Bo 5772 - English

Rabbi David Cohen-Henríquez

Kol Shearith Congregation, Panama

Rebels with a Cause

According to Rambam (Maimonides), Egyptians practiced astrology and worshiped the zodiacal sign of the ram.  (Notice how the Pesach festival falls under the house of Aries.)  In the Egyptian culture, killing sheep was prohibited, which was the reason why herdsmen considered them unpleasant.  We find evidence of this attitude in Genesis 46, when Joseph warns his brothers on how to talk to Pharaoh (v. 33 and 34).

… when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say: “What is your occupation?”, that ye shall say: “Thy servants have been keepers of cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and our fathers”; that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

For this reason, our ancestors once slit the throats of lambs and smeared their blood on their doorjambs.  Rambam explains that they did so in order to purify themselves of those Egyptian ideas, rejecting them publicly.

Other commentators maintain that the act of separating the lambs, sacrificing them and spreading their blood on doorjambs was a way of challenging their oppressors.  We could say it was equivalent to painting graffiti on walls, a great symbol of anarchy in red or some message against the dictator.  It was an act of courage and valor, a group revolution in which they ate, literally, the Egyptian gods.  Imagine the Egyptians’ reaction, seeing their oppressed slaves boldly rising, to the extent of drinking and eating what they deemed sacred!

The blood on the Hebrews’ doorjambs was not intended for God’s eyes, when He sent His angel of death. The message was for those who had hurt the Hebrews for so long. Likewise, the message was for the slaves as well, to pluck their courage and make their spirit grow, actively participating in their own redemption.

Our people were viewed by many generations as a weak nation, marched to death as sheep to the slaughter.  Nowadays, the Jewish people have a daring and courageous spirit, just as they had when we were freed from Egypt.  In the face of any adversity, our people will always be ready to survive and vanquish those who wish to oppress and destroy them.

Shabbat Shalom.