My Weekly Drash (a mini D'var Torah) - Bo
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel on January 11, 2008 | Tags: Bo
There’s a moment in this week’s Parshah Bo that is easy to read quickly but ought to provoke much discussion. Right after the killing of the first born and Pharaoh’s release of the Israelites we read, “The Egyptians urged the people on, impatient to have them leave the country, for they said, ‘We shall all be dead.’” (Exo. 12:33). Where have these Egyptians been all along while the Israelites were enslaved, their infants murdered, and their tasks made impossibly difficult? Somehow there was no urgency to addressing these issues. Now that the consequences have been brought home to the average Egyptians themselves, they’re suddenly very eager to see the Israelites freed and on their way. They finally got the answer to the unasked question, “What’s in it for me?” That debate between narrow self-interest and caring for others continues in many ways today. The Torah makes clear that ignoring the suffering of others is not a way of life that we ought to be pursuing.
|
Daniel M. KimmelJoined: October 2, 2007 Daniel M. Kimmel is a Boston area film critic, lecturer and author. He does these weekly mini-lessons for the Mishkan Tefila Brotherhood's newsletter. You are free to use them for similar purposes. Divrei Torah (117) |
