Chasidut su Esodo 12:56
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 12,2. “when a woman brings forth seed and gives birth to a male infant,….on the eight’s day the flesh of his foreskin must be removed.”
Many scholars have asked what conceptual link there is of the circumcision having to be performed on the eight’s day after infant’s birth. [Naturally, the Torah’s command, dating back to the circumcision of Yitzchok was accepted without question. Ed.]
[The reader may not find the author’s answer to the question below as fitting the question after having read it. I therefore take the liberty of prefacing his treatment of the subject by reminding the reader that the commandment to be circumcised is addressed to the person himself, not to his father or some other authority. The author addresses the question of why the timing of the circumcision has been advanced so much by the Torah that the infant in question evidently is unable to perform the act himself. In other words, the question as to the timing when the circumcision has to be performed could equally well have been asked if the Torah had decreed the ninth day after the child’s birth, when according to halachah, the function of the penis as a male organ becomes relevant for the first time. Ed.]
We have learned in the Zohar II,13 that G’d created the various universes in order that He be perceived by His creatures as רחום וחנון, ”compassionate and graceful;” on occasion G’d’s compassion is “awakened” by acts performed by the Jewish people, as our sages said in Yevamot 64 where the question is asked from where we have proof in the holy Scriptures that G’d longs to hear the prayers of the righteous. Apart from quoting a verse in Isaiah, the proof is deduced from the fact that Sarah, Rivkah and Rachel were not granted children until they had turned to G’d in prayer.
What we learn from the above is that although G’d initiates compassion and grace, He prefers the human input, i.e. when human beings demonstrate their belief in Him through praying to Him for their needs.
This is the allusion contained in the opening verse of our portion אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר, “when the woman (simile for human beings in their capacity as “recipients,”) wishes to arouse heavenly compassion, תזריע, (as simile for the source of all compassion), וילדה זכר, as a result she will give birth (successfully awaken) the masculine attribute of G’d, the source of all compassion, (compassion spelled with a capital C.) The overall message of our verse is that when G’d’s compassion is awakened through action by His creatures, it is strengthened immeasurably. This concept is reflected in the commandment to circumcise the new born infant already on the eight’s day of his life.
The whole idea is explained best when we consider the story of the blasphemer who wanted to know from Rabbi Akiva whether man’s creative actions are more impressive and pleasing than G’d’s actions. (Compare Tanchuma Tazria 5) Without repeating the entire debate related there in which the blasphemer argued that man could not create a universe, Rabbi Akiva who had first pointed out that the fact that we must cut the baby’s umbilical cord, proves that man’s actions are more important. Rabbi Akiva goes on to explain that man’s being born with a foreskin which subsequently is removed is not proof of G’d’s inadequacy, but, on the contrary, is proof that G’d desires for man to perform the “final” touch before a human being (male) is complete, i.e. perfect. G’d chose the earliest possible time in the infant’s life to do this, i.e. the eight’s day, as prior to this the operation endangers the life of the infant. By performing this commandment at the correct time, the father/mohel becomes the instrument that opens the gates to G’d’s compassion in the celestial regions.
Many scholars have asked what conceptual link there is of the circumcision having to be performed on the eight’s day after infant’s birth. [Naturally, the Torah’s command, dating back to the circumcision of Yitzchok was accepted without question. Ed.]
[The reader may not find the author’s answer to the question below as fitting the question after having read it. I therefore take the liberty of prefacing his treatment of the subject by reminding the reader that the commandment to be circumcised is addressed to the person himself, not to his father or some other authority. The author addresses the question of why the timing of the circumcision has been advanced so much by the Torah that the infant in question evidently is unable to perform the act himself. In other words, the question as to the timing when the circumcision has to be performed could equally well have been asked if the Torah had decreed the ninth day after the child’s birth, when according to halachah, the function of the penis as a male organ becomes relevant for the first time. Ed.]
We have learned in the Zohar II,13 that G’d created the various universes in order that He be perceived by His creatures as רחום וחנון, ”compassionate and graceful;” on occasion G’d’s compassion is “awakened” by acts performed by the Jewish people, as our sages said in Yevamot 64 where the question is asked from where we have proof in the holy Scriptures that G’d longs to hear the prayers of the righteous. Apart from quoting a verse in Isaiah, the proof is deduced from the fact that Sarah, Rivkah and Rachel were not granted children until they had turned to G’d in prayer.
What we learn from the above is that although G’d initiates compassion and grace, He prefers the human input, i.e. when human beings demonstrate their belief in Him through praying to Him for their needs.
This is the allusion contained in the opening verse of our portion אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר, “when the woman (simile for human beings in their capacity as “recipients,”) wishes to arouse heavenly compassion, תזריע, (as simile for the source of all compassion), וילדה זכר, as a result she will give birth (successfully awaken) the masculine attribute of G’d, the source of all compassion, (compassion spelled with a capital C.) The overall message of our verse is that when G’d’s compassion is awakened through action by His creatures, it is strengthened immeasurably. This concept is reflected in the commandment to circumcise the new born infant already on the eight’s day of his life.
The whole idea is explained best when we consider the story of the blasphemer who wanted to know from Rabbi Akiva whether man’s creative actions are more impressive and pleasing than G’d’s actions. (Compare Tanchuma Tazria 5) Without repeating the entire debate related there in which the blasphemer argued that man could not create a universe, Rabbi Akiva who had first pointed out that the fact that we must cut the baby’s umbilical cord, proves that man’s actions are more important. Rabbi Akiva goes on to explain that man’s being born with a foreskin which subsequently is removed is not proof of G’d’s inadequacy, but, on the contrary, is proof that G’d desires for man to perform the “final” touch before a human being (male) is complete, i.e. perfect. G’d chose the earliest possible time in the infant’s life to do this, i.e. the eight’s day, as prior to this the operation endangers the life of the infant. By performing this commandment at the correct time, the father/mohel becomes the instrument that opens the gates to G’d’s compassion in the celestial regions.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Likutei Halakhot
...And this is the quality of eating matzah - "matzah, because our ancestors' dough did not have time to rise until the King of All Kings, Holy Blessed One, was revealed to them and redeemed them." As it says (Exodus 12:39) "and they baked the dough etc." Because matzah is the aspect of an extremely expansive awareness, that comes from above; for matzah is dough that is not left to rise but is rather baked immediately while it is still matzah, before it becomes leavened - similar to the light that comes from above which is condensed and concealed, which is the undifferentiated light that always takes shape according to the vessel [that receives it], as discussed above. But now it is formed above immediately, before it makes the descent below to be shaped according to the vessel.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
Based on the considerations outlined, we will try and explain why we have been commanded to eat Matzah on Passover and to offer certain sacrifices in the Temple, and why on the festival of Shavuot we have been commanded to present two loaves of bread which had to consist of leavened dough, as well as a thanksgiving offering consisting partly of unleavened breads and partly of leavened breads.
Matzah alludes to creatures who serve the Lord due to the impact upon them of G’d’s miracles; even the plain meaning of the text in Exodus 12,15-17 alludes to this as it contains a commandment to eat matzah as a reminder to future generations of the speed, i.e. suddenness, with which the Egyptians reversed their attitude as the masters of the Jews, to driving them out with all possible speed as we know from Exodus 12,39 which tells us that the departure of the Jews from Egypt occurred in such haste that they did not even have time to allow the dough for next day’s bread to rise before baking. Consuming the meat of the Passover took place in similar haste, the people being dressed while eating it, ready to begin marching at any moment. (ibid, i.e. ויאפו את הבצק עגות מצות וגו', “they baked the dough into matzah cakes etc.,) The symbolic acts that we, the descendants of the generation of Israelites leaving Egypt at that time, perform on the anniversary of that event, all reflect the suddenness and haste in which the redemption literally overtook them. These acts mirror the impact that G’d’s miracles had on the Jews at that time. In contrast to this, when the same people arrived in the desert of Sinai, prior to receiving the Torah, seven weeks later, they had time to prepare themselves for that event for three days, i.e. the miracles that occurred in connection with that event did not take them by surprise. By that time they had come to realize that G’d’s performing miracles was something “natural,” not supernatural, seeing that the source of these “miracles” was the same Creator Who had performed the greatest miracles by creating the universe. When they reflected that out of all the phenomena in the universe that they were aware of it was only G’d Who could have created them by merely uttering the necessary words, they no longer needed “miracles” to persuade them that there was such a power, [even though it remained invisible. Ed.] To reflect their new found insights, the offerings presented on the festival of Shavuot did not require matzah as a symbol of the Israelites’ recognition that their redemption had been a miracle, in the sense of something supernatural performed by G’d.
The Talmud in B’rachot 54, when stating that 4 types of individuals need to offer thanksgiving offerings (containing also leavened breads) after they had been saved by means of a miraculous event, reflects the sages’ recognition that for the people concerned the miracle had been performed in order that they serve G’d first of all because He demonstrated His ability to transcend the laws of nature. Subsequently, the people who had learned this lesson would become accustomed to serving the Lord for the same reasons that the Jewish people served Him starting with their experiences at Mount Sinai. This is reflected in the part of the thanksgiving offering consisting of leavened breads. The very fact that this offering consists of these apparently contradictory ingredients, indicates that the person offering it is aware of his own spiritual/philosophical progress.
