BO

BO

The seven Aliyahs of Bo

top right – Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh whose heart is still stone. They warn him of the next plague and his advisors recommend that he let the Hebrews free, that the authoritarian racist Egypt is finished, and the stars indicate this as well.

top left – The next two plagues ravage Egypt: The locusts and Moses raising his hand to bring on the darkness and Jews too suffered here as those who had given up their faith in Hashem disappeared and died during this plague.

top center – Moses once more warns Pharaoh who some sages say was actually a little person reflecting his small understanding.  The people of Egypt were clear that the Hebrews were being protected by an all-powerful G-d and they offered some of their possessions encouraging the Hebrews to leave with these.

bottom right – The last plague where the angel of death passed by the homes of the Hebrews marked with the blood of a sacrificed lamb on their doorposts.  It is said that the hand of Hashem protected these homes.

bottom left – Moses speaks to the leaders of the tribes about how they will protect themselves using the hyssop branches to mark their doorposts with the blood and telling them of how they will celebrate this night in their future.

bottom center – The first born of all the Egyptians from the poorest to Pharaoh and all the animals and Pharaoh finally lets the Hebrews leave.

center center – this Aliyah tells us to use the various tefillin during prayer and to tell our children of Hashem’s miracles, to celebrate Pesach (symbolized here by the matzah) and that his hand guides us to a place of milk (symbolized by the goat’s milk) and honey (symbolized by the juice from the date trees).