God has held a hand over the land of Egypt and proved to them that there is one God. Locusts, darkness, and death of the first born are the finale of the plagues. Each time a plague begins, Pharaoh begs Moses to plea to God to take it away. Unfortunately, everytime his heart is still stiffened by God. When death of the first born occurs, the Egyptians practically throw the Israelites out of Egypt. The Israelites are on the run and on the way they can not bake leavened bread, thus inventing matzah. Our people are still worried Pharaoh will change his mind. Bo leaves us with the Jews on the run.
This week I would like to talk specifically about the worst and most devastating of the plagues. God says to Moses that the tenth plague will set apart Egypt and Israel as he kills the death every first born. God demands him to declare to the Israelites that they must kill one of their lambs and put the blood on the door. God calls the meal from the lamb's meat, "the passover offering". As God conveys the tragic plague over Egypt, God passes over any house with the lamb's blood. Some call it unruly, but was there any other way?
My question is, where were the Egyptians? They did not notice this all going on. If they have not figured it out yet, God will radiate plagues until they are liberated. Was this not suspcious. This is what the Torah means when Egypt and Israel will distinguished. Pharaoh and his people could care less about their slaves' lives. The loss of community in Egypt is what could allow God to smite Egypt with one more plague.
In my own town,the community came together giving back to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday. I felt welcomed as a resident alien: Yankee loving, Jewish kid born in New Jersey who wants to be a rabbi in a slimly diverse, Red Sox nation town where most of my friend's do not know what a rabbi is.
Another time, about a month ago, my cousin had us work at a homeless shelter for her Bat Mitzvah. The leader of the shelter told us that once we leave this shelter, we should not be scared of the homeless. If it was us out on the streets, we would like to be treated like a rat. When we see the homeless, we turn away. What if we were to say hello? What if Egypt did not turn on blind eye on the Israelites?
Adam - you had me on the slimly diverse town we live in! I was left with that same impression not to turn away from the homeless. Unfortunately, there are a lot more homeless in Haiti now.
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