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Parashah Insights by

Rabbi Yaakov Hillel Rosh Yeshivat Ahavat Shalom

Parashat Bo

Surrounded by Miracles

Miraculous Beginnings

“And Hashem said to Moshe, come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and

the hearts of his servants in order to place these, My signs, in his midst. And in order

that you should tell your son and your grandson what I did in Egypt, and My signs

which I placed on them, and you will know that I am Hashem” (Shmot 10:1-2).

The Torah explicitly tells us that the purpose of all the miracles of the Exodus was

to demonstrate to the Jewish people that Hashem alone is the all-powerful G-d. This

is why every aspect of the Exodus involved spectacular, outright miracles, which

totally contradicted the natural order.

Our Sages tell us that “Ten miracles took place for our ancestors in Egypt and

ten at the Sea. Ten plagues were brought by the Holy One, blessed be He, upon the

Egyptians in Egypt, and ten at the Sea (Avot 5:4). The commentaries explain that the

“ten miracles” are in fact the Ten Plagues. The Bartenura writes that there was a

miracle specific to our ancestors inherent in every Plague – they were spared its

ravages. Only the Egyptians’ water turned to blood during the first Plague, and the

frogs preyed only on them during the second Plague, and so on, throughout all ten

Plagues (see also Commentaries of the Rambam and Rabbenu Yonah). By

overturning the laws of nature in this manner, Hashem taught His nation that He

alone rules the world and decrees all events.

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The miracles did not end when they departed from Egypt. Hashem split the Red

Sea for Israel, with countless miracles openly performed before the nation’s eyes.

Their sojourn in the desert was also accompanied by constant miracles. In the

daytime, they were surrounded on all sides, overhead and underfoot, by the six

Clouds of Glory, with a seventh traveling up ahead as a Pillar of Cloud to guide their

travels. These clouds protected them from the elements, smoothed and leveled the

paths they walked, and eliminated desert snakes and scorpions (Mechilta on Shmot

13:20). Many other miracles were performed by means of the Clouds of Glory. For

example, they deflected the arrows and stones of hostile enemies (Shmot 14:19,

Rashi), cleaned and pressed their clothing, and repaired their shoes (Devarim 8:4,

Rashi). At night, the Pillar of Fire appeared to light their way (Shmot 13:21-22).

The food they ate was manna, literally bread from Heaven, another open miracle

(Shmot 16:15-16). We can gain insight into the spiritual qualities of the manna from

our Sages’ teaching, “The Torah was only given to be expounded by those who eat

manna” (Tanhuma Beshalah 20). The literal meaning of their words is that because

the nation was freed from the burden of earning a livelihood, they were able to

devote their entire time and energies to Torah study.

However, on a more profound level, with these words our Sages describe the

manna itself. It was sanctified, refined, spiritual food, provided for the nation which

was to receive the spiritual Torah. Tosfot, citing the Midrash, writes, “Before a

person prays that Torah should enter his innards, let him first pray that delicacies

should not enter his innards” (Ketubot 104a). If we are submerged in the desire for

the physical pleasures of food and drink, we cannot be a suitable receptacle for

Torah. When the manna was absorbed in the bodies of the nation in the desert, they

were sanctified and spiritually elevated. Detached from worldly desires, they became

worthy of receiving the Torah.

The water they drank was miraculously supplied by the Miriam’ Spring (Taanit 9a,

Shabbat 35a). This was no ordinary water; it had exceptional spiritual qualities, as we

learn from an incident in the life of Rabbi Hayyim Vital (Shivhe HaAri, Chapter 13).

Rabbi Hayyim Vital, the foremost disciple of the Arizal, was at first unable to grasp

the enormous outpouring of extremely profound teachings which the Arizal

transmitted to him. One day the Arizal took him to the shore of Lake Kinneret in

Tiberias, and from there, rowed him out to the spot where Miriam’s Spring was

submerged in the waters of the lake. He gave Rabbi Hayyim water to drink from this

special source, with dramatic results. From that time on, it was as if the wellsprings

of wisdom had opened for Rabbi Hayyim: he was able to comprehend and retain the

vast quantity of the Arizal’s complex, profound esoteric teachings, to an extent

beyond normal human capacities.