Looking at the history of the Jewish people during their march through the desert, the sin of the golden calf represented a spiritual regression to the level of needing miracles to keep them aware of the greatness of the Lord and the duty to serve Him. The Jewish people only recaptured even the first level of serving the Lord, i.e. through the help of miracles to remind them of Him and His power at the time when the Tabernacle was inaugurated, almost nine months after their having worshipped the golden calf. According to Nachmanides, this is the reason why the Tabernacle is referred to as משכן העדות, “Tabernacle of Testimony,” i.e. its consecration bore testimony to the fact that the people had regained their spiritual level as it had been at the time when they had been redeemed from slavery in Egypt.
The word פקודי in our verse needs to be understood in the sense of something being lacking, absent, as we know from Numbers 31,49 ולא נפקד ממנו איש, “not a single man from us is missing.” [after the punitive expedition against the Midianites) The word appears in a similar sense also repeatedly in the Book of Samuel. Ed.] The Torah hints that even with the completion of the Tabernacle, the former lofty spiritual level of the Jewish people as it had been at the end of the revelation at Mount Sinai had not been restored.
Matzah alludes to creatures who serve the Lord due to the impact upon them of G’d’s miracles; even the plain meaning of the text in Exodus 12,15-17 alludes to this as it contains a commandment to eat matzah as a reminder to future generations of the speed, i.e. suddenness, with which the Egyptians reversed their attitude as the masters of the Jews, to driving them out with all possible speed as we know from Exodus 12,39 which tells us that the departure of the Jews from Egypt occurred in such haste that they did not even have time to allow the dough for next day’s bread to rise before baking. Consuming the meat of the Passover took place in similar haste, the people being dressed while eating it, ready to begin marching at any moment. (ibid, i.e. ויאפו את הבצק עגות מצות וגו', “they baked the dough into matzah cakes etc.,) The symbolic acts that we, the descendants of the generation of Israelites leaving Egypt at that time, perform on the anniversary of that event, all reflect the suddenness and haste in which the redemption literally overtook them. These acts mirror the impact that G’d’s miracles had on the Jews at that time. In contrast to this, when the same people arrived in the desert of Sinai, prior to receiving the Torah, seven weeks later, they had time to prepare themselves for that event for three days, i.e. the miracles that occurred in connection with that event did not take them by surprise. By that time they had come to realize that G’d’s performing miracles was something “natural,” not supernatural, seeing that the source of these “miracles” was the same Creator Who had performed the greatest miracles by creating the universe. When they reflected that out of all the phenomena in the universe that they were aware of it was only G’d Who could have created them by merely uttering the necessary words, they no longer needed “miracles” to persuade them that there was such a power, [even though it remained invisible. Ed.] To reflect their new found insights, the offerings presented on the festival of Shavuot did not require matzah as a symbol of the Israelites’ recognition that their redemption had been a miracle, in the sense of something supernatural performed by G’d.
The Talmud in B’rachot 54, when stating that 4 types of individuals need to offer thanksgiving offerings (containing also leavened breads) after they had been saved by means of a miraculous event, reflects the sages’ recognition that for the people concerned the miracle had been performed in order that they serve G’d first of all because He demonstrated His ability to transcend the laws of nature. Subsequently, the people who had learned this lesson would become accustomed to serving the Lord for the same reasons that the Jewish people served Him starting with their experiences at Mount Sinai. This is reflected in the part of the thanksgiving offering consisting of leavened breads. The very fact that this offering consists of these apparently contradictory ingredients, indicates that the person offering it is aware of his own spiritual/philosophical progress.
Looking at the history of the Jewish people during their march through the desert, the sin of the golden calf represented a spiritual regression to the level of needing miracles to keep them aware of the greatness of the Lord and the duty to serve Him. The Jewish people only recaptured even the first level of serving the Lord, i.e. through the help of miracles to remind them of Him and His power at the time when the Tabernacle was inaugurated, almost nine months after their having worshipped the golden calf. According to Nachmanides, this is the reason why the Tabernacle is referred to as משכן העדות, “Tabernacle of Testimony,” i.e. its consecration bore testimony to the fact that the people had regained their spiritual level as it had been at the time when they had been redeemed from slavery in Egypt.
The word פקודי in our verse needs to be understood in the sense of something being lacking, absent, as we know from Numbers 31,49 ולא נפקד ממנו איש, “not a single man from us is missing.” [after the punitive expedition against the Midianites) The word appears in a similar sense also repeatedly in the Book of Samuel. Ed.] The Torah hints that even with the completion of the Tabernacle, the former lofty spiritual level of the Jewish people as it had been at the end of the revelation at Mount Sinai had not been restored.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
Based on the considerations outlined, we will try and explain why we have been commanded to eat Matzah on Passover and to offer certain sacrifices in the Temple, and why on the festival of Shavuot we have been commanded to present two loaves of bread which had to consist of leavened dough, as well as a thanksgiving offering consisting partly of unleavened breads and partly of leavened breads.
Matzah alludes to creatures who serve the Lord due to the impact upon them of G’d’s miracles; even the plain meaning of the text in Exodus 12,15-17 alludes to this as it contains a commandment to eat matzah as a reminder to future generations of the speed, i.e. suddenness, with which the Egyptians reversed their attitude as the masters of the Jews, to driving them out with all possible speed as we know from Exodus 12,39 which tells us that the departure of the Jews from Egypt occurred in such haste that they did not even have time to allow the dough for next day’s bread to rise before baking. Consuming the meat of the Passover took place in similar haste, the people being dressed while eating it, ready to begin marching at any moment. (ibid, i.e. ויאפו את הבצק עגות מצות וגו', “they baked the dough into matzah cakes etc.,) The symbolic acts that we, the descendants of the generation of Israelites leaving Egypt at that time, perform on the anniversary of that event, all reflect the suddenness and haste in which the redemption literally overtook them. These acts mirror the impact that G’d’s miracles had on the Jews at that time. In contrast to this, when the same people arrived in the desert of Sinai, prior to receiving the Torah, seven weeks later, they had time to prepare themselves for that event for three days, i.e. the miracles that occurred in connection with that event did not take them by surprise. By that time they had come to realize that G’d’s performing miracles was something “natural,” not supernatural, seeing that the source of these “miracles” was the same Creator Who had performed the greatest miracles by creating the universe. When they reflected that out of all the phenomena in the universe that they were aware of it was only G’d Who could have created them by merely uttering the necessary words, they no longer needed “miracles” to persuade them that there was such a power, [even though it remained invisible. Ed.] To reflect their new found insights, the offerings presented on the festival of Shavuot did not require matzah as a symbol of the Israelites’ recognition that their redemption had been a miracle, in the sense of something supernatural performed by G’d.
The Talmud in B’rachot 54, when stating that 4 types of individuals need to offer thanksgiving offerings (containing also leavened breads) after they had been saved by means of a miraculous event, reflects the sages’ recognition that for the people concerned the miracle had been performed in order that they serve G’d first of all because He demonstrated His ability to transcend the laws of nature. Subsequently, the people who had learned this lesson would become accustomed to serving the Lord for the same reasons that the Jewish people served Him starting with their experiences at Mount Sinai. This is reflected in the part of the thanksgiving offering consisting of leavened breads. The very fact that this offering consists of these apparently contradictory ingredients, indicates that the person offering it is aware of his own spiritual/philosophical progress.
Looking at the history of the Jewish people during their march through the desert, the sin of the golden calf represented a spiritual regression to the level of needing miracles to keep them aware of the greatness of the Lord and the duty to serve Him. The Jewish people only recaptured even the first level of serving the Lord, i.e. through the help of miracles to remind them of Him and His power at the time when the Tabernacle was inaugurated, almost nine months after their having worshipped the golden calf. According to Nachmanides, this is the reason why the Tabernacle is referred to as משכן העדות, “Tabernacle of Testimony,” i.e. its consecration bore testimony to the fact that the people had regained their spiritual level as it had been at the time when they had been redeemed from slavery in Egypt.
The word פקודי in our verse needs to be understood in the sense of something being lacking, absent, as we know from Numbers 31,49 ולא נפקד ממנו איש, “not a single man from us is missing.” [after the punitive expedition against the Midianites) The word appears in a similar sense also repeatedly in the Book of Samuel. Ed.] The Torah hints that even with the completion of the Tabernacle, the former lofty spiritual level of the Jewish people as it had been at the end of the revelation at Mount Sinai had not been restored.
Matzah alludes to creatures who serve the Lord due to the impact upon them of G’d’s miracles; even the plain meaning of the text in Exodus 12,15-17 alludes to this as it contains a commandment to eat matzah as a reminder to future generations of the speed, i.e. suddenness, with which the Egyptians reversed their attitude as the masters of the Jews, to driving them out with all possible speed as we know from Exodus 12,39 which tells us that the departure of the Jews from Egypt occurred in such haste that they did not even have time to allow the dough for next day’s bread to rise before baking. Consuming the meat of the Passover took place in similar haste, the people being dressed while eating it, ready to begin marching at any moment. (ibid, i.e. ויאפו את הבצק עגות מצות וגו', “they baked the dough into matzah cakes etc.,) The symbolic acts that we, the descendants of the generation of Israelites leaving Egypt at that time, perform on the anniversary of that event, all reflect the suddenness and haste in which the redemption literally overtook them. These acts mirror the impact that G’d’s miracles had on the Jews at that time. In contrast to this, when the same people arrived in the desert of Sinai, prior to receiving the Torah, seven weeks later, they had time to prepare themselves for that event for three days, i.e. the miracles that occurred in connection with that event did not take them by surprise. By that time they had come to realize that G’d’s performing miracles was something “natural,” not supernatural, seeing that the source of these “miracles” was the same Creator Who had performed the greatest miracles by creating the universe. When they reflected that out of all the phenomena in the universe that they were aware of it was only G’d Who could have created them by merely uttering the necessary words, they no longer needed “miracles” to persuade them that there was such a power, [even though it remained invisible. Ed.] To reflect their new found insights, the offerings presented on the festival of Shavuot did not require matzah as a symbol of the Israelites’ recognition that their redemption had been a miracle, in the sense of something supernatural performed by G’d.
