Bo – Peninim on the Torah

והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5786

You shall relate to your son on that day. (13:8)

One might ask why the Torah emphasizes bincha, your son, rather than talmidcha, your student? After all, every Jew bears the collective responsibility of v’shinantam l’vanecha, which is explained, “You shall teach Torah to all of Klal Yisrael” – not only to one’s biological children. Why is the father-son relationship underscored? Perhaps the Torah seeks to impart an important message. The foundation of Jewish continuity is bolstered in the yeshivah, bais ha’medrash, Bais Yaakov – but it begins at home. Before one can inspire a talmid he must first connect with his ben. The mitzvah of v’higadeta l’vincha is not…

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זכור את היום הזה אשר יצאתם ממצרים

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5786

Remember this day on which you departed from Egypt. (13:3)

Memory and the joy of remembering seminal moments in our history are among the cornerstones of Jewish life. As such, we are a nation who, although we live in the present, we neither forget nor take for granted the lessons of the past. As Klal Yisrael is about to prepare for its liberation from the Egyptian exile, they were repeatedly exhorted to remember that they were once slaves, and Hashem in His infinite kindness redeemed them from bondage. In the Haggadah, we underscore this obligation with, B’chol dor vador chayiv adam liros es atzmo k’ilu hu yatza mi’Mitzrayim, “In every…

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קדש לי כל בכור פטר כל רחם בבני ישראל באדם ובבהמה לי הוא

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5786

Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first issue of every womb, among Bnei Yisrael, of man and beast, is Mine. (13:2)

Chazal (Pesikta Rabbasi Parsha 14) cited by Horav Yitzchak Zilberstein, Shlita, relates the following story. A Jew owned a cow. This was his sole source of livelihood. Unfortunately, his small parcel of land was not producing sufficiently, forcing him to sell his cow to a gentile. He received a good price which would sustain him until his economic situation would take a positive turn. The gentile was very happy with the cow, and he had it plow his field on a daily basis. Come Shabbos, something strange happened with the cow: it refused to plow. No coaxing, no beating –…

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עד מתי מאנת לענות מפני

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5786

How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? (10:3)

Horav Aharon Leib Shteinman, zl, asks, if we were to bring Pharaoh to trial before the International Court in The Hague — what would this evil man be convicted of? Pharaoh’s sins were monstrous, even by the standards of the most brutal, sadistic tyrants of history. Mass murder, enslavement, cruelty beyond imagination – all crimes against humanity, deserving of the most painful punishment. Yet, the Torah does not list these atrocities as an indictment against Pharaoh. The only thing the Torah writes is: “You refused!” Pharaoh refused to acknowledge Hashem as the One behind the punishment. He ignored the obvious…

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והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא לאמר

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5785

And you shall tell your son on that day. (13:8)

The Rambam (Sefer HaMitzvos 157) writes that it is mandatory for us to remember/reflect on the various trials and tribulations that we experienced in Egypt, so that we can properly pay gratitude to Hashem for saving us. Unless one understands the pain, he is unable to be makir tov, pay gratitude. Horav Yaakov Cohen, zl, delves into Rambam’s source for this comment. Nowhere in the Torah does hakoras hatov play a role in the mitzvah to remember Egypt. He cites the AbudRaham, who quotes Rishonim, who explain the term haggadah, which serves as the seder night’s primer, as being derived…

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ויקחו להם איש שה לבית אבות

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5785

They shall take for themselves – each man – a lamb for a father’s house. (12:3)

The Egyptians suffered through nine makos, plagues, but apparently dug in and refused to budge. The Jewish People were not leaving Egypt. It was now time for the coupe de grace, the finishing blow that would “convince” Pharaoh that Hashem was in control, and He was taking the Jews from them. The tenth plague, smiting the first born, was told to Moshe Rabbeinu during his first encounter with Hashem at the Burning Bush. Yet, Hashem required a prologue before preceding to the final act of makos bechoros. The people were commanded to take a lamb for each family, slaughter and…

