Bo: Deity vs. Sovereign — The Pattern Behind the Plagues

Rabbi Zweig opens with a textual puzzle: the Torah (תורה) sometimes says "lech el Pharaoh" (go to Pharaoh) and other times "bo el Pharaoh" (come to Pharaoh). "Bo" implies "come with me," raising the question: where is the speaker, and what is the difference between these formulations? Examining the first nine plagues, a clear pattern emerges. By Dam, Arov, and Barad, the Torah says "lech" or "stand before Pharaoh," and in each case Moshe goes to the Nile. By Tzfardeia, Dever, and Arbeh, the Torah says "bo el Pharaoh," and Moshe goes to the palace. Rabbi Zweig suggests that Pharaoh had two roles: deity and sovereign. As a deity, his "temple" was the Nile, where he performed daily ablutions and exercised mystical control over the river's inundation—a power Yaakov Avinu gave him through a bracha, as Rashi (רש"י) explains. As Melech Mitzrayim, his seat of government was the palace. When Hashem (ה׳) attacks Pharaoh the deity, Moshe is sent alone ("lech") to the Nile. When Hashem attacks Pharaoh the king, Hashem accompanies Moshe ("bo") to the palace.