Parshat Bo

"Return, and then Enter"

by Rabbi Sholem B. Hecht

We find that when the Almighty told Moshe to tell the Jewish people to make a sacrifice on the night of Pesach in Egypt and take blood of the Korban Pesach and place it on the doorpost and the lintel of their homes, the A-lmighty says first to place it on the door and then to place it on the lintels.

However, later on, when Moshe gathers the elders of the Jewish people and relates to them G-d's commandment concerning the Pascal sacrifice, we find that he tells them to place if first on the lintel and then on the door posts. Why did Moshe change the order of the placing of the blood on the outer doors of the Jewish homes in Egypt?

In the mitzvah of Teshuvah- returning to G-d our sage tell us there are two verses: in one verse the prophet tells us, "Shuvu Alai, Ve'Oshuva Aleichem,- Return to me and I will return to you,". Because, certainly, the only thing which separates Jews from their father in Heaven is their sinfulness and it is necessary when does Teshuva to turn back to G-d and to become close to G-d again. So the Almighty says, you return to me and I will return to you. On the other hand, there is averse which ahs become part of our prayers, not only on the high holidays, but, also on Shabbos and that is "hashiveinu Hashem Alecho Venoshuva" - we pray to you G-d, "you draw us back to you and then "Venoshuva, we will return and repent to you".

There is debate between G-d and the Jewish people, G-d says, the Jewish people have to go first, and the Jewish people say G-d you have to come first. Of Course, this is signified in the way that Hashem told Moshe to place the blood first on the door post, the door post is representing the strong foundations of the Jewish people , the patriarchs, and the Matriarchs of the Jewish people. Hashem said, you have the power, because the strength which was given to you from Avraham, Yitzchok, Yaakov, Sarah, Rivkah, Rochel and Leah that you can return to me.

If the Jews are going to leave Egypt, there must be a certain sense of repentance and there has to be a certain sense of devotion to Hashem, and only then could they leave Egypt. As we know, many Jews who were not up to that standard did not leave Egypt, but they died during the days of darkness. On the other hand, Moshe turned back and said to G-d, "Ribone Shel Olam - master of the universe, we really don't have the strength, we need that you should first draw us to you and then we will be able to return to you. Hey, you must make the first step to redeem us and then we will come to you and we will be ready to receive the Torah.

Moshe told the Jewish people, place the blood on the lintel first,, on top, representing G-d's power of bringing us back to him and then on the door post. He assured them that as long as they would be receptive to the miracles of Hashem and as long as they would turn to G-d when Hashem did redeem them from Egypt and did bring them to Mt. Sinai, then their repentance of placing blood on the door post would be accepted by the Al-mighty.