Pesach Thoughts
@@@@@@
Fooling Ourselves
Why were Jews allowed to sing at the Yam Suf while angels were admonished “My creations drown at sea, and you sing to Me?!”
One town had a Mosser, an informant, who harassed the folk in town. When he died, all the town rejoiced. The neighboring townsmen came round to join the party too. Said the townspeople ‘We are glad to be rid of this nuisance: our lives will now be easier. But what are you guys celebrating about? To you he is a Jew who died!’
Similarly, we were glad to be rid of the Egyptians, our oppressors. In fact, its our duty to thank for what we receive. The angels, however, never suffered. Why were they singing? [- Peh Kadosh]
Another thought; its sad the Egyptians needed to die. Under the circumstances it was the best possible outcome, but that matters were so – that the Egyptians were so wicked – is regrettable. Which perspective matters: the here and now, or the entire situation, start to finish?
Angels have a wide perspective: their intellect is vast. They ought to look at things in broad perspective, and realize that the whole business was a tragedy. It would have been better had the Egyptians never sinned. But we, limited in scope, are entitled to see narrowly: it was great the Egyptians drowned!
Another dimension; We serve Hashem using all our powers, even impressions from appearances, true or otherwise. We capitalize on any opportunity, even imagined, to become better people. We are entitled and encouraged to perceive the drowning of the Egyptians as a good thing, even though that meant taking narrow perspective. It makes us better people.
@@@@@@
Our Mother Bear
‘Observe Pesach in the month of spring, for in that month Hashem has taken you out of Egypt at night’. Didn’t we leave ‘in the middle of that day’?
The Targum reads the pasuk: keep Pesach for two reasons; one, because Hashem has taken you out of Egypt (by day, of course!), and because Hashem has done you miracles at night.
Which miracles?? Makas Bechoros. Hashem killed the Egyptian first-born at midnight.
Why are we grateful specifically for this miracle? Is this a reason to make Pesach more than, say, the Frogs?
Moshe was commanded to tell Paroh: ‘Says Hashem; “My firstborn son is Israel. Send out My son to serve Me, or else I shall kill your firstborn son!”‘ The message; ‘you start up with my firstborn; I kill your firstborn…!’.
Makas Bechoros expressed Hashem’s mother-bear love to Israel. Hashem did not merely exercise justice, rather He took personal revenge. Makas Bechoros represented that our relationship with Hashem has gone up an entire level.
This is why Makas Bechoros is a basis for the Pesach holiday.
@@@@@@
Thanks, But No Thanks!
Why do we owe Hashem thanks for taking us out of mitzrayim; He put us there?!
Did we need being enslaved in Mitzrayim?
The Siach Yitzchak haggadah gives a few reasons why;
1) Avraham doubted Hashem’s promise that his children will inherit the Land. He was punished that his children be exiled and oppressed. (This is the plain sense of when Avraham asked ‘bamuh edah?’ and Hashem answered ‘yadoa tedah!!’) The exile was payback.
2) The Jews in Egypt sinned, and were punished with oppression. This is why the first generation Jews and all shevet Levi were oppressed; only upon sin did oppression begin. Moshe exclaimed ‘Indeed, now its known!’ Rashi translates ‘Indeed, I now know why the Jews are suffering; there is dissent amongst them’
3) Their experience in Egypt taught them to obedience, preparing them to serve Hashem. The Avos served Hashem willingly, but true servants of Hashem need to serve Him whether one likes it or not. (Sh’lah and others)
4) Egypt scoured us clean of impurities. The pasuk refers to ‘the smelting-pot of Mitzrayim’. As smelting purifies iron, we became Hashem’s people.
[Are these conflicting opinions? Let’s say parents take the children on a trip. Why? Because it is chol hamoed. Where are they going? To a museum. Why there? Because the children will learn about electricity. But to go there they need a car and gas. They also need money. Perhaps it worked out that enough money for the trip came in just before Yom-tov, in a surprising turn of events.
Okay. When they indeed go to the museum, why did they go? Because they had gas? Because it was educational? Because they it was chol hamoed? Because they parents like trips? Because the money arrived just in time?
It’s all of the above; they could not have gone without gas and money, but the reason the parents chose to use their gas and money for the trip is because they like trips and it is chol hamoed. However the justification for the trip is that it was educational. All these come together and compose the reason, method, motivation and justification for the trip. All are necessary.
