COVER ART BY
TEHILLA FISHMAN SHALHEVET CLASS OF ‘23
Welcome to Orot Shalhevet
RABBI DAVID BLOCK ASSOCIATE HEAD OF SCHOOL
Dear Shalhevet Community,
A year ago, we found ourselves preparing for what would be a very different Pesach. No shul, no family, no guests. As I considered the bleak prospect, I stumbled across an amazing, heartwrenching tefila composed by inmates of the Bergen Belsen concentration camp, (as recorded in R. Eliezer Berkowitz’s With God in Hell). Knowing that, to survive, they would have to violate the laws of Pesach, they turned that “transgression” into a celebration of the fulfillment of a mitzvah - that of preserving life. I was quite moved by the tefila. As many were readying themselves for a difficult Pesach, I followed the lead of those holy Jews in Bergen-Belsen and offered a new Covid-version of their tefila. Our Father in Heaven! It is open and known before You that it is our will to do Your will to celebrate the festival of Pesah with our communities, families, and friends, to pray and recite Your praises together with our communities, to have an intergenerational conversation about the story of the Exodus, to take care of the elderly, to sincerely invite those less fortunate to partake of the Seder with us, as the Haggadah says, “Anyone who is hungry – come eat, anyone who is needy – come and partake of the Pesah offering.” With aching hearts we must realize that the current precautions around the COVID-19 pandemic prevent us from such celebration, since we find ourselves in a situation of sakkanat nefashot, of potential danger to our lives. Therefore, we are prepared and ready to fulfill Your commandment, “And you shall live by them (by the commandments of the Torah), but not die by them,” and we heed Your warning: “Be very careful and guard your life.” Therefore we pray to you that You maintain us in life and hasten to redeem us that we may observe Your statutes and do Your will and serve You with a perfect heart. Amen!
אבינו שבשמים הנה גלוי וידוע לפניך שרצוננו לעשות רצונך ולחוג את חג הפסח עם קהילתנו להתפלל ולספר תהילתך,ומשפחתנו וחברינו לספר את סיפור יציאת מצרים בשיחה,בציבור "כל: להכריז בלב שלם, לטפל בזקנים,דורית-בין " אף על זאת. כל דצרין ייתי ויפסח,דחפין ייתי וייכל דאבה לבנו שהמגיפה מעכב אותנו ואנחנו הננו מוכנים ומזומנים.נמצאים בסכנת נפשות לקיים מצוותך וחי בהם ולא שימות בהם וליזהר ועל כן,""הזהר לך ושמור נפשך מאוד, מאזהרה תפילתנו לך שתחיינו ותקיימנו ותגאלנו במהרה .לשמור חוקיך ולעשות רצונך ולעבדך בלבב שלם .אמן
We’ve come a long way. This year’s Pesach may look very different than last’s. Regardless of where and how we’re choosing to spend the holiday, the progress we’ve seen has been nothing short of a bracha (blessing). And, as I look again upon this tefila, I can’t help but pause and consider all the opportunities we now have that can so easily be taken for granted - as COVID has taught us. One of those things - and one that has remained a constant throughout the pandemic - is our ability to learn and share words of Torah. Whether across the world, in shul, visiting a friend, in our homes, or in quarantine, the Divrei Torah of Orot Shalhevet continues to live and breathe with ever-vibrant spirit. The varied and unique voices of our faculty, students, and alumni continue to infuse our chag with meaning, and the remarkable student artwork serve as hiddur mitzvah (beautification of the Torah within). As I always note, the teachers, students, and alumni are all the Orot (lights) that come together to form our dazzling Shalhevet (flame). Wherever you are this Pesach season, take Orot Shalhevet with you. And as you learn the Torah within, take a moment to write your own tefila - one that helps you appreciate what you have and helps you positively reframe for that which you still aspire. Chag Sameach, Rabbi David Block
table of contents
MS. MALKIE HAMETZ
THE ART OF QUESTIONING: PROMPTS TO HELP MAKE A MEANINGFUL SEDER PAGE 3
JONAH ACKERMANN
THE IMPORTANCE OF GRATITUDE ON THE NIGHT OF PESACH PAGE 5
RABBI DEREK GORMIN A SPIRITUAL STIMULUS PACKAGE PAGE 7
SOPHIE HANDELMAN THE IMPORTANCE OF ASKING QUESTIONS ON PESACH PAGE 9
DR. SHEILA KEITER
THE HERESY OF THE WICKED SON PAGE 11
JOSH ASKARI THE HIDDEN MESSAGE OF MAKKAT CHOSHECH PAGE 12
RAV YITZCHAK ETSHALOM DAYYENU - ‘NUF SAID PAGE 13
RABBI ARI SCHWARZBERG
OF POLEMICS AND PARTICULARISM: THE HIDDEN & HISTORICAL MESSAGE OF DAYENU PAGE 15
JACQUELINE ENGLANOFF MATZAH IS THE ANTIBODY PAGE 17
MORDECHAI HELLER THE PESACH STORY: LESSONS FOR LIFE PAGE 19
RABBI ABRAHAM LIEBERMAN
ZACHOR, JEWISH MEMORY AND THE ACT OF REMEMBERING AND RETELLING THE STORY OF THE EXODUS PAGE 21
thank you TO THE FOLLOWING SUPPORTERS WHO HAVE GENEROUSLY SPONSORED THIS EDITION OF OROT
SHALHEVET. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO THEM FOR HELPING TO PROMOTE THE SPREAD OF MEANINGFUL TORAH LEARNING AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH IN OUR COMMUNITY. PLEASE ENJOY THE TORAH YOU WILL FIND WITHIN IN THEIR MERIT.
DAVID BOLLAG JENNIFER AND DR. YARON ELAD MICKEY AND HAIM KAHTAN STACY AND RANON KENT DEBI POMERANTZ AND MICHAEL MENDELSON
COURTNEY MIZEL NAOMI AND RABBI ARI SCHWARZBERG LESLEE AND ALEX SZTUDEN CARA AND ZEV WAINBERG AND FAMILY NATHALIE GUTTMAN AND RICK WIENER
Mashgicha Ruchanit MS. MALKIE HAMETZ
MS. MALKIE HAMETZ IS THE MASHGICHA RUCHANIT, DIRECTOR OF CHESED, AND A MEMBER OF THE LIMUDEI KODESH FACULTY AT SHALHEVET HIGH SCHOOL. MALKIE RECEIVED HER BA IN ENGLISH COMMUNICATIONS/PUBLIC RELATIONS FROM STERN COLLEGE FOR WOMEN AND COMPLETED HER MASTER’S DEGREE IN EDUCATION FROM AMERICAN JEWISH UNIVERSITY.
The Art of Questioning:
PROMPTS TO HELP MAKE A MEANINGFUL SEDER
Many of us spend the weeks before Pesach cleaning, organizing, and getting ourselves physically ready for the chag. We eat stale crackers from last summer, scrub our walls clean from any residue of oatmeal that may have landed there three months ago, and vacuum away miniscule crumbs from the inside of our car. At times though, we forget to mentally prepare ourselves for Pesach and the Seder amidst all the hustle and bustle of getting rid of our chametz and cleaning our homes.
