In Parshat Bo we experience the Exodus as a transformation of values, memory, and identity rather than only a dramatic escape. We explore why this portion could have opened the Torah, how the final plagues differ from the earlier ones as a clash of worldviews rather than simple punishment, and how creation, freedom, and responsibility are woven together through symbols like light, matzah, and the calendar itself. The conversation reflects on memory over history, the role of children’s questions, the mixed multitude who leave Egypt, and the painful necessity of breaking from cultures that once sustained us, leaving us with the enduring challenge of what it truly means to become a free people.

For more reading, here is this year's blog post about the parsha:

https://miko284.com/2026/01/21/this-month-is-to-you-and-us-parashat-bo/