Parshas Bo
Assuming a prominent position as the first mitzvah received by Klal Yisroel, the commandment of Kiddush Hachodesh (Sanctification of the Jewish Month) was issued prior to Yetzias Mitzrayim. In ancient times, the first two Jews to see the new moon every month would rush immediately to Beis Din (the Jewish court of law). If the court accepted their testimony they would declare the following day Rosh Chodesh in a procedure known as Kiddush Hachodesh.
The question is obvious. Aside from the mitzvos directly pertaining to Pesach and Yetzias Mitzrayim, the vast majority of the Torah’s 613 mitzvos were only given to B’nei Yisroel at Har Sinai. Why was Kiddush Hachodesh commanded during Yetzias Mitzrayim?
The Sfas Emes explains that the Egyptian culture was one which practically ignored G-d and instead placed its trust in the strength of nature. They believed that the Nile River obviated their need to rely on heaven for rain and reveled in the knowledge that due to their nation’s natural might a slave had never escaped mitzrayim alive. It would be almost impossible to posit that, after hundreds of years living alongside the Egyptians, Klal Yisroel had not been at least somewhat affected by the culture’s total reliance on nature’s power. And consequently, from their very trust in nature as the true influence on their lives, it appears logical that Klal Yisroel’s last hope of salvation had long since been smoldered – due to the fact that there existed no natural chance of escape.
Chazal state that Hashem provides assistance only to the degree that we trust in Him. The Sfas Emes therefore states that the key to the geula (redemption) from Egypt was to strengthen our belief in Hashem’s control of the world. Kiddush Hachodesh has the ability to ingrain within us the belief that every chiddush which takes place in the world, every change which occurs even across the expanse of the universe, stems directly from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Kiddush Hachodesh highlights the fact that even such seemingly irrelevant changes as the waxing of the moon – a change which has occurred at the beginning of every month since the creation of the world – are directed by Hashem. Through emphasizing the integral concept that Hakadosh Baruch Hu controls all change, B’nei Yisroel strengthened their Emunah that G-d possessed the ability to redeem them at any moment and thereby paved the way for their release from Egyptian bondage. We must realize that the key to any redemption, the key to being released from even all of our myriad daily problems – personal or otherwise, is the strengthening of our belief that all change stems from G-d and that He can redeem us at any second.
The Chiddushei Hari’m, quoted in a separate section of the Sfas Emes, states that Jews are infused with a special ability. A Yid can increase Hashem’s willingness to effect change in his favor through his growth in avodas Hashem. The Chiddushei Hari’m states that the new decrees issued by the king of Egypt were only permitted to come into effect since, due to their aveiros, Klal Yisroel had effectively lost the capability to earn positive life-changes – relinquishing it to the nations of the world who immediately turned it against them.
In fact, the Jews were subsequently zoche to the redemption from Egypt due to their ultimate growth in avodas Hashem – which restored their ability to earn change. For example, they were moser nefesh to sacrifice the korban pesach (paschal lamb), in full view of the Egyptians, even though the lambs were an Egyptian god. Additionally, the Meshech Chochmah writes that the Jews were only zoche to the splitting of the Yam Suf after the mesiras nefesh of Nachshon ben Aminadav who plunged into the sea’s raging, still unsplit waters immediately upon Hashem’s command. When attempting to resolve the challenges and troubles which appear in our lives, we have the ability to make strides in our avodas Hashem and thereby merit Hashem’s change and revision of our future.
Some years ago, there was a bachur who approached one of his rebbeim with an unusual problem. The young man, who was a recent ba’al teshuva, explained that he had once approached a palm-reader who had foretold terrible challenges in his life. A portion of the predictions had already been realized and the bachur confessed that he was fearful that the rest of the prophecies would also come true. Unsure of how to approach the matter, the rebbi brought his talmid to a famed kabbalist and explained the young man’s plight. While the kabbalist concurred with the original predictions, he reassured the bachur that he had no reason to worry. He explained that while the prophecies foretold in a non-Jew’s palm are never altered, a Jew’s future is re-determined monthly based on the worthiness of his deeds. The Kabbalist proclaimed that the bachur had nothing to fear – and so it was, the other predictions never came to pass. Indeed, Jews possess the ability to earn enough zechuyos that G-d will effect for them a chiddush, a change for the better.
May we be zoche to strengthen our recognition that Hashem is the source of all change in the world and may we truly grow in our avodas Hashem – thereby earning new levels of siyata dishmaya (heavenly assistance).