Shabbat Shalom!.
Shabbat Shalom!.
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Shabbat Shalom!.
Bo (Exodus 10:1-13:16)
"Speak to the entire assembly of Israel, saying: They shall take
some of its blood and place it on the two doorposts and on the
lintel of the houses in which they will eat...I shall go through
Egypt on this night, and I shall strike every firstborn in the
land of Egypt, from man to beast; and against all gods of Egypt
I shall mete out punishment. The blood shall be a SIGN for you
upon the house where you are; when I see the blood I shall
PASSOVER you; there shall not be a plague of destruction upon
you when I strike the land of Egypt. This day shall be a remembrance
for you and you shall celebrate it..." 12:3-15
Parshat Bo is one of the most extraordinary and important parshiot we read all year. It relates the actual story of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Parshat Bo begins with the last three plagues that G-d brings upon the Egyptians with the swarms of locusts, then darkness encompassing the land, and the death of the firstborn Egyptians. The parshat continues with G-d teaching Moses all of the laws of Pesach that
“you shall celebrate it as an institution for all time.” (Exodus 12:14)
In the middle of the Parshat, G-d presents the first mitzvah given to the Jewish people as a nation, the mitzvah of declaring the new moon, Rosh Chodesh.
“This month shall mark for you the beginnings of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you” (Exodus12:2).
The Jewish people are commanded to sanctify each new moon, beginning with the month of Nisan. It is interesting to note that our first commandment as a community is the keeping of the new moon, the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh. Nissan is the first month of the Jewish calender Though many might think that Tishrei(Rosh Hashanah), is the first month of the Jewish calender in actuality it is Nissan. The day the Jewish nation went free from Egypt is seen as the purpose of the creation of man.
The holiday of Passover derives its name from a portion of this weeks parsha,
“and they shall take of the blood, and put it on the lintel….and I will pass over you” (12:7,13)
The Torah tells us to have a Seder, in which we should feel as though we, personally were slaves in Egypt. Rashi explains that among other things, G-d specifically told the Jews to sacrifice a lamb or goat , put the blood on their doorposts and circumcise themselves in anticipation of the exodus.
This sign was the way the Israelites protected themselves against the devasting plague of the killing of the first born. It was this distinguishing mark which came from a slaughtered lamb (which was an Egyptian god) and then smearing its blood on the doorposts, it was a sign that the people inside the house were righteous and courageous and therefore worthy of Hashem's protection.
"the blood shall be a sign for YOU."
Rashi teaches us that the blood was placed on the inside of the doorways not on the outside. In this way the Jewish people, who were conducting the first Seder in Jewish history could gaze upon this sign and draw inspiration during that horrible night of terror. Hashem didn't need a sign to know which houses were occupied by the Israelites. But as in everything else, human nature is such that people needed reassurance to know that others were also believers. This sign is significant because it is a reminder of an act that occurred before the eyes of the entire nation.
We, therefore, place our Mezuzot as signs upon our houses as a daily reminder and public declaration that we are aware of Hashem's personal interest in our lives. This mitzvah signifies that the people inside are believers in the G-d of our people. The scroll contains the first two paragraphs of the "Shema" prayer, declaring the oneness of God, and commanding us "to write [these words] on the doorpost of your house and on your gates" (Deut. 6:4-9). Though "mezuzah" refers to the actual parchment itself, "mezuzah" is used to also describe the decorative case the scroll is stored in. Unfortunately, many Jewish homes have ornate cases containing invalid scrolls -- or no scroll at all! The scroll has to be written by a scribe A "kosher" mezuzah is hand-written on genuine parchment, prepared from the skin of a kosher animal. A specially trained scribe, known as a sofer, carefully writes the words using special black ink and a quill pen. The letters must be written according to halacha (Jewish Law), and every letter and word must be correct. Any mistakes or missing letters invalidates the entire parchment. (aish.com)
Despite hundreds of years of difficulties in Egypt, our ancestors prevailed. Let us celebrate our survival and proudly place a mezuzah on our doorposts to display with certainty that G-d is One and His Name is One.
Shabbot Shalom,
Miriam
For more information on affixing a mezuzah the following link will guide you.
This day of the new Jewish month is considered a holiday which has been turned over to the Jewish woman as a result of not idolizing the golden calf. When the women didn't participate in the sin of the golden calf, they were rewarded with the holiday of Rosh Chodesh, the day on which we were established as a Jewish nation.
What better dish on a cold winter day to commemorate the Jews leaving Egypt than this delicious dish.
The sighting of the new moon each month was a significant event celebrated by a minor festival in biblical times In some Jewish communities, it is a day free from work for women to honor them for their refusal to participate in the worship of the Golden Calf..
Lamb Curry with rice
Cooking spray 2 pounds lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 2 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 1/2 cups chopped onion 5 tbl. Minced garlic½ teap.prepared mustard 2 teap. Curry powder2 bay leaves 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick 1 tablespoon paprika 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger 2 tbl. Red wine½ teap. Worcestershire sauce1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper 2 cups finely chopped plum tomato (about 1/2 pound-can use canned) 1 1/2 cups water 2 bouillion cubes any kind is fine1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided 4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add lamb, and cook for 5 minutes on all sides or until browned. Remove lamb from pan.
Heat the oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and next ingredients ,cook for 4 minutes or until onion is browned. Add lamb, tomato, water, bouillion and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until the lamb is tender. Stir in 1/4 cup cilantro. Can add more curry to taste. Serve over rice; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cilantro.
Lasagna (freezes well- make ahead)
Ingredients
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 jars spaghetti sauce
1 lb pareve ground beef or crumblers(morningstar farms)
1 (16 ounce) container ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 eggs
1 (1 lb) package lasagna noodle, cooked
Directions
In a large pan, cook ground beef, onion& garlic in oil. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer 15 minutes.
In bowl, mix ricotta, spinach and 1 cup mozarella, all of parmesan and eggs.
In 9x13 baking dish (or smaller dishes as needed), layer 2 cups sauce, half of noodles, half of remaining sauce, all of spinach mixture, half the mozzarella, remaining noodles& sauce.
Cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes or until hot.
Uncover, top with remaining mozzarella.
Bake 15 minutes.
Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
**To freeze: Bake, cool, wrap well, and label. freeze up to 2 months.
To serve, defrost overnight and then bake at 350F until warmed through, or bake from frozen for 1 hour and a half.
Shabbat Shalom!.
