Parsha: Bo

On Sunday mornings I look forward to reading the weekly Torah portion in full... This week's portion is Bo- Exodus 10:1-13:16.

For me, the first 13 chapters of Exodus stir very mixed emotions...

They are an ethical quagmire... they are also awe inspiring if you really stop and imagine the events.

From an ethical standpoint (if you take the text at face value) I wrestle with:

• The midwives lie and G-d blesses them. This one I'm good with... I can see how in certain circumstances the right thing to do may be to lie (for e.g. hiding Jews in your basement and telling Nazi soldiers that no one else is in the house).
• Holding someone accountable for deeds they were divinely inspired to do... over and over the text suggests that the choices pharoah makes are divinely influenced (G-d hardened pharoah's heart)... the good old free will versus destiny thing.
  
• Holding a nation responsible for the choices of it's leader.
• Punishing a nation with turning it's water to blood, infesting it's land and homes with insects and boils and hail and darkness and finally death because it's leader won't relent.
  
• Killing all the firstborn in the land because it's leader won't relent. Heavy. Imagine losing your firstborn because of something Obama does (and not knowing whether Obama chose to do it or G-d in part "inspired" him to do it).
  
• Telling Pharaoh that Israel will go to worship for 3 days and then return when that was never the intent.
• Looting the Egyptians- borrowing items that will never be returned.

I don't pretend to fully understand how all of this fits together yet. And yet in life, at times, what we believe must speak to what we don't fully understand.

The other way of viewing this story is with awe and grimacing... can you imagine living through these plagues? What a horrendous experience it was for all involved...

This week I will be thinking about what this story means for me today... Today I am struck with the importance of listening to G-d. While I will never presume to know that G-d is speaking to me I certainly have impressions... I listen to the still, small voice within. I listen to truth as I hear it in sacred texts and wise beings I interact with... or just wise words I hear.

My take away from the Exodus story today is listen... Look and listen and understand what is happening in your midst... and respond. I also can't help but feel great compassion for those poor Egyptians and their suffering... or better today, those poor Haitians.