Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Bo/0/he

נושאים לשולחן שבת – פרשת בא

Do Two Wrongs Make a Right?

Twice in the early chapters of Shemot, Hashem seems to command the nation to deceive Paroh and/or the Egyptians.  Hashem tells Moshe to ask Paroh for only a three day furlough in the Wilderness, while His real intent is for them to leave for good.  Later, he instructs the nation to request items of gold and silver from their Egyptian neighbors even though the objects are not to be returned.

• Why isn't Hashem upfront with Paroh about His plans? What was gained by requesting just a short holiday? And finally, was Paroh really duped? Attempt to bring evidence in both directions, וראו "דרך שלשת ימים"?
• When the Egyptians gave of their vessels, did they intend them as loans, anticipating that the Israelites would be returning, or as outright gifts knowing full well that the Israelites were leaving forever? If the latter, should the Israelites' actions be considered theft?  ראו פיצויים לעבדות וניצול מצרים.
• In each of the above cases, was the duplicity justified?  Why or why not? In general, when is deception of the enemy allowed?  Does the fact that one was unjustly treated permit dishonesty in return?

Mitzvot for the Masses?

Is it possible that certain commandments were given only because of the misguided beliefs of the masses?

• ר' יוסף אבן כספישמות ד':כ"השמות י"ב:י"גאודות ר' יוסף אבן כספי posits that the blood of the Pesach which was smeared on the doorposts had no effect on either Hashem or the destroying angel, but was intended merely to allay the fears of the Israelite masses.  The people (erroneously) believed that blood was a panacea to allay tension, and so Hashem went along with their perception so as to prevent panic during מכת בכורות.  להרחבה והבנות נוספות של הטקס, ראו מטרת פסח מצרים.¹
• לדוגמאות נוספות בהן פרשנים מציעים עמדות דומות, ראו ביאורי שד"ל על טומאת צרעת ועל "עין הרע" ומחצית השקל – למניין או למשכן?, והבנת רמב"ם לגבי מטרת הקרבנות.

Prophetic Autonomy

In two instances in Parashat Bo, Moshe speaks in the name of Hashem and invokes Divine authority, even though there is no previous record of Hashem having communicated the particular content.  בפרק י', Moshe confronts Paroh on Hashem's command, but, seemingly on his own initiative, announces the Plague of Locusts in God's name.  בדומה, בפרק י"א, though Hashem tells Moshe that there will be one final plague, it is Moshe himself who first announces in God's name that this plague will kill the firstborns.

• Is it possible for a prophet to speak on his own initiative and to then attribute that speech back to Hashem?  Or need one assume that, despite the textual silence, Hashem must have given the directions beforehand?
• How much autonomy does a prophet have?  Is he simply Hashem's mouthpiece, or is he allowed to act on his own?  If the latter, is it possible for a prophet to make a mistake?  ראו פעילות בשם ה' ללא צו מפורש של ה'.

The Israelites' Religious Identity in Egypt

According to several commentators,² the slaughtering of the Pesach symbolized the Israelite rejection of Egyptian idolatry.  This position assumes that the Israelites had assimilated in Egypt and needed to demonstrate their loyalty to God in order to merit redemption (ראו מטרת פסח מצרים).

• Is there any evidence in Shemot to support the claim that the Israelites had forsaken Hashem and adopted foreign gods? מה היה זהותם הדתית של בני ישראל במצרים?
• What does it mean to be "religious" in an era before the Torah was given?  Was there anything (beyond monotheism) that would have marked the Israelites as distinct from their Egyptian neighbors?³

The Reparations Debate

Many explain that the Egyptians gave gold and silver vessels to the Israelites prior to their leaving Egypt as compensation for years of enslavement. 

• If you were living in Egypt at the time, would you be willing to accept such reparations?
• Compare with the debates which raged in Israel in the early 1950s over the propriety of requesting and accepting West German reparations. לעוד, ראו דברי בעל האזנים לתורה בפיצויים לעבדות וניצול מצרים.

עוד...

לעוד נושאים בפרשה, ראו: רשימת נושאים – פרשת בא.

¹ ראו הסברו הדומה להקזת דם על ידי ציפורה בתעלומת סיפור המלון.

² לשתי דוגמאות, ראו שמות רבהט"ז:ב'אודות שמות רבה ובמדבר רבהנשא י"גאודות במדבר רבה.

³ עיינו אבות ומצוות לדיון בשאלה האם האבות שמרו מצוות בכלל.