One of the mitzvot asei (positive mitzvot) of Pesach is “v’higadeta l’bincha,” telling the Pesach story to our children and to one another. We encourage those around us to ask questions about the philosophical, educational, and theological implications of the Haggada, and to explore the story of Yetziyat Mitzrayim in novel manners. The act of questioning itself is an expression of freedom. When we push boundaries and encourage new ways of thinking, we exercise our autonomy in a significant way. Questioning opens up our minds to different ways of viewing the world around us and is a skill that many try hard to hone and refine. In this spirit of questioning, I would like to present a few broad discussion questions that will hopefully lead to engaging and interesting conversations at your Pesach seder this year. We know that the 4th step of the Pesach seder is Yachatz, breaking the middle matzah. One reason that we do this is 1 to remember our hunger and suffering in Egypt, and how little food was accessible to us as slaves there. After all, according to Seforno, matzah is called “lechem oni,” poor man's bread. However, the “poor man’s bread” became a bread of freedom as it was the matzah that we ate upon our exodus. Are there things in your lives that have at one time been a symbol of something negative but have more recently been transformed into a symbol of positivity? Where do you see this change? And on a night where we are celebrating our freedom, why do we spend so much time focusing on our slavery, poverty, and pain? Do you think the focus of our Seder should be more intent on the avdut aspect of our history, or on our redemption from Egypt? “Ve’hi she’amda la’avoteinu” - “this is what has stood by our fathers.” In this paragraph of Maggid, we declare that our 2 ancestors were saved by Hashem from our enemies. But what is the “hi,” or “this,” that has truly sustained the Jewish people throughout times of oppression? If we look deeper at the word “ve’hi”, we can find the answer. The letters of the word, vav, hey, yud, and aleph, represent different texts of our Torah. Vav = six, which represents the six books of the Mishna; hey = five, which represents the five books of the Torah. Yud = ten, symbolizing the ten commandments, and aleph = one, for One Hashem. This is what has sustained the Jewish people through millenia and years of persecution - a commitment to Torah and God. What else do you think has kept the Jewish people alive and thriving? What do you stand for? What do you want to stand for? The Mishna in Pirkei Avot (6:2) teaches that “only someone who is involved in Torah is truly free.” This can at times 3 be difficult, as a life committed to Torah and Mitzvot comes with many restrictions and prohibitions – that which is usually not associated with freedom. What do you think the Mishna is teaching us here? How do you define freedom? Do you feel truly free in this world? How can we be more conscious and aware of those who are not free, either physically, mentally, or emotionally? 3
ALEX GUETTA
SHALHEVET CLASS OF ‘23
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Shalhevet Class of ‘22 JONAH ACKERMANN JONAH ACKERMANN IS CURRENTLY A JUNIOR AT SHALHEVET HIGH SCHOOL.
The Importance of Gratitude
ON THE NIGHT OF PESACH
In the first chapter of his book Gevurot Hashem (Powers of G-d), the Maharal of Prague raises a question about elaborating on the miracles and wonders that G-d did for us on the night of the Exodus, which everyone agrees is a mitzvah on the night of Passover. Quoting from Tehillim 106, “mi yimalel gevurot HaShem? Yashmia Kol Tehilato? (who can declare the powers of G-d? Who can recount all His praise?)”, the Maharal argues that it is impossible to speak of G-d’s powers, because they are beyond our comprehension both qualitatively and quantitatively. The Maharal cites the Talmud, Brachot 33b, where a man leading the morning prayers in the presence of Rabbi Chanina began adding to G-d’s praises, saying: “The great, powerful, awesome, mighty, strong, true, fearful one,” instead of just the first three descriptions of G-d that our text of the Shemoneh Esrei contains. Rabbi Chanina stopped him and asked: “Have you completed enumerating all the praises of your Master?” Rabbi Chanina then explained that we are only permitted to say the words, “haE–l, hagadol, hagibor vhanora (the great, strong and awesome G-d)” because Moshe himself used that terminology in the Torah (Devarim 10:17), and it was codified by the men of the Anshei Knesset Hagedolah in the Amidah. Without that precedent, we could not say even those words. Rabbi Chanina then told a parable of a person who praised the richest king in the world by saying that he possessed a nice collection of silver coins, which could be construed as disgraceful rather than complimentary in that it unintentionally limits, rather than accurately portrays, the king’s true wealth. So too, explains the Rambam (in the Mishneh Torah and the Moreh Nevuchim), we cannot really fathom or describe G-d’s infinite greatness, and it is better to just say what G-d is not. He is not in time, He is not finite, and He is not physical. The Maharal concludes his challenge by asking that if we cannot really praise G-d properly, why are we commanded to discuss His miracles on the night of the Seder at length? The Maharal answers that we discuss Hashem's miracles at length, not as an act of praise, but as an act of gratitude. We must show Hashem that we recognize and appreciate all of the miracles that He performed in order for us to leave Egypt. So long as our praise is offered for the purpose of gratitude, there is no problem of “mi yimalel gevurot HaShem.” The Rambam (Sefer HaMitzvot, Aseh #157) also writes in reference to elaborating on G-d’s miracles at the Seder that we are “thanking him for all the kindnesses he performed for us.” This idea is further developed by the Vilna Gaon (the Gra). The Gra writes that the Pesach Haggadah and the 4 cups of wine correspond to the four justifications in the times of the Beit Hamikdash for bringing the korban todah. According to the Talmud, Brachot 54b, one is obligated to bring a korban todah in four circumstances: (1) after crossing the sea, (2) after crossing a desert, (3) after being healed from a serious illness or rescued from a life-threatening situation, and (4) after being freed from jail. Nowadays, these same circumstances create an obligation to say birkat hagomel. So according to the Gra, reciting the Haggadah and drinking the four cups of wine serve as expressions of thanks to Hashem for our salvation as a nation. Moreover, we must try to see ourselves as if we came out of Mitzrayim (as is stated in the Haggadah), since without the personalization, we can’t have the proper appreciation. The theme of gratitude also explains why we begin the telling of the story of the redemption by remembering the bitter times in Mitzrayim – we must acknowledge how difficult life was before G-d redeemed us. In addition, it explains the 5
meaning of the Dayenu song: “If He had split the sea but not let us pass through it, it would have been enough.” How would splitting the sea without allowing the Jewish people to pass through have been enough?!? The answer is that it is teaching a lesson in gratitude that appreciation must be expressed for each act of chesed, kindness, and generosity that we receive along the way, even if the geulah is not yet complete. This theme also explains the emphasis on the portion of “Arami Oved Avi” – “An Aramean tried to destroy my father” (Devarim 26:5), which forms a core part of the Haggadah. Chazal chose this section, which consists of the speech a farmer gives upon bringing his first fruits to the Beit Hamikdash (thanking G-d for his crops) because the context there, as on the night of Passover, is all about gratitude to G-d. Rav Soloveitchik explained that according to the Rambam, the more one elaborates on this section, the more praiseworthy he or she is, because one has a deeper appreciation for the magnitude of the redemption and more gratitude as a result. We see from all of these sources that we speak at length about all of G-d’s miracles on the night of Passover to deepen our appreciation and gratitude for G-d’s liberation of us and our people. We do not do so because G-d needs this praise – to the contrary, extra praise of G-d is usually improper because it is actually impossible – but because we need to elaborate to express the proper measure of gratitude.
