רַחֲצוּ֙ הִזַּכּ֔וּ הָסִ֛ירוּ רֹ֥עַ מַעַלְלֵיכֶ֖ם מִנֶּ֣גֶד עֵינָ֑י חִדְל֖וּ הָרֵֽעַ׃
Maghugas kayo, magpakalinis kayo; alisin ninyo ang kasamaan ng inyong mga gawa sa harap ng Aking mga mata; tigilan na ninyo ang paggawa ng masama.
Tevele Bondi
This is not a problem since both the person who attends to others and the person who is attended to by others illustrate the greatness of the Holy One and the lowliness of human beings.
We acknowledge a human being's importance by the way that others serve him. This is not the case with the Holy One who shows His glory by the way he serves His children. We learn this from a passage "Who is like you among the mighty," which is understood to mean there are none that act like You do. (Shemot Rabbah 20,25) "What is the difference between mortal beings and the Holy One? How does a mortal king exhibit his glory? His servant attends to him and serves him. This is not the case with the Holy One who attends to and serves his children. A mortal king is bathed by his servants while the Holy One bathes (and purified) Israel, as is written: "I bathed you in water." (Ez.16:9) God also anoints his children, as is written, "I anointed you with oil." (Ez. 16:9) God dressed them, as it is written: "And I clothed you with embroidered garments." (Ez. 16:9) A road is prepared for a mortal king while the Holy One made a path through the sea for His children. The servant carries the mortal king while the Holy one carries his children, "on the wings of eagles." Servants put shoes on the feet of the mortal king while with the Holy One, it is just the opposite: "I gave you sandals of dolphin leather." (Ez. 16:9) When a mortal king sleeps, his servants stand guard over him. Just the opposite with the Holy One, as it is written, "The guardian of Israel neither slumbers or sleeps." (Ps. 121)
3. There is yet another reason for the first washing. According to Rabbi Elazar, food that is dipped in liquids (such as salt water or vinegar) necessitates the washing of hands. The sages decreed secondary impurity of hands and impurity of the liquid to be primary. The Turei Zahav asks (Siman 473; An important commentary on the Shulchan Aruch by David ha-Levi Segal c. 1586 – 1667) why are we more scrupulous on this night than the rest of the year so that we make a point of purifying ourselves on this night? Just as we are more scrupulous on this night, it is fitting to be no less scrupulous on the Ten Days of Repentance, Sabbaths and Holy Days, in our judgment.
This concern is reflected in the other steps of the seder, Kadesh U'rechatz, etc… They are connected to one another. After one has prepared himself to enter into the sanctity of the day (Kadesh), he must now wash (urechatz) as in the expression, "Wash yourself clean." (Is. 1:16) Thus, we are not like a person who immerses himself in a mikvah while holding an impure reptile in his hand. It is not enough to sanctify himself - he must purify himself also when taking the karpas.
Let Me Explain
1. Like Kadesh, the purpose of the opening 'steps' of the seder is to spiritually prepare ourselves for this evening. We must strive to reach a level of spiritual purity because we are now in the presence of the Holy One.
2. Being a king is not about being served by others. It is also about serving others. Rabbi Bondi suggests that God's greatness is reflected in all the ways that God cares for us rather than in the ways we worship God.
3. Finally, Bondi offers a more halachic reason for the washing of hands before the karpas. But it too relates to the notion of striving to reach a higher level of purity on Passover night. His first explanation is more behavioral, the second theological, and the third draws on the legal sources to explain the status of 'washing.' See BT Pesahim 115a. In temple times, impurity was serious business. Food had to be consumed in a state of purity – this was required not of the kohanim but regular Jews as well. According to the sages, liquid is more susceptible to and is a more potent “carrier” of ritual impurity. Some rabbis see this as a pious flourish required only of the leader of the Seder while others consider this extra precaution to be a serious matter on Seder night even if we do not observe it the rest of the year.
We acknowledge a human being's importance by the way that others serve him. This is not the case with the Holy One who shows His glory by the way he serves His children. We learn this from a passage "Who is like you among the mighty," which is understood to mean there are none that act like You do. (Shemot Rabbah 20,25) "What is the difference between mortal beings and the Holy One? How does a mortal king exhibit his glory? His servant attends to him and serves him. This is not the case with the Holy One who attends to and serves his children. A mortal king is bathed by his servants while the Holy One bathes (and purified) Israel, as is written: "I bathed you in water." (Ez.16:9) God also anoints his children, as is written, "I anointed you with oil." (Ez. 16:9) God dressed them, as it is written: "And I clothed you with embroidered garments." (Ez. 16:9) A road is prepared for a mortal king while the Holy One made a path through the sea for His children. The servant carries the mortal king while the Holy one carries his children, "on the wings of eagles." Servants put shoes on the feet of the mortal king while with the Holy One, it is just the opposite: "I gave you sandals of dolphin leather." (Ez. 16:9) When a mortal king sleeps, his servants stand guard over him. Just the opposite with the Holy One, as it is written, "The guardian of Israel neither slumbers or sleeps." (Ps. 121)
3. There is yet another reason for the first washing. According to Rabbi Elazar, food that is dipped in liquids (such as salt water or vinegar) necessitates the washing of hands. The sages decreed secondary impurity of hands and impurity of the liquid to be primary. The Turei Zahav asks (Siman 473; An important commentary on the Shulchan Aruch by David ha-Levi Segal c. 1586 – 1667) why are we more scrupulous on this night than the rest of the year so that we make a point of purifying ourselves on this night? Just as we are more scrupulous on this night, it is fitting to be no less scrupulous on the Ten Days of Repentance, Sabbaths and Holy Days, in our judgment.