The Talmud in B’rachot 54, when stating that 4 types of individuals need to offer thanksgiving offerings (containing also leavened breads) after they had been saved by means of a miraculous event, reflects the sages’ recognition that for the people concerned the miracle had been performed in order that they serve G’d first of all because He demonstrated His ability to transcend the laws of nature. Subsequently, the people who had learned this lesson would become accustomed to serving the Lord for the same reasons that the Jewish people served Him starting with their experiences at Mount Sinai. This is reflected in the part of the thanksgiving offering consisting of leavened breads. The very fact that this offering consists of these apparently contradictory ingredients, indicates that the person offering it is aware of his own spiritual/philosophical progress.
Looking at the history of the Jewish people during their march through the desert, the sin of the golden calf represented a spiritual regression to the level of needing miracles to keep them aware of the greatness of the Lord and the duty to serve Him. The Jewish people only recaptured even the first level of serving the Lord, i.e. through the help of miracles to remind them of Him and His power at the time when the Tabernacle was inaugurated, almost nine months after their having worshipped the golden calf. According to Nachmanides, this is the reason why the Tabernacle is referred to as משכן העדות, “Tabernacle of Testimony,” i.e. its consecration bore testimony to the fact that the people had regained their spiritual level as it had been at the time when they had been redeemed from slavery in Egypt.
The word פקודי in our verse needs to be understood in the sense of something being lacking, absent, as we know from Numbers 31,49 ולא נפקד ממנו איש, “not a single man from us is missing.” [after the punitive expedition against the Midianites) The word appears in a similar sense also repeatedly in the Book of Samuel. Ed.] The Torah hints that even with the completion of the Tabernacle, the former lofty spiritual level of the Jewish people as it had been at the end of the revelation at Mount Sinai had not been restored.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Likutei Halakhot
This is the aspect of eating Matzah and the prohibition of Chametz. Matzah is the aspect of Da'at/knowledge, the aspect of the greatness of the mentalities, the aspect of divine providence, which is the essence of da'at. Chametz (unleavened bread) corresponds to the lesser mentalities, the aspect of "Elokim", the aspect of judgments, as is brought in the Kavanot. This corresponds to the knowledge of natural science, which is the source of judgments and problems, G-d forbid, as explained above. "Nature" in Gematria equals "Elokim", as is brought. From here is where judgments take hold, as explained above. Because Chametz corresponds to (Psalms 73:21) "For my heart was in ferment, יִתְחַמֵּץ לְבָבִי", etc. This is said about the problems that fall upon a person due by the command of Hashem Yisbarach. This is the aspect of the knowledge of nature, from where all of the atheism and problems stem. Matzah, however, corresponds to da'at, as explained above. It is called Matzah because they left in haste and there was not sufficient time for the dough from our fathers to leaven, until the The King of Kings, the Holy One Blessed Be He revealed Himself to them and redeemed them, as it is said (Exodus 12:39) "They baked the dough that they had taken out of Egypt as unleavened cakes, for it had not leavened, for they were driven out of Egypt, and they could not tarry, and also, they had not made provisions for themselves". They had faith in the divine providence of Hashem Yisbarach and therefore they did not prepare any provisions, and we find they left in haste. Matzah is the knowledge of the faith of divine providence, which is the essence of the Greater knowledge, whereby a person merits the revelation of G-dliness, to see and know that everything is (by) the divine providence of Hashem alone. This is the aspect of 'haste', for 'haste' is the aspect of 'higher than time', which leaps over the end, and took them out with great haste, without any time except for a moment. And in a short while they came to Sukkot from Ra'amses and 600,000 people gathered together in a light hour, from all of the land of Egypt, as Rashi explains on the verse (Exodus 19:4) "I bore you on eagles' wings". All of this is the aspect of 'above time'; in other words, they were elevated beyond time. This is the aspect of divine providence which is above nature, above time. Through this they went out without any time, without any preparation - solely in a short while. The essence of the redemption was through the revelation of divine providence which is above time, the aspect of 'haste'. For haste is the aspect of quickness which is a very good trait, the aspect of faith, the aspect of nullification of the sleep that comes about through laziness, the aspect of (Proverbs 19:15) "Laziness causes one to fall into a deep sleep, and a deceitful soul shall suffer hunger", and as brought in the words of our Rabbi (Rebbe Nachman) in another place that quickness is the aspect of faith, see there. And this is the aspect of remembrance, the aspect of (Exodus 13:3) "Remember this day, when you went out of Egypt", etc., and as is written (Deuteronomy 16:3) "you shall remember the day when you went out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life", etc., and as seen in the words of Rabbeinu at the end of the lesson "And these are the judgments" (Likutei Moharan 7) that remembrance is the aspect of faith. The essence of forgetting is from the aspect of time, etc. And when you know and truly believe that everything operates solely by the divine providence of Hashem Yisbarach alone, which is above time, then one need not worry about the aspect of forgetting at all, etc., see there and understand. This is the aspect of remembrance which is said about the Exodus from Egypt, the aspect of 'Remember the day', etc., 'so that you may remember', etc. For with the Exodus from Egypt His Blessed divine providence was revealed, as explained above. This is the aspect of remembrance which is above time, above nature, the aspect of 'haste', the aspect of 'quickness' which is the lifeforce of the mentalities and knowledge. The essence of their existence/fulfillment is when you know and believe in divine providence. And this is the aspect of Matzah made in haste, etc., etc., as explained above.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
Sh’mot Rabbah 19,6 comments on Isaiah 52,12 כי בחפזון יצאת ממצרים, “for you left Egypt in haste,” i.e. during the night, contrasts this with the promise of the prophet that the redemption in the future will not be in haste or at night, like thieves feeling during the night. On the face of it, this Midrash appears to directly contradict the statement of the Torah that the Israelites did not depart during the night but בעצם היום הזה: “in the middle of this day, i.e. in full daylight.” (Exodus 12,17) The Midrash, however was not concerned with the physical darkness or daylight, but with the mental state of the Jewish people, who, at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, were as if in spiritual darkness. (Compare to the scenario painted by the prophet Isaiah of how spiritually enlightened the Jewish people in the future would be when the redemption would come).
We also read in the Yalkut Reuveni on this portion, [who subscribes to the optimistic view that the redemption in the future will be due to our having accumulated the necessary merits. Ed.] that there will not be an opportunity for the protective angel of the people oppressing us to accuse us of worshipping idols, as did the protective angel of the Egyptians at the time of that Exodus. This is why the above quoted verse from Isaiah concludes with the words: ומאסיפכם אלוקי ישראל, “and the Lord your G’d, will gather you in.”
We also read in the Yalkut Reuveni on this portion, [who subscribes to the optimistic view that the redemption in the future will be due to our having accumulated the necessary merits. Ed.] that there will not be an opportunity for the protective angel of the people oppressing us to accuse us of worshipping idols, as did the protective angel of the Egyptians at the time of that Exodus. This is why the above quoted verse from Isaiah concludes with the words: ומאסיפכם אלוקי ישראל, “and the Lord your G’d, will gather you in.”
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Likutei Halakhot
1. This corresponds to “a night of guarding” (Exodus 12:42) - of guarding from harmful powers. Yalkut Shimoni II 210. These harmful powers correspond to natural sciences, to judgments, to the nations which harm the world. Then, on the night of the exodus from Egypt, when nature was eliminated specifically at night in order to break and eliminate the power of night, corresponding to natural sciences, therefore that night was guarded from all harm for powers, from all judgments, since providence was revealed, through which all harm and all judgments are eliminated.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 3,10 “come, therefore I will send you to Pharaoh, etc.;” In order to understand the ensuing developments, i.e. interminably long negotiations between Moses and Pharaoh about the release of the Israelites, the author suggests that we look at psalms 117,1 הללו את ה' כל גוים שבחוהו כל האומים כי גבר עלינו חסדו ואמת ה' לעולם הללויה, “praise the Lord all you nations, extol Him, all you peoples; for He is great and steadfast toward us; the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.” The Talmud Pessachim 118 appears to understand David’s words as meaning that if the gentiles acknowledge the miracles G’d has performed for them, then they surely must acknowledge and praise the Lord even more for the miracles He has performed for the Jewish people, i.e. וגבר עלינו חסדו, “for great is His steadfast love toward us;” at first glance this line is difficult, as we would have expected David to refer to the miracles G’d has performed for us, the Jewish people. According to the Talmud, David meant that the nations are requested to acknowledge the miracles performed by G’d for His people. From this it follows that they must all the more acknowledge the miracles G’d has performed for them.
