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EXODUS X: 1-XIII: 16
The people had to be prepared for the exodus from Egypt. Even the great leader of the Hebrew people, Moshe, was initially unwilling to perform the task. He argued that he did not have the ability to speak, to present convincing arguments before the Pharaonic court. It is possible that at the beginning of the mission that God entrusted to him Moshe was not totally convinced of the justice of the cause. It was difficult for him to explain the benefits of freedom. How could he convince a group of slaves that the Matsa, the bread of poverty in an environment of freedom, was preferable to any delicacy in an environment of slavery?
The ten plagues that God sent had a triple purpose: first, to soften Pharaoh’s “hardened heart”. Second, to convince the Hebrews that the relative “security” of slavery was worth abandoning notwithstanding the uncertainty and danger they would face in the future.
And, finally, make Moshe and Aharon feel secure in their leadership. However, the initial difficulty was to convince themselves that every effort and hardship are justified when it comes to freedom, the possibility of governing one’s own destiny.
Each of the plagues had that triple purpose, in addition to demonstrating the weakness of the Egyptian gods in front of the Supreme Being. Beginning with the first, which turned the waters of the Nile River into blood, a basic element of Egyptian worship. This plague was edifying, because it taught that the one Creator dominated nature and there was no force that could oppose Him. The same for the other plagues, until we reach the tenth: the death of the first-born, which directly affected the court of Pharaoh. His firstborn also died on that occasion.
The penultimate plague was darkness. The sun ceased to shine for the Egyptians for three days, while the Hebrews enjoyed the fullness of light in their residences.
Rabbi Baruch Epstein, author of Torah Temima, an extraordinary commentary on the Torah, suggests how this plague should be understood. It should not be forgotten that after the Mabul, the flood, God promised that there would be no change in the order of days, light would be followed by darkness, regularly. Because even the stars had to obey the will of God. How can the phenomenon of darkness be explained? Did the sun cease to shine for a period of seventy-two hours? Furthermore, the Midrash states that the darkness was “thick”, not allowing any human movement. People remained “frozen” in their respective places during this period.
The author of Torah Temima suggests that God did not modify the behavior of the sun. The phenomenon consisted of a kind of membrane that covered the eyes of the Egyptians and, therefore, they were enveloped in darkness. The “thickness” of the membrane is a likely allusion to the “thickness” of the membranes that prevented them from seeing.
It must be deduced that darkness, the equivalent of ignorance and intolerance, is not the result of the absence of light in the universe. Mistrust and fear of the unknown,
hatred and rejection of others are the product of individual blindness. When hatred and resentment, antipathy and revenge are allowed to take over the mood of society, a membrane is created that hides the light and allows the enmity that leads to aggressiveness to surface.
Freedom that was obtained with the exodus from Egypt has to be renewed in each generation. Therefore, we were instructed to celebrate the Seder, the ritually rich and festive meal with which we initiate the celebration of Passover, to remember the bitterness of slavery. We must remember that there are external maladies that plague Humanity, however the most perverse are those that we cultivate personally, those that spring from intolerance and enmity. When we stop observing Veahavta lereacha kamocha, when we cease loving our neighbor as ourselves. And that is the “great principle” of the Torah according to Rabi Akiva.
MITSVA: ORDINANCE OF THE TORAH IN THIS PARASHÁ
CONTAINS 9 POSITIVE MITSVOTS AND 11 PROHIBITIONS
4. Exodus I2: 2 Consecrate the months (includes keeping track of the years and calculating the Hebrew calendar)
5. Exodus I2: 6 Ritual sacrifice of the Paschal offering
6. Exodus I2: 8 Eating the meat of the Paschal offering (on the night of Nisan 15, first Seder of Pesach)
7. Exodus 12: 9 Do not eat the Paschal offering when it is cooked or insufficiently roasted
8. Exodus 12:10 Do not allow meat from the Paschal offering to remain until tomorrow
9. Exodus 12:15 Remove all chamets (leavened food) from the house
10. Exodus 2:18 Eat matsa (unleavened bread) on the first night of Pesach
11. Exodus 2:19 Do not possess chamets during Pesach
12. Exodus I2: 20 Do not eat foods containing chamets during Pesach
13. Exodus 2:43 Not to share the Pesach offering with an apostate Jew
14. Exodus 2:45 Do not share the Pesach offering with a partial convert or a gentile resident, even if they have ceased worshiping idols
15. Exodus 2:46 No meat from the Pesach offering should be taken outside the home
16. Exodus 2:46 Do not break a bone from the Pesach offering
17. Exodus 2:48 The uncircumcised cannot eat from the Pesach offering
18. Exodus I3: 2 Sanctify the firstborn in the Land of Israel
19. Exodus I3: 3 You should not eat chamets on Pesach
20. Exodus I3: 7 No chamets should be seen on Jewish property during Pesach
21. Exodus I3: 8 Narrate the events of the exodus from Egypt
22. Exodus I3: 13 Redeem a young donkey
23. Exodus I3: 13 Sever the neck of the first-time donkey if it was not redeemed
