Shkoyach to everyone who went to vatikin this morning (or even if you didn't) and said Birkat HaChamah at the beautiful sunrise. It's amazing to thing about what has happened since the last Birkat HaChamah and to think about what may happen until the next one. Iy"H I hope to see many of the same people in 28 years to make the brachah with again.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Quick Pesach Thought
The Ramban writes in Parshat Bo 13:16 that the ikar of Yetziat Mitzraim were the nisim nistarim that Hashem did, so that we should recognize his hashgachah in everything. The same is true of Birkat HaChamah. It is not something which is discernible to our eyes. But the mah norah v'ayom everything involved in the cycle of the sun leading up to this morning! We should realize the awesomeness of Hashem's hashgachah.
Rav Yonatan Sacks said an intersting dvar Torah that you may want to mention at the seder:
We know the famous question, brought down by the Rambam in Hilchot Teshuvah, that if Yetziat Mitzraim was already planned by Hashem, how could he then punish the Mitzrim? Were they not His tools? The Raavad & Ramban say that there was a gezeirah for slavery, but the actions of the Mitzrim were not part of that. They added to it of their own accord and intensified the situation without need. We see this from the fact that the shibud began with Yitzchak according to the 400 year calculation. And the Jews then certainly didn't suffer back-breaking work!
Why did Moshe and Aharon bring the mateh (staff) before Paroh just to turn it into a snake?Sure it swallowed the Mitzrim's staffs, but they were showing a "magic trick" in the black magic center of the world! R' Yosef Salant answers, we know that if a person injures another with something like a stick, he cannot blame the injury on the stick; it does not act of its own accord. However, l'halachah if you were to put a snake next to someone and the snake attacked him, the snake is liable and you are not since the snake acts by itself. Moshe and Aharon were telling Paroh that he was no longer the "staff" of Hashem, acting as a tool of HaKadosh boruch Hu's gezeirah. He was now a snake, acting on his own and therefore liable for his actions!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Shabbos HaGadol: The Power of Shabbos
The Shabbos before Pesach is known as "Shabbat HaGadol" because of the miracle which occured on it. -Shulchan Aruch 430
The Mishnah Berura explains that the miracle which took place was that on the 10th of Nissan, all of Bnei Yisrael took a lamb for the Korban Pesach and tied it to their beds. When the Mitzrim saw this and inquired about it, only to realize that their gods were going to be slaughtered, they were not able to say anything. Since that day was on a Shabbos, it was established to call the Shabbos before Pesach, "Shabbat HaGadol."
Rav Gedalyah Schor brings down the question of the meforshim, why did Chazal connect the miracle to Shabbos and not to the 1oth of Nissan? Rather, we see from this that Shabbos itself was a necessary aid to Bnei Yisrael.
In Parshat Pinchas, where the Moadim and their mitzvot are listed, the Torah talks about Shabbos before all of them as a sort of introduction. Why? The kedushah of Shabbos is established and upheld within Creation itself. The Yamim Tovim are called "Shabbaton" in the Torah because they are a continuation of the kedushah of Shabbos. It is first through the existence of Kedushat Shabbat that we have the other days. This is why Shabbos is mentioned first in the Torah.
We learn in the Mechilta, "If you keep Shabbos, HaKadosh Boruch Hu will give you the 3 Moadim: Pesach, Atzeret (Shavuos), and Sukkot." This is because the Kedushat Shabbat includes within it the kedushah of these 3 chagim. Through guarding the sanctity of Shabbos, we come to their holiness as well. Shabbos is like a beam of light, which when shined through a glass prism, can be seen to break up into the 7 different lights that comprise it and are included in it (the Moadim).
We learn that the Shabbos before a chag includes within the Kedushat HaChag, and that besides for this, Shabbos gives strength to the upcoming days of the week. As such, it is only through the power of Shabbos Kodesh that Bnei Yisrael could then be prepared to receive the Moadim. This is why Bnei yisrael needed Shabbos in order to do the korban Pesach and recieve the Kedushat HaChag of Pesach.
The power of Shabbos is so incredible that it encompasses everything! It affects the days of the year, the Moadim and regular days. We know that Shabbos is the culmination of Creation and that it was planned before everything else as well- "Sof ma'aseh b'machshava t'chilah." Hakadosh Boruch gave it influence over the week, and over us too. The midrash tells that Shabbos went before Hashem and sadly remarked how the other days of teh week had partners but Shabbos was left alone. Hashem replied that Bnei yisrael is Shabbos' partner. A miracle didn't occur on the 10th of Nissan which hapened to be a Shabbos in the year of Yetziat Mitrziam, Shabbos before Pesach that year happened to be the 10th of Nissan! Especially right before Pesach, Zman Cheiruteinu, it is important to remember the power of essence of Shabbos and what it is- "Beini u'vein Bnei Yisrael ot hee l'olam." Shabbos reminds us that we are connected to Hashem as we prepare to retell how he redeemed us to be His and recieve His Torah.
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