Parashat Bo takes an exciting twist: we finally see Bnei Yisrael act. Egypt now knows that God is sovereign and Bnei Yisrael are almost ready to go. Throughout the process, Bnei Yisrael have been marignialized, but suddenly they are asked to do something: they are to prepare for The Plague of the Firstborn, and are given a set of instructions to prepare for the Pesach ritual in Egypt- a Pesach characterized by anticipation and tension rather than remembrance of future generations.
Suddenly Bnei Yisrael turn from passive to active. This is a dramatic shift- and why is it here? Why are Bnei Yisrael commanded to act?
Did they need this? We explore various possibilities and suggest that they need to bring themselves into a different state in order to make themselves worthy of coming out of Eypt - and worthy of redemption - in an absolute way.