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Limudei Kodesh Faculty Regional Director, West Coast NCSY RABBI DEREK GORMIN
RABBI GORMIN IS PART OF THE LIMUDEI KODESH FACULTY AT SHALHEVET, WHERE HE TEACHES TALMUD, JEWISH PHILOSOPHY, CHASSIDUT, AND TEFILA (PRAYER). WHEN NOT INSIDE THE HOLY WALLS OF SHALHEVET, RABBI GORMIN IS THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF WEST COAST NCSY. RABBI DEREK GORMIN STUDIED POLITICAL SCIENCE, MUSIC AND SOCIOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE, AND RECEIVED A CERTIFICATE OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS FROM YONSEI UNIVERSITY IN SEOUL, KOREA. UPON GRADUATION, DEREK WAS BLESSED TO SPEND TIME DIVING INTO THE DEPTHS OF HIS JEWISH HERITAGE IN VARIOUS YESHIVOT IN JERUSALEM.
A Spiritual
STIMULUS PACKAGE The news anchors are once again reporting the possibility of another stimulus package to be sent out to many Americans. Regardless of reason or source, we know that upon announcement of such a possibility, the “yays” and the “nays” begin to roar. Depending on a litany of factors, a person may find themselves sitting on one side, or the other, of support for these economic decisions. There are experts on both sides of the isle giving meaningful reasons to distribute, or not to distribute, more stimulus funds. The American political climate seems to have found a clean rhythm in an absolutely bifurcated response to most headlines today. Can there possibly be a uniting factor that sits on both sides of the isle? Is national unification even an option anymore, or is our country too far removed from that possibility? Pesach teaches us that unification, at least among the Jewish people, is possible. We see at least one example, like clockwork, every year. We first hear the united chorus emerging from our communities right after Purim. The murmurings begin with an initial realization, followed by horror-filled screams, emanating from the kitchen. “Passover is only 4 weeks away! Ahh!” The never-ending to-do list of preparations feels longer than the Torah scroll itself. We scream in unison, “Oy Vey!” We all inherently know that cleaning, cooking, inviting and arranging is necessary for the holiday. We all know what’s coming months in advance, yet we still find ourselves panicked and screaming, albeit together, during the Hebrew months of Adar and Nissan. This is a sort of calendric unity that pops up every year. At least in kvetching we are united as one. Perhaps through a more nuanced look at the Hagaddah, our Pesach Preparation, and how we relate to that which we are preparing for, we can turn those screams into melodious poems, and our stress into joyous unity. The Torah states: “You shall tell your children on that day, it is because of this that God did for me when I came out from Mitzrayim” (Shemot 13:8). The pasuk uses the term “v’higadeta” as the Hebrew term for “you shall tell.” The very script used during our Sedarim is called the Haggadah, in reference, at least in part, to this word in the Torah. We are familiar with the age-old obligation to tell the story of the exodus from Egypt during our Pesach experiences. The Shem Mishmuel delves deeper into this verse. He notes that the Targum Onkelos translates the word v’higadeta to utechavi, meaning to “point out” or to “show.” The Shem Mishmuel is intimating that simply “saying” the words to your children is not the essence of our obligation for the evening. We cannot simply “tell the story” to check a box off. Rather, we need to “show” our children (and ourselves!) the truth of the evening and the power of the experience. This brings with it two different, yet related, questions: 1 What is it about the connection between Speech and Pesach that can be understood in a deeper way, to “show” or
“point out” beyond simply telling the story?
2 What can we do, practically speaking, to turn our Pesach planning, Sedarim, celebrations, and clean up (!) into an
elevated experience of showing, not simply telling?
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The Kabbalists note that Pesach can be split into two separate words, “Pe” and “Sach,” meaning, the mouth speaks. There is a deep connection between Pesach and speech. The Shem Mishmuel comments that when the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt, so was our speech. This of course does not mean that we lived in Egypt as non-verbal beings, as our tradition shares otherwise. What can it mean that speech was enslaved and subsequently freed from Egypt? Rebbe Nachman of Breslov explains that the evil Pharaoh represents a lack of authenticity, a distortion of the truest self, and a holding back of potential and growth. Reb Noson of Breslov, Rebbe Nachman’s chief disciple, notes how this works. The Letters of Pharaoh, Fey, Reish, Ayin, Hey, spell the word HaORePh when rearranged, meaning the “back of the neck.” Pharaoh represents a flipped, back-handed, turned around, false reality. Yes, we could physically speak in Mitzrayim, but our speech did not represent the greatest levels of our true selves. The false narrative that Pharaoh commanded, and that we fell into, was accepting that we were eternal slaves, and nothing more. We did not live as free people or even dream of freedom or greatness. We did not recognize, or speak about, the fact that we are Bnei Melech, true princes and princesses of the Almighty. Upon our redemption, we were no longer held down by this backwards power of the Pharaoh, and began to see ourselves in an exalted manner. When our reality changed, so did our speech. Freedom from Egypt, and consequently, the Pesach experience, represent a freedom of speech. We are not referring to a consitutional freedom of speech, but rather, the ability to use one’s speech to express ideas and thoughts beyond those about the hopelessness of eternal slavery. Ideas are wonderful, but until they become reality through speech, they are simply thoughts. Rashi teaches that “the Egyptians closed the eyes and hearts of the Jewish people through the anguish of enslavement” (Bereishis 47:28). The Shem Mishmuel adds that part of the freedom of speech was for the Jewish soul to finally communicate with the body. Using Rashi’s terminology, we can suggest that the conduit between the soul and the heart becomes “unclogged” during Pesach. “Pe-Sach,” the mouth speaks, means that Pesach was the first time the entire Jewish people were able to honestly speak with their souls, sharing their incredible destiny and dreams of greatness. The Haggadah commands us, “in every generation one must regard themselves as though they were personally redeemed from Egypt.” How do we “redeem” our Pesach experience in this generation? Each and every action, of preparation for and participation in Pesach, is another opportunity to abandon the servitude of Pharaoh and shift towards living as a free Ben or Bas Melech, Godly royalty. Perhaps part of the way to do this, based on the ideas learned from the mystics, is to flip our speech regarding the Pesach experience itself. For example, those horror screams of “oy vey, look at this list, I have so much to do!” can be shifted to positive affirmations of “I am so thankful for this to-do list. It serves to remind me that there are a myriad of ways that I get to connect to the Almighty!” True, this may sound obnoxiously simple minded and perhaps a bit ridiculous. You might have thoughts like, “what do you mean, just flip my speech? Scrubbing the kitchen is annoying.” But that is exactly the point. When you are a slave, doing cleaning and major holiday prep for someone else’s event is simply not joyous. On the other hand, as soon as we are the ones escaping Egypt, no longer enslaved, those challenges can serve as opportunities of connection. This is not a magic switch that will replace any frustration with the holidays. It certainly does not feel natural to view cleaning play-dough out of dozens of lego pieces as holy work. However, our Rabbis teach, m’toch shelo lishma, ba lishmah, colloquially translated as “Fake it till you make it.” Just try it. The next time you are cleaning the kitchen, washing yet another Pesach dish, or sweeping up more matzah crumbs, think to yourself, “Baruch Hashem, I get to be involved in this holy endeavor as a “meleches Hashem,” a Godly act.” Your children may or may not care about your stimulus check or the majority of political proclivities that divide our nation. However, if your children, friends, and community hear you saying, “I’m so thankful to have access to kosher Matzah,” as opposed to a complaint about the price, that shows your children a Godly unity. If you are heard saying, “I’m really glad to clean this house in honor of the holiday” as opposed to “Oy Vey, another three day Yontiff,” you are showing Godly unity. When you enjoy the opportunity to connect over the beautiful texts of the Haggadah, as opposed to zoning out and repeatedly asking “when do we eat?”, you increase the volume of the holy unifying chorus of Pesach. Uplifting our speech from that of slavery to freedom is an incredible spiritual stimulus package that we can all get behind. May the Almighty give us the strength to fill this Pesach with a unified chorus, singing lyrics of freedom and opportunity! Wishes for a Freilich and Kosher Pesach!
