This week tells the story of the actual Exodus from Egypt -- the last three of the Ten Plagues; the commandment to observe the Passover feast; and the actual act of leaving. It marks the birth of the Jewish people as a nation.
And yet despite the fact that the portion is about an exodus -- a "leaving" -- the title of the portion is called "Bo" in Hebrew, meaning "come." The name comes from the first passage: "The Lord said to Moses: 'Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, in order that I may place these signs of Mine in his midst.'" (Genesis 10:1)
Obviously, the context of "come" refers to "coming" to Pharaoh, and not "coming" out of Egypt -- but here, too, the usage is odd. Why not command Moses to "go" to Pharaoh? Why does God say "come," as if inviting Moses?
One answer is that God is the prime mover behind the whole narrative -- even controlling Pharaoh's own heart -- so that in ordering Moses to "come" to Pharaoh, he is also telling Moses to "come" to Him and continue the fulfillment of his plan for the Israelites.
Another answer is that sometimes, in leaving a bad situation, we are conscious of the cost of making that decision, but we should be more aware of what we gaining by walking away -- that we are "coming" into our own, into who we are.
It can be tough to walk away from a job or a relationship that isn't working out -- and many people stay in those situations because of the costs of leaving -- but when we leave, we may "come" to our destiny, returning rather than leaving.
https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading.asp?aid=2492615&p=complete&jewish=Bo-Torah-Reading.htm
This week'd portion begins the book of Numbers. Interestingly, the Hebrew name for the book is "In the Desert," not "Numbers." The portion, which happens to be my bar mitzvah portion, focuses almost as much on the names of the princes of each tribe as the number of soldiers it fielded. It also focuses on the configuration of the tribal camps around the central Tabernacle and the Levites.
So why "Numbers" instead of "Names" or "Places"? The numbers are, to be sure, a unique feature of the opening of this Biblical book -- but they are not the focus of the rest of the narrative. The Hebrew focuses on the place where the events in the book take place, because essentially this is the narrative of the Israelites' wanderings from Egypt to Israel, across 40 years. We move from the giving of the Torah and the construction of the Tabernacle in Exodus and Leviticus, to the final valediction of Moses in Deuteronomy -- Bamidbar is the story of wandering that happened in between.
The question of ...
This week's portion begins with the laws of the Sabbath and the Sabbatical year, and the Jubilee year that restores all land to its original (tribal) owners. It also explores laws of property and labor that will apply in the Land of Israel, and the laws of vows and inheritance.
The Israelites are presented -- not for the last time -- with the essential moral choice that they must face, and the rewards for choosing well, along with the consequences for choosing poorly.
We learn that doing good things will earn God's protection from enemies. That does not mean that victims of terror, God forbid, were sinful. But it does mean that we can respond to evil by committing ourselves to a higher path.
This week's portion describes the major sacrifices that are to be offered by the Jewish people, including those that are offered only by the priestly Kohen class, and physical requirements of the people (men) who serve in that role.
Inter alia, there are interesting commandments -- such as an injection to treat animals with respect and care, first, by letting a mother animal nurse her offspring for a week before being offered in any sacrifice; and second, by refraining from slaughtering an animal and its offspring on the same day.
The commandments regarding animals remind us of the purpose of those regarding human beings: to uphold a divine connection, through ritual.
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111878/jewish/Rabbi-Isaac-Luria-The-Ari-Hakodosh.htm
