Making the Exodus Real

By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah

On the first Shabbos of the month of Nissan, we read “Parshas Hachodesh,” which relates the mitzvos that are soon approaching — those of Pesach. These were the first commandments Klal Yisrael was given as a nation.

Only, Parshas Hachodesh begins with the words: “This month (Nissan) is for you the first of the months of the year” (Shemos 12:2). What is the significance of Nissan’s being “the first of the months of the year?” And even if this fact was relevant that first year, when the Exodus took place, why is this verse included every year as part of Parshas Hachodesh?

The Slonimer Rebbe answers that the word “month” – chodesh – shares the root of the word chiddush, meaning new and fresh. Every Rosh Chodesh is supposed to bring with it a renewal in our avodas Hashem, but particularly Rosh Chodesh Nissan, which is the head of all the months of the year — now should be an even greater rejuvenation in our avoda.

The verse states that this is a month “for you,” from which the Sages infer: “For you and not for the gentiles” (Mechilta, ibid.). Klal Yisrael’s calendar goes according to the moon, whereas the gentiles’ calendar is based on the sun. We are likened to the moon, which (as viewed from the earth) is in an ever-changing state. It can be waning or waxing; no two nights are ever identical. Sometimes, the moon appears in its entirety; other times it is hidden. The sun is never hidden from our view (except for a rare solar eclipse), nor does it wax or wane.

We are likened to the moon because, as we said, a Jew should renew his service of Hashem every month, and certainly in the month of Nissan, the head of all the months. This idea is expressed in Kiddush Halevana, that in the future, we will become rejuvenated like the moon.

That first Rosh Chodesh Nissan, on the eve of the Exodus, Klal Yisrael underwent an enormous change — we became Hashem’s nation. This was achieved by two mitzvos that we accepted upon ourselves, which have in common the idea of blood — the blood of the korban Pesach and the blood of circumcision (see Rashi, verse 12:6).

Why these two mitzvos? Korban Pesach meant taking a sheep, which was the Egyptian deity, and at risk of death, to bring it as a burnt offering to Hashem (Rashi, 12:21). Such an act of mesirus nefesh took the Jew entirely away from idolatry. Circumcision is referred to as a “bris,” a covenant, meaning we bond ourselves to Hashem forever, and obligate ourselves to do His mitzvos always (see Sefer Chareidim 9:44). These two mitzvos gave the Jews the right to become the nation of Hashem.

Every Rosh Chodesh Nissan, we, too, must renew our avoda; only, how do we do this? We already have Hashem’s mitzvos and are doing them!

Rav Leib Mintzberg answers that renewal in avodas Hashem is achieved by clarifying for ourselves the basic belief that Hashem took us out of Egypt, and that He did so in miraculous ways that showed His love for us. Egypt was a land from which not even one slave had ever escaped, and Hashem took us out as an entire nation. Moreover, the plagues He sent affected only the Egyptians; the Jews who lived among them were unharmed. Hashem opened up the Red Sea and enabled us to pass through it as if walking on dry land. This same sea would soon drown our pursuers until the last man. Once we understand how much Hashem did for us and how much we owe Him, our avoda will be of a different, more elevated nature. We will do mitzvos with more zeal. In short, our avoda will be rejuvenated.

“What is this service to you?” asks the child in the Hagada, and we too must ask ourselves this question — before we answer it to our children at the Seder table. We have to go over the Hagada before the Seder and use our imagination to make the events it describes come alive. We must comb through these ideas until they are vivid before us. And throughout Pesach, we have to continue speaking these ideas out and honing their message.

In some circles, Rosh Chodesh Nissan is the beginning of “spring vacation.” Rav Yerucham Brodiansky decries this distortion of reality. Now is the time to work — on two fronts: Getting our homes ready for Pesach, and no less important, working on making the Exodus real to us. This is not as easy as it may seem. We have to review the events of the Exodus and speak them out many times to achieve this and live it.

Chazal (Shabbos 147b) relate that even the great Tanna, Rav Elazar ben Arach, slackened somewhat in this avoda. He chose to live in a resort area known for its natural springs and wine, and when it came to Parshas Hachodesh, Hashem revealed to him his error in an interesting way: During the Reading of the Torah, Rav Elazar ben Arach was given an aliya, which he read himself (as was done in ancient times). When he came to the words “this month is for you,” he became confused and thought that the words were: “Deafened became their hearts” (in Hebrew, these two sentences differ by only three letters, which are similar in form). This was a hint min HaShamayim: Where is your heart? Nissan is a time of extra avodas Hashem; it’s not a time to be bathing in natural springs or drinking wine (see Maharsha, ibid.).

Rav Yechezkel Levinstein was legendary for his powerful mussar talks. Nevertheless, toward the end of his life, he stopped delivering these talks, explaining that preparing them demanded too much time and energy. “I need that time and energy for myself, so that I can get these ideas of mussar more deeply into my heart and integrated into my way of thinking.”

While the yeshiva reluctantly accepted his decision, on chol hamo’ed Pesach several of his close talmidim made one last attempt to persuade him to reconsider.

Rav Levinstein reiterated that instead of talking about mussar, he needed to work on getting the teachings of mussar into his heart.

“I’ll give you an example. On Pesach, most Jews are concerned about eating matzos, but I’m busy chewing over the Exodus and trying to digest it,” he said.

May we be zoche to renew our avodas Hashem!