Bo

פרשת בא

In this week’s parsha, the plagues concluded with the death of the firstborn and the Jews beginning to leave Egypt. This is one of the most central moments in Jewish history. Chazal give us an idea of how fundamental the exodus is by proclaiming in the Mishna in Pesachim 116 that “A man is obligated to see himself as if he (personally) left Egypt.” We are not required to envision our presence at any other event in history. Yet Hashem wants us to have such a profoundly deep connection to leaving Egypt that we are expected to feel it in our bones. Living now, more than 3,300 years afterwards, in a world of cellphones, microwaves, and computers, it’s very hard to see ourselves in the slavery the Torah recounts. We live in a world of convenience. How can we enter a world of which we have no concept?

Rav Shach used to tell people when these parshas would come up, or when Pesach was near, that the main reason that we can’t relate to the exodus is because we don’t really have a clear picture of what happened. If a person reflects and realizes the exodus is a real part of history and that his ancestors really went through incredible persecution at the hands of the Egyptians, his whole view on the matter will change. After contemplating this, one should then go learn about everything that happened and try to picture it in his mind. Imagine what the living conditions were like, and all the plagues. And think about how awesome it must have been to cross the Yam Suf as it parted. Imagination is a powerful tool. Through it, we can really “see” ourselves as if we left Egypt.

Rav Reuven Fine, the Rosh Yeshiva of Torah V’Daas, adds that the mitzvos themselves lead us to this goal as well. We have so many mitzvos that remind us of the exodus from Egypt. Mezuza, tefillin, tzitzis, Krias Shma, and obviously Pesach itself are just a few examples of mitzvos that constantly remind us of this exodus. It is also important to know that these mitzvos are not just reminders — because they are mitzvos, they give incredible spiritual boosts to our emuna as well. We all know that every holiday is imbued with special powers specific to its nature. On Shavuos we relive the giving of the Torah, on Rosh Hashana we accept G-d’s Kingship, on Hanukka we celebrate the ability to keep the Torah, etc. So too, the mitzvos of the exodus from Egypt give us a special ability to tap into the spirituality of the exodus.

Rav Fine adds that even though we have an obligation to place ourselves back in time and see ourselves as if we were personally taken out of Egypt, the obligation doesn’t end there. Really, just as we believe that Hashem took us out of Egypt, we have an obligation to appreciate what that means in our times. Hashem demonstrated through all the miracles that He has complete control over everything, gives reward and punishes the wicked, and He is constantly watching over us and desires to take us out of our troubles. When we do mitzvos that remind us of the exodus, we should remember that Hashem is with us even now. The Ramban comments that tefillin are called “totafos,” which means “drops.” Rav Fine asserts that these drops are “drops of yiras Shamayim.” When a person puts on tefillin, he is strengthening his general connection with G-d, not only

remembering what happened in Egypt. This connection has the potential to be so strong that its reality can be palpable to yourself and those around you.

There is a story of the Vilna Gaon being called into a non-Jewish court by apostate Jews. The charges were obviously false, but the Gaon was forced to show up in court anyways. When the Gaon entered the chambers, he slowly removed the tallis that was covering his head-tefillin and shocked the crowd around him. The judges immediately acquitted him even before the trial began and ran out of the room. The Gaon’s students were puzzled by what had happened and asked the Gaon what the nature of the miracle was. The Gaon replied that the Gemara in Brachos page 6 says that when the nations see the head-tefillin they will be frightened. When one connects truly to the mitzva of tefillin, he said, one’s connection to G-d can actually bring about these results. There was no miracle in truth. The Vilna Gaon just knew how tefillin were supposed to be worn.

There is another point that one should ponder in regards to the mitzvos associated with the exodus from Egypt. The purpose of the exodus wasn’t just for us to realize that Hashem is in control of everything, but ultimately it was to take us from being slaves in Egypt and transform us into His servants. When we do these mitzvos we are also connecting to the fact that we were taken out of Egypt only so that we could completely subjugate ourselves to Hashem. If we hadn’t accepted His mitzvos, there would have been no purpose in taking us out. When we do the mitzvos that commemorate the Exodus, we should remember what it means to be a true servant of Hashem. It doesn’t mean that we do our mitzvos during the day and then go back home and relax on the couch, enjoying “time to ourselves.” Even our relaxation should be done in the service of Hashem. We’re not supposed to be self-indulgent. Everything we do should only be done in a way that brings us closer to G-d.

Rav Moshe Mendel was known to take this point very seriously. Those who were close to him testify that he couldn’t understand how freely people would take time off from yeshiva. He would even tell his daughters not to spend too much time talking on the phone because they could do so many mitzvos in that precious amount of time. Rav Mendel clearly exemplified a person who was conscious of what it means to be an eved Hashem. The Rabbeinu Yona in Shaarei Tshuva even says that an eved who says he needs something other than what is necessary for serving the master isn’t even called an eved! We should use these ideas to strengthen ourselves as Jews and remember that Hashem designed the mitzvos to help us connect to our identity and purpose in this world.

May we all be zoche to see ourselves as if we left Egypt and become the servants of Hashem we are supposed to be!!!