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We can understand the enormous impact on Rabbi Hayyim Vital’s mental

capacities by considering that altogether, he spent only a year and ten months

learning from the Arizal. The entire range of his works consists only of what the Arizal

permitted him to commit to writing. By Rabbi Hayyim’s own testimony, it was only a

small portion of what he actually learned from the Arizal. Our nation’s greatest Torah

giants have labored for many years over this small legacy, and even then, they are

only able to grasp “as much as a dog licks from the ocean” (see Sanhedrin 68a).

Clearly, the waters of Miriam’s Spring had truly miraculous powers still in effect even

after many centuries.

The Exodus was followed by the Giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, the greatest

miracle ever known to mankind. The seven Heavens and the loftiest Upper Worlds

opened wide, and the Al-mighty in all His glory revealed Himself together with His

Heavenly Hosts to speak openly and audibly to the Jewish people. They were raised

to an unparalleled level which enabled them to survive this intense, exalted spiritual

experience while still clothed in their flesh and blood bodies. Undoubtedly, this was

the greatest miracle of all.

Remembering Hashem’s Mighty Hand

We find an allusion to the miracles of the Exodus elsewhere in our parashah. Two

of the parshiot placed in tefillin come from Parashat Bo: Kadesh li (“Sanctify unto

Me,” Shmot 13:1-10) and V’haya ki yeviacha (“And it shall be when Hashem brings

you,” 13:11-16). Both conclude with a reference to the mitzvah of tefillin: “And it

will be for you a sign on your arm and a remembrance between your eyes” (13:9),

and “And it will be a sign on your arm and an ornament of remembrance between

your eyes” (13:16). Both parshiot also include reference to the Exodus: “Remember

this day on which you left Egypt, from the house of bondage, for with a strong Hand

Hashem took you out from here” (13:3), and “And you shall say to him, ‘With a

strong Hand Hashem took us out of Egypt, from the house of bondage’” (13:14).

The Early Authorities, among them Rashi and the Ramban, teach that the “sign” of

tefillin is specifically intended to remind us that the Al-mighty took us out of Egypt

with a mighty Hand.

However, the other two parshiot in tefillin, Shema Yisrael (“Hear O Israel,”

Devarim 6:4-9) and V’hayah im shamoa (“And it will be if you obey,” Devarim

11:13-21), which are recited every day as part of Keriat Shema, make no mention of

the Al-mighty’s mighty Hand at the Exodus – they speak only of accepting the yoke

of Torah and mitzvot. In fact, our Sages instituted recitation of parashat tzitzit

(Bamidbar 15:37-41) in order to include remembrance of the Exodus in Keriat

Shema.

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Clearly, the Torah considers the matter of the Exodus from Egypt through

Hashem’s mighty Hand of great significance. Our Sages teach that no slave ever

escaped from Egypt’s sealed borders (see Mechilta, Shmot 18:11). If not for

Hashem’s miraculous intervention, we, our ancestors before us, and our children

after us would still be slaves in Egypt, G-d forbid. In addition, the nation was sunk

deep into the impurity and idolatry typical of their masters, only one final step away

from total spiritual degradation. Through the great miracles of the Exodus, Hashem

showed that for Him, nothing is impossible, even what appears to be totally removed

from the realm of ordinary reality. In every generation and in every era, Hashem can

redeem us from the very worst, most helpless of situations.

The combination of these two major themes in the tefillin worn daily “as a sign

on [our] hand and a remembrance between [our] eyes” teaches an important lesson.

We must accept Hashem as our King and obey His commandments, even when it

appears to be beyond our natural energies and strengths. We were miraculously

delivered from Egyptian slavery in order to serve G-d; otherwise, we would still be

there. The Exodus surpassed nature, and fulfillment of mitzvot surpasses nature. If

we are truly devoted to Hashem and His Torah, we will merit Divine assistance and

great success which transcend logic and natural confines.

Miraculous Nature

The extraordinary miracles in Egypt, at Sinai, and in the desert were directed to

one all-important objective: “Send out My nation, and they will serve Me” (Shmot

7:16). This raises an interesting question.

While the Jewish nation is distinguished by its G-dly soul, that soul resides in a

flesh and blood body. We live by the Torah, but we are firmly grounded in the laws of

nature: we eat and drink and sleep and fulfill all other bodily functions no differently

than any other people.

If so, why did the Al-mighty find it necessary to base the establishment of the

Jewish nation and His handling of their affairs on miracles clearly beyond the

natural?

