Shabbos Parshas Bo 5736
A. “I , and not an angel”
G-d commands the Jews to offer the Passover sacrifice and to place its blood on the lintel and the doorposts, in order to save them from the Plague of the Firstborn (Source 1). Moses conveys G-d’s words regarding the Plague of the Firstborn to Pharaoh (Source 2).
The Rebbe asks: Why specifically regarding the Plague of the Firstborn does the Torah use the unusual expression of action, “I go out within Egypt,” unlike the other plagues, which did not require any “going out”?
The explanation: “Going out” here signifies an expression of special affection and closeness from G-d to the Jewish people. G-d Himself, so to speak, personally “went out” and protected every Jewish home, and redeemed each Jew individually. This is in contrast to the expression used regarding the striking of Egypt’s firstborn, “I will pass through,” which implies a general, sweeping action done all at once, rather than a personal descent and involvement.
This idea is emphasized in the wording of the Passover Haggadah in its description of the Plague of the Firstborn—“I, and not an angel” (Source 3). The Alter Rebbe quotes the Haggadah and explains that the fact that G-d Himself descended to Egypt to save the Jewish people expressed a unique closeness and love for the Jews (Source 4). The Or HaChaim also explains the verse in this manner (Source 5).
B. What is a Jew doing in an Egyptian house?
G-d’s love for the Jews during the Plague of the Firstborn was also expressed in the details of the miracle.
Rashi asks: What happened to a Jew who spent the night of Passover in the house of an Egyptian? He answers that the Egyptian was killed, but the Jew was saved (Source 6).
The Rebbe asks: From where did the assumption arise that a Jew might be harmed together with the Egyptian?
The explanation: For many years the Jews had experienced the great wickedness of the Egyptians, who, despite the blessing that Jacob and Joseph brought to Egypt (Source 7), were so cruel to them. Yet now, with the redemption finally at hand, a Jew goes and still attempts to curry favor with an Egyptian, inviting him into his home, and even giving him to eat from the Passover offering! Or conversely, he leaves his people and chooses to be a guest in the Egyptian’s home! How much inferiority and self-abasement does that require…
Here, one might have thought that perhaps there is no need to make the effort to save such a Jew, since the distinction between him and the Egyptian has become blurred. The Torah therefore teaches that G-d revealed a profound love for all the Jews, even those whose spiritual state was so low, and personally saved every Jew, individually.
C. How far must I go?
These ideas call us to action. Some people think it is inappropriate to descend and leave their elevated spiritual environment to bring closer Jews whose spiritual state is low. Yet G-d Himself acted otherwise: He descended into Egypt, the most depraved land, and personally saved and redeemed every Jew, even the most distant, on an individual basis. This is a powerful lesson to us.
