One set of rules for all

Bo

Ex. 10:1-13:16

Précis: God sends additional plagues (locusts and darkness) and alerts Moses that the 10^th and final plague will follow. Then, the final plague, the death of all of the first born, is wrecked on Egypt. The Israelites, accompanied by the “mixed multitudes,” leave Egypt, carrying with them the “spoils of Egypt” given to them by the Egyptians. The parasha ends with the laws regarding Passover.

Ex. 12:49 “One instruction shall be for the home-born, and to the stranger that resides with you.”

            Rashi informs us that this phrase, related to the duty to eat of the Pascal Lamb, goes beyond the specific mitzvah to include all commandments. That's because the word we translate here as "instruction" in Hebrew is "torah." There is one set of rules to apply to all: one principle of fairness, one system of justice. The need to treat all people fairly, equitably, and justly is a key Jewish value reiterated here.

            It’s a value worth remembering this week, when some call for discriminating against “the stranger that resides with you” and preventing other “strangers” from entry into our country.