Parshah Bo - How Much Do Your Values Matter?
In this week's Torah portion, Bo, Moses instructed the Jewish people about the details of the first Passover offering: "On the tenth of this month, let each one take a lamb for each parental home, a lamb for each household... And you shall keep it for inspection until the fourteenth day of this month". So, it took four days to keep and observe it until it was sacrificed. A question therefore arises: why was this lengthy inspection required?
Lambs were idolized by the ancient Egyptians. The Egyptians would undoubtedly take note if someone brought a lamb, their deity, into their houses for four days with the aim to kill and consume it. It was highly possible that this insult to their deity would anger them. It was the Jews' courage in keeping their beliefs and obeying G-d command despite the potential danger. This courage to insist on their belief has gained them merit and prepared them for redemption from the Egyptians.
Animals are worshiped until these days as false gods themselves, or as representatives of false gods, in rituals involving idolatrous practices. There are animal temples in the east where animals are adored or even worshiped. Many idolatrous temples hold monkeys, snakes, tigers, etc, as deities. Needless to say, visiting or paying the entrance fee to such places means financially supporting idolatrous places. Therefore, one should avoid visiting or touring these places.
In most cases nowadays, standing out for our beliefs doesn't put us in danger. Thus, we should continue to draw strength and live according to the Divine instructions of the 7 Noahide commandments. This will ensure that we will merit the final redemption.
Rabbi Moshe Bernestein is a writer and a Community Rabbi in Netanya, Israel. He believes in making connections between the Jewish People and the Noahides worldwide in order to share and enhance the knowledge of the Torah's Universal Code for Humanity and fulfil Isaiah's Prophecy 11:9 " And the world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the oceans".
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