Parashah Bo Comments (2024)
Bo means “Go.” In this parashah, HaShem sends Moshe to Pharaoh with judgments that reveal His Name and purpose across generations.
Exodus 10:1–2 — ADONAI said to Moshe, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have made him and his servants hardhearted, so that I can demonstrate these signs of mine among them, so that you can tell your son and grandson about what I did to Egypt and about my signs that I demonstrated among them, and so that you will all know that I am ADONAI.”
This echoes the previous chapter, where Adonai states that His power and reputation will resound throughout the earth.
Exodus 9:15–16 — “By now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with such severe plagues that you would have been wiped off the earth. But it is for this very reason that I have kept you alive — to show you my power, and so that my name may resound throughout the whole earth.”
In the Haftarah, Jeremiah explains why Pharaoh’s strength collapsed: not accident, but the push of Adonai.
Jeremiah 46:15 — “Why has your strong one been overthrown? He failed to stand because Adonai pushed him down.”
When Oppression Peaks
Adonai pushed Pharaoh down when his oppression of the sons of Jacob peaked. History since Egypt bears many unjust sufferings. Most central is the agonizing, sacrificial death of the Messiah. Yet countless others have suffered at the hands of governments, churches, and institutions. Four recent burdens weigh on my heart:
1) Canton, Iowa: The “Indian Insane Asylum” (1903–1934)
Less than 100 miles north of Sioux City, a federal institution once held Indigenous Americans for epilepsy, mental disorders, alcoholism—or simply for opposing government or business interests, or for being culturally misunderstood. After its closure, reports surfaced of abuse and neglect; a cemetery on the grounds records many unmarked graves. Indigenous communities now gather yearly to honor the dead and seek healing.
2) Canada’s Residential Schools (1867–1996)
Forcible assimilation removed approximately 150,000 First Nations children from their homes. Many died through abuse, negligence, disease, or accidents. In 2015, Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission termed the system “cultural genocide.” Since 2021, thousands of unmarked graves have been identified across former school sites—an open wound calling for truth, repentance, and restoration.
3) October 7, 2023: Massacre and War
October 7 marked the largest one-day massacre of Jewish civilians in modern times. The horrors of that day ignited war between Hamas and Israel, ongoing grief for hostages and families, and fears of wider conflict. For many Israelis, the cry “never again” sharpened into a vow to end terror. We pray for the protection of innocents, the rescue of captives, justice with restraint, and the peace of Jerusalem.
4) Vatican Controversy (December 2023)
A Vatican document approved by Pope Francis permitted blessings for same-sex couples that must not resemble marriage. Many Roman Catholics received this as pastoral outreach; many others as a departure from biblical sexual ethics. The division exposed deep questions about authority, Scripture, and conscience—questions that call all of us back to humility before the word of God.
Does God Allow Such Things—and Why?
It is not in God’s character to promote evil. Yet Scripture teaches that HaShem may permit human hardness to ripen so His mercy and justice are unmistakable, and repentance becomes urgent.
Romans 9:14–18 — “…It doesn’t depend on human desires or efforts, but on God, who has mercy… ‘For this very reason I raised you up… so that my name might be known throughout the world.’ So then, He has mercy on whom He wants, and He hardens whom He wants.”
In the acharit-hayamim (Last Days), Sha’ul warns of moral inversion and spiritual pretense.
2 Timothy 3:1–5 — “In the last days… people will be self-loving… as they retain the outer form of religion but deny its power.”
He also teaches that the Day of the Lord is preceded by apostasy and a self-exalting figure who opposes Torah, echoing Ezekiel’s critique of arrogant rulers.
2 Thessalonians 2:1–4 — “The Day will not come until after the Apostasy… he will sit in the Temple of God and proclaim that he himself is God.”
Ezekiel 28:2b — “You are a man, not God, even though you think like God.”
Working Out Our Own Deliverance
Because authority can err, we must answer to the Highest Authority with fear and trembling, trusting the Ruach HaKodesh to will and to work in us.
Philippians 2:12–13 — “Keep working out your deliverance with fear and trembling, for God is the one working among you both the willing and the working for what pleases Him.”
The opposite of faith is not doubt but certainty without humility. We need faithful questioning that leads to repentance and deeper obedience to the Written Word, the Living Word (Yeshua), and the convicting work of the Spirit.
Love Your Neighbor—Even Through Disagreement
Yeshua’s ethic remains non-negotiable: love of God joined to love of neighbor. He calls us to seek reconciliation first, then bring our gifts.
Mark 12:31 — “You are to love your neighbor as yourself.”
Luke 10:29–37 — The parable of the Good Samaritan.
Matthew 5:23–24 — “Leave your gift… go, make peace with your brother. Then come back and offer your gift.”
Jew and Gentile: A Hope of Reconciliation
History records a long-standing rift between traditional Judaism and believers in Yeshua. Yet I believe HaShem allowed even these divisions to serve His purposes—so that all may know He is Adonai (Exodus 10:2).
Isaiah 1:18–20 — “Come now… Even if your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow… If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land.”
Traditional sources wrestle with the two strands of messianic expectation—Mashiach ben Yosef (the suffering servant) and Mashiach ben David (the reigning king; cf. Sanhedrin 98a). In Yeshua, I believe these strands converge: the One who died for our sins and the One who will return in glory.
A Personal Confession of Hope
As a Jewish believer in Yeshua for over thirty years, a Messianic rabbi for nearly fourteen, and the spouse of a practicing Catholic for forty-seven, I trust HaShem to reconcile all who truly seek Him—Christians, Jews, and Messianic Jews. When this happens is His to decide. May Messiah return soon, and in our days. Amen.