Apparently, even now the Jewish nation is not quite as “natural” as we may

imagine. Our lives as Torah-observant Jews would be impossible without constant

miracles.

Non-Jewish scholars also acknowledge the continued existence of the Jewish

people – after two thousand years of persecution, discrimination, and degradation,

with neither country nor sovereign of their own, surrounded on all sides by hatred

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and hostility – as nothing short of miraculous. A prominent non-Jewish thinker wrote

that the survival of the Jewish nation is the biggest miracle in the annals of man.

Ordinarily, exiled nations soon shed their original culture and customs and

assimilate into the society around them, so that within a few generations, they are

indistinguishable from their hosts. Not so the Jews. Despite our lengthy centuries of

exile, the Jewish people has retained its identity and its vitality. Tragically, there are

always those who succumb to the pressures of the times and fall away, but the

nation’s core remains firmly loyal to Hashem, His Torah, and its sacred

commandments.

This is the greatest of all possible miracles.

The Ramban writes that the great open miracles in our nation’s past teach us to

acknowledge Hashem’s ongoing hidden miracles. There is no coincidence or

“nature” in our lives. The equation is simple and Divinely ordained: if we obey

Hashem’s commandments, He will bless us with success. If we transgress, G-d

forbid, we will be punished. Everything about His dealings with us is miraculous.

We, however, are so accustomed to the natural order that we cannot see beyond it.

The Ramban encourages us to change our viewpoint and recognize G-d’s Hand in

every aspect of our lives, and thank Him “for Your miracles which are with us every

day, and Your wonders that accompany us at all times” (Shemoneh Esre).

We find this principle in the Maharal’s answer to the Bet Yosef’s question

concerning Hanukah (Tur Orah Hayyim 670). On Hanukah, we celebrate the

miracle which took place at the Hasmonean rededication of the Bet HaMikdash.

The Hasmoneans found only one jar of pure, undefiled olive oil suitable for lighting

the Menorah – enough to last one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days,

until a new supply was ready. However, the Bet Yosef points out that since there was

sufficient oil for the first day, the miracle really only began on the second day. Why

did our Sages institute eight days of Hanukah to celebrate a seven-day miracle?

Many answers have been proposed to this famous question. In light of our

understanding of the nature of miracles, the Maharal’s is especially interesting. He

writes that the Hanukah miracle changes our perspective of ordinary, “natural”

events, and reminds us that the very fact that oil burns is not to be taken for granted

– that too is a miracle, albeit in natural guise (Ner Mitzvah, p. 21).

The Noam Elimelech alludes to this concept in his explanation of the wording of

the verses describing the Splitting of the Sea (Noam Elimelech, Likute Shoshanah).

The Torah first tells us that when Hashem commanded Moshe to raise his staff and

split the Sea, He said, “And the children of Israel will walk within the Sea on dry land”

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(Shmot 14:16). In concluding the account of the nation’s miraculous passage

through the Sea, the verse reads, “And the children of Israel walked on dry land

inside the Sea” (14:29). We know that the Torah’s wording is never random. Why the

change in order in describing the same event?

At the Splitting of the Sea, the nation was completely enveloped by the great and

miraculous majesty of the Al-mighty, represented by the miracles of the Sea. At that

time, the miracles were too obvious to deny or ignore. But even afterwards, the

righteous continue to “walk on dry land inside the Sea.” Treading the “dry,” ordinary

ground of normal, natural daily life, they are nonetheless constantly aware of the Sea

of miracles surrounding them on all sides.

Now As Then

Unfortunately, there are those who are blind to this reality. They maintain that

while Hashem wrought miracles for our ancestors in the past, in our times, there are

no more miracles. For us, Hashem is “E-l mistater,” literally “the G-d Who conceals

Himself.” They are wrong – nothing could be farther from the truth.

Our Sages tell us that “One who considers his ways, merits to see the salvation of

the Holy One, blessed be He” (Moed Katan 5a). This means that one who studies

and analyzes the significance of events around him will be privileged to discern the

miracles and wonders performed by the Al-mighty, and the salvation concealed

within nature and routine.

If only we open our eyes and look around us, the workings of personal Divine

Providence are with us everywhere. Recognizing this will make us worthy of that very

same Divine Providence. Instead, all too often, we ignore the obvious need for

Hashem’s constant helping Hand, and casually dismiss events and circumstances as

“coincidence,” “luck” (good or bad), or “chance.”