After all, we have proof of this in Deuteronomy 4,34. When Moses there extols the mind-boggling nature of the miracles performed by G’d for us, he compares these miracles to others that G’d, on occasion, has performed even for the gentiles. These mind-boggling miracles performed on behalf of His people have usually been predicted by a prophet announcing time and location of each miracle. They usually took the form of penalizing the enemies or oppressors of the Jewish people at the same time.
It is quite out of the question that in psalms 117 or elsewhere, David intended for the gentiles to salute and praise the Lord for miracles He had performed for them.
We will try therefore, with G’d’s help to explain what the Talmud had in mind when speaking of miracles G’d performed for the gentiles. In order to do this plausibly, let us remember a statement from the Haggadah shel Pessach, where the author refers to: והכיתי כל בכור בארץ מצרים אני ולא מלאך, אני ה' הוא ולא אחר; ”I will smitten every firstborn in the land of Egypt, ‘I and not an angel, I the Lord, it is I and no one else.’” [The author presents a slightly condensed quote, which does not detract from the point under discussion. Ed.]. Why was the killing of the firstborn carried out by Hashem personally, whereas for all the other plagues He employed “angels,” i.e. terrestrial phenomena, though all were G’d’s messengers, agents?
We must explain however, that harmful phenomena never originate with G’d. Only beneficial phenomena originate with G’d. When our eyes will be opened to see the great troubles that befall the wicked, we will realize that the wicked themselves have been the architects of their problems, or even destruction. If they would be intelligent enough to realize that all of these phenomena are warnings, they would, instead of cursing the day they had been born, turn to G’d in love, grateful to have been given such opportunities to improve their ways. These “disciplinary measures” by G’d are designed to lead to His name becoming sanctified and aggrandized throughout the universe, especially the part of it where His name had not been known previously. Not only will His existence be revealed to them by such disciplinary actions, but the fact that He is involved in the personal fates of all His creatures will also be demonstrated by His intervention in the affairs of man by means of miracles. [The plagues that the Egyptians were afflicted with had far-reaching consequences, so that 40 years later Rachav, the innkeeper in Jericho told Joshua’s spies that all her friends and acquaintances were still in awe of how G’d had split the sea to allow the Israelites to pass through, while at the same time drowning the pursuing Egyptians in it. (Joshua 2,10) Ed.]
An intelligent Jew or gentile, using his brain without prejudice, will, instead of being frustrated by misfortune, use same as a jumping off board to establish closer ties with his G’d, Who had been kind enough to alert him to His existence in heaven by inflicting harsh penalties on him instead of summarily condemning him to eternal perdition without warning. The Jewish people did not realize all this until after the plagues that G’d visited upon the Egyptians, they had not only been spared, but had seen how G’d had elevated them to become His עם סגולה, especially precious people.
Some leading personalities in our history used this concept to wish for the day when they could demonstrate that they had learned this lesson. The Talmud in B’rachot 61 relates a conversation between Rabbi Akiva (aged 120 at the time) in which the students are quoted as asking their mentor, who at that time was undergoing torture at the hands of the Romans for having publicly violated the decree not to teach Torah, “how long are you going to praise the Lord under such conditions?” He answered them that far from being disheartened, he had been waiting for a lifetime to be able to fulfill the commandment to love G’d בכל נפשך, “with your entire life force,” i.e. at the price of a painful death. How could he possibly allow himself to succumb now when finally this opportunity had presented itself for him? Rabbi Akiva’s final lesson to his disciples was to teach them to make use of adversity, even the most painful adversity, to rise to spiritual levels that would have remained in the realm of a potential only, had they not been able to fulfill this commandment publicly.
[It is doubtful, in my opinion, that we are obligated to wish ourselves such opportunities as Rabbi Akiva had deliberately invited by public disobedience of Roman decrees, as the sages tell us that when David wished to become one of the patriarchs, G’d warned him that in order to do so one had to successfully cope with difficult temptations. Since David had insisted, he was tempted by the matter of Bat Sheva, and, having been unable to resist the temptation, he did not wind up as one of the patriarchs mentioned in our daily amidah prayer at the very outset. (Sanhedrin 107) Ed.]
To sum up, the principal purpose of our existence on earth is to mobilize all our faculties to serve the Lord in the best way we know how. Fondness of the Lord cannot be better demonstrated than to walk through fire or water when necessary, and to see in this an opportunity to prove to Hashem that we love Him and are convinced that what He has decreed for us is for our ultimate benefit, even if we cannot realize this at the time when we are suffering the afflictions concerned.
Expressed slightly differently, we must train ourselves to view trials and tribulations not as “afflictions, attempts to make our lives uncomfortable or even unbearable,” but as medicines designed to cure our ills, especially the ones (like high blood pressure) that we were totally unaware of. Just as none of us would refuse to swallow a bitter tasting medicine prescribed by his favourite physician, so we must not refuse to accept with good cheer the medicine prescribed for us by the “Healer” of the universe, its architect. [The reader may have guessed that I paraphrased some of the author’s words. Ed.]
As to the plagues in Egypt, the Jewish people experienced this lesson by watching how G’d dealt with the Egyptians; we learned vicariously, instead of our having to learn this on our own bodies.
[As the author proceeds to describe the ideal Jew as eagerly looking forward to more yissurim, afflictions, and this editor recalls numerous prayers that include specifically the plea not to elevate us by means of painful yissurim, I will omit part of this chapter, as it is not addressed to the average reader like myself. Ed.]
The author, coming back to his original question of why the killing of the firstborn had to be orchestrated by G’d Himself, points to our opening statement that nothing bad ever originates with G’d Himself. If G’d therefore, personally carried out the killing of the firstborn, this too could not have been something bad, something negative, else He would have had to entrust it to one or more of His angels.
When G’d concludes with what appears as if a repetition, that it is He and no one else who has done this, He means that by orchestrating this “plague” Himself He achieved that His name became great and well known all over the inhabited parts of the globe. If the death of the Egyptians served the purpose of sanctifying the holy name of the Lord, they themselves had served a holy purpose, though unwittingly.
After all, we have proof of this in Deuteronomy 4,34. When Moses there extols the mind-boggling nature of the miracles performed by G’d for us, he compares these miracles to others that G’d, on occasion, has performed even for the gentiles. These mind-boggling miracles performed on behalf of His people have usually been predicted by a prophet announcing time and location of each miracle. They usually took the form of penalizing the enemies or oppressors of the Jewish people at the same time.
It is quite out of the question that in psalms 117 or elsewhere, David intended for the gentiles to salute and praise the Lord for miracles He had performed for them.
We will try therefore, with G’d’s help to explain what the Talmud had in mind when speaking of miracles G’d performed for the gentiles. In order to do this plausibly, let us remember a statement from the Haggadah shel Pessach, where the author refers to: והכיתי כל בכור בארץ מצרים אני ולא מלאך, אני ה' הוא ולא אחר; ”I will smitten every firstborn in the land of Egypt, ‘I and not an angel, I the Lord, it is I and no one else.’” [The author presents a slightly condensed quote, which does not detract from the point under discussion. Ed.]. Why was the killing of the firstborn carried out by Hashem personally, whereas for all the other plagues He employed “angels,” i.e. terrestrial phenomena, though all were G’d’s messengers, agents?
We must explain however, that harmful phenomena never originate with G’d. Only beneficial phenomena originate with G’d. When our eyes will be opened to see the great troubles that befall the wicked, we will realize that the wicked themselves have been the architects of their problems, or even destruction. If they would be intelligent enough to realize that all of these phenomena are warnings, they would, instead of cursing the day they had been born, turn to G’d in love, grateful to have been given such opportunities to improve their ways. These “disciplinary measures” by G’d are designed to lead to His name becoming sanctified and aggrandized throughout the universe, especially the part of it where His name had not been known previously. Not only will His existence be revealed to them by such disciplinary actions, but the fact that He is involved in the personal fates of all His creatures will also be demonstrated by His intervention in the affairs of man by means of miracles. [The plagues that the Egyptians were afflicted with had far-reaching consequences, so that 40 years later Rachav, the innkeeper in Jericho told Joshua’s spies that all her friends and acquaintances were still in awe of how G’d had split the sea to allow the Israelites to pass through, while at the same time drowning the pursuing Egyptians in it. (Joshua 2,10) Ed.]
An intelligent Jew or gentile, using his brain without prejudice, will, instead of being frustrated by misfortune, use same as a jumping off board to establish closer ties with his G’d, Who had been kind enough to alert him to His existence in heaven by inflicting harsh penalties on him instead of summarily condemning him to eternal perdition without warning. The Jewish people did not realize all this until after the plagues that G’d visited upon the Egyptians, they had not only been spared, but had seen how G’d had elevated them to become His עם סגולה, especially precious people.
