Parshat ha Shavuah Verses – Bo – Noshing Across the Nation

“Go!”, He said. “Don’t ask for reasons, do as I say”
Your people will leave this cursed place
And you will be the leader. Now and forever.

כב וַיֵּט מֹשֶׁה אֶת-יָדוֹ, עַל-הַשָּׁמָיִם; וַיְהִי חֹשֶׁךְ-אֲפֵלָה בְּכָל-אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים.	22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days;
כג לֹא-רָאוּ אִישׁ אֶת-אָחִיו, וְלֹא-קָמוּ אִישׁ מִתַּחְתָּיו–שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים; וּלְכָל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיָה אוֹר, בְּמוֹשְׁבֹתָם.	23 they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

Where is everyone?
I see nothing!
How can I get up even?
My gods don’t help me, Why is this Hebrew Gd so powerful?

מא וַיְהִי, מִקֵּץ שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה, וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת, שָׁנָה; וַיְהִי, בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, יָצְאוּ כָּל-צִבְאוֹת יְהוָה, מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם.	41 And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the host of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.
מב לֵיל שִׁמֻּרִים הוּא לַיהוָה, לְהוֹצִיאָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם: הוּא-הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה לַיהוָה, שִׁמֻּרִים לְכָל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְדֹרֹתָם. }	42 It was a night of watching unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt; this same night is a night of watching unto the LORD for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.

“All the host of the LORD went out”. On a day like today, when for the third time in a month Jewish institutions in this blessed land of the USA were targeted with, thank Gd, false bomb threats, I am back to thinking about our permanence here, in this country, or any other country for that matter. For the longest of times, I have been hoping to live in the only land all the Jews need to move to – Eretz Yisrael. Unfortunately, I understand too well my inability to preach this subject. As a person that until now had not had a chance to make aliyah due to family reasons, I have no right to even try to convince other people to do it. However, I do realize that one day we will all be there. The earlier the better.

We do have the sign of the strength of the LORD, we just need to recognize it, remember it, and act when we hear “Bo – בֹּא‎”.

טז וְהָיָה לְאוֹת עַל-יָדְכָה, וּלְטוֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ: כִּי בְּחֹזֶק יָד, הוֹצִיאָנוּ יְהוָה מִמִּצְרָיִם. }

16 And it shall be for a sign upon thy hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes; for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt.’

May we have the desire to listen, the intelligence – שֵׂכֶל־ to understand and the courage to go!