Parashat Bo (come) Exodus 10:1 - 13:16
HafTorah Jeremiah 46:13 -28

Dear friends,
This Shabbat marks the Bar Mitzvah anniversary of Gregory Cohen, and we will celebrate it as on Saturday morning, he is called to the Torah with his father for the Kohane Aliyah, followed by a Kiddush luncheon sponsored by his parents Paula and Barry Cohen. All are invited and encouraged to join with the Cohen family and your synagogue family to mark this happy occasion.
We launch the month of February and the month of Shevat as we continue to read and study the Torah's Book of Exodus (Shemot). This Shabbat, as we read that final third of the portion of "Bo" (12:29-13:16), we encounter the final and deadliness of all the plagues, that of the slaying of the first born of Egypt and the hasty preparation for the multitude of now 600,000+ Hebrews as they begin their journey from slavery to freedom. as we now know too well, there is often a terrible price to pay for that freedom and innocent people on all sides are harmed. Pharoh's interagency hurts not only his slaves, but all of his subjects resulting in the most horrifying plague upon all of his people. How much better would it have been for him to keep his word and exercise the art of compromise than to remain hard-hearted!
Another concept covered in this week's portion is that of reparations. How much does the offending party (in this case the Egyptian people) owe those who they have offended? After all, the average Egyptian wouldn't have been consulted in Pharoh's unwise decisions and yet they are asked to "loan" gold and silver to the departing former slaves, gold and silver that will ultimately be utilized in the construction in the wilderness of the Mishkan, the portable ark. The concept of reparations has come up numerous times in subsequent history most notably after the Holocaust and most recently, concerning the families of former slaves in the US. My own father and other relatives and friends received reparation payments (referred to as "pensions" from the German government throughout their lifetimes. One interpretation which justifies this practice as "payment for lost wages" that the Hebrews endured for over 400 years of slavery in Egypt.
Our reading concludes with the commandment to observe the Passover by eating unleavened bread and to delineate the significance of the "first born males" as we remember the fate of the first born in Egypt. To this day, first-born Jewish males are "redeemed" through the practice of Pidyan Haben and also observe a day of fasting on the eve of Passover to remember what occurred in Egypt long ago.
So please join us this evening at 7:30 pm and tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 9:30 am as we pray and study and help Gregory celebrate his special day. See you in shul in-person or virtually on Zoom,
Ron Becker,
Spiritual Leader
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