Tzav 5785: Don’t Pass-Over This!

GOOD MORNING!  This upcoming Saturday night, April 12th, begins the holiday of Passover. This Shabbat, which is the one immediately preceding the holiday of Passover, is known as “Shabbat Hagadol – The Great Sabbath.”

You will probably not be shocked to hear that there are many reasons cited as to why this is. In fact, there are no less than ten reasons given for this designation – keeping in line with the well-known aphorism, “two Jews, three opinions.” I have covered some of the reasons for this Shabbat’s designation as Shabbat Hagadol previously – if interested, click here.

The sad state of world affairs and the continuing divisiveness within our people should impel us to explore our personal connection to both Judaism and the Jewish people. Never is this a more relevant discussion than Passover – which is the beginning of it all.

Interestingly enough, Pharaoh himself was one of the first to note the Jewish people’s transition from familial interconnectivity to nationhood. Sadly, (and foreshadowing the attitude of all antisemites forevermore) he saw this new entity as a threat to the Egyptians: “And he said to his people: Behold, the nation of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we” (Exodus 1:9).

Given the fact that Passover celebrates the “exodus” from Egypt resulting in the birth of the Jewish nation, it should not be surprising to learn that the Passover Seder is a key Jewish “life cycle” observance.

According to the Pew Research Center, almost 80% of those who identify as Jews participate in a Seder. Of this same group, only about half fast (at least partially) on Yom Kippur and only about 20% light Shabbat candles regularly. Surprisingly, more than 40% of those who don’t have any religious affiliation whatsoever (defined as those who acknowledge some Jewish parentage but identify as atheists or agnostics) still participate in a Seder.

What is a Passover Seder? The Hebrew word “seder” (pronounced “say-dehr”) translates to “order” in English. This refers to the fifteen rituals that are performed in a very specific order during the Passover holiday meal. The order of the Seder is presented in the Haggadah, which is the special Passover booklet containing the liturgy and instructions for the night’s many rituals.

Why is there such universal participation in the Passover Seder? What makes this night different than all other Jewish rituals?

One of the overriding themes of Passover – which is found repeatedly in the Haggadah – is that we are enjoined to see ourselves as if we ourselves had been freed from bondage in Egypt. This is more than a little strange; after all, we weren’t slaves – we were born some 3,300 years after the enslavement in Egypt. Why are we supposed to “pretend” as if we ourselves were actually freed? What does this really accomplish?

The famous medieval biblical commentator known as Rashi makes a fascinating comment on the verse, “Remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and that Hashem your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm […]” (Deuteronomy 5:15).

Rashi explains that the reason we must remember that we were slaves in Egypt is to understand that this is the very reason the Almighty took us out of Egypt: “He redeemed you in order for you to be his servant and fulfill his Torah and mitzvot.” In other words, being slaves in Egypt both educated and prepared us to be proper servants to the Almighty.

As stated above, Passover celebrates the “exodus” of the Jewish people from the bondage in Egypt. Thus, Passover is designated as “zman cheiruteinu – the time of our freedom.” Passover is therefore known as the holiday of freedom.

But how do we reconcile the concept of Passover being a holiday of freedom when the stated reason for taking us out of Egypt is to be servants to God? That doesn’t really seem to be much of a freedom at all!

While the obvious difference between being servants to Pharaoh and being servants to the Almighty is that God has only our best interest at heart, in truth, the difference is much, much deeper.

The concept of being servants to the Almighty by fulfilling His will as it is outlined in the Torah also illustrates the difference between serving God and serving ourselves. People with a superficial understanding of the world think that true freedom is defined as being able to do whatever they want.

Often, in their rush to pursue and express their personal freedom, they happily unburden themselves from the obligation of following the Torah and God’s commandments. In Yiddish, a non-religious person is referred to as “frei – free,” but this is a grave misunderstanding because this perception of freedom is a fallacy.

Real freedom isn’t being able to do whatever one wants. A person can do drugs at 2am and eat a quart of ice cream at 10am – they can fulfill every hedonistic desire that they have – but that doesn’t mean that they are free. They are merely slaves to another entity: the self-indulgent desires of their bodies. Being addicted to crystal meth is a freedom of choice, but it clearly isn’t in one’s best self-interest and obviously doesn’t represent genuine freedom.

True freedom is the ability for one to choose his own path for self-growth and achievement. In Egypt we were slaves to Pharaoh, a master who had no interest in the personal growth of his slaves. Thus, everything was done solely with the master’s benefit in mind. Master’s like Pharaoh have no interest in the overall wellbeing of slaves beyond their ability to serve him.

The Torah was given to us by a God who ONLY has our interests in mind. God created the world to bestow good upon us. The Torah was given out of love and a desire for a relationship. Of course, it comes with obligations and responsibilities, and for this reason the Jewish people were asked if they WANTED to accept it. The opportunity to better ourselves and have the most amazing and fulfilling life was given to us as a choice and we accepted it.

Just like adhering to a strict diet or exercise regimen can be seen as an abandonment of our personal freedoms – in truth, it is not. When an Olympic-hopeful athlete adopts all the strictures that enable him to perform at his optimal best, he is actually using those “restrictions” to achieve maximum self-actualization.

We too have the greatest freedom when we choose to improve ourselves and do what is in our own best interest. Doing whatever the body desires isn’t really freedom; in fact, it’s just a different type of slavery. Consider the smart phone – people take their phones with them all day and everywhere – bathrooms, bedrooms, work, etc. They are almost fused to it – of course, we have the freedom to do what we please with it, but one’s addiction to it has created a whole new type of self-imposed slavery.

Thus, the freedom to choose who we are and how we want to lead our lives is what the “freedom” of Passover is all about. The holiday of Passover, being that it is the celebration of the birth of the Jewish nation, is all about self-determination and identifying as a Jew. This explains why in Egypt it was so important for the Jews to identify themselves by placing the blood of the paschal lamb on their doorposts so that they wouldn’t be affected by the tenth plague – the death of firstborn sons.

It wasn’t because God needed it to identify which was a Jewish home vs. an Egyptian home. It was an act of self-identification; we had to identify that, even though we had lived in Egypt for a couple of hundred years, we still identified as Jews and not as Egyptians. (It is, of course, no coincidence that to this very day we place a mezuzah in that very same place – the doorposts of our home – to identify that our homes are occupied by Jews.)

On Passover we must see ourselves as if we ourselves left Egypt – because it isn’t merely history, it’s our history and we have to make that affirmation. As my brilliant brother Rabbi Akiva Zweig likes to say, “Judaism isn’t a spectator sport; it’s a contact sport.” We need to immerse ourselves within it and own our Judaism. Freedom from Egyptian bondage isn’t what happened to the Jews in Egypt – it is what happened to us.

Because of this Judaism doesn’t stay rooted in the past – it is always looking forward. As Jews, we take our past experiences, learn from them, and work towards a brighter future. As a nation, our goal has always been the same: the unification of our people, settling in our land (Israel), and living in a true moral and just Torah society. Thus, Passover is the time when we remind ourselves where we came from and where we hope to arrive. This is the true meaning of “Next year in Jerusalem!”

Tzav, Leviticus 6:1 – 8:36

This week’s Torah portion includes the laws of: Burnt Offerings, Meal Offerings, High Priest’s Offerings, Sin Offerings, Guilt Offerings, and Peace Offerings. It concludes with the portions of the Peace Offerings that are allotted to the Priests and the installation ceremony of the Priest for serving in the Sanctuary.

The post Tzav 5785: Don’t Pass-Over This! appeared first on Aish.com.