Some leading personalities in our history used this concept to wish for the day when they could demonstrate that they had learned this lesson. The Talmud in B’rachot 61 relates a conversation between Rabbi Akiva (aged 120 at the time) in which the students are quoted as asking their mentor, who at that time was undergoing torture at the hands of the Romans for having publicly violated the decree not to teach Torah, “how long are you going to praise the Lord under such conditions?” He answered them that far from being disheartened, he had been waiting for a lifetime to be able to fulfill the commandment to love G’d בכל נפשך, “with your entire life force,” i.e. at the price of a painful death. How could he possibly allow himself to succumb now when finally this opportunity had presented itself for him? Rabbi Akiva’s final lesson to his disciples was to teach them to make use of adversity, even the most painful adversity, to rise to spiritual levels that would have remained in the realm of a potential only, had they not been able to fulfill this commandment publicly.
[It is doubtful, in my opinion, that we are obligated to wish ourselves such opportunities as Rabbi Akiva had deliberately invited by public disobedience of Roman decrees, as the sages tell us that when David wished to become one of the patriarchs, G’d warned him that in order to do so one had to successfully cope with difficult temptations. Since David had insisted, he was tempted by the matter of Bat Sheva, and, having been unable to resist the temptation, he did not wind up as one of the patriarchs mentioned in our daily amidah prayer at the very outset. (Sanhedrin 107) Ed.]
To sum up, the principal purpose of our existence on earth is to mobilize all our faculties to serve the Lord in the best way we know how. Fondness of the Lord cannot be better demonstrated than to walk through fire or water when necessary, and to see in this an opportunity to prove to Hashem that we love Him and are convinced that what He has decreed for us is for our ultimate benefit, even if we cannot realize this at the time when we are suffering the afflictions concerned.
Expressed slightly differently, we must train ourselves to view trials and tribulations not as “afflictions, attempts to make our lives uncomfortable or even unbearable,” but as medicines designed to cure our ills, especially the ones (like high blood pressure) that we were totally unaware of. Just as none of us would refuse to swallow a bitter tasting medicine prescribed by his favourite physician, so we must not refuse to accept with good cheer the medicine prescribed for us by the “Healer” of the universe, its architect. [The reader may have guessed that I paraphrased some of the author’s words. Ed.]
As to the plagues in Egypt, the Jewish people experienced this lesson by watching how G’d dealt with the Egyptians; we learned vicariously, instead of our having to learn this on our own bodies.
[As the author proceeds to describe the ideal Jew as eagerly looking forward to more yissurim, afflictions, and this editor recalls numerous prayers that include specifically the plea not to elevate us by means of painful yissurim, I will omit part of this chapter, as it is not addressed to the average reader like myself. Ed.]
The author, coming back to his original question of why the killing of the firstborn had to be orchestrated by G’d Himself, points to our opening statement that nothing bad ever originates with G’d Himself. If G’d therefore, personally carried out the killing of the firstborn, this too could not have been something bad, something negative, else He would have had to entrust it to one or more of His angels.
When G’d concludes with what appears as if a repetition, that it is He and no one else who has done this, He means that by orchestrating this “plague” Himself He achieved that His name became great and well known all over the inhabited parts of the globe. If the death of the Egyptians served the purpose of sanctifying the holy name of the Lord, they themselves had served a holy purpose, though unwittingly.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 12,2. “This month is for you the beginning of the months;” in order to understand the word “for you, i.e. yours,“ it will be well to recall Exodus 31,14 where we read: ושמרתם את השבת כי קדש היא לכם, “you shall observe the Sabbath as it is holy for you.”
We have a rule that G’d complies with the wishes of the righteous, the ones who revere Him. Just as the Israelites desire that G’d will deal with the inhabitants of the various parts of His universe with kindness and mercy, so we, His creatures, are desirous of causing Him joy and satisfaction in all parts of His universe. This is the meaning of the line quoted above, the words קודש היא לכם, “the Holy One is active for your benefit.” [I presume the basis for this exegesis is that the Sabbath, something inactive by definition, and even more inactive seeing that it represents repose, rest, can hardly “do” something for us. In other words, “the sanctity of the Sabbath is due to what G’d does for you.” Ed.]
We have a rule that G’d complies with the wishes of the righteous, the ones who revere Him. Just as the Israelites desire that G’d will deal with the inhabitants of the various parts of His universe with kindness and mercy, so we, His creatures, are desirous of causing Him joy and satisfaction in all parts of His universe. This is the meaning of the line quoted above, the words קודש היא לכם, “the Holy One is active for your benefit.” [I presume the basis for this exegesis is that the Sabbath, something inactive by definition, and even more inactive seeing that it represents repose, rest, can hardly “do” something for us. In other words, “the sanctity of the Sabbath is due to what G’d does for you.” Ed.]
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
Yet another approach to the above verse. In this verse the Torah speaks of the performance of righteousness preceding the performance of justice, i.e. לעשות צדקה ומשפט, whereas elsewhere we find the reverse order of עושה משפט וצדקה. [Actually, in connection with G’d we do not find that order anywhere, we only find the sequence of עושה חסד, משפט וצדקה,“performing deeds of loving kindness, justice and righteousness,” in that order. David, on the other hand is described as :ויהי דוד עושה משפט וצדקה, “David used to mete out justice and righteousness.” Ed.] It is a rule that G’d always dispenses His largesse to the Jewish people, this being His only pleasure. The fact that the Jewish people are the recipients of His goodness gives Him satisfaction. Our sages in Pessachim 112 phrased it thus: “the mother cow is more desirous of suckling her calf than the calf is anxious to drink her milk.” [I am omitting the balance of this paragraph, as I have not understood it. Ed.]
We know that Yitzchok personified the characteristic/virtue of גבורה, steadfast bravery in face of overwhelming odds. We also know that G’d in His love for the Jewish people, arranged for the “cure” before the onset of the disease. (Megillah 13) (Compare Rashi who describes the period of the Jews’ exile and bondage as having commenced with the birth of Yitzchok. Exodus 12,40) The Torah’s describing the birth of Moav and Ammon, even before the birth of Yitzchok, is another example of the redemption being prepared by G’d even before the onset of exile, seeing that the messiah will be a descendant of Moav, Ruth in David’s maternal ancestry.
We know that Yitzchok personified the characteristic/virtue of גבורה, steadfast bravery in face of overwhelming odds. We also know that G’d in His love for the Jewish people, arranged for the “cure” before the onset of the disease. (Megillah 13) (Compare Rashi who describes the period of the Jews’ exile and bondage as having commenced with the birth of Yitzchok. Exodus 12,40) The Torah’s describing the birth of Moav and Ammon, even before the birth of Yitzchok, is another example of the redemption being prepared by G’d even before the onset of exile, seeing that the messiah will be a descendant of Moav, Ruth in David’s maternal ancestry.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
We know that Yitzchok personified the characteristic/virtue of גבורה, steadfast bravery in face of overwhelming odds. We also know that G’d in His love for the Jewish people, arranged for the “cure” before the onset of the disease. (Megillah 13) (Compare Rashi who describes the period of the Jews’ exile and bondage as having commenced with the birth of Yitzchok. Exodus 12,40) The Torah’s describing the birth of Moav and Ammon, even before the birth of Yitzchok, is another example of the redemption being prepared by G’d even before the onset of exile, seeing that the messiah will be a descendant of Moav, Ruth in David’s maternal ancestry.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Maor VaShemesh
And thus you should eat it: your loins girded, your shoes on your feet... and your staff in your hand, and you should eat it in haste... and that day will be a remembrance for you... seven days... One should pay attention to the reason for this mitzvah, why the eating should be hasty specifically. For wasn't the eating of the paschal lamb before midnight, and they couldn't leave their homes until the morning? We can consider further based on what is said in the Haggadah - "this matzah that we eat, what is it for? For there was not enough... as it is said... 'and also they had not prepared any provisions for the way' (Shemot 12:39)". And this reason still needs explanation. It's possible to explain according to what we said earlier, regarding the verse "from every tree of the garden you may eat, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat..." (Bereishit 2:16) And our rabbis were devided on which tree Adam haRishon ate. One could have asked, how did Adam know which tree was the tree of knowledge of good and evil, if not for the fact that Hashem Yitbarach showed him it. And this isn't according to the sense of the verse, but it's possible to say that the principal of God's commandment is not to be drawn after his cravings to eat food, since it is delicious and good to look at. And the thorn in its lowliness, this only will be your food to sustain your body alone. Since God has not separated in Their eyes between that which is good to look at and that which is not - rather, one's eating should be to satiate themself so they can be established for their service of their Creator. And this is the statement of the verse "from every tree of the garden you may surely eat..." meaning, you are permitted to eat from all of them, just so long as there is no difference in your eyes between eating from this one because you crave it since it is delicious, or the thorn in its lowliness which is disgusting. This difference is forbidden to you, and this is "from the tree of knowledge of good and evil" you shall not eat - it wishes to say that you shouldn't distinguish in your eating between this which is tasty and the thorn which is evil in your eyes. And we can say that "the tree of knowledge" isn't a specific tree, but rather Adam was commanded equally regarding all of them not to distinguish between good and evil with regard to his appetites. And our rabbis of blessed memory were divided on which species he craved with a bodily craving. And for this reason our fathers went down to Egypt, to purify their material selves and to break their appetites by means of the yoke of subjugation, in order to right the sin of Adam haRishon. And for this, we are commanded to eat on Pesach bread of affliction, which is tasteless and without salt or preparation. This is for this intention: to teach that a person should not be drawn after human pleasures, which are illusory. And for this reason the matzah is called 'bread of affliction/poverty' - because the poor person isn't able to choose food that they crave or enjoy, and is forced to eat whatever comes to their hands even if it isn't delicious. So too with us: we eat matzah from dough with no seasonings. It would be the same to us if it were sweet, but there isn't sweetness - it's just to sustain ourselves to serve God and to sanctify ourselves by means of eating matzah for seven days. These correspond to seventy years, a lifespan, to show us that by means of from the need to cast away from opposite all worldly delights and from one's desires. [?] And this is alluded to in the statement "this matzah which we eat, why?... 