Summary
A summary of Parshat Bo, and comparing it to Anya and the Nightingale.
Parshat Bo has a lot of flashy happenings – seven of the ten plagues – but it also contains a commonly forgotten fact about Moses. He is known as the great teacher and leader of the Jewish people, but he repeatedly expresses anxiety about approaching Pharaoh, specifically citing his speech impediment as a barrier. It is not totally clear what form of speech impediment Moses had- there is one midrash that says he burnt his tongue on hot coals as a child – but he refers to himself as having blocked lips. Yet, time and again, with Aaron at his side he finds a way and still approaches both Pharaoh and the enslaved Hebrew people who are growing increasingly hostile and agitated due to increased work quotas.
In Anya and The Nightingale, the sequel to the fantastic Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack, young Anya sets out to find her father who still has not returned from the tsars army. Along the way she must face a heady group of individuals including the tsar, a Rabbi, and an evil sorcerer, despite the fact that she is just a child. She has her friends at her side, and together they find the courage to keep doing the right thing.
We all have things that hold us back, whether they are an official diagnosis like Moses speech impediment, or a simple fact of life like Anya’s age. Even without those things, it can be hard to stand up to those in power. That is why it is important to acknowledge the Aaron’s in the room who provide that crucial support to people performing tasks that seem impossible. Somehow, together, we can make it possible.