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Shalhevet Class of ‘21
SOPHIE HANDELMAN
SOPHIE HANDELMAN IS CURRENTLY A SENIOR AT SHALHEVET HIGH SCHOOL AND IS A MEMBER OF THE ADVANCED JUDAIC STUDIES TRACK. SHE IS THE STUDENT ACTIVITIES CO-CHAIR.
The Importance of
ASKING QUESTIONS ON PESACH A significant theme that repeats itself throughout Jewish tradition is the importance of passing customs from generation to generation. However, the holiday that emphasizes this more than any other is Pesach. The Torah itself specifically instructs us to retell and explain the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim to our children and household. Moreover, the Seder is structured in a manner that includes children in the ceremony. It provides them with opportunities to actively participate and encourages them to want to know why this night is different from all other nights. When the children notice all the unusual events taking place on the Seder night, they won’t just ignore them and leave the table to go play. Rather, they will be genuinely interested in discovering the reason, and they will stay at the table for much of the evening to find the answers. It starts with Karpas, which involves the familiar action of washing hands as we normally do on Shabbat. But during the Seder, we wash without a bracha and eat a vegetable dipped in saltwater rather than bread (or Matzah). This is the first peculiarity that guides the youngest to note in the Mah Nishtanah, “On all nights we need not dip even once, and on this night we do so twice!” According to the Gemara (Pesachim 114b), the primary reason for Karpas is specifically so that the children should ask why we deviate from the practices of a normal meal. We then split the Matzah into two (Yachatz) and save one piece for later, followed by moving the Seder plate to the edge of the table. According to the Gemara (Pesachim 115b), the second of these two changes is also designed to prompt the children to proactively ask about its significance. Yet another example of changes designed to encourage the children to ask is pouring the second cup of wine before Maggid when we have not even begun the meal. According to the Mishna (Pesachim 116a), this is done immediately before asking the Mah Nishtanah. In fact, Rashi (among other commentaries) suggests that the Mah Nishtanah is recited by the child specifically upon seeing the wine poured before the meal. There are also rewarding moments for the children incorporated into the Seder, such as the stealing of the Afikoman. According to the Rambam (Hilchot Chametz Umatza 7:3), this custom too is designed to encourage children to continue to be engaged and learn about the history of the night. Although every chag contains its own distinctive customs, everyone, including children, is directed to participate on Pesach by asking the question that we often forget to stop and ask: why? It is interesting that although the Gemara does not elaborate on the meaning of the Karpas beyond prompting the children to ask, numerous commentaries offer additional explanations for its significance. They do not suffice with the simple notion that we want the children to ask, but they actively try to uncover additional, deeper meanings as well. We can learn from this not only about the significance of transmitting our history and tradition to our children, but also about the importance of wanting to know the answers ourselves. It is easy to expect others to participate while you sit back and relax, but the Seder teaches us to push ourselves to search for the hidden meanings. Our Sages teach (Pesachim 116a) that even if one has the Seder alone, one should still ask the four questions. Sometimes, asking questions can be challenging, but without this, we would never learn.
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EZRA HELFAND
SHALHEVET CLASS OF ‘24
ותו מצ ב
צונו ו
ר חמץ ביעו על
לה י נו
העולם אשר קדשנו במצותו וצו נו ע ל
א
ל הינו
ברוך את הי
י
א
ל ה ינ
ו
מל ך הע ו ל ם אשר קדשנו במ צ ו ת ו וצו נו ע ל בי עור
חמ הינו מלך ה ץ ברוך את ה יי אל
עו ל
שנו במצותו וצו נו על קד שר םא
ב יע
ור
ח
רוך את ב
ה יי
וצונו על ביעור ותו חמץ מצ וב נ
מ
מ ל ך ה ע ולם אש ר ק דש
מץ
לך
יי א
ב י עו ר חמץ
וך א ת ה בר
ב רוך את
ה יי אלהי נו מ לך ה עול םא שר
ד ק שנו
Limudei Kodesh Faculty DR. SHEILA KEITER
DR. SHEILA KEITER TEACHES LIMUDEI KODESH AT SHALHEVET. SHE HAS A B.A. IN HISTORY FROM UCLA, A JD FROM HARVARD LAW SCHOOL, AND RECEIVED HER PHD IN JEWISH STUDIES FROM UCLA, WHERE SHE TAUGHT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF NEAR EASTERN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES.
