The Exodus from Egypt took place in the springtime. In Parsha Bo (Shmot 13:4) we come across a statement that seems obvious: Today, in the month of Aviv, you are leaving. Rashi asks: Did B’nai Yisrael not know in which month they went out? Rather, this is what was...
In Parshat Bo, Shmot 10:22 we read: Moshe stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was total darkness in the entire land of Egypt for three days. Each of the plagues was a punishment measure for measure for what the Egyptians did to B’nai Yisrael. Darkness...
Sponsored by Sharona & Josh Halickman in Memory of Rebecca de Beer, Rivka bat Yirat Sara z”l In Parshat Bo, Shmot 12:1-2 we learn about Rosh Chodesh: “God said to Moshe and Aharon in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the...
In Parshat Bo, after the plagues, we read about the Exodus from Egypt (Shmot 12:51):On that very day, Good took B’nai Yisrael out of Egypt in their multitudes (al tzivotam).One way to read the word “tzivotam” is by their hosts. In other words, the...
Even before B’nai Yisrael left Egypt they were already commanded to eat matzah.In Parshat Bo (Shmot 12:8), they received the mitzvah to eat matzah with the Korban Pesach (Pascal Lamb):They shall eat the meat that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the...
In Parshat Bo we read (Shmot 12:40):The habitation of B’nai Yisrael living in Egypt lasted 430 years.Where did the number 430 come from?According to Rashi, 430 is the sum total of all of the settlements of our forefathers in other lands plus their years in...
In Parshat Shmot (Shmot 3:20-22), God promised Moshe: “And I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt with all of my wonders which I will do in their midst: and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of Egypt: and it...
In Memory of my grandfather, David Margolin z”l on his 36th YahrzeitDifferent people have different reactions when they hear about Pesach. The children get excited since they get an extra long break from school. Vacationers look forward to their trip. But...
When Israel was in Egypt’s land,Let my people go!Oppressed so hard they could not stand,Let my people go!Go down Moses, Way down in Egypt’s landTell old Pharaoh To Let my people go!Many of us are familiar with “Go Down Moses”, the spiritual...
Sponsored by The Sports Rabbi www.sportsrabbi.comAs we read through the plagues, we find species that occasionally affect our lives including frogs, lice and locusts. We often encounter these and other “pests” when we are stuck in a bad situation such...
Sponsored by Josh and Sharona Halickman in memory of Jeannette Frankel z”lThere are many differences between how the first Pesach was celebrated in Egypt, right before the exodus and how we celebrate Pesach today.In Egypt, God instructed Moshe (Shmot...
Health experts are constantly reminding us that we should stay away from fast food as it is not good for you. Was there fast food in the days of the Torah? Was it healthier than the fast food that we have today? While reading Parshat Bo we encounter two...
In Parshat Bo, we learn the laws that applied to the first Pesach which took place in Egypt. In Shmot 12:21 we read: “Moshe called to all the elders of Israel and he said to them, “Draw out (mishchu) and take (ukchu) for yourselves lambs according...
In Parshat Bo we learn about the season when the Exodus took place. We read in Shmot 13:4: “On this day you went out (from Egypt), in the month of Aviv.” A few questions come up here:Why is the month called Aviv? Isn’t Aviv the name of the...
In Parshat Bo, Shmot 10:21-23 we read: “God said to Moshe: Stretch out your hand toward the sky and there will be darkness over the land of Egypt. The darkness will be tangible. Moshe stretched out his hand toward the sky and there was total darkness in the...
In Breisheet 15:13-16, God makes a promise to Avraham stating: “Know with certainty that your offspring shall be aliens in a land that is not their own, they will serve them and they will oppress them for four hundred years. But also the nation that they...
When reading the Parshiot which deal with the plagues and the Exodus, one may wonder why it is necessary to hear the story now and then again on Pesach. Actually, the mitzvah of remembering the Exodus from Egypt is performed every day when we recite the end of...
The first Mitzvah that is formally given to Moshe even before the Jewish people leave Egypt is the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh (the new moon)."This month shall be reckoned to you as the head of the months. It shall be to you the first of the months of the year (Parshat...
In Parshat Bo, Shmot 10:8, Pharaoh asks Moshe who he would be taking to the desert to worship God.Moshe’s answer is (10:9) “With our young and with our old we will go. With our sons and with our daughters, with our sheep and with our cattle, for it is a...