This concern is reflected in the other steps of the seder, Kadesh U'rechatz, etc… They are connected to one another. After one has prepared himself to enter into the sanctity of the day (Kadesh), he must now wash (urechatz) as in the expression, "Wash yourself clean." (Is. 1:16) Thus, we are not like a person who immerses himself in a mikvah while holding an impure reptile in his hand. It is not enough to sanctify himself - he must purify himself also when taking the karpas.
Let Me Explain
1. Like Kadesh, the purpose of the opening 'steps' of the seder is to spiritually prepare ourselves for this evening. We must strive to reach a level of spiritual purity because we are now in the presence of the Holy One.
2. Being a king is not about being served by others. It is also about serving others. Rabbi Bondi suggests that God's greatness is reflected in all the ways that God cares for us rather than in the ways we worship God.
3. Finally, Bondi offers a more halachic reason for the washing of hands before the karpas. But it too relates to the notion of striving to reach a higher level of purity on Passover night. His first explanation is more behavioral, the second theological, and the third draws on the legal sources to explain the status of 'washing.' See BT Pesahim 115a. In temple times, impurity was serious business. Food had to be consumed in a state of purity – this was required not of the kohanim but regular Jews as well. According to the sages, liquid is more susceptible to and is a more potent “carrier” of ritual impurity. Some rabbis see this as a pious flourish required only of the leader of the Seder while others consider this extra precaution to be a serious matter on Seder night even if we do not observe it the rest of the year.
Ibn Ezra
[Daniel 2:8] ʿAneh malka (עָנֵה מַלְכָּא - Answered the king): [The king says:] Truly (min yatziv - מִן־יַצִּיב, lit. "from certainty") I know that you are buying time (ʿiddana antun zavnin - עִדָּנָא אַנְתּוּן זָבְנִין). The meaning is: you are delaying the hour/stalling. This is because (kol kovel di - כָּל־קֳבֵל דִּי) you saw that the word/decree (mill'ta - מִלְּתָא) is established/certain (azda - אַזְדָּא) from me. And it [the decree] is: "If you do not make the dream known to me, your sentence (dat'khon - דָּתְכוֹן) is one" [cf. Daniel 2:9] – the sentence (ha-dat - הַדָּת) that I gave, that you will be killed. And the Dalet (ד) of [the word] hizdaminton (הִזְדַּמִּנְתּוּן - "you have prepared/agreed upon" [found in Daniel 2:9]) [stands] instead of the Tav (ת) of the Hitpael conjugation [due to assimilation]. And Rabbi Marinus said: that similarly the word hizzakku (הִזַּכּוּ - "cleanse yourselves," Isaiah 1:16) is like hizdakku (הִזְדַּכּוּ - hypothetical form). But it is not plausible for it (hizzakku) to be from the Nifal conjugation because of the dagesh [strong dot] in the Khaf (כּ). And Rabbi Moshe [ibn Gikatilla] HaKohen Sefardi said: that it (hizzakku) is the Hitpael conjugation, and the dagesh in the Zayin (זּ) is due to the assimilation of the Tav (ת) [meaning the original form was hithzakku (הִתְזַכּוּ)]. And this is correct in my eyes.
Rabbeinu Bahya
When G’d spoke about “pounding His hand” in Ezekiel 22,13 this occurred only after He had mentioned the sin of robbery, seeing that this is such a grievous sin. In the following verse G’d says: ”can your courage endure or your hand be strong in the days when I shall deal with you?” Although the commandment not to rob is the type of commandment which is linked to the positive commandment of making restitution, i.e. it can be atoned for relatively easily, the sin is very grievous as one cannot always locate the injured party when one is finally ready to make restitution and as a result the sin remains unatoned. Even if the victimised party is located but does not want to forgive the robber, he has no way of rehabilitating himself. Alternatively, the robber may have become a poor beggar and as such is simply unable to make amends. For all the above-mentioned reasons the sin of robbery is very serious although tied to the positive command- ment of making restitution.
