BO

BO

As Hashem is unmanifest, unknowable, immutable, Hashem, of course, has no physical attributes; but others including our sages sometimes use phrases like the hand of Hashem.  And in the last plague, Hashem participated directly in protecting us from the angel of death.  The color purple is associated with the Olam Yetzirah which is connected with a more metaphysical dream consciousness world.  Here the family has prepared the protection of their home with the hyssop used to spread the sacrificial blood of the animal placed on the doorposts of their home to have this angel of death pass us by.

Such a night ! 

When I was young my father, a reformed rabbi, tending to look for natural causes of the plagues, rather than supernatural ones, said that possibly the Hebrews finally revolted with violence toward their cruel jailors and this was the result which including killing the young.  But however we look at this moment, where all the first born of the oppressors die, their animal first born as well, we struggle with the necessity of such horror.  Must evil be destroyed with evil?  Measure for measure as the orthodox theology suggests.  They had wanted to kill all the Jews, drown the Jewish boys.  Since they would never admit their crimes, this was payback. Harsh. But maybe a warning to us that if we do not take responsibility for our mistakes, there will be painful retribution.