Parshas Bo- Awaiting Geula

If one asks any G-d fearing Jew if they anticipate Mashiach, they are certain to respond in the affirmative. Ask them why, what is it that they look forward to, and one will receive a mixed bag of answers. Some may say that there will be world peace. Others, no struggles in practicing Judaism. Some may say they will not need to pay taxes. While these realities may be true, they miss the main point. What is it that we genuinely anticipate?

Parshas Bo introduces the final three plagues. They are followed by the emphatic Exodus from Egypt, leading into next week’s Parsha. In Parshas Beshalach, the pesukim state that the Jews exited Egypt “chamushim” (13:18). Rashi explains that simply put, this indicates they left Egypt bearing weapons to protect themselves. Alternatively, the language is derived from the word one-fifth. Only one-fifth of the Jewish populous left Egypt. Eighty percent of the nation died, and was buried, during the three days of darkness of the ninth plague. Rashi (Bo 10:22) elaborates that those four-fifths of the Jewish people were wicked, and did not wish to leave Egypt. Hashem arranged that they would perish and be buried during the days of darkness. The Egyptians would thus be unaware, and unable to claim that the Jews were being stricken as well. 

The pesukim emphasize that the Jew’s who did merit to leave Egypt, did not have time to prepare food for their journey. “… for they could not delay, and also they did not prepare food for the travel (12:39).” Rashi explains that this exhibited the great trust the Jews had in Hashem. They were willing to enter a barren wasteland without food, for so decreed The Almighty. He invokes the words of the Navi (Yirmiyahu 2:2) that indicate the great kindness and love the Jews had for Hashem, willing to follow after Him into an empty desert. 

What was the underlying distinction between the mentalities of these two groups of Jews? How could the former be totally dedicated to remaining in Egypt, while the latter acted with an extraordinary faith and grace? 

Dassan and Aviram are recorded in the pesukim as constantly attempting to foil the good work of Moshe Rabbeinu. The Gemara (Megillah 11a) states that they were wicked from the beginning till the end. They eventually met their demise, along with Korach and his rebellion. However, they did merit to exit Egypt. Why is it that they merited to leave Mitzrayim, when eighty percent did not?

The Midrash (Shemos Rabba 14:3) reveals the thought process of the Jews who did not wish to exit Egypt. These were Jews who had amassed wealth and honor in Egypt. They did not want to forsake this glory. This mentality was so pervasive, that it disallowed them from wishing to follow the Word of Hashem. Thus, they would not be allowed to merit to see the redemption.

History is the greatest teacher. Unfortunately, there were many times that Jews chose to remain in countries with harsh conditions, due to the wealth and prestige that they had accrued there. Sometimes, this worked out in their favor. Many times, this proved to be their undoing. Even today, many choose to live in countries with less than ideal levels of freedoms, because their wealth is bound up in it. It is a tremendous struggle to uproot oneself from such a state of being, to move elsewhere to an unknown reality. 

The Rosh (10:22) explains the distinction between the wicked who perished, and Dassan and Aviram. Although they were certainly evil, they did not lose hope of being redeemed. The four-fifths were people who had closed the door on geulah. They did not anticipate it. The Jews who exited Egypt still hoped towards Hashem, and anticipated redemption. This quality was grounds for them to be worthy of being redeemed.

If you tell someone that when Mashiach comes they may have to leave their house, car and bank accounts behind, they may reconsider for a moment. When they realize that Geula is not a furtherance of their hedonistic lifestyle, this may give them pause, admitting this is certainly not the redemption that they anticipated. 

The Gemara (Megillah 15b) states that the Jews who will merit future grandeur, will be those who anticipate Hashem’s Glory being revealed to the world. When we look forward to Mashiach, the main focus is the Glory of Hashem that will be recognized and followed by all people. The other realities will follow, but the main point is the revelation of His Honor. 

Stories are told of our great Tzaddikim who used to have suitcases prepared for the arrival of Mashiach. For them, the idea was not off in the distance. It was a reality of which they were constantly cognizant. When they said “uv’nei Yerushalayim” in birkas hamazon, they genuinely meant the words. This mentality is something that requires real work to develop. May we merit to genuinely anticipate the Glory of Hashem being revealed to the world, and see Mashiach b’miheira b’yameinu, amein!

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