Material wealth has a way of disappearing as we know from Solomon (Proverbs 23,5) “riches grow wings, fly away heavenward like an eagle.” Even a wealthy robber may not have much time to make restitution then. Another problem with robbery is that the robber may often not even know whom he has robbed, such as when he robbed money belonging to a group of people. How can he make restitution when he does not even know to whom he owes how much? Concerning this latter eventuality the Torah wrote: “he has to bring his guilt-offering to the Lord” (verse 25), so that after he has made restitution he can at least be clear vis-a-vis Hashem. Having made restitution he is then in a position to bring the guilt-offering as spelled out in verse 26, i.e. that the Priest will provide him with atonement.
There cannot be effective repentance based on words and on an offering unless it has been preceded by action, i.e. restitution. This is what the prophet Isaiah 1,16 meant when he said: “wash yourselves clean, put your evil deeds away from My sight.” He also said (verse 17) “learn to do good!” Furthermore, it is written in verse 18 of the same chapter: “if your sins be as crimson they can turn snow-white.” Job’s friends (Job 11,14) said to him “if there is iniquity with you, remove it; do not let injustice reside in your tent.” In this verse they warned Job not to be guilty of the sin of robbery either in public or in private. The first half of the verse addresses the sin of robbery which is plain for all to see, the second half mentioning his tent, speaks of concealed acts of robbery. His friends ask Job to examine if he had been guilty of that sin (which could account for the afflictions he was suffering). His friends continue by promising him relief if he found he had been guilty of this sin and had taken steps to make restitution. This is the meaning of “life will be brighter than noon, etc.” (verse 17). They add: “you will be secure, for there is hope, and entrenched you will rest secure; you will lie down undisturbed.” His friends promise him that he will be secure both in public and in private. Even when you find yourself in difficulty you will not have cause to be afraid.
David echoes similar sentiments when he says in Psalms 51,6: “I have only sinned against You (G’d).” David implies that he is free of such sins against his fellow man as robbery or sins related to it. We find that David offered a similar prayer on another occasion (Psalms 19,13) “who can be aware of errors? Clear me of unperceived guilt.” David did not pray to be protected against sins he was aware of. He wanted relief only from sins committed unwittingly in circumstances where no one had seen him commit them and which he did not remember having committed. He implied that he had been careful not to become guilty of deliberate sins. It is a well known fact that he who is careful to avoid sinning will have his reward stored up by G’d; this is what Isaiah 40,10 referred to when he said: “see his reward is with Him, his recompense before Him.” The same sentiment is echoed by the words (Psalms 19,12) “Your servant pays them heed; in obeying them there is much reward.”
Material wealth has a way of disappearing as we know from Solomon (Proverbs 23,5) “riches grow wings, fly away heavenward like an eagle.” Even a wealthy robber may not have much time to make restitution then. Another problem with robbery is that the robber may often not even know whom he has robbed, such as when he robbed money belonging to a group of people. How can he make restitution when he does not even know to whom he owes how much? Concerning this latter eventuality the Torah wrote: “he has to bring his guilt-offering to the Lord” (verse 25), so that after he has made restitution he can at least be clear vis-a-vis Hashem. Having made restitution he is then in a position to bring the guilt-offering as spelled out in verse 26, i.e. that the Priest will provide him with atonement.
There cannot be effective repentance based on words and on an offering unless it has been preceded by action, i.e. restitution. This is what the prophet Isaiah 1,16 meant when he said: “wash yourselves clean, put your evil deeds away from My sight.” He also said (verse 17) “learn to do good!” Furthermore, it is written in verse 18 of the same chapter: “if your sins be as crimson they can turn snow-white.” Job’s friends (Job 11,14) said to him “if there is iniquity with you, remove it; do not let injustice reside in your tent.” In this verse they warned Job not to be guilty of the sin of robbery either in public or in private. The first half of the verse addresses the sin of robbery which is plain for all to see, the second half mentioning his tent, speaks of concealed acts of robbery. His friends ask Job to examine if he had been guilty of that sin (which could account for the afflictions he was suffering). His friends continue by promising him relief if he found he had been guilty of this sin and had taken steps to make restitution. This is the meaning of “life will be brighter than noon, etc.” (verse 17). They add: “you will be secure, for there is hope, and entrenched you will rest secure; you will lie down undisturbed.” His friends promise him that he will be secure both in public and in private. Even when you find yourself in difficulty you will not have cause to be afraid.
David echoes similar sentiments when he says in Psalms 51,6: “I have only sinned against You (G’d).” David implies that he is free of such sins against his fellow man as robbery or sins related to it. We find that David offered a similar prayer on another occasion (Psalms 19,13) “who can be aware of errors? Clear me of unperceived guilt.” David did not pray to be protected against sins he was aware of. He wanted relief only from sins committed unwittingly in circumstances where no one had seen him commit them and which he did not remember having committed. He implied that he had been careful not to become guilty of deliberate sins. It is a well known fact that he who is careful to avoid sinning will have his reward stored up by G’d; this is what Isaiah 40,10 referred to when he said: “see his reward is with Him, his recompense before Him.” The same sentiment is echoed by the words (Psalms 19,12) “Your servant pays them heed; in obeying them there is much reward.”