Torah Affiliation – Parshas Bo 5772
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Loading ...One of my favorite aspects about Sefer Shemos is that any Dvar Torah said about the parsha can be used at the Pesach Seder as well since the themes are the same! That being said, I hope that you enjoy this Parsha and Pesach thought. The beauty of it is that it really applies at all time.
One of the recurring ideas expressed regarding the Korban Pesach is that one needed to be counted as part of a group in order to partake of the obligation to eat the Pesach offering. If an antisocial person was to not want to join a group and wished instead to simply form his own “group” and bring his own lamb, this was prohibited as one was not allowed to leave over any meat past Chatzos and eating an entire lamb on one’s own is an impossibility.
Why was it set up this way? One of the most important and powerful aspects of the Exodus was the formation of the unified Jewish Nation. The Jews were encouraged to come together as one unit. This was the prerequisite for Shavuos and the acceptance of the Torah which followed fifty days after the Exodus. The Torah describes the Jews at Sinai as being united, “like one person with one heart (see Rashi Shemos 19:2).”
Being part of a group created a certain bond and empowerment. Many companies and political parties start clubs for youths to give them an affiliation and relationship with the party so that when they grow older and have the choice, they will stay with that specific group. There is a lure and magic in being a part of a larger group. I have found that when I travel internationally many Jews who otherwise would not talk to me or wish to socialize with me on mainland, are lured to me and wish to be with me in the airports and foreign countries. We all deeply strive to be connected to something bigger and greater.
The purpose of the Korban Pesach was not to torture the man suffering from social-phobia by forcing him to be part of a group, rather it was meant to unite the nation and instill a feeling of Jewish patriotism. Indeed, in the Plague of Darkness, one of the descriptions of the darkness is expressed as (Shemos 10:23), “no one saw his friend.” This is not just a technical detail; it is a significant part of the punishment. During Darkness each Egyptian felt isolated and separated from his nation. They were stopping the Jews from being a united nation and so they were punished with exact repayment until they let us free. The Gemara (Chagigah 9a) describes the opportunity to join a group doing a Mitzvah as an irreplaceable experience that can never be made up. The privilege of joining a group of people growing together and serving Hashem is the most powerful experience.
We begin the Pesach Seder by inviting all those in need of a meal to please join us. The entire theme of Pesach is to care about others. We collect money for those in need for the weeks before Pesach and we work towards Shavuos by striving to treat our acquaintances with the respect that they deserve, as we painfully learned from the sin of the student of Rebbe Akiva who died because of their lack of respect for others (Yevamos 62b). With a positive affiliation with the rest of the Jewish Nation we are in a position to grow and become the greatest that we can be.
Categories: Parshas Bo