Can we say that our nation still exists on “coincidence?” Did Eretz Yisrael recently

survive massive missile attacks by “luck?” Do we succeed in raising children devoted

to Torah in a permissive, hedonistic world by “chance?”

Extraordinary Blessing

Perhaps the most obvious miracle of our times is the extraordinary blossoming of

the Torah world in the generation following the Second World War. The Torah

community is under attack by powerful, vocal enemies eager to uproot Torah

entirely, G-d forbid. Not only has Torah survived the onslaught, it has flourished

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beyond any expectations, reminiscent of the verse, “But as they afflicted [the nation],

so it multiplied and so it spread out” (Shmot 1:12). Surely this spectacular growth

surpasses nature, if only in sheer numbers; when have so many of our people been

privileged to engage in full time Torah study?

What is true of quantity is also true of quality. The post-war generation has

embraced Torah study with love and devotion, meriting exceptional success in

learning as a gift from Heaven (see Ruah Hayyim on Avot 4:1, citing Megillah 6b).

This principle is true of every area of service of Hashem. I can personally testify

that many returnees to Judaism came from negative environments which fostered

grossly poor middot and uninhibited involvement in worldly desires. When they

dedicated themselves to Torah and mitzvot, the change was nothing short of

remarkable. Their inherent Jewish traits of “compassion, humility, and

lovingkindness” (see Yevamot 79a) came to the fore, miraculously transforming their

personalities.

The blessing of success beyond the natural extends as well to Torah supporters,

as we learn from the story of Batyah, Pharaoh’s daughter. At Pharaoh’s wicked

decree, all newborn Jewish baby boys were being drowned in the Nile. Desperate to

save her child, Amram’s pious wife Yocheved set the infant Moshe adrift on the

riverbank in a waterproof woven basket. Batyah heard the baby crying, and

instinctively reached out to pull him in from the river. Our Sages tell us that when

Batyah stretched her hand towards the basket, even though it was so far away, her

arm was miraculously extended, enabling her to reach it (Shmot 2:1-5, Rashi, citing

Sotah 12b; Tanhuma Shmot 7; Shmot Rabbah 1:23). Moshe was destined to give

the Torah to the Jewish nation. By reaching out to save him, Batyah exerted herself

to rescue and support the future pillar of Torah. Her gesture, small and weak though

it was, was granted miraculous Divine assistance which stretched an ordinary human

arm well past its normal, natural length.

In our times, many of our Jewish brethren have been blessed with very great

wealth, beyond their numbers in proportion to the population at large. All things

considered, this great affluence is surely a phenomenon which exceeds natural

bounds; it is far more than the product of good luck, impressive business acumen,

or even solid hard work. It is G-d’s blessing, granted for the sake of supporting His

Torah. If we make the first move to extend ourselves for Torah, we will merit seeing

our “arm” stretch very far indeed.

Our people’s material success and spiritual success go hand in hand. The

connection dates back to our earliest history, when the scholarly Tribe of Yissachar

engaged in intensive Torah study, while their wealthy brother, the Tribe of Zevulun,

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supported their study through their skill in maritime commerce (see Devarim 33:18,

Rashi). The partnership of “Yissachar and Zevulun” is the fulfillment of G-d’s Will for

our people. Our Sages tell us, “If there is no flour [a reference to financial means],

there is no Torah” (Avot 3:17). The enormous expansion of yeshivot, kollelim, and

Torah schools on all levels would be impossible without adequate material support.

And yet, they continue, “If there is no Torah, there is no flour.” It is the merit and

blessing of Torah which make us worthy of affluence.

Now we can understand why the birth of the Jewish people was founded on

outright miracles: nature and its limitations are set aside on our behalf, and through

Hashem’s great hesed, we are granted exceptional success. Certainly in spiritual

matters, we can extend ourselves beyond the natural, in anticipation of special

Divine assistance.

A businessman who undertakes an investment which risks more than the value of

his holdings is ill-advised, for a loss would be catastrophic. Torah is different. A

Torah scholar can devote himself to study and still keep afloat financially, in a

manner which defies precise figures and calculations. Torah institutions can be

established, maintained and expanded, with no clear and logical balance sheet to

show how they will carry on, because it is G-d’s Will that Torah surpass teva (the

forces of nature). Those who support Torah generously, without counting the loss of

every dollar donated, will be granted the blessings unique to Torah – success which

transcends nature.

