It has been quite a disturbing
week. A terrorist attack on a Mosque in Quebec City left people dead and
wounded. An executive order that essentially stopped Muslim refugees who have
already been vetted by U.S. immigration was prohibited entry in to the United
States. Amid all this troubling news, I
had an opportunity to transmit wisdom to my son. One of the important lessons my grandfather instilled was treat the “little guy” with same decency and respect as the person considered to be important. He
understood that we are all connected, we interact with all types of people, so
it makes sense to treat everyone fairly and respectfully. Whether it is the boss or the secretary, the owner
of the building or the janitor of the building, the trash collector or the
owner of the trash disposal business, it is important to acknowledge and to thank
them for their help in making life more convenient. Whether a parent, a family
member, a teacher, a coach or a mentor; it is important to acknowledge that our
success in life is built upon others investing time in us. In a sense, we are all part of a team that
aids us in our success. This a lesson that my wife and I pass down to our children. They
are quite conscientious in thanking people, and acknowledging people. If for
nothing else, the lesson imbues in our children the importance of humility and
decency. In today’s day and age, these are lessons that we want our children to
internalize as well. As our son is well into his Bar Mitzvah preparation; there
are moments when he seems to have internalized this lesson. So this past week,
my son and I had an opportunity to put this lesson to good use as we fulfilled
the Torah’s commandment of the Petteir Chamor – The Redemption of the First
Born Male Donkey. Heading down to the Lawrence and Bathurst area, my son and I
joined thousands of Jews: : from Bobover Hasidim to Lubavitch Hasidim, old and
young, long white beards and clean shaven, black hats and kippot; as we “redeemed” this first born male donkey in
exchange for a lamb. We listened to
Rabbis speak, we watched as a little donkey was led through the crowd and up
upon the stage and right behind, someone had the honor of carrying in the lamb.
Both animals were bejeweled. The Kohen (the ritual Priest) received the lamb
and the donkey was returned to the owner. It is the only time and only
opportunity to elevate a non-kosher animal to a level of holiness even if for a
brief moment of time.
This week we read from Parsha
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 Israel to recognize and observe Rosh Chodesh, the first day of each
month. God instructs Moshe to tell B’nai Israel 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 Israel, and how B'nai Israel eventually
returned to the land.
We might have thought that the
sanctification of first born, was aimed at human first born. After all, earlier
in the Book of Exodus, we read of Pharaoh’s edict to kill the first born male
babies. In this Parsha we read of the 10th plague in which all of Egypt’s first
born, humans and animals died on that fateful night. However the commandment to
sanctify the first born is not only applicable to children but the firstborn of
livestock. The Torah adds V’Chol Petteir Chamor Tifdeh V’seh v’ im Lo Tifdeh
V’Arafto VChol B’Chor Adam B’Vanecha Tifdeh – Every first issue donkey, you
shall redeem with a lamb or kid (Ex. 13:13) Why the donkey? It is not
particularly a noble beast like a horse. Instead the donkey is the “blue
collar” animal. The donkey schleps. According to R’Ovadia Sforno, the 16th century
Italian Renaissance commentator, explained that the donkey schlepped B’nai Israel’s
material goods out of Egypt. This humble beast of burden schlepped stuff for
forty years until B’nai Israel entered Eretz Canaan. By acknowledging the
donkey, by saying thanking the donkey, by “redeeming” the donkey, we are elevating
it to a level of Kedusha (holiness /sanctity) that other animals are unable to
attain.
When
we finally left the Petteir Chamor ceremony, my son and I had a chance to talk
about what we had just experienced. Yes we agreed that neither of us had ever
been in a crowd such as the one we just left. Yes we agreed that the whole ritual
seemed rather odd. As odd as it was watching two animals with jewels being
exchanged for each other; we understood the symbol of the Chamor – the Donkey. This
very odd ritual reminded us of the humble background of the Jewish People; a
background which included slavery. This
very odd ritual also reminds that our freedom is attributed to God’s
fulfillment of a covenant and a four legged beast of burden carrying B’nai Israel’s
material possessions. As we drove home,
our son also came to the realization that this very odd ritual applied to him
as an individual. It dawned on him that many people have and will continue to
play a role in the various successes that he will achieve and he owes them all
an acknowledgement and a thank you.
Peace,
Rav Yitz
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