In Your Face

G-d said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt: “This renewal will signal the beginning of every new month. This month must be for you the beginning of the months; it must be for you the first of the months of the year. Speak to the entire community of Israel, saying: ‘On the 10th of this month, each man among them must take for himself a lamb or kid for his extended family, a lamb or kid for each family.'” [Exodus 12:1-3]

The Torah is not a movie.

In a Hollywood blockbuster, the heroes would have given the evil emperor their warning of total destruction, with the scene ending with a close-up of the face of the determined protagonists. In the next scene, we would have watched the exciting destruction of the empire. And then the screen would flash “The End.”

But Martin Scorsese did not write the weekly Torah portion Bo. After the warning of Moses and Aaron to a punch-drunk Pharaoh, G-d veers off the story for a detailed description of the first commandment to the Children of Israel. This one-time order includes time, place and object. The only connection to the adventure of Moses and Aaron is when this commandment is to be performed — now.

Actually, G-d relays two commandments — the slaughter and consumption of the lamb as well as circumcision. Both are necessary for the survival and liberation of the Jewish people. Through these commandments, the Israelites will make it crystal clear what side they are on: the Egyptians or G-d.

The blood will serve you as a sign on the houses in which you are: I will see the blood and I will mercifully pass over you, and there will be no destructive plague among you when I strike Egypt. [Exodus 12:13]

The two commandments represent a basic question that has hovered over Jewish history. Why should G-d care about this ragtag bunch who although came from the greatest of men act as if they couldn’t care less about Torah and mitzvot? What gives the Jews first dibs on redemption when they really weren’t much better than their gentile neighbors? Why should G-d release the Jews from slavery when long they were resigned to their fate?

The first commandment is the lamb. On the face of it, it seems pretty simple. Take a lamb, slaughter it and then have yourself a feast. We do that most days when we pass by the shawarma stand in Mahane Yehuda.

But in Egypt, this was dangerous. The Midrash says the Egyptians worshipped the lamb. This animal was holy and protected, let alone killed. Now, the Jews were commanded to take the lamb, hold it for the 14th of Nissan and then slaughter it in plain view of the Egyptians. True, the Egyptians were being pummeled by G-d and His plagues. But there were more than a few Jews frightened over the consequences of angering their slave masters.

The second was circumcision. The patriarchs might have blazed the way, but most of the Jews in Egypt had not been circumcised for decades if not centuries. Pharaoh had seen to that as the new-born males were either hurled into the Nile or stuffed behind the walls of the structures built by their parents. No circumcision meant no Jewish identity.

Before the liberation, G-d wanted all of the males to undergo circumcision. This would mark the return of Jacob’s children to the Almighty. It would also send a stark message to Pharaoh whose advisers assured him that the Jewish people would perish in a sea of blood. G-d’s retort: There would be blood, but it would signify the rebirth of the Jewish people.

Again, this would require faith and courage by the Children of Israel. The Jews would have to be in Pharaoh’s face. The emperor was still powerful, able to quell a rebellion by young Egyptians who feared the last plague — the death of all first-born males. He was also able to organize his forces for a planned last-minute genocide of the Jewish people.

But the two tests set by G-d ensured that the committed Jews would survive and even thrive on their way out of Egypt. The scenario of an enslaved people throwing off the shackles and embracing G-d was heard around the world. It marked G-d’s answer to why the Jews. It also explained why those who refused to return to G-d were never heard from again.

It took a long time, but when G-d decided enough was enough he delved into the hearts of His people. Nine plagues had changed the Israelites. The huge majority of them were unabashedly assimilated and quietly killed in the Plague of Darkness. There were others who wanted nothing to do with their brethren or G-d. They would not be allowed to eat the Pascal Lamb on the eve of liberation even though they showed up for the feast with an appetite and plenty of cash. It would be the simple and poor Jews who would partake of the lamb that had outraged Pharaoh and his people. It would be the marginal Jews who would see the miracles in Egypt, Red Sea and Sinai Desert. The elite and the poor had exchanged places.

They cry out and the Lord hears, and He saves them from all their troubles. [Psalms 34:18]

So, just before the adventure continued, G-d threw down the gauntlet: Prove that you are My people. Here are two commandments that require faith and courage. After that, this gripping film can resume.

As Bette Davis would say, “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”