This Week’s Torah Portion: Bo – בֹּא (Exodus 10:1−13:16)

Going into Uncertainty with Confidence
Cantor Lauren Adesnik

וַאֲנַ֣חְנוּ לֹֽא־נֵדַ֗ע מַֽה־נַּעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה עַד־בֹּאֵ֖נוּ שָֽׁמָּה׃

Va-anachnu  lo-neida mah-na’avod et-Adonai ad-bo’einu shama.

“and we shall not know with what we are to worship יהוה until we arrive there.” Exodus 10:26

Moses stands before Pharoah, once again demanding that Pharoah free the Israelite people. Pharoah goads Moses and tries to bargain with him, “leave behind your livestock,” Pharoah says, and you may go. Moses’ reply demonstrates strength and faith. Men, women, children, and all livestock will come with us, says Moses, because “we shall not know with what we are to worship God until we arrive.” At this moment, Moses has no idea of what’s to come. Moses is following a direct calling from God guided by his faith.

May we find the faith, strength, and inspiration to enter the unknown like Moses. Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Written in the Vilna Ghetto, the song Zog Nit Keynmol, became an anthem of the underground resistance movement. Song to an Unknown Partisan expresses the same faith and courage Moses exudes as he stands up to Pharoah. Let us remember, even in our darkest days, we are here, we are moving forward together.

Never say this is the final round for you,
Though leadened skies may cover over days of blue.
As the hour that we longed for is so near,
Our step beats out the message- we are here!
From lands so green with palms to lands all white with snow,
We shall be coming with our anguish and our woe,
And where a spurt of our blood fell on the earth,
There our courage and our spirit have rebirth.
The early morning sun will brighten our day.
And yesterday with our foe will fade away.
But if the sun delays and in the east remains-
This song as password generations must maintain.
This song was written with our blood and not with lead.
It’s not a little tune that birds sing overhead.
This song a people sang amid collapsing walls,
With grenades in hands they heeded to the call.
Therefore never say the road now ends for you,
Though leadened skies may cover over days of blue.
Ast the hour that we longed for is so near-
Our steps beats out the message- we are here!