Gain and Loss

Who would not exert himself for blessing and bounty direct from Hashem’s open

Hand? However, our Sages warn us that we can lose it with our own foolish

eagerness for dishonest gains. “For [four] sins members of the community (baale

batim) are handed over to the authorities: because they lend [money] at interest,

and because they retain promissory notes that have already been paid, and because

they pledge charity in public and do not honor their pledges, and because they shirk

responsibility and place the burden of taxes on the unfortunate poor and destitute”

(Avot D’Rabbi Natan, Nus’ha Bet, Chapter 31).

Our Sages’ list is chillingly accurate. The community is still reeling from the

impact of recent instances of “baale batim who are handed over to the authorities,”

may G-d spare us.

Lending money at interest is a transgression so explicit and so well known as to

need no further explanation (see Vayikra 25:35-38). It is worth noting that in today’s

complex financial world, it is very difficult to avoid this grave sin without consulting

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an halachic authority well versed in the laws of interest. Retaining promissory notes

for debts or bills already paid, in order to claim payment a second time, is outright

theft.

Charitable pledges are made to be defrayed. At times, unscrupulous individuals

may announce noteworthy pledges, gaining undeserved admiration and esteem,

along with an equally undeserved reputation for financial stability. If a businessman

can afford to give large sums to charity, it is assumed that he must be doing very

well indeed. He is viewed as a good investment, even if the exact opposite is true,

much to the potential investors’ detriment. The charitable cause, which never does

see the money that was pledged, is used as a pawn to bolster a faltering financial

image.

A community’s institutions are maintained by the support of its members. Any

given community will have members who are well off, and those who are not. Our

Sages tell us that the poor cannot be expected to carry the same share of the

burden as the wealthy, a particularly serious problem regarding tuition in community

schools. Not every parent can afford to pay full tuition – and yet, it is unthinkable for

Jewish children to be relegated to the public schools for lack of a policy of sliding-

scale tuition.

The Al-mighty has no shortage of blessing to bestow upon His people. We earn

that blessing by obeying His commandments, including those concerning absolute

financial integrity. We can lose it, and suffer dire consequences in the process, by

stooping to dishonesty.

Forty Years, Forty Days

After the people’s miraculous experiences in Egypt and at the Giving of the Torah,

they spent forty years in the desert. Our Sages teach that the world was created for

the sake of Torah, and the Jewish nation who would learn and fulfill it (see Rashi on

Bereshit 1:1).We learn from the Torah itself that the Jews were freed from Egyptian

slavery to become servants of Hashem (Shmot 3:12, 6:7, 7:16). How would these

purposes be served by decades spent in the desert? Could the Jews not have

entered the Holy Land immediately after Mt. Sinai, and embarked directly on their

destiny as G-d’s nation residing in G-d’s Land?

We can answer this question by comparing the Jews in the desert to a fetus in its

mother’s womb. An unborn baby learns the entire Torah from an angel. Just before

birth, the angel flicks his tiny pupil’s upper lip, and it forgets everything it learned in

utero (Niddah 30b). This beautiful teaching of our Sages raises a logical question. If

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the unborn child will in any case forget all its learning before it ever breathes its first,

why bother with the teaching?

Because Torah, even if forgotten, still has an impact. The sanctity of this early

Torah study leaves an indelible impression on the child, enabling him to prevail

against the rampant impurity in the world he enters, and cling to Torah despite the

many obstacles.

The Jewish nation in the desert lived in a sheltered, protected environment, much

like a fetus in its mother’s womb. Their needs were provided in a miraculous manner

and they lived on spirituality while learning the entire Torah from Moshe Rabbenu. It

is possible that the forty years in the desert correspond to the initial forty days of a

fetus’ formation. These forty years of pure Torah, nourished by bread from Heaven

and water from Miriam’s Spring, imbued them with the knowledge that Jewish

existence is supra-natural, just as Torah is supra-natural. Equipped with this

knowledge, the Jewish people are better able to face the overwhelming waves of

temptation that abound in this world. Our deeply ingrained national experience

teaches us that when we fulfill Hashem’s Will and live as He commands, He is with

us and will grant us exceptional blessing and success.

This essay contains divre Torah. Please treat it with proper respect.