspective, Satan is an adversary in the Torah, and thereafter develops into a version of yetser ha-ra, the evil inclination that prevents us from following God’s teachings

(see https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/satan-the-adversary/)

[3] Modeh/ah ani, a 17th century prayer that first appears in the work Seder haYom by the 16th century rabbi Moshe ben Machir

[4] Rashi on Ex. 10:22, cf. Midrash Tanchuma Bo 1 & Exodus Rabbah 14:3

5 Exodus 10:23

[6] Psalm 121, Revised JPS 2023