The Heresy of
THE WICKED SON Of the four sons described in the Haggadah, none elicits as much interest as the wicked son. We recognize the wicked child as the student who challenges everything, who defies convention. This sort of child is clearly bright, but he refuses to accept platitudes. Perhaps she is driven to exert her independence from authority figures through rejectionism. Parents of teenagers may recognize this behavior. The wicked son’s question, “What is this service to you?” need not be read as a challenge, yet it is met with such a vehement response. The question, on its own, seems relatively innocuous. It certainly appears to be an innocent inquiry in its original source: ישראל-בתי בני-פסח הוא לה' אשר פסח על- ואמרתם זבח:יאמרו אליכם בניכם מה העבדה הזאת לכם-והיה כי (כז-כו: )שמות יב:...מצרים-במצרים בנגפו את “And it will be when your children will say to you, ‘What is this service to you?’ And you will say it is the Passover offering that Hashem passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck Egypt…” (Ex. 12:26-27). There seems to be no challenge here. If anything, the curiosity of the young is meant to inspire education and assure the traditions are passed from one generation to the next. Why then, does it sound wicked when coming from the mouth of this particular child? The Haggadah focuses on the wicked child’s use of the second person “you,” inferring that the wicked child excludes himself from tradition and community. Since the Haggadah is using the Torah’s source material to create pedagogical paradigms, we can allow such an emphasis. However, the Haggadah does not state that the wicked child merely separates herself from the community. Rather, the Haggadah tells us, she denies the basic principle of faith. Which principle of faith is that? The Haggadah uses the term כפר בעקר, usually translated as “he denies the basic principle of faith.” Rabbinically, this term is employed to indicate theological heresy, such as abandoning God or denying His omnipotence.1 Does the wicked son’s distancing himself from the community necessarily constitute a rejection of God or a questioning of His existence? In theory, one can accept God as Creator and Master of the universe while rejecting organized religion. Yet it is the wicked child’s rejection of community, not rejection of God, that lands him in so much trouble. The proffered response to this child is instructive. The parent is to tell the rebellious child that the service is for all “Hashem did for me when I left Egypt.” Had she been there, the wicked child would not have been redeemed. The fundamental belief that the wicked son rejects is the exodus itself. Yetziat Mitzrayim is the foundational event to our identity. It forms our dependent relationship on God and is the basis of our covenant with Him. Without the exodus, there is no Jewish people. Thus, the wicked son’s rejection of the principle of Yetziat Mitzrayim results in his self-removal from the community. Is it any wonder that the Passover seder is the most practiced of Jewish rituals? Severing that connection is the severance of Jewish identity. 1 See, e.g., b. Sotah 4b and b. Arakhin 15b. 11
Shalhevet Class of ‘23 JOSH ASKARI
JOSH ASKARI IS CURRENTLY A SOPHOMORE AT SHALHEVET HIGH SCHOOL AND IS A MEMBER OF THE ADVANCED GEMARA SHIUR
The Hidden Message
OF MAKKAT CHOSHECH Everyone is familiar with the story of Pesach, the makot, the four cups of wine, and hiding the afikomen while negotiating what you get in return for it (which seems a lot like blackmail). But I think the story of Pesach also contains deeper meaning to it, the hidden message of trusting Hashem. During the plague of choshech, darkness, Hashem created a darkness so thick that the Egyptians could not see for three days. Not only could they not see, they could not even move. However, Hashem did not tell the Jewish people that they should leave Egypt during this time. At first glance, this is a head scratcher. Why wouldn’t the Jews seize this perfect opportunity to leave Egypt and walk right past Pharaoh as they are doing it? Why would Hashem not tell them to all leave specifically during that time? Perhaps the answer relates to a Midrash referred to by Rashi (Shemot 10:22) concerning the events of makkat choshech. According to the Midrash, one purpose of the darkness was to allow the Jews to locate the jewelry of the Egyptians to take on their way out of Egypt. However, there was an additional purpose as well according to Rashi, which was to remove “the wicked people among the Israelites of that generation who had no desire to leave Egypt.” According to some opinions in the Midrash, only 1/5 of the Jewish people actually ended up leaving Egypt (see Rashi, Shemot 13:18, from the Mechilta). The other 80% of the Jews who did not leave Egypt either perished or refused to leave what they knew and stayed in Egypt willingly. The deaths of these Jews took place during the darkness of choshech so that the Egyptians did not see the Jews perish. The message that I believe comes across from Rashi and the Midrash, which may also help to answer our original question, may be that we should always put 110% trust in Hashem. The Jews at the time may not have understood why they could not take advantage of the fact that the Egyptians were basically frozen in place, nor why so many Jews had to die at that time. While we may never truly understand why Hashem does what he does, in hindsight, removing the wicked Jews from the nation most probably ended up saving them as a people later on. With only a few wicked Jews that managed to go along with the rest to Mount Sinai, the golden calf incident still took place and caused great punishment to the Jews. If Hashem had instructed the Jews to depart Egypt during choshech, all of those who died during that time would have left as well. Now imagine how catastrophic it would have been to have even more wicked Jews who would have turned to avodah zarah at the first chance they got. May we all learn how to place our trust in Hashem and see the good in everything that happens to us in our lives!
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Rosh Beit Midrash
RAV YITZCHAK ETSHALOM
RAV YITZCHAK ESTHALOM IS THE ROSH BEIT MIDRASH AT SHALHEVET HIGH SCHOOL. RAV ETSHALOM CONTINUES TO DIRECT THE TANACH MASTERS PROGRAM AT YULA BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL, GIVES SHIURIM THROUGHOUT THE CITY, IS A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR TO YESHIVAT HAR ETZION'S VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH, AND IS A PUBLISHED AUTHOR ON TANAKH METHODOLOGY AND RABBINIC LITERATURE. HE ATTENDED YESHIVAT KEREM B'YAVNE, RABBI ISAAC ELHANAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, AND YESHIVAT HAR ETZION BEFORE RECEIVING SEMICHA FROM THE CHIEF RABBINATE OF YERUSHALAYIM.
Dayyenu
‘NUF SAID FOUR OR FIVE QUESTIONS
The popular passage (and song) known by its refrain “Dayyenu” (of unknown authorship but dating back to at least the 10th century) is composed of two separate paragraphs. The first one is introduced with an unusual line: “How many ma’alot tovot that the Omnipresent has done for us.” It is followed by the fourteen-line poem, each line following the “if only…but not…Dayyenu” pattern. This is followed by a near-exact repetition of the poem, introduced with al achat kamah vekhamah laMakom aleinu – how much more so has the Omnipresent done for us. The introductory lines as well as the structure are enigmatic and beg for explanation. Why is this entire paean repeated? Why does the author introduce it with the unusual phrase ma’alot tovot – literally “good ascendances” – and use the cognomen “Omnipresent One” (makom) for God? A further look into the list raises a few more questions, but we will note only two. First, it seems that the list is artificially expanded. Why list “brought us to Sinai” separately from “gave us the Torah,” when the entire purpose of coming to Sinai was to give us the Torah? Secondly, why does this list extend well beyond the parameters of the event we are celebrating at the Seder – the Exodus – all the way to the building of the Mikdash? I’d like to pose a fifth and (for now) final question: “Dayyenu”??? Really? Would it have been enough for us if God had brought us out into the desert and not fed us? Or not brought us to Sinai? Indeed, all of the points of praise were necessary, vital steps in our journey without which we would not have realized our destiny. Dayyenu?
THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THE EVENING: SHIRAH
Even though from a normative perspective, the obligation of the evening is to relate and retell the events of the Exodus, the experiential goal of the Seder is to relive all of Jewish history, including history that hasn’t yet been realized – from the selection of Avraham, all the way to the successful culmination of history with the advent of Mashiach. We invoke these two poles and many stops along the way during the evening. The idyllic picture that sits at the core of that experience is all of Am Yisrael living in Eretz Yisrael, joined together in Yerushalayim to celebrate our history and our destiny, feting God as we eat the Korban Pesach. We have numerous points in the Seder when we either allude or explicitly point to this image and do our best to bring it to life around the table. However, the evening is not just one of historic retelling or even recreation. It is also – and chiefly – an evening of song, of singing God’s praises for His constant protection of His people and for our many redemptions along the way. My father, z”l, would refer to the Seder evening as the “Song of Songs of the Jewish people” – a full-throated love song to God. Dayyenu is a form of Shirah - in two parts. The two paragraphs, in the style of "Talmudic" reasoning, establish the motivation for giving such thanks. Each one of these great things that God did for us is enough, on its own, to obligate us to sing praises and thanks to God. In other words, the "Dayyenu" does not mean "it would have been enough for us to exist," it means "it would have been enough reason to give thanks." This is the premise established in the first paragraph. 13
The second paragraph takes this argument to its logical conclusion: How much more so (al achat kamah v'khamah) that He did all of these things for us - are we obligated to give thanks. As mentioned, the goal of the evening is to relive all of Jewish history (through the prism of the Exodus). Thus, it is reasonable that we would want to include all steps leading up to that event in our Shirah of the evening. This also explains why we use the Mikra Bikkurim paragraph (Devarim 26) as the springboard for the Haggadah - it is the Torah's example of a later generation of Jews, standing in the Beit Hamikdash and giving thanks to God (the ideal Seder) and describing the process of the Exodus. The anonymous author wants to evoke the image of the Beit Hamikdash (and enhance our imagining our Seder taking place there) by utilizing Mikdash-associations. The word Ma'alot (lit. "steps") immediately brings to mind the fifteen Shirei haMa'alah – the fifteen Psalms (120-134) which begin with the title Shir ha/laMa'alot. According to the Talmud (Sukkah 51b), these fifteen songs of "steps" were sung by the Levi'im as they ascended the fifteen steps from the Women's Courtyard to the Israelite Courtyard in the Beit Hamikdash - during the celebration of Sukkot (which begins on the fifteenth of Tishri). These steps are called “Ma’alot’ (Sukkah 5:4). The use of Ma'alot in the Hagadah context cannot help but evoke the Beit HaMikdash and the beautiful Shirah sung there. Dayyenu is followed by the paragraph “Rabban Gamliel,” where the requirement to explain the symbolism of the three main foods (Pesach, Matzah, Maror) is mentioned. These foods that Rabban Gamliel maintained must be explained - and which Hillel held must be eaten as one - are representative of the three stages in Jewish history: Slavery/oppression (Maror), refugee/transition (Matzah) and royalty and chosenness (Pesach). Dayyenu lists fifteen events/miracles recalled in that list - which break down neatly into three groups of five each: A Maror (in Egypt): Exodus, plagues, warring with their gods, slaying the firstborn, and giving us their money; B Matzah (transition): Splitting the sea, walking us through, drowning them, giving us our needs, the Mahn; C Pesach (special relationship with God): Shabbat, Sinai, Torah, the Land, the Beit Hamikdash.
