This
past week has been particularly tense in our home. Our daughters have been
preparing for their mid- term exams. Every night I have returned from a full
day of work to study with my daughters and help them with their preparations:
one in Talmud and one in Samuel II. At
one point, one daughter sat at one end of the dining room table and one
daughter sat at the other and I went back and forth reading with them,
discussing with them, and explaining the text to them. Each night and each morning, the refrain was
the same: “There just isn’t enough time,” or “It’s so unfair that I have exams
one day after another”. There statements reflected their growing frustration
over their lack of control. Their schedules were not within their control. Time
did not belong to them. Suddenly, the concept of time, as embodied by their
schedules belonged to those who scheduled their respective mid-term exams. By
extension, my time didn’t belong to me, it was allocated to my daughters in
order to help them study.
This
week's Parsha is Bo. The ten plagues
culminate with locusts, darkness and finally the killing of the first born. On
the night of the last plague, God instructs Moshe to tell B'nai Yisroel to
recognize and observe Rosh Chodesh, the first day of each month. God instructs
Moshe to tell B’nai Yisroel to slaughter a lamb for each family. The blood
should be painted onto the door- post. The sacrificed lamb must be completely
eaten that night with no leftovers. The
command continues with God instructing Moshe to reiterate this story to the
children of each family. The Parsha concludes with the command to sanctify the
first born, remember this night, remember what God did for B'nai Yisroel, and
how B'nai Yisroel eventually returned to the land.
This
is perhaps the first Parsha in which God we read of more than one
commandment. Prior to this Parsha, maybe
three of the 613 Mitzvot could be derived from all of B’reishit (The Book of
Genesis) and the first two Parshiot of Shmot. Now we read both narrative as
well as commandments. While the commandment that focus specifically upon
Pesach, the commandments such as Korbonot shel Pesach (Passover Sacrifice),
eating the Passover Sacrifice, completely finish eating the Passover Sacrifice,
eating Matzah, removing the leaven, prohibiting the uncircumcised from eating
the Passover Sacrifice, the prohibitions of eating leaven and seeing leaven and
owning leaven, sanctifying the firstborn, redeeming the firstborn and
recounting Yetziat Mitzrayim, the Exodus from Egypt to name a few. However the first
Mitzvah, the first commandment that God tells Moshe, Aharon and B’nai Yisroel
does not explicitly focus upon the Exodus but rather upon time and keeping
track of time. VaYomer Adoshem el Moshe
V’el Aharon B’Eretz Mitzrayim Leimor Hashem
said to Moshe and Aharon in the Land of Egypt, saying: HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem Rosh Chodeshim Rishon Hu Lachem L’Chadshei
HaShana: This month shall be for you
the beginning of the months, it shall be for you the first of the months of the
year. (Ex 12:1-2) Certainly all the Mitzvot that follow this commandment,
those that focus specifically upon the Exodus, warrant God’s speaking to Moshe
and Aharon.
From
a narrative perspective, it makes sense that the Torah tells us that these
commandments were issued while they were still in Egypt; B’nai Yisroel had not
yet actually left Egypt but rather were making their final preparations. Why is
the first commandment issued focused upon counting? This month will be the
beginning of months; it will be the first month of the year? How will they know
when the next month of begins? Sefer HaChinuch, a 13th
century text written by Pinchas ben Aharon HaLevi of Barcelona clarifies this
issue. Sefer HaCHinuch (the Book of Education) lists all 613 Mitzvot in order
of appearance and corresponding to each Parshah. Also the author provides a moral
and philosophical explanation of each commandment. Regarding the commandment This month shall be for you the beginning of the months, it shall be
for you the first of the months of the year, Sefer HaChinuch says Klomar K’SheTiru CHidosha Shel L’Vana Tikb’u
Lachem Rosh Chodesh In other words,
when you see the renewal of the moon, you will establish for yourselves the
beginning of the month O Afilu Lo
Tiruha MiKeivan Shi R’Uyahn L’Heiraot Al Pi HaCHesbon HamKubal – or even if you do not see it , once it is
due to be seen according to the accepted reckoning. So the moon’s cycle
will serve as the indicator of the beginning and end of a month. M’SHarshei
Mitzvah Zo K’dei Shya’asu Yisroel Moadei HaShem BizMaNaM – At the root of this precept lies the purpose
that the Israelites should keep the holy days of the Eternal Lord at their
proper times… Before God gives instructions about how to observe the
Exodus, these soon to be former slaves must be able to control time, or observe
time so that they will know the right time to observe God’s festivals.
The first step towards freedom is to observe the passage
of time, mark the passage of time, and declare the right time to observe time
bound commandments. Until now, the master, Egypt, told the slaves when to wake
up, when to sleep, when to work and when to eat. Now, these former slavers will
have to establish their own schedule and keep their own calendar. Of course
this schedule and this calendar must be for a higher purpose. It cannot be a schedule
or a calendar in which there is nothing but rather it must be filled with
opportunities to engage and celebrate what is to be free; free to serve God. Yes, my daughters are tired and frustrated.
They appreciate that they have been enslaved to the mid-term exam schedule.
They also know that this schedule, this sense of a “loss of control” or that “time
is not their”; is a valuable lesson. Even within that schedule, they learn how
to find moments of time, time that belongs to them. After all they have the
freedom to determine the time they choose to invest in studying and preparing
for each exam.
Peace,
Rav Yitz
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