Bo – The People Wake Up

Until now, the foundational narratives of Bereishit and Exodus have centred on individuals – the patriarchs and matriarchs, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. In Parshat Bo, everything changes. The focus shifts dramatically from personal journeys to the birth of a nation. Here, the Jewish people awaken to collective responsibility and courage, stepping out of the shadows of slavery into the light of destiny.

This transformation begins with the Plague of Darkness:

וַיֵּ֥ט מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶת־יָד֖וֹ עַל־הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וַיְהִ֧י חֹֽשֶׁךְ־אֲפֵלָ֛ה בְּכׇל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִֽים׃
Moses held out his arm toward the sky, and thick darkness descended upon all the land of Egypt for three days.
לֹֽא־רָאוּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־אָחִ֗יו וְלֹא־קָ֛מוּ אִ֥ישׁ מִמְּקֹמ֖וֹ שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֑ים וּֽלְכׇל־בְּנֵ֧י יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל הָ֥יָה א֖וֹר בְּמוֹשְׁבֹתָֽם׃
People could not see one another, and for three days no one could move about; but all the Israelites enjoyed light in their dwellings.

For Egypt, darkness was paralysing. For Israel, light prevailed. Rashi uncovers two startling truths: the darkness concealed the quiet removal of those Israelites unwilling to leave Egypt, and it enabled the faithful to locate Egyptian treasures – a covert act of rebellion and economic warfare. Here, under the cloak of night, the nation begins to stir. It is still tentative, still fearful, still needing cover. Many shrink back, unable to make the leap, and are lost. Yet for those who act, this is the first flicker of national agency.

The awakening accelerates with the first mitzvah given to the entire people: Kiddush HaChodesh – sanctifying the new moon.

הַחֹ֧דֶשׁ הַזֶּ֛ה לָכֶ֖ם רֹ֣אשׁ חֳדָשִׁ֑ים רִאשׁ֥וֹן הוּא֙ לָכֶ֔ם לְחׇדְשֵׁ֖י הַשָּׁנָֽה׃
This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you.

This is not a mere calendrical note. It is a revolution. Until now, time belonged to Egypt. Slaves have no hours, no days, no autonomy. Suddenly, God declares: “This month is yours.” Sforno captures the drama:

“חודש הזה לכם ראש חדשים” – From now on these months will be yours, to do with as you like. In contrast to the years when you were enslaved, when you had no control over your time at all.

Time – the ultimate instrument of oppression – is wrested from Pharaoh’s grip and placed in Israel’s hands. Freedom begins not with movement, but with mastery of time.

But sovereignty over time is only half the story. The people are commanded to take a lamb – a deity of Egypt – slaughter it, and smear its blood on their doorposts.

דַּבְּר֗וּ אֶֽל־כׇּל־עֲדַ֤ת יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר בֶּעָשֹׂ֖ר לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַזֶּ֑ה וְיִקְח֣וּ לָהֶ֗ם אִ֛ישׁ שֶׂ֥ה לְבֵית־אָבֹ֖ת שֶׂ֥ה לַבָּֽיִת׃
Speak to the whole community of Israel and say that on the tenth of this month each family shall take for itself a lamb, a lamb to a household.
וְשָׁחֲט֣וּ אֹת֗וֹ כֹּ֛ל קְהַ֥ל עֲדַֽת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בֵּ֥ין הָעַרְבָּֽיִם׃
And all the assembled congregation of the Israelites shall slaughter it at twilight.
וְלָֽקְחוּ֙ מִן־הַדָּ֔ם וְנָ֥תְנ֛וּ עַל־שְׁתֵּ֥י הַמְּזוּזֹ֖ת וְעַל־הַמַּשְׁק֑וֹף עַ֚ל הַבָּתִּ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־יֹאכְל֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ בָּהֶֽם׃
They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they are to eat it.

This is audacity incarnate. Before the final plague, before Pharaoh yields, Israel must declare allegiance to God in full view of Egypt. No more hiding in darkness. This is a public, dangerous, irreversible stand. It demands faith, courage, and a willingness to risk everything for identity.

Why this command? Why now? Because a nation cannot be born in secrecy. It must step into history with a defining act of defiance. Two pillars are laid: control of time and public declaration. By sanctifying the new moon, Israel claims the rhythm of its existence. The Hebrew calendar becomes the heartbeat of Jewish life – festivals, prayers, life cycles – all flowing from this moment. By sacrificing Egypt’s god and marking their homes, Israel proclaims: We are no longer yours. We belong to God. This is not symbolic; it is existential.

This moment reverberates across Jewish history. After the Holocaust, when the Jewish people faced near annihilation, the rebirth of the State of Israel was another act of audacious courage – a collective decision to seize destiny, to stand and fight for sovereignty against overwhelming odds and as in days of old to set up a Jewish State with its own calendar. Then, as in Egypt, identity was forged in defiance.

The sad reality of the Exodus was that it seems many Jews struggled to adapt to the change but for the 2 million or so who exited Egypt these initial commands and acts of defiance were critical to form the birth of a nation that despite all of its challenges has withstood 3,000 years of having to continually show the same defiance against powerful enemies – Now is no different.

Our leaders are important, but it is the nation that is the one that G-d gave the commands and instructions to – we must step up. We have seen it in the faces of the brave soldiers who have stood up against our enemies, and we continue as a people to also mark and maintain a calendar which sets us apart from others and forges our identity. May we take strength from this as we head through yet more troubled times.