This explains why this section is immediately followed by Rabban Gamliel's statement. Once we have sung all of God's praises for each of these three steps, we explain the association with the foods in front of us. This also explains why some of the items seem to be a bit "stretched"; the author took some poetic license to create a symmetry of these three "groups" in order to highlight (via foreshadowing) the implication of Rabban Gamliel's triumvirate of Jewish historical stages. By doing so, he also created fifteen "steps" from Egypt to the Beit Hamikdash - corresponding to the fifteen steps inside the Beit Hamikdash itself. Just as these songs were sung on the holiday of the fifteenth (Sukkot), so we give thanks on the night of the fifteenth (Pesach). ונודה לך שיר חדש על גאולתנו ועל פדות נפשינו
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Dean of Students
RABBI ARI SCHWARZBERG RABBI ARI SCHWARZBERG IS THE FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE SHALHEVET INSTITUTE AND DEAN OF STUDENTS AT SHALHEVET HIGH SCHOOL. HE RECEIVED HIS SEMIKHA FROM YESHIVA UNIVERSITY AND HOLDS A MASTERS OF THEOLOGICAL STUDIES FROM HARVARD DIVINITY SCHOOL.
Of Polemics and Particularism:
THE HIDDEN & HISTORICAL MESSAGE OF DAYENU I’d imagine it’s quite similar in your home. Each year we get to Dayenu and someone asks some version of the following: “but is this really true - would it have been enough for Hashem to just take us out of Egypt, but not give us the Torah? Would it have been enough for us to receive the Torah without Eretz Yisrael?” No one usually has anything too original to say, and with Shulchan Orech in sight, we’re satisfied with the idea that Dayenu is poetic hyperbole expressing the immeasurable amount of gratitude for God’s gifts throughout the exodus story. Onward. Indeed, הלל והודאהis foundational to the Haggada, and coming at the end of the Magid section, Dayenu serves as a powerful expression of appreciation (For more on this see R. Etshalom’s essay in this edition). Nevertheless, I want to offer an entirely different perspective, one that subsequently opens up a new layer of the Haggada’s meaning and impact. In the second century, one of the earliest Christian authorities, Melito of Sardis, authored a treatise entitled Peri Pascha, “On the Passover.” Only discovered within the last hundred years, the text highlights a classic, early Christian belief that God’s covenant with the Jewish people was replaced by His new covenant with those that believe in Jesus. This theology is referred to as supersessionism, where Old Israel (Judaism) is replaced by New Israel (Christians).1 In his homily, Melito lashes into the Jews for being an ungrateful nation, which explains why God (supposedly) replaced their covenant. Melito begins with the introductory phrase: “Ungrateful Israel,” and then lists the events of יציאת מצריםto highlight the extent of their ingratitude.2 As you will see in the chart below, both in substance and in form, Dayenu is nearly identical to Melito’s homily against the Jewish people. Melito of Sardis, Peri Pascha (2nd Century) הגדה של פסח,דיינו Ungrateful Israel… How much did you value the ten plagues?
אלו הוציאנו ממצרים ולֹא עשה בהם שפטים
How much did you value the nightly pillar And the daily cloud?
אלו ספק צרכנו במדבר ארבעים שנה
And the crossing of the Red Sea? How much did you value the giving of manna from heaven
אלו קרע לנו את הים ולֹא העבירנו בתוכו בחרבה אלו האכילנו את המן ולֹא נתן לנו את השבת
And the supply of water from a rock, And the law-giving at Horeb And the inheritance of the land?
ולֹא נתן לנו את התורה,אלו קרבנו לפני הר סיני אלו הכניסנו לארץ ישראל ולֹא בנה לנו את בית הבחירה
1 Early Church Fathers (1st – 8th century) tend to read the Torah through the lens of supersessionism where certain stories and texts in the Hebrew Bible indicate or predict an eventual (supposed) replacement of Judaism by the Church. For more on this topic see “Persecution, Polemic, and Dialogue: Essays in Jewish-Christian Relations,” David Berger 2010. 2 I am assuming Melito is referring to Israel’s on and off betrayal of Hashem throughout Nevi’im, but I’m not entirely sure whether that is stated explicitly. 15
The massive difference, of course, lies in the word דיינו. While this early Christian attack assumes a Jewish history that testifies to an ungrateful and selfish nation, דיינוis composed to express our boundless gratitude toward God - one of these miracles would have been enough. Our recitation of Dayenu is a direct response to a character attack on our relationship with God. Whereas Melito implies that we did not value each of these events, we end each line with an enthusiastic, appreciative, and unified !דיינו What this suggests, then, is that beneath this section of the Haggada lies a hidden polemic against a Christian critique of Jewish faith. The final version of the Haggada took hundreds of years to come together and the discovery of Peri Pascha likely indicates that Dayenu was authored as a response to this particular, Christian text.3 In an era where Christianity was a legitimate rival of Judaism (and vice-versa), דיינוwas composed with a message about Jewish history that simultaneously spoke to internal (Jewish) and external (Christian) audiences.4 While the message of Dayenu is one that transcends time and place, its original composition may have had a very specific intention and audience. This historical framework not only answers a question about Dayenu’s literary makeup, but also helps bring into focus one of the broader goals of the Haggada. As a text that responds to a Christian community that saw themselves as replacing Judaism, the Haggada attests to our sacred and distinct relationship with God. Though Seder night is often and legitimately universalized into themes of freedom and equality, it is primarily about the particular and redemptive destiny of Klal Yisrael. The Haggada, like so many sacred, Jewish texts, intentionally speaks in multiple dimensions to facilitate a discourse and engagement that properly transmits the richness and depth of the Jewish experience. I hope this insight adds a new perspective to your Seder and helps you and your family further your understanding of the Haggada and our complex history. Chag kasher v’sameach! 3 See ״, ״הגדה של פסח ותולדותיהDaniel Goldschmidt, 1960 who argues the reverse, claiming that Peri Pescha was written as a response to Dayenu. 4 There is significant scholarship on the origins of the Haggada, and there are a few of note who claim that there are several other examples where the Haggada responds to Christian narratives and polemics against Judaism. See, for example, “Two Nations in Your Womb,” Israel Jacob Yuval, 2000; “The Origins of The Seder,” Baruch Bokser, 1984.
