Tune in Torah: Bo

(1) Then יהוה said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. For I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his courtiers, in order that I may display these My signs among them, (2) and that you may recount in the hearing of your child and of your child’s child how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I displayed My signs among them—in order that you may know that I am יהוה.” (3) So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says יהוה, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go that they may worship Me. (4) For if you refuse to let My people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts on your territory. (5) They shall cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. They shall devour the surviving remnant that was left to you after the hail; and they shall eat away all your trees that grow in the field. (6) Moreover, they shall fill your palaces and the houses of all your courtiers and of all the Egyptians—something that neither your fathers nor fathers’ fathers have seen from the day they appeared on earth to this day.’” With that he turned and left Pharaoh’s presence. (7) Pharaoh’s courtiers said to him, “How long shall this one be a snare to us? Let a delegation go to worship their God יהוה ! Are you not yet aware that Egypt is lost?”

(11) No! You gentlemen go and worship יהוה, since that is what you want.” And they were expelled from Pharaoh’s presence. (12) Then יהוה said to Moses, “Hold out your arm over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat up all the grasses in the land, whatever the hail has left.” (13) So Moses held out his rod over the land of Egypt, and יהוה drove an east wind over the land all that day and all night; and when morning came, the east wind had brought the locusts. (14) Locusts invaded all the land of Egypt and settled within all the territory of Egypt in a thick mass; never before had there been so many, nor will there ever be so many again. (15) They hid all the land from view, and the land was darkened; and they ate up all the grasses of the field and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left, so that nothing green was left, of tree or grass of the field, in all the land of Egypt. (16) Pharaoh hurriedly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I stand guilty before your God יהוה and before you. (17) Forgive my offense just this once, and plead with your God יהוה that this death but be removed from me.” (18) So he left Pharaoh’s presence and pleaded with יהוה. (19) יהוה caused a shift to a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and hurled them into the Sea of Reeds;*Sea of Reeds Traditionally, but incorrectly, “Red Sea.” not a single locust remained in all the territory of Egypt. (20) But יהוה stiffened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go. (21) Then יהוה said to Moses, “Hold out your arm toward the sky that there may be darkness upon the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be touched.” (22) Moses held out his arm toward the sky and thick darkness descended upon all the land of Egypt for three days. (23) People could not see one another, and for three days no one could move about; but all the Israelites enjoyed light in their dwellings. (24) Pharaoh then summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship יהוה ! Only your flocks and your herds shall be left behind; even your dependents may go with you.” (25) But Moses said, “You yourself must provide us with sacrifices and burnt offerings to offer up to our God יהוה; (26) our own livestock, too, shall go along with us—not a hoof shall remain behind: for we must select from it for the worship of our God יהוה; and we shall not know with what we are to worship יהוה until we arrive there.” (27) But יהוה stiffened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not agree to let them go. (28) Pharaoh said to him, “Be gone from me! Take care not to see me again, for the moment you look upon my face you shall die.” (29) And Moses replied, “You have spoken rightly. I shall not see your face again!”

People could not see one another, and for three days no one could get up from where he was...

This darkness was not merely the absence of sunlight, so that the sun set and it was as dark as night, but it was a thick darkness--that is a dense fog that descended from the sky...This darkness extinguished every light, just as in deep mines and other places of intense darkness no light can exist. Similarly, those who cross the Mountains of Darkness find that they cannot keep a light or any kind of fire burning. If this were not so in our verse, then they could simply have used lamps...It was not merely that daylight was absent, but darkness was sent. It may be that such a dense fog could actually be physically felt, as our Sages said, like the Atlantic fogs mentioned by Ibn Ezra.

A darkness that can be touched: A darkness more dark than the dark of night. The dark of night grew darker still. The word translated as touch is really a form of the verb "to grow dark...." Onkelos takes the word to be from "to move away...." this he translates 'darkness upon the land of Egypt after the darkness of night has departed,' a darkness that would begin at dawn. But the Hebrew does not say 'after,' it says 'and.'

The midrash takes this verb to be from "to grope," indicating that the darkness was so thick it was doubled and redoubled, until it became a darkness of substance, mamash.

(1) And יהוה said to Moses, “I will bring but one more plague upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt; after that he shall let you go from here; indeed, when he lets you go, he will drive you out of here one and all. (2) Tell the people to borrow, each man from his neighbor and each woman from hers, objects of silver and gold.” (3) יהוה disposed the Egyptians favorably toward the people. Moreover, Moses himself was much esteemed in the land of Egypt, among Pharaoh’s courtiers and among the people. (4) Moses said, “Thus says יהוה: Toward midnight I will go forth among the Egyptians, (5) and every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the first-born of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; and all the first-born of the cattle. (6) And there shall be a loud cry in all the land of Egypt, such as has never been or will ever be again; (7) but not a dog shall snarl*snarl Others “move (or whet) his tongue.” at any of the Israelites, at human or beast—in order that you may know that יהוה makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. (8) “Then all these courtiers of yours shall come down to me and bow low to me, saying, ‘Depart, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will depart.” And he left Pharaoh’s presence in hot anger. (9) Now יהוה had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, in order that My marvels may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” (10) Moses and Aaron had performed all these marvels before Pharaoh, but יהוה had stiffened the heart of Pharaoh so that he would not let the Israelites go from his land.

(1) יהוה said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: (2) This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you. (3) Speak to the community leadership of Israel and say that on the tenth of this month each of them shall take a lamb*lamb Or “kid.” to a family, a lamb to a household. (4) But if the household is too small for a lamb, let it share one with a neighbor who dwells nearby, in proportion to the number of persons: you shall contribute for the lamb according to what each household will eat. (5) Your lamb shall be without blemish, a yearling male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. (6) You shall keep watch over it until the fourteenth day of this month; and all the assembled congregation of the Israelites shall slaughter it at twilight. (7) They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they are to eat it. (8) They shall eat the flesh that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs. (9) Do not eat any of it raw, or cooked in any way with water, but roasted—head, legs, and entrails—over the fire. (10) You shall not leave any of it over until morning; if any of it is left until morning, you shall burn it. (11) This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly: it is a passover offering יהוה. (12) For that night I will go through the land of Egypt and strike down every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt, both human and beast; and I will mete out punishments to all the gods of Egypt, I יהוה. (13) And the blood on the houses where you are staying shall be a sign for you: when I see the blood I will pass over you, so that no plague will destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (14) This day shall be to you one of remembrance: you shall celebrate it as a festival to יהוה throughout the ages; you shall celebrate it as an institution for all time. (15) Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the very first day you shall remove leaven from your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day to the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. (16) You shall celebrate a sacred occasion on the first day, and a sacred occasion on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them; only what every person is to eat, that alone may be prepared for you. (17) You shall observe the [Feast of] Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your ranks out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day throughout the ages as an institution for all time. (18) In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.