Bo: was it worth it?

 Bo: matzah

 

 

 

The parsha gives two conflicting stories of the origin of matzoh.  The feast that distinguishes the allegiance to Israel, the one with the lamb and the blood on the doorposts, required Matzo.  Subsequently, the eviction from Egypt involves the  accidental  production of the unleavened bread because of the haste. 

Matzoh is part of making Egypt alien to Israel.  it is a rejection of the Egypt's leavening agent, Egypt's yeast, the unseen  material that alters and flavors the universal raw material.  

Eating from the eitz ha'daath involved the transfer of the technology for making bread. Leavening was a part of that process and the rejection of leavening is a partial return to innocence. 

Chemically, leavening involves the production of an intoxicant: alcohol - which is removed in the baking process.  That alcohol is a fundamental of Chametz.  

Thus, rejecting Chametz is rejecting the intoxicating worldliness of the Egypt, the most advanced civilization, the greatest product of the eitz Hadaath. 

The the story of matzoh as an accidental product of haste permits the people to eat a previously unfamiliar food, it is OK to eat this flat, dry stuff.  One can take advantage of serendipity.

Who put the leave in leavening?

 

 was it worth it?

 

The stated reason for the last 3 plagues ( locusts, darkness, killing of the first born) is so that  בֹּא אֶל-פַּרְעֹה  כִּי-אֲנִי הִכְבַּדְתִּי אֶת-לִבּוֹ וְאֶת-לֵב עֲבָדָיו לְמַעַן שִׁתִי אֹתֹתַי אֵלֶּה בְּקִרְבּוֹ.  ב וּלְמַעַן תְּסַפֵּר בְּאָזְנֵי בִנְךָ וּבֶן-בִּנְךָ אֵת אֲשֶׁר הִתְעַלַּלְתִּי בְּמִצְרַיִם וְאֶת-אֹתֹתַי אֲשֶׁר-שַׂמְתִּי בָם וִידַעְתֶּם

 

Is it worth these plagues, killing all the first born of Egypt, to prove the point that Gd is the greatest power? so that Israel will have a story to tell their offspring ( at the seder)?   From the perspective of the story, there is nothing more important than the story.

 

 

Last years (funnier): http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AXfHEywWA3ieZDRobXc5N18zMDc4bTRibnNnMg&hl=en