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Shalhevet Class of ‘20
JACQUELINE ENGLANOFF
JACQUELINE ENGLANOFF IS A GRADUATE OF SHALHEVET'S CLASS OF 2020 AND IS CURRENTLY STUDYING IN MIDRESHET HAROVA IN YERUSHALAYIM.
Matzah
IS THE ANTIBODY
The Jewish mind is so well trained to think “bad” when we hear the word “Chametz” and “good” when we hear “Matzah,” but in reality, this notion holds little standing beyond the holiday of Pesach. It is true that in Sefer Shmot (12:15) it says: ““ ”כי כל אכל חמץ ונכרתה הנפש ההוא מישראלthat whoever eats Chametz [on Pesach] should be cut off from Israel.” The following Psukim repeat similar warnings against the eating of leavened bread on the seven days of Pesach. After reading this, one would surely come to believe that there is something inherently wrong with leavened bread, and it should be deemed a “bad” thing. The troubling matter is that forty-nine days after Pesach comes the holiday of Shavuot, where the centerpiece of the offerings brought to Hashem are loaves of bread. Moreover, throughout the year every Jew has the Mitzvah to recite the Bracha of Hamotzi when they eat bread. So how could it be that during Pesach we are told to praise the Matzah while Chametz is seen so negatively, and the rest of the year we are told to think so differently? How do we understand the roles of these foods that facilitate the Jewish progression from Pesach to Shavuot? The Zohar (2, 183b) explains the difference between Matzah and Chametz and their distinct roles in the formation of the Jewish people. Coming out of Mitzrayim, the Jewish people had seen the wonders that G-d performed, and undoubtedly recognized G-d. However, the Zohar explains that the Jews had a different issue related to Emunah – they lacked Emunah in themselves. Perhaps the reason for this lack of Emunah in themselves relates to an idea developed by Rebbe Elimelech of Lezhansk concerning the Neshama. Rebbe Elimelech explains that the Neshama gives strength to whatever part of a person is fulfilling a Mitzvah. The Neshama, according to Rebbe Elimelech, is the force of Hashem within us. The Jews coming out of Egypt knew G-d as the Almighty Being who saved them from their tormentors, but they were unaware of the G-dliness within them, their Neshamot. The Jews were in desperate need of a Refuah, healing for their lack of belief in the presence of G-d within themselves. This healing agent is better known as Matzah. Matzah, a simple and unassuming food, represents the bare-bones of a person. Without anything fancy about it or being outwardly impressive, it represents the essence of oneself. This theme is especially important to Pesach, the holiday of freedom, since according to Rav Kook, freedom is distinguished from slavery not by status, but in spirit. Freedom is the ability to be faithful to oneself. Thus, now that the Jews were free people, they needed seven days of focusing on finding who they were and developing their own sense of self, so that as free people they would have a self to be true to. A concept that we have become all too familiar with is antibodies. Antibodies protect us so that we can be exposed to harmful agents and not be hurt by them. So too, the Matzah eaten on Pesach is the antibody that the Jewish people needed. Once the Jews discovered their essence, their Neshamot, and were able to heal their lack of belief in the G-dliness within them, they were able to move on to using Chametz on Shavuot. The Chametz is a mechanism to build up protection around the self or the Neshama. It is the exterior that is meant to be an outward expression of the interior. Without the antibodies, in this case the Matzah, and resulting awareness of self that they had, the Jewish people could have been harmed by the Chametz used on its own. They would not have had the necessary confidence in their true identity to serve G-d properly and would only have been made up of the exterior with no core to build upon. So, Chametz is not inherently “bad” and Matzah is not by definition “good,” but each of these foods plays an essential role in the building of the Jewish people into a free people with their own identity. Mankind has not changed much in the thousands of years since the Jews left Egypt. Today as well, we struggle to make an identity for ourselves, but Pesach is a reminder to refocus for seven days a year on the foundation and essence of our being. It is a check-in to make sure our antibody counts are high enough, and that we are in touch with our Neshamot. Matzah is a chance to go back to the core of who we are. 17
ISABELLE PLATT
SHALHEVET CLASS OF ‘24
Shalhevet Class of ‘24 MORDECHAI HELLER
MORDECHAI HELLER IS CURRENTLY A FRESHMAN AT SHALHEVET HIGH SCHOOL AND IS A MEMBER OF THE ADVANCED GEMARA SHIUR.
The Pesach Story:
LESSONS FOR LIFE
Pesach, the holiday on which we celebrate the Exodus from Egypt, can be characterized as the most revolutionary tale of hope to occur throughout history; a nation of repressed slaves, extricated through Divine intervention and caring leadership. I believe that there are three motifs present in this story that we can apply to our everyday lives: Exhortation, positive mindset, and resiliency. The first motif, exhortation, is evident from God impelling Moshe to return to Egypt in the beginning of the story. The Torah tells us (Shemot 4:10, 13) that Moshe beseeched God to choose someone else to lead the people's redemption; Moshe argued that he was not qualified and that he could not speak well.1 But God rebuts Moshe’s claims by suggesting that Aharon will accompany Moshe and speak on his behalf. God bestows words of encouragement that impel Moshe to acknowledge and ultimately overcome his impediments (Shemot 4:14-18). I believe that there is so much that can be extrapolated from how God proposed that Aharon accompany Moshe. The impact this statement had upon Moshe’s willingness to lead the people manifests the incredible power a new insight or suggestion can have on someone else. Similarly, expanding your horizons and exploring a new perspective – through self-talk or meditation – can be equally as profound. In addition, God convincing Moshe to return to Egypt is a prime example of the wonders that just a few encouraging words can bring about. God did not offer a comprehensive solution to just how Moshe would successfully redeem a group of slaves. Rather, His brief explanation of how Moshe would overcome his speech impediment sufficed for Moshe to decide that he was ready to follow God’s plan. It is often the smallest thing that has the most significant effect on people. The second theme, a positive mindset, is also apparent from parts of the story of the Exodus. The Jews were overwhelmed by slavery, prejudice, and countless other calamities when they were in Egypt. Nevertheless, they did their best to maintain a positive outlook on their situation. The Midrash states that the wives went out to the fields to provide moral support to their husbands and even were successful at conceiving and having children due to that time outside with their spouses. The desire to have children certainly only seems worthwhile if there is hope for a better future for them. Moreover, the Midrash states that despite all of their troubles, the Jews managed to maintain certain aspects of their identity: They did not change their Jewish names, their Jewish clothes, or their spoken language, Hebrew. Their insistence at retaining these important reminders of their Jewishness may also indicate their hope and attempt to create a positive attitude that they would be redeemed. A third example of this positive attitude can be seen when Moshe and Aharon arrived and presented God’s plan for their redemption. The Torah states (Shemot 4:31) that upon hearing this, the people believed that the redemption was near. This was based upon the tradition they had kept for many years that when a leader comes and utters the words pakod pakadeti, it is a sign that Hashem will redeem the people through him (Midrash Rabbah 5:13). The fact that the Jews had maintained this tradition for many years and immediately believed Moshe’s promise of redemption shows that the Jews had already pictured a better reality for themselves and their families. In addition to the positive attitude that this displays, the knowledge and belief itself also served as a form of redemption and empowerment. I believe that the Jews’ positive mindset, despite all of their suffering, ultimately contributed to their ability to be 1 There are several opinions regarding the meaning of Moshe’s inability to speak well. Some say it was because of a lisp, but others suggest that it meant Moshe was no longer well-spoken in Egyptian since he had run away from Egypt and had not spoken Egyptian for quite some time. 19
redeemed. We can learn from this that by being optimistic and hopeful, we improve even the worst situations, and that by itself is already a portion of the redemption. The last theme, but certainly not least, is a sense of resiliency. The Jews had to be resilient and endure physical and mental pain in order to be redeemed. Resiliency is the foundation for a growth mindset and an ability to thrive despite the hardships around us. In fact, according to the Yalkut Me’am Lo’ez (Parshat Bo, Haggadah shel Pesach 127), the Jews succeeded in doing ma’asim tovim (good deeds) and repenting in the midst of their suffering, to which Hashem responded favorably. Throughout life, we will inevitably be met with challenges, both mental and physical, and we have the choice to either capitulate to them or stand firm. If we choose to face our difficulties, we will open many opportunities for ourselves in life. This year, let us take these three themes we have discussed of exhortation, a positive attitude, and resiliency and use them in our lives. If we do, hopefully we will all see our own personal redemption, as well as that of the entire Jewish people and the world, in the near future.
