God says 'Bo' to Moses and Aaron at the beginning of the portion. In most translations it's just 'Go,' as in 'Go to Pharaoh, etc.' Only what it actually also means is 'Come.' It means that God was already with Pharaoh, and Moses and Aaron needed to come to meet up, to make the miracle happen.
A few years ago, I spent some time learning at Beit Teshuvah, a Jewish addiction recovery center in LA. What I was impressed with more than anything with this recovery center was the fact that shadowy/passionate/Yetzer haRa wasn't dismissed. It was seen as something that needs balancing, right-sizing. It's true, when someone is addicted, drug and alcohol use has to cease entirely. But music and art and community and fashion and all of the other parts of the 'past life' don't necessarily have to stop. You don't become un-you. Recovery comes when the two sides are able to communicate, miracles happen when we heed the call and get honest and come together.
How would you apply the understanding that 'God was already with Pharaoh' to your own life?
(כד) וַיִּקְרָ֨א פַרְעֹ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לְכוּ֙ עִבְד֣וּ אֶת־יְהוָ֔ה רַ֛ק צֹאנְכֶ֥ם וּבְקַרְכֶ֖ם יֻצָּ֑ג גַּֽם־טַפְּכֶ֖ם יֵלֵ֥ךְ עִמָּכֶֽם׃ (כה) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה גַּם־אַתָּ֛ה תִּתֵּ֥ן בְּיָדֵ֖נוּ זְבָחִ֣ים וְעֹל֑וֹת וְעָשִׂ֖ינוּ לַיהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃ (כו) וְגַם־מִקְנֵ֜נוּ יֵלֵ֣ךְ עִמָּ֗נוּ לֹ֤א תִשָּׁאֵר֙ פַּרְסָ֔ה כִּ֚י מִמֶּ֣נּוּ נִקַּ֔ח לַעֲבֹ֖ד אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וַאֲנַ֣חְנוּ לֹֽא־נֵדַ֗ע מַֽה־נַּעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־יְהוָ֔ה עַד־בֹּאֵ֖נוּ שָֽׁמָּה׃
(24) Pharaoh then summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the LORD! Only your flocks and your herds shall be left behind; even your children may go with you.” (25) But Moses said, “You yourself must provide us with sacrifices and burnt offerings to offer up to the LORD our God; (26) our own livestock, too, shall go along with us—not a hoof shall remain behind: for we must select from it for the worship of the LORD our God; and we shall not know with what we are to worship the LORD until we arrive there.”
'In this week's portion, we read about the plagues of locusts, and darkness. And then there's an intriguing interlude: Pharaoh summons Moshe and says, "fine, go worship your God; you can even take your children with you, but leave your flocks and herds behind." Moshe refuses, saying that the Israelites must take their livestock with them. "We shall not know with what we are to worship the Lord until we arrive there," Moshe says.
I love the notion that we can't know with what we will be called to worship until we're in the moment of worship itself.
Our avodah she-ba-lev, the service/offering of our hearts, can never entirely be planned. We have to bring our whole selves to prayer in order to find out what is asked of us today, and who we might aspire to become.'
In what ways do you try to bring your whole self? With what parts of self/life are you called to worship God today?