So too, Avraham sinned, and it would have been appropriate to have his children suffer in mitzrayim as a punishment. For that to happen the Jews themselves needed to deserve punishment. So it was only because they themselves had sinned that oppression was justified. At the same time, Hashem – rachum v’channun – would not have done them something that was not constructive and help them spiritually. So it needed to be a benefit for them, to purify and prepare them for their great role as servants of Hashem. All these are an integral part of one whole.]
So we have a situation – our suffering in Egypt – suggested by our forefather’s sin, fueled by our own wickedness, ending with our betterment and profit. Is there anything to do but thank Hashem and give praise to His name!?
(S’mores;
5) The Ramban explains that although we were to be taken out, it was on condition we would toe the line. We did not, says the navi Yechezkel! Hashem was thus free from His part of the deal. Yet He took us out anyhow, as a favor.
6) The Haggadah Leil Shimurim explains that it wasn’t without profit that we went through the exercise of going down to Egypt; we gained greatly thereby. Therefore we thank Him for putting us through the process.
7) We suggested that although all is predestined, Yaakov came to Egypt of his own free will. We cannot blame Hashem for that. Yet He saved us from there.
Thanks!!)
@@@@@@
Freedom Anybody?
The Seder is our celebration of freedom. So why do we have so many laws, why is everything regulated?
The Sifri tells of the son of the king’s friend captured by bandits. The king agreed to free him on condition that from then on he would be in the service of the king. The nobleman’s son agreed, and the king saved him.
Some time later the king sent for this young man and asked him to oversee the king’s affairs in a far-off land. The kid said No, he was really not interested. Said the king ‘I freed you from captivity on condition, no?!’
So too, although we were taken out of captivity, it was not just because. It was on condition we serve Hashem. The Seder is a spectacle of serving Hashem as well as freedom from Egypt. Beforehand we were wretched slaves, now we are noblemen, servants to the king.
Another approach is that aimlessness and chaos is not freedom. Meaningful freedom is: Freedom To Accomplish.
We exercise our new freedom by doing and accomplishing!
@@@@@@
The Day The Sea Ran Away…
What are the physical results of the ‘sea that saw and ran away’, i.e. the Yam Suf moving away and splitting, and the rivers turning backwards?
The Ra’avan explains that the mention of the Yarden in Hallel is simply one example; in reality ALL rivers were affected. They all run to sea and now stopped running.
Quite possibly there had been something like the tsunami that overran Japan recently, causing enormous damage.
Ninety percent of Egypt lives in three percent of the land; namely in the area around the Nile. (I’m relying on my memory. Possibly it was more than that, something like ninety five percent) Back then, when the rest of Egypt was a barren desert and the only water was the Nile, not to mention transportation, commerce and all, the percent of the population living around the Nile may have been much greater. In fact, probably most of the world population lived then within a hundred yards of a river or sea. All these overflowed, flooding the the mud huts and flimsy wood homes people lived in.
The world must have been profoundly affected: cities destroyed, many thousands drowned and huge loss of crops and property. (The joke is that where was it secure to be? The only safe place was in the middle of the Yam Suf, where we were!!)
Krias Yam Suf was probably a world catastrophe.
@@@@@@
What’s It To You?
The wicked son asks ‘Whats this work to you?’ Rishonim explain that his question ‘What is this work to you!?’ belies deep revulsion of mitzvos – he considers it mere make-work, a waste of time, a bondage. In our answer we reject him, stating that he would not have left Egypt at all, had he been there.
Why do we reject him? Is it his scorn of mitzvos? No, no, that’s not that. Its because of a slip of his tongue; he had said ‘…to you’, implying that he personally does not consider the mitzvos incumbent on himself. ‘Lachem, v’lo lo’. That’s the killer.
The lesson for us here is that one can consider mitzvos a waste of time, one can be angry at Hashem, one can be bitter and chutzpadik. But bottom-line, if one accepts the mitzvos as binding he has not ‘taken themselves out of the klal’ – he is a bona-fide part of klal yisroel. That’s the clincher.
Its all about if one considers himself obligated to the Torah. All else is periphery.
©2014
kollel parshah | Tiferet Ramot 83-21, Jerusalem, Israel, 97290
Web Version
Forward
Unsubscribe
Powered by Mad Mimi ®