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ויהי חשך אפלה בכל ארץ מצרים ... לא ראו איש את אחיו ולא קמו איש מתחתיו

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5785

And there was a darkness of gloom throughout the land of Egypt…No man could see his brother nor could anyone rise from his place. (10:22,23)

In his sefer, Yalkut Chinuch L’Doros, Rabbi Simcha Zissel Dessler, Shlita, quotes a story from Horav Yisrael Meir Lau, Shlita, which is well-worth repeating. Fifty years ago, a place in the center of Tel Aviv’s downtown was where the wagon drivers would line up and wait for passengers who either wanted to travel or to ship their packages. One of these drivers was an observant Jew, by the name of Yoska, who would first participate in the vasikin, sunrise, minyan, and then he was off to work. As time passed, Yoska’s aged horse left this world. Lacking the funds to…

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והיה לך לאות על ידך

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5784

And it should be for you a sign on your arm. (13:9)

Horav Aryeh Levin, zl, the Tzaddik of Yerushalayim, reached out to Jews of all backgrounds and religious persuasions. He made it a point to visit the prisons run by the British and also visit those with contagious diseases, such as leprosy. Indeed, he was one of the few who did this. Certainly, no one of his exalted stature carried out such exalted acts of chesed. During the British Mandate, political prisoners – such as the young, Jewish freedom fighters – were sentenced to the gallows by the British courts. The shadow of death was hardly ever overruled by a pardon….

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קדש לי כל בכור פטר כל רחם

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5784

Sanctify for Me every first born, the first issue of every womb. (13:2)

Chazal (Kiddushin 29b) derive from here that the term b’chor, firstborn, applies only to the firstborn of the mother. A firstborn who is the first for the father, but not the mother, does not become consecrated b’kedushas bechorah, the sanctity of the firstborn. We wonder why this is so? The bechorim are sanctified due to the miracle concerning their salvation when all the heathen firstborn of Egypt were slain. The Jewish firstborn were spared. Regarding the Egyptian firstborn, no distinction was made whether it was the father’s or mother’s firstborn – they all died. Indeed, if no firstborn was in…

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ויצא מעם פרעה בחרי אף

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5784

And he left Pharaoh’s presence in a burning anger. (11:9)

Moshe Rabbeinu finally became angry with Pharaoh, whose irrational, egotistical obstinacy was endangering his entire country. Pharaoh was playing games with Moshe. First, no; then, yes; then, who will go? Finally, when Pharaoh told Moshe not to return unless he despaired for his life, Moshe replied, “I will no longer see your face.” Despite Moshe’s justified anger, he still spoke respectfully to Pharaoh. Indeed, he told Pharaoh that, at the next plague, it will be his slaves who will be coming to him, pleading for an end to the plague. In the end, it was Pharaoh, accompanied by his slaves,…

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והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא

You shall relate to your son on that day. (13:8)

זכור את היום הזה אשר יצאתם ממצרים

Remember this day on which you departed from Egypt. (13:3)

קדש לי כל בכור פטר כל רחם בבני ישראל באדם ובבהמה לי הוא

Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first issue of every womb, among Bnei Yisrael, of man and beast, is Mine. (13:2)

עד מתי מאנת לענות מפני

How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? (10:3)

והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא לאמר

And you shall tell your son on that day. (13:8)

ויקחו להם איש שה לבית אבות

They shall take for themselves – each man – a lamb for a father’s house. (12:3)

ויהי חשך אפלה בכל ארץ מצרים ... לא ראו איש את אחיו ולא קמו איש מתחתיו

And there was a darkness of gloom throughout the land of Egypt…No man could see his brother nor could anyone rise from his place. (10:22,23)

והיה לך לאות על ידך

And it should be for you a sign on your arm. (13:9)

קדש לי כל בכור פטר כל רחם

Sanctify for Me every first born, the first issue of every womb. (13:2)

ויצא מעם פרעה בחרי אף

And he left Pharaoh’s presence in a burning anger. (11:9)

YEARS

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