'for they did not have enough... and they had also not prepared provisions...'". Meaning, we receive instruction from our ancestors who were on this level, that they were not drawn after their cravings to prepare flavourful and pleasant provisions. They ate at their exodus only cakes of matzah, without flavour. So we act according to their deeds. And the explanation of his words is, "this matzah that we eat", meaning, our intent when we eat matzah and say "this matzah which we eat, why?... 'for they did not have enough... and they had also not prepared provisions...'" is that we should intend that, just as our ancestors cast away their bodily cravings, so too we must trend [?] to act thus: by means of eating the matzah, we accustom ourselves to purify our material selves and to break the strength of this craving. And it is for this reason that Hashem Yitbarach commanded us to eat the paschal lamb "in haste" - it's known that even if the food is tasty, hasty eating won't allow one to derive pleasure in the same way as slower eating at a set table. To teach us again, as I have explained, that one should not eat to fulfil their cravings - only in order to sustain life in order to serve Hashem Yitbarach. And it finishes and says, "This day will be a remembrance for you" (Shemot 12:14) - meaning, you should remember this forever, why we're commanded to eat the paschal lamb in haste. For this is to break the strength of craving, and also "seven days matzot you shall eat" (ibid.) - that this should be on your heart forever.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Maor VaShemesh
And thus you should eat it: your loins girded, your shoes on your feet... and your staff in your hand, and you should eat it in haste... and that day will be a remembrance for you... seven days... One should pay attention to the reason for this mitzvah, why the eating should be hasty specifically. For wasn't the eating of the paschal lamb before midnight, and they couldn't leave their homes until the morning? We can consider further based on what is said in the Haggadah - "this matzah that we eat, what is it for? For there was not enough... as it is said... 'and also they had not prepared any provisions for the way' (Shemot 12:39)". And this reason still needs explanation. It's possible to explain according to what we said earlier, regarding the verse "from every tree of the garden you may eat, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat..." (Bereishit 2:16) And our rabbis were devided on which tree Adam haRishon ate. One could have asked, how did Adam know which tree was the tree of knowledge of good and evil, if not for the fact that Hashem Yitbarach showed him it. And this isn't according to the sense of the verse, but it's possible to say that the principal of God's commandment is not to be drawn after his cravings to eat food, since it is delicious and good to look at. And the thorn in its lowliness, this only will be your food to sustain your body alone. Since God has not separated in Their eyes between that which is good to look at and that which is not - rather, one's eating should be to satiate themself so they can be established for their service of their Creator. And this is the statement of the verse "from every tree of the garden you may surely eat..." meaning, you are permitted to eat from all of them, just so long as there is no difference in your eyes between eating from this one because you crave it since it is delicious, or the thorn in its lowliness which is disgusting. This difference is forbidden to you, and this is "from the tree of knowledge of good and evil" you shall not eat - it wishes to say that you shouldn't distinguish in your eating between this which is tasty and the thorn which is evil in your eyes. And we can say that "the tree of knowledge" isn't a specific tree, but rather Adam was commanded equally regarding all of them not to distinguish between good and evil with regard to his appetites. And our rabbis of blessed memory were divided on which species he craved with a bodily craving. And for this reason our fathers went down to Egypt, to purify their material selves and to break their appetites by means of the yoke of subjugation, in order to right the sin of Adam haRishon. And for this, we are commanded to eat on Pesach bread of affliction, which is tasteless and without salt or preparation. This is for this intention: to teach that a person should not be drawn after human pleasures, which are illusory. And for this reason the matzah is called 'bread of affliction/poverty' - because the poor person isn't able to choose food that they crave or enjoy, and is forced to eat whatever comes to their hands even if it isn't delicious. So too with us: we eat matzah from dough with no seasonings. It would be the same to us if it were sweet, but there isn't sweetness - it's just to sustain ourselves to serve God and to sanctify ourselves by means of eating matzah for seven days. These correspond to seventy years, a lifespan, to show us that by means of from the need to cast away from opposite all worldly delights and from one's desires. [?] And this is alluded to in the statement "this matzah which we eat, why?... 'for they did not have enough... and they had also not prepared provisions...'". Meaning, we receive instruction from our ancestors who were on this level, that they were not drawn after their cravings to prepare flavourful and pleasant provisions. They ate at their exodus only cakes of matzah, without flavour. So we act according to their deeds. And the explanation of his words is, "this matzah that we eat", meaning, our intent when we eat matzah and say "this matzah which we eat, why?... 'for they did not have enough... and they had also not prepared provisions...'" is that we should intend that, just as our ancestors cast away their bodily cravings, so too we must trend [?] to act thus: by means of eating the matzah, we accustom ourselves to purify our material selves and to break the strength of this craving. And it is for this reason that Hashem Yitbarach commanded us to eat the paschal lamb "in haste" - it's known that even if the food is tasty, hasty eating won't allow one to derive pleasure in the same way as slower eating at a set table. To teach us again, as I have explained, that one should not eat to fulfil their cravings - only in order to sustain life in order to serve Hashem Yitbarach. And it finishes and says, "This day will be a remembrance for you" (Shemot 12:14) - meaning, you should remember this forever, why we're commanded to eat the paschal lamb in haste. For this is to break the strength of craving, and also "seven days matzot you shall eat" (ibid.) - that this should be on your heart forever.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 12,9. “head, legs, and entrails.”We have a rule according to which the various parts of the human body symbolize attributes of G’d in heaven. The legs symbolize the attribute of אמונה, “faithfulness,” a virtue that comprises two “branches.” It describes man’s absolute faith that G’d preceded anything else in the universe, and that it is He Who brought all the various universes into existence.
The second basic act of faith required of every Jew is that he realizes that he is a member of the people whom G’d has chosen as specifically His. Every Israelite must be aware that due to this special status of ours, G’d is desirous to carry out our wishes as expressed in our prayers to Him. These two aspects of the holy covenant between G’d and the Jewish people are symbolized in our bodies by our two legs, the limbs that we stand on.
The torso, גוף, central part of our body, symbolizes תפארת, that each one of us must strive to conduct our lives in a manner that reflects glory on the Creator of the human race. The prophet Isaiah 49,3 referred to this when he said, quoting G’d: ישראל אשר בך אתפאר, “Israel, in you I can glory.”
The two hands symbolize our dual relationship to G’d based on אהבה ויראה, “love and reverence.” The right hand symbolizes love, whereas the left hand (arm), symbolizes the reverence aspect of this relationship.
The two hands symbolize our dual relationship to G’d based on אהבה ויראה, “love and reverence.” The right hand symbolizes love, whereas the left hand (arm), symbolizes the reverence aspect of this relationship.
The second basic act of faith required of every Jew is that he realizes that he is a member of the people whom G’d has chosen as specifically His. Every Israelite must be aware that due to this special status of ours, G’d is desirous to carry out our wishes as expressed in our prayers to Him. These two aspects of the holy covenant between G’d and the Jewish people are symbolized in our bodies by our two legs, the limbs that we stand on.
The torso, גוף, central part of our body, symbolizes תפארת, that each one of us must strive to conduct our lives in a manner that reflects glory on the Creator of the human race. The prophet Isaiah 49,3 referred to this when he said, quoting G’d: ישראל אשר בך אתפאר, “Israel, in you I can glory.”
The two hands symbolize our dual relationship to G’d based on אהבה ויראה, “love and reverence.” The right hand symbolizes love, whereas the left hand (arm), symbolizes the reverence aspect of this relationship.
The two hands symbolize our dual relationship to G’d based on אהבה ויראה, “love and reverence.” The right hand symbolizes love, whereas the left hand (arm), symbolizes the reverence aspect of this relationship.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
While the Israelites were in Egypt they had not attained more than the first virtue (attribute) i.e. אמונה, “faith,” as the Torah testifies in Exodus 4,31ויאמן העם, “The people possessed faith.”
We have already explained that the feet (legs) symbolize faith and that is why at the Exodus, (12,37) the Torah describes the Jewish people leaving Egypt by referring to them as כשש מאות אלף רגלי, “approximately 600,000 pairs of feet.” The other virtues that the Israelites did not yet possess at the time of the Exodus, they would acquire at the “foot” of Mount Sinai, seven weeks later, at the time when G’d gave them the Torah. This progress of the Israelites’ spiritual development is hinted at in the details with which the Torah describes the Passover offering. The sequence of the words: ראשו על כרעיו ועל קרבו, suggests that at that time the virtues other than faith, כרעיו, were still as hidden as are the entrails. When we keep this in mind, we can understand a statement in the Talmud Menachot 65, where the verse וספרתם לכם ממחרת השבת, ”you shall count for yourselves starting from the day after the Sabbath,” is understood to refer to the day after the first day of the Passover festival. This contradicts the interpretation of the Sadducees who understood the word השבת in that verse as referring literally to the first Sabbath day during that festival.