TEHILLA FISHMAN SHALHEVET CLASS OF ‘23
Limudei Kodesh Faculty
RABBI ABRAHAM LIEBERMAN RABBI ABRAHAM LIEBERMAN IS A MEMBER OF THE LIMUDEI KODESH FACULTY AT SHALHEVET HIGH SCHOOL. HE PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS THE HEAD OF SCHOOL AT YULA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL. RABBI LIEBERMAN LEARNED AT YESHIVA UNIVERSITY AND RECIEVED SEMIKHA FROM EMEK HALAKHA IN BROOKLYN. HE RECIEVED HIS M.A. IN JEWISH HISTORY FROM THE BERNARD REVEL GRADUATE SCHOOL (YU), WHERE HE IS CURRENTLY WORKING TOWARDS HIS DOCTORATE.
Zachor, Jewish Memory
AND THE ACT OF REMEMBERING AND RETELLING THE STORY OF THE EXODUS Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi (1932-2009), a noted Jewish historian, authored a short but very important work entitled “Zakhor: Jewish History and Jewish Memory.” Part of the premise of this work is that Judaism has established practices that transform the past into the present. Perhaps we can use this thesis to gain a deeper understanding of the Mitzvah of Zechirat Yetziat Mitzrayim, remembering the Exodus, as well as some of the other Mitzvot related to remembering. The Torah commands us many times to carry out the “Zachor” imperative. For example, the Mitzvah of Shabbat (Exodus 20:8) is introduced to us with ""זכור את יום השבת, “remember the day of Shabbat.” A few weeks ago, we read Parashat Zachor, where we remember Amalek and their actions against the Children of Israel. In fact, in many Siddurim, one can find a section entitled “The Six Remembrances” immediately following the Shacharit prayers, which refer to six Mitzvot, each introduced with the word Zachor. Many people recite them each day. One of these six is to remember the experience of Matan Torah (Deuteronomy 4:9-10), the Giving of the Torah at Sinai, which the Ramban (1194-1270) posits qualifies as a biblical (De’oraita) Mitzvah. The holiday of Pesach also involves the notion of Zachor – remembering יציאת מצרים, the story of the Exodus. However, we find something unusual regarding the imperative to commemorate the Exodus. On one hand, we are commanded to remember the Exodus each day, a Mitzvah known as זכירת יציאת מצרים, remembering the Exodus (Deuteronomy 16:3). The Sages disagree as to whether this Mitzvah must be performed once a day or twice a day (Mishna, Brachot 1:5), a dispute that is also mentioned in the Haggadah Shel Pesach. We fulfill this daily requirement through the recital of the third paragraph of the Shema twice a day. On the other hand, we are also commanded to tell the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim to our children (Exodus 13:8), known as סיפור יציאת מצרים, which is fulfilled on Pesach night at the Seder. In fact, we even speak of four different types of children in the Haggadah that we must address in telling this story. Why does the Torah require that we remember and not forget certain ideas and events, such as Shabbat and Matan Torah? What purpose do they achieve? And why is it not sufficient to do our daily recalling of Yetziat Mitzrayim – why do we need the additional Mitzvah of סיפור יציאת מצריםon Pesach? The answer to these questions is that the power of memory is almost magical. If a memory is kept alive, it becomes a tool to travel through time and reconnect the past with the present and use them to shape the future. It becomes an unbroken chain, with each one of us serving as a link in that chain. For example, what is it that has enabled a people in exile for two thousand years to return to their homeland as if they never left? It is Zachor, the dream and memory of Zion and Jerusalem, our daily recalling of a memory that we kept alive. It connected us to a glorious past, it helps us feel what we are missing in the present, and it has given us a vision for the future. This capability of memory is what we aim to harness through the various mitzvot of Zachor – remembering past events and allowing those memories to shape our futures and our purpose in life. Remembering the Exodus stands out among all of the other mitzvot involving Zachor. The Exodus from Egypt became our first encounter as a people with Hashem. It was a defining moment in our history. Our journey with God began with 21
the miracles in Mitzrayim, leading to our freedom from the bondage of slavery. Then it was on to Matan Torah at Sinai and to settling in our Land. Our recital of Dayeinu reminds us of this journey. But on the night of Pesach, recalling the event is not enough; the story needs to be told. The setting is our family, with focus on our children. And the truth is that we are not quite that distant from the actual event of leaving Egypt. If one thinks about it, the age of the participants at a Seder may often cover a span of at least one hundred years. Think of the youngest participant at the Seder, a five or six-year old. Then think of the oldest member, often a grandfather or grandmother, who might remember their own grandparents or great-grandparents at their Seder. Thus, all we need to connect ourselves to the actual Exodus is about thirty-five Sedarim (35 x 100, as Yetziat Mitzrayim took place about 3500 years ago). This memory of leaving Egypt and retelling the narrative is the secret to the survival of the Jewish People. It enables us to connect a very significant event from our distant past to our present life, and also allows us to plan our future. Recalling the Exodus is so important to our national memory and mission that we need to go beyond a simple remembrance; the story also needs to be told, at least once a year. The daily Zachor becomes a Sippur, and the memory of our leaving Egypt as Hashem’s people is augmented and enhanced by recounting it in the special ceremony of the Seder. Its memory penetrates deeper, and it connects generations. Let us continue to be a chain in this special link. May we merit to see the full Redemption in our days!
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