EXODUS X:1-XIII:16
CONTAMINATION AND REMEMBRANCE
The passage of the Hebrew people through Egypt was not uniform. During Yosef’s (Joseph) lifetime, they were privileged guests of Pharaoh, who placed them inGoshen, a productive sector of Egypt. The name and contribution of Yosef were forgotten by the new Pharaoh who assumed command. Or perhaps it was the same Pharaoh who now felt that there was no reason to give special treatment to the deceased Yosef’s brothers and their descendants.
The count of the 210 years of slavery of the Hebrew people in Egypt started then. What was the reaction of the Hebrew people to the Egyptian yoke? They felt humiliated or perhaps bewildered, because they did not understand the reason for the change in attitude on the part of their hosts. Perhaps we should inquire about their attitude toward Egyptian culture.
Could they differentiate between the teachings of the patriarchs and the social and cultural practices of the Egyptians? Which culture was superior in their eyes? It is very likely that a significant sector of the Hebrew people admired the Egyptian advances in the fields of agriculture and astronomy, and as a result, revered their practices in other areas, including religion.
Perhaps, because of that admiration, they tried to integrate into Egyptian society, became contaminated by its idolatrous practice, and could not escape it. The Midrash mentions that angels came before God and questioned why the Egyptians were being punished to save the Hebrews, “when these are idolaters, and these are idolaters”. During the penultimate plague, which lasted 3 days, many Hebrews were punished. Theirdeath occurred during this period of darkness so that the Egyptians would not rejoice at the punishment of the Hebrews.
Why were they punished? Maybe because they couldinterfere with the exodus. Not only was it suspectedthat they would not participate in it, but that they would hinder the departure of their brothers, because they considered slavery within an advanced civilization such as the Egyptians to be preferable to any other social environment of the time.
According to the Midrash, if both the Egyptians and the Hebrews were idolaters, why did God save the Hebrew people from Egyptian bondage? It is very likely that, notwithstanding their admiration for Egypt, an important sector of the Hebrew people never forgot the teachings of the patriarchs. As in the case of Yosefwhen, tempted by Potiphar’s wife, he remembered his elderly father Yaakov (Jacob)whom he had not seen for 17 years, but who was still his model: the patriarchal figure whose teachings were incompatible with adultery. Similarly, although many Hebrews were dazzled by the intellectual and technological advances of the Egyptians, they remembered the virtues and spiritual accomplishments of the patriarchs who changed the world of faith forever.
While the Hebrews did not have to prepare to avoid being punished by the fury of the plagues, they did have to do so in the case of the tenth and final plague, which consisted in the death of the firstborn. This time they made an offering and painted the lintels of their homes with the blood of this sacrifice. Blood was not necessary for the Supreme Being to recognize the homes of the Hebrews. The sacrifice was a demonstration of the Hebrews who placed their faith in God, who would rescue them from Egyptian bondage.
According to Jewish tradition, the Pesach (Passover)sacrifice cannot be eaten by those who are uncircumcised. From this, exegetes deduce that the Pesach sacrifice demanded that the Hebrews be circumcised first, following the example of the patriarch Avraham (Abraham). While the Pesachoffering is made by the sacrifice of an animal, Brit Milah, circumcision, demands a sacrifice by the individual himself, which emphasizes the personal contribution in every transcendental transaction. Both in the relationship with God and in the relationship with one’s neighbor.
MITZVAH: ORDINANCE OF THE TORAH IN THIS PARSHA
CONTAINS 9 POSITIVE MITSVOT AND 11 PROHIBITIONS
4. Exodus I2:2 Consecrating the months (includes keeping the counting of the years and calculating the Hebrew calendar).
5. Exodus I2:6 Ritual Sacrifice of the Pesach Offering.
6. Exodus I2:8 Eating the meat of the Pesach offering (on the night of Nisan 15, the first Pesach Seder).
7. Exodus I2:9 Do not eat the Pesach offering when it is cooked or under-roasted.
8. Exodus I2:10 Do not allow meat to be left over from the Pesach offering until the morrow.
9. Exodus I2:15 Remove all Chamets (leavened food) from the house.
10. Exodus I2:18 Eating Matzah (unleavened bread) on the First Night of Pesach.
11. Exodus I2:19 One should not possess Chametsduring Pesach.
12. Exodus I2:20 Do not eat foods containing Chametsduring Pesach.
13. Exodus I2:43 Do not share the Pesach offering withan apostate Jew.
14. Exodus I2:45 Do not share the Pesach offering with a partial convert or a gentile resident, even if he has ceased to worship idols.
15. Exodus I2:46 Meat from the Pesach offering should not be taken outside the house.
16. Exodus I2:46 Not a bone of the Pesach offering should be broken.
17. Exodus I2:48 Whoever is not circumcised cannot eat of the Pesach offering.
18. Exodus I3:2 Sanctifying the firstborn in the Land of Israel.
19. Exodus I3:3 Chamets should not be eaten on Pesach.
20. Exodus I3:7 Chamets should not be seen on Jewish property during Pesach.
21. Exodus I3:8 Narrate the events of the Exodus from Egypt.
22. Exodus I3:13 Redeeming the firstborn from a donkey.
23. Exodus I3:13 Stripping the first-time donkey naked if he was not redeemed.