We have already explained that the feet (legs) symbolize faith and that is why at the Exodus, (12,37) the Torah describes the Jewish people leaving Egypt by referring to them as כשש מאות אלף רגלי, “approximately 600,000 pairs of feet.” The other virtues that the Israelites did not yet possess at the time of the Exodus, they would acquire at the “foot” of Mount Sinai, seven weeks later, at the time when G’d gave them the Torah. This progress of the Israelites’ spiritual development is hinted at in the details with which the Torah describes the Passover offering. The sequence of the words: ראשו על כרעיו ועל קרבו, suggests that at that time the virtues other than faith, כרעיו, were still as hidden as are the entrails. When we keep this in mind, we can understand a statement in the Talmud Menachot 65, where the verse וספרתם לכם ממחרת השבת, ”you shall count for yourselves starting from the day after the Sabbath,” is understood to refer to the day after the first day of the Passover festival. This contradicts the interpretation of the Sadducees who understood the word השבת in that verse as referring literally to the first Sabbath day during that festival.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
When David in psalms 118,11, part of the hallel hamitzri, repeats the words סבוני גם סבבוני בשם ה' “they beset me, they surround me; by the name of Hashem I will surely cut them down;” the word: גם, “also,” seems problematic. According to what we have just explained, David’s wording is quite easily understood. When David (verse 10) first spoke about all the nations surrounding him being his mortal enemies, he dismissed this threat more or less, as it was only an external threat; his own personality not having succumbed to fear. At that point he had been certain that G’d would take care of him as he had considered himself a loyal servant of the Lord. This is why he had added the words: בשם ה', “by the name of the Lord;” he had considered himself as having served the Lord with a mature intellect. Upon reflecting further, he had realized that he had not always served the Lord on such a lofty level, but from time to time had had a relapse to a lower intellectual level, that of מוחין דקטנות. On such occasions he had experienced “real” fear. This is what he had in mind when he repeated the words סבוני גם סבבוני, i.e. he had really filled encircled, not knowing how to escape the fate that appeared to threaten him. If, as we see from the lines following this, G’d had miraculously extricated him from all the dangers threatening him, he realised that he had every reason to be especially grateful for an escape that he may not have merited due to his own accumulated merits.
The considerations just described may have provided the background to a custom mentioned in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 430 that the Sabbath preceding the Passover festival is called שבת הגדול, “the great Sabbath,” in commemoration of the great miracle that occurred during the four days between when the Israelites set aside the paschal lamb in preparation of slaughtering it on the 14th of the month, as per the Torah’s instructions in Exodus 12,6. They had been instructed to keep watch over each person’s lamb to be sure that it was not physically blemished, but even more so to demonstrate their faith in G’d that although slaughtering a lamb which was a deity for the Egyptians and therefore a provocation of their “masters,” they were not deterred by the physical danger they were exposing themselves to by doing this. Each Jewish household tied their respective lamb to their beds, daring the Egyptians to do something about this after they had told the Egyptians who enquired about the meaning of this that this lamb would be slaughtered at the command of the Jewish G’d on the evening of the 14th of the month. In the event the Egyptians gnashed their teeth but did not dare to take any countermeasures.
The considerations just described may have provided the background to a custom mentioned in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 430 that the Sabbath preceding the Passover festival is called שבת הגדול, “the great Sabbath,” in commemoration of the great miracle that occurred during the four days between when the Israelites set aside the paschal lamb in preparation of slaughtering it on the 14th of the month, as per the Torah’s instructions in Exodus 12,6. They had been instructed to keep watch over each person’s lamb to be sure that it was not physically blemished, but even more so to demonstrate their faith in G’d that although slaughtering a lamb which was a deity for the Egyptians and therefore a provocation of their “masters,” they were not deterred by the physical danger they were exposing themselves to by doing this. Each Jewish household tied their respective lamb to their beds, daring the Egyptians to do something about this after they had told the Egyptians who enquired about the meaning of this that this lamb would be slaughtered at the command of the Jewish G’d on the evening of the 14th of the month. In the event the Egyptians gnashed their teeth but did not dare to take any countermeasures.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 12,27. “you will say (answer) ‘it is a Passover offering for the Lord, etc.’” We need to examine why when the Torah has called this festival חג המצות, “the festival of unleavened breads,” we, the people, are in the habit of calling it first and foremost חג הפסח, a name that does not occur in the Torah at all.
In Song of Songs 6,3 we read: אני לדודי ודודי לי, “I alone am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.” In this verse Solomon describes the relationship between the Jewish people and its G’d and vice versa in the most flattering terms. This is demonstrated by the Jewish people in practice every time they put on phylacteries in which the praises of the Almighty are spelled out on parchment. In the Talmud B’rachot 6, we are told that G’d Himself also puts on phylacteries and that the verses contained in His phylacteries contain the praises of His people, the Jewish people. When we keep this in mind we can understand a statement recorded in Tanna de bey Eliyahu that it is a positive commandment to recite the praises of the Jewish people. In other words, G’d enjoys hearing the praises and virtues of His people being mentioned and appreciated.
The Talmud Menachot 36 advises that while wearing the phylacteries one should touch them intermittently. This is in line with the prohibition to turn one’s attention to other matters while wearing the phylacteries. [This explains why nowadays we do not wear the phylacteries except during prayer as it is too easy to violate the commandments surrounding the manner in which we are to conduct ourselves if we were to wear them all day long. Ed.] When the Talmud forbids turning one’s attention away from the phylacteries on one’s head or one’s arm, this is not to be understood literally, but it means that while wearing phylacteries one must either concentrate on the praises of the Lord or the praises of Israel. The praises of the Lord are spelled out in the Torah sections inscribed on parchment inside our phylacteries. The author quotes Rashi on 12,39 where the Torah reports that the unleavened breads of the Israelites actually were baked by the sun while the dough was slung over the women’s shoulders. The people’s faith in the Lord at that time was demonstrated by their not insisting that they wait in Egypt while their dough would bake into bread so that they would have something to eat while on the way. The term חג המצות, originated at that time. This is one example of how G’d publicises the virtues of the Jewish people. On the other hand, by calling this festival חג הפסח, we, in turn, tell the praises of the Lord Who, at that time, had deliberately passed over the houses of the Jewish people when He killed all the firstborn in Egypt. This mutually complimentary relationship between G’d and His favourite people is what Solomon referred to in Song of Songs 6,3.
Another [rather revolutionary facet Ed.] method of understanding the above verse is that the word פסח may be understood phonetically, i.e. פה סח, “when the mouth speaks,” i.e. explains the nature of the Passover to your children in the future, then the הוא, the hidden aspects of G’d, [impersonal “he,” instead of “thou,” Ed.]<small? will="" become="" לה',="" revealed="" to="" you="" as="" a="" reward,="" as="" <i="">Hashem.
In Song of Songs 6,3 we read: אני לדודי ודודי לי, “I alone am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.” In this verse Solomon describes the relationship between the Jewish people and its G’d and vice versa in the most flattering terms. This is demonstrated by the Jewish people in practice every time they put on phylacteries in which the praises of the Almighty are spelled out on parchment. In the Talmud B’rachot 6, we are told that G’d Himself also puts on phylacteries and that the verses contained in His phylacteries contain the praises of His people, the Jewish people. When we keep this in mind we can understand a statement recorded in Tanna de bey Eliyahu that it is a positive commandment to recite the praises of the Jewish people. In other words, G’d enjoys hearing the praises and virtues of His people being mentioned and appreciated.
The Talmud Menachot 36 advises that while wearing the phylacteries one should touch them intermittently. This is in line with the prohibition to turn one’s attention to other matters while wearing the phylacteries. [This explains why nowadays we do not wear the phylacteries except during prayer as it is too easy to violate the commandments surrounding the manner in which we are to conduct ourselves if we were to wear them all day long. Ed.] When the Talmud forbids turning one’s attention away from the phylacteries on one’s head or one’s arm, this is not to be understood literally, but it means that while wearing phylacteries one must either concentrate on the praises of the Lord or the praises of Israel. The praises of the Lord are spelled out in the Torah sections inscribed on parchment inside our phylacteries. The author quotes Rashi on 12,39 where the Torah reports that the unleavened breads of the Israelites actually were baked by the sun while the dough was slung over the women’s shoulders. The people’s faith in the Lord at that time was demonstrated by their not insisting that they wait in Egypt while their dough would bake into bread so that they would have something to eat while on the way. The term חג המצות, originated at that time. This is one example of how G’d publicises the virtues of the Jewish people. On the other hand, by calling this festival חג הפסח, we, in turn, tell the praises of the Lord Who, at that time, had deliberately passed over the houses of the Jewish people when He killed all the firstborn in Egypt. This mutually complimentary relationship between G’d and His favourite people is what Solomon referred to in Song of Songs 6,3.
