Table Talk Parshat Bo

"...when the journey is complete and the people – free at last – are in their own land. And what he talks about is not the land itself, or the society they will have to build or even the demands and responsibilities of freedom. Instead, he talks about education, specifically about the duty of parents to their children. He speaks about the questions children may ask when the epic events that are about to happen are, at best, a distant memory. He tells the Israelites to do what Jews have done from then to now. Tell your children the story. Do it in the maximally effective way..."

- The Lord Rabbi Joanthan Sacks

שמות י״ב:כ״ה-כ״ז

וְהָיָ֞ה כִּֽי־תָבֹ֣אוּ אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִתֵּ֧ן ה' לָכֶ֖ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֵּ֑ר וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־הָעֲבֹדָ֥ה הַזֹּֽאת׃ וְהָיָ֕ה כִּֽי־יֹאמְר֥וּ אֲלֵיכֶ֖ם בְּנֵיכֶ֑ם מָ֛ה הָעֲבֹדָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את לָכֶֽם׃ וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֡ם זֶֽבַח־פֶּ֨סַח ה֜וּא לַֽה' אֲשֶׁ֣ר פָּ֠סַח עַל־בָּתֵּ֤י בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם בְּנָגְפּ֥וֹ אֶת־מִצְרַ֖יִם וְאֶת־בָּתֵּ֣ינוּ הִצִּ֑יל וַיִּקֹּ֥ד הָעָ֖ם וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוּֽוּ׃

Exodus 12:25-27

And when you enter the land that the LORD will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite. And when your children ask you, ‘What do you mean by this rite?’ you shall say, ‘It is the passover sacrifice to the LORD, because He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but saved our houses.’” The people then bowed low in homage.

שמות י״ג:ח׳

וְהִגַּדְתָּ֣ לְבִנְךָ֔ בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא לֵאמֹ֑ר בַּעֲב֣וּר זֶ֗ה עָשָׂ֤ה ה' לִ֔י בְּצֵאתִ֖י מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃

Exodus 13:8

And you shall explain to your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I went free from Egypt.’

שמות י״ג:י״ד

וְהָיָ֞ה כִּֽי־יִשְׁאָלְךָ֥ בִנְךָ֛ מָחָ֖ר לֵאמֹ֣ר מַה־זֹּ֑את וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵלָ֔יו בְּחֹ֣זֶק יָ֗ד הוֹצִיאָ֧נוּ ה' מִמִּצְרַ֖יִם מִבֵּ֥ית עֲבָדִֽים׃

Exodus 13:14

And when, in time to come, your son asks you, saying, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘It was with a mighty hand that the LORD brought us out from Egypt, the house of bondage.

משנה פסחים י׳:ה׳

בכל דור ודור חייב אדם לראות את עצמו כאילו הוא יצא ממצרים, שנאמר "והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא לאמור: בעבור זה עשה ה' לי בצאתי ממצרים".

Mishnah Pesachim 10:5

Rabban Gamliel used to say, "Anyone who has not mentioned these three things on Pesach has not discharged his obligation, and these are [the items that he must mention]: the Pesach sacrifice, matsa and bitter herbs. [The] Pesach [Passover] sacrifice [is offered] - because the Omnipresent passed over the homes of our ancestors in Egypt. Matsa [is eaten] - because our ancestors were redeemed in Egypt. Bitter herbs [are eaten] - because the Egyptians embittered the lives of our ancestors in Egypt." In every generation a person must see himself as though he [personally] had gone out of Egypt, as it is stated, “And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt’” (Exodus 13:8). Therefore we are obligated to thank, praise, laud, glorify, exalt, lavish, bless, extol, and adore He Who made all these miracles for our ancestors and for us: He brought us out from slavery to freedom, from sorrow to joy, from mourning to [celebration of] a festival, from darkness to great light, and from servitude to redemption. [Therefore,] let us say before Him, Halleluyah!

In every generation a person is obligated to see himself as though he too was redeemed from Egypt, as it says, "Teach this to your children on that day saying, For this reason Hashem did this for me when I came out from Egypt."

For older children and adults:

"Time and again the Bible uses the word Zachor / זכור, remember... Why is it important to remember? Because memory of the evils of the past is the best way of avoiding evils in the future. We cannot bring the dead back to life, but we can ensure that they did not die in vain. Those who forget may repeat. Those who remember know that we have to find another way."

- The Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in his speech honoring the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz

Let's Talk!

Why do you think Moshe discusses the importance of teaching our children about the story of our nation when we enter Eretz Yisrael?

How do collective stories join us together?

What important stories are part of your family history?

For older children and adults: why is remembering events like the Holocaust important?

Kids...ask your parents!

What is a story that you grew up hearing about your grandparents? Why is it important to remember it? When do you think about it?

Pesha Kletenik