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Parshat Bo First, Moshe declares before Pharaoh, in Hashem’s Name, that the slaying of the firstborn on the night of Passover – when the Israelites will be safe – is imminent: “Then all your officials will come down to me and prostrate themselves to me, saying, ‘Leave! You and all the people that are at your feet (B’RAGLECHA)!’ And then I will leave.” And he went away from Pharaoh in great anger (Shemot 11:8). Soon, Hashem will command the Children of Israel through Moshe and Aharon regarding the Passover sacrifice (chapter 12). But in between these, we find the following: And Hashem said to Moshe, “Pharaoh will not listen (LO YISHMA) to you, so that I may multiply (REVOT) My miracles (MOFETAI) in the land of Egypt.” And Moshe and Aharon had performed all these miracles before Pharaoh; and Hashem strengthened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not send out the Children of Israel from his land (11:9-10). However, this short passage seems unnecessary! Coming where it does, it poses several questions: • When does Hashem say, “Pharaoh will not listen (LO YISHMA) to you”? Or, more to the point, hadn’t He said this before? Why say it again? Some commentaries, such as Saadiah Gaon (882-942), R. Avraham ben HaRambam (1186-1237) and Ibn Ezra argue that, although written in the future, the connotation of the verb is the past: The Torah recaps the story of the plagues. In a similar vein Rashbam (R. Shmuel ben Meir, c. 1080-1174) says after every plague Hashem reminded Moshe that Pharaoh would not listen, and this cycle was repeated with every plague, until the end. Hashem did this all along because He wanted to multiply His miracles, as has been seen. But other commentaries understand “Pharaoh will not listen (LO YISHMA) to you” as a new statement. If so, • To which miracles does Hashem refer in so that I may multiply (REVOT) My miracles (MOFETAI) in the land of Egypt? Most commentaries answer that it refers to the slaying of the firstborn. Rabbenu Bachya (ben Asher ben Hlava, 13th Century) explains simply: Pharaoh will not listen (LO YISHMA) to you – that is, to your warnings before the slaying of the firstborn – so that I may multiply (REVOT) My miracles (MOFETAI) in the land of Egypt – meaning, the slaying of the firstborn. However, after the plague, he will expel you. The problem with this is the plural My miracles (MOFETAI). Therefore, Rashi says it means three miracles: the slaying of the firstborn, the splitting of the Reed Sea and overthrowing the Egyptians. Some editions of Rashi include this analysis: MOFETAI (My miracles) refers to two miracles, and REVOT, literally “increase,” adds one more, for a total of three miracles. But Ramban disagrees, because of verse 10 (R. Eliyahu Mizrachi [c. 1450- 526] explains that and he did not send out the Children of Israel from his land must refer to that which occurs before the Exodus, not after). More than any of the other plagues, Pharaoh and the Egyptians should have dreaded the slaying of the firstborn. Therefore, Hashem tells Moshe that it is only because He is hardening Pharaoh’s heart that the king refuses to release the people, and He tells Moshe His reason: so that He can multiply His plagues. This may be said of the slaying of the firstborn because it strikes man and beast and executes judgment against Egypt’s gods (12:12). Rashi said “multiplying” means many plagues (many causes), while Ramban says it means many are affected. • What new information is provided by verse 10? Rashi answers, And Moshe and Aharon had performed, etc: “The text has already written this for us in all the miracles. It is only repeated here in order to introduce the next section [the laws of the Passover sacrifice].” Sforno (R. Ovadia ben Yaakov Sforno, c. 1470-c.1550) elaborates on Rashi’s idea: Hashem’s ultimate purpose in hardening Pharaoh’s heart is so that you may know that I am Hashem (10:2), a purpose in which both Moshe and Aharon have been involved throughout. Now, Hashem will bring the final punishment on the Egyptians, destroy the Egyptian gods and spare the Israelites, all by means of the Passover sacrifice, as it says: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt on this night, and I will smite every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from man to beast; and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt; I am Hashem. …and I will pass over them …” (12:12-13). Therefore, the upcoming passage about the Passover sacrifice is transmitted to the Israelites through the joint agency of Moshe and Aharon. Together they have seen the entire process from the beginning, so together they deserve to see it to its conclusion. Ohr HaChayim (R. Chayim ben Moshe ibn-Attar, 1696-1743) says this passage looks forward to the splitting of the Reed Sea, Hashem’s decisive triumph over Egypt: After all the plagues, Moshe might worry that Pharaoh will not pursue the Israelites, which would prevent the miracles of the Sea from occurring. Therefore Hashem reassures him: I will not allow Pharaoh to be completely convinced, even after the slaying of the firstborn. As foretold, Pharaoh’s officials will implore Moshe to take out all the people that are at your feet (B’RAGLECHA), meaning “in your domain.” In other words, Egypt ought to acknowledge that the Israelites are no longer under Pharaoh’s dominion, but under the leadership of Moshe. However, Pharaoh (LO YISHMA) will not understand you: even though Moshe and Aharon had performed all these miracles before Pharaoh heretofore, Hashem strengthened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not send out the Children of Israel from his land for more than a three-day religious furlough. In this way I may multiply (REVOT) My miracles (MOFETAI) in the land of Egypt: Pharaoh will pursue the Israelites to the Sea of Reeds, and to his own ruin. Between punishment and commandment, a new era is dawning.
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