Another [rather revolutionary facet Ed.] method of understanding the above verse is that the word פסח may be understood phonetically, i.e. פה סח, “when the mouth speaks,” i.e. explains the nature of the Passover to your children in the future, then the הוא, the hidden aspects of G’d, [impersonal “he,” instead of “thou,” Ed.]<small? will="" become="" לה',="" revealed="" to="" you="" as="" a="" reward,="" as="" <i="">Hashem.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
According to what we have said the query posed by Nachmanides is easily answered. At the beginning of the portion where G’d had told Avram to leave Charan for his own good, He had not promised him anything specific, such as children, or that he and his children would inherit the land of Canaan, for instance, even though G’d assured him of a great future in general terms, i.e. “I will make you great and your name great.” He had basically assured him only that he would not be losing anything by undertaking this journey. By now, however, G’d had added specific promises in addition. These promises concerned matters that are of importance to people who feel rooted in the terrestrial life on earth. In recognition of these promises Avram built an altar, i.e. he reciprocated the good that G’d had done for him with an act that would bring him closer to G’d. He did so to show G’d that he did not view His promises as intended for himself as such, but as a means of enabling him to continue to intensify the manner in which he had been serving G’d.
[I feel constrained to add at this point that according to all our traditional sources the revelation discussed in chapter 15 of Genesis occurred 5 years before Avram was commanded to leave Charan to a destination G’d did not immediately reveal. This interpretation is based on the fact that otherwise the verse in Exodus 12,40 that the Israelites had dwelled in Egypt for 430 years is impossible to reconcile, as traditionally, the 400 years of which G’d spoke in chapter 15,13 began with the birth of Yitzchok. Ed.]
Avram rejoiced that as a result of G’d’s promise his children too would be able to serve their Creator in due course. We had pointed out that the significance of offering G’d animal sacrifices on an altar was to demonstrate one’s desire to tighten one’s bond with the Creator. The word אליו, to him in 15,7 is not really necessary, as there had been no interruption between this verse and the one preceding it, so that it was necessary to insert this word to prevent any misunderstanding about whom G’d was addressing. The word אליו appears to hint that in this instance G’d addressed Avram primarily in his capacity as a member of the world of the יש, the part of the universe in which it is possible to sublimate the secular to a level of holiness, to elevate it to the level of metaphysical dimensions. Our author concludes by repeating the words of the verse that is not part of our chapter at all, i.e. ויבן שם אברהם מזבח לה' הנראה אליו.
[I feel constrained to add at this point that according to all our traditional sources the revelation discussed in chapter 15 of Genesis occurred 5 years before Avram was commanded to leave Charan to a destination G’d did not immediately reveal. This interpretation is based on the fact that otherwise the verse in Exodus 12,40 that the Israelites had dwelled in Egypt for 430 years is impossible to reconcile, as traditionally, the 400 years of which G’d spoke in chapter 15,13 began with the birth of Yitzchok. Ed.]
Avram rejoiced that as a result of G’d’s promise his children too would be able to serve their Creator in due course. We had pointed out that the significance of offering G’d animal sacrifices on an altar was to demonstrate one’s desire to tighten one’s bond with the Creator. The word אליו, to him in 15,7 is not really necessary, as there had been no interruption between this verse and the one preceding it, so that it was necessary to insert this word to prevent any misunderstanding about whom G’d was addressing. The word אליו appears to hint that in this instance G’d addressed Avram primarily in his capacity as a member of the world of the יש, the part of the universe in which it is possible to sublimate the secular to a level of holiness, to elevate it to the level of metaphysical dimensions. Our author concludes by repeating the words of the verse that is not part of our chapter at all, i.e. ויבן שם אברהם מזבח לה' הנראה אליו.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 12,42. “that night will remain a night of remembrance for Hashem, etc.” Although it is a rule that G’d watches over Israel benevolently constantly, and that He had equipped the Israelites with positive as well as with negative commandments so that non deserving (worlds) nations would not share the benefit from His acts of kindness for the Israelites by default, at this point in history when the Torah had not yet been given to the people of Israel, G’d had to perform His acts of kindness directly, -not through emissaries, angels, to make certain that they would benefit only the people for whom they were intended. These considerations have been hinted at in the words of our verse that G’d’s acts on behalf of Israel during the night of the Exodus were of an extraordinary nature. This idea has also been alluded to in the Midrash which states: “I have kept in mind for all these years the commandment performed by the ‘old man,’ Avraham, who was the first person taking action to prevent the negative forces in the world from benefiting from G’d’s largesse. Prior to Avraham’s appearing on the scene, G’d personally had to see to it that the totally undeserving souls did not benefit from His benevolence through a spillover from the deserving. (Yalkut Shimoni Vayikra 18?)
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 16:1 “He flung horse and its rider high into the sea.” We need to understand why Moses described the “tossing” of the Egyptian cavalry into the sea by using a word referring to an upward motion of G’d’s arm, instead of simply writing הפיל בים, “He dropped them into the sea.” Besides, seeing that in verse 4 Moses describes Hashem as מרכבות פרעה וחילו ירה בים, “G’d threw (same word as “he shot,”) the chariots of Pharaoh and his army into the sea,” why did Moses choose the word רמה in verse 1? Since the only kind of shooting in those days was the shooting of arrows, it was mandatory that the trajectory first involve the rising of the arrow before it could descend and hit its target, so that there was no reason for Moses not to have used the customary word for “shooting.”
Our sages in the Mishnah Sanhedrin 6,4 describe the platform or the “house,” בית הסקילה, from which the penalty of stoning to death was carried out as being two stories (the height of two average sized persons) high. From that platform the criminal or sinner convicted to death by stoning would be pushed down. The “stoning” would commence after the fall if it had not been fatal. The wording in the Torah is: סקול יסקל או ירה יירה, “he will surely be stoned or shot,” (Exodus 19,13). The word ירה alone therefore might have been misleading.
Another expression which poses a difficulty in our verse is: ומבחר שלישיו טבעו בים, “and the choicest of his officers drowned in the sea.” It would have sufficed to state that “his officers drowned;” that would have included both the junior and the senior officers.
The answer to these questions may be gleaned from the words of the Midrash (Yalkut Reuveni, B’shalach) where the protective angel, שר, of the Egyptians is quoted as having complained that seeing that both the Israelites and the Egyptians had been idol worshippers, why would the Egyptians be singled out for such harsh punishment.
We further need to understand why G’d resorted to the stratagem of encouraging the Egyptians to pursue the Israelites through commanding the Israelites to turn back at Baal Tzefon (Exodus 14,2), after they had already left Egypt and both politically and economically, the Super Power Egypt had suffered a lethal blow. Had G’d not found an excuse that misled the Egyptians to believe that their deity had frightened the Israelites, the entire pursuit of the Israelites and the resultant drowning of the Egyptian army would never have taken place. We must therefore conclude that G’d paid heed to the complaint of the protective angel of the Egyptians, and had to show him that his protégées were totally wicked, having reneged on their not only having released the Israelites but having expelled them. (Exodus 12,33 and 39). The words רמה בים, may be understood as a reference to the illusion that the Egyptians harboured that they might succeed due to favourable astrological constellations at the sea where they had failed on land. Secondly, the word מבחר, instead of being a reference to the choicest of the Egyptian officers, is an allusion to the freedom of choice, בחירה, that G’d gave the Egyptians at that time, i.e. they had brought their death upon themselves by having made the wrong choice in pursuing the Israelites, even after witnessing that the G’d of the Israelites had split the sea for them. After having seen this, even the protective angel of the Egyptians no longer had any complaint against G’d.
Our sages in the Mishnah Sanhedrin 6,4 describe the platform or the “house,” בית הסקילה, from which the penalty of stoning to death was carried out as being two stories (the height of two average sized persons) high. From that platform the criminal or sinner convicted to death by stoning would be pushed down. The “stoning” would commence after the fall if it had not been fatal. The wording in the Torah is: סקול יסקל או ירה יירה, “he will surely be stoned or shot,” (Exodus 19,13). The word ירה alone therefore might have been misleading.
Another expression which poses a difficulty in our verse is: ומבחר שלישיו טבעו בים, “and the choicest of his officers drowned in the sea.” It would have sufficed to state that “his officers drowned;” that would have included both the junior and the senior officers.
The answer to these questions may be gleaned from the words of the Midrash (Yalkut Reuveni, B’shalach) where the protective angel, שר, of the Egyptians is quoted as having complained that seeing that both the Israelites and the Egyptians had been idol worshippers, why would the Egyptians be singled out for such harsh punishment.
We further need to understand why G’d resorted to the stratagem of encouraging the Egyptians to pursue the Israelites through commanding the Israelites to turn back at Baal Tzefon (Exodus 14,2), after they had already left Egypt and both politically and economically, the Super Power Egypt had suffered a lethal blow. Had G’d not found an excuse that misled the Egyptians to believe that their deity had frightened the Israelites, the entire pursuit of the Israelites and the resultant drowning of the Egyptian army would never have taken place. We must therefore conclude that G’d paid heed to the complaint of the protective angel of the Egyptians, and had to show him that his protégées were totally wicked, having reneged on their not only having released the Israelites but having expelled them. (Exodus 12,33 and 39). The words רמה בים, may be understood as a reference to the illusion that the Egyptians harboured that they might succeed due to favourable astrological constellations at the sea where they had failed on land. Secondly, the word מבחר, instead of being a reference to the choicest of the Egyptian officers, is an allusion to the freedom of choice, בחירה, that G’d gave the Egyptians at that time, i.e. they had brought their death upon themselves by having made the wrong choice in pursuing the Israelites, even after witnessing that the G’d of the Israelites had split the sea for them. After having seen this, even the protective angel of the Egyptians no longer had any complaint against G’d.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy