[Par-lite] For Shvii shel pesach - shiur #1
Menachem Leibtag
tsc at bezeqint.net
Sun Mar 31 06:45:10 EDT 2013
*********************************************
****************
THE TANACH STUDY CENTER
[http://www.tanach.org]
In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag
Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem
Leibtag
*********************************************
****************
for SHVII SHEL PESACH
[revised 5765]
We are all familiar with the historical
reason for
celebrating the 'seventh day of Passover' -
for (according to
the Midrash) the miracle of the splitting of
the Red Sea took
place seven days after Bnei Yisrael left
Egypt.
Yet, to our surprise, that reason never
appears in the
Chumash. In fact, the Torah simply commands
that we eat matza
for seven days, and then to make a special
celebration on that
last day, without explaining why. [See Shmot
13:3-7.]
In regard to other Jewish holidays,
SEVEN also seems to
be a 'magic' number. Not only is Pesach is
'seven' days; we
also count 'seven' weeks to Shavuot; then in
the 'seventh'
month - we celebrate several holidays
including the 'seven-
day' holiday of Succot!
So why do so many holidays revolve
around the number
seven? It is simply because there are seven
days in a week?
In the following shiur we attempt to
answer this
question, as we search for a thematic
connection between the
'historical' reasons for the holidays and the
agricultural
seasons when they are celebrated.
INTRODUCTION
In general, we are usually more familiar
with the
historical reasons for the holidays more than
their
agricultural perspective. For example, on
Pesach we
commemorate the Exodus from Egypt, on Shavuot
- the giving of
the Torah, and on Succot - God's special
providence during our
forty-year sojourn in the desert.
In regard to the historical reason for
celebrating the
'seventh day of Passover', the Midrash
informs us that the
miracle of "kriyat Yam Suf" [the splitting of
the Red Sea]
took place seven days after Bnei Yisrael left
Egypt. [See
Mechilta quoted by Rashi on Shmot 14:5..]
[Hence, our custom to read "shirat ha'yam"
(Shmot chapters
14 & 15) for the Torah reading on "shvii
shel Pesach".
See also Ibn Ezra on 12:15-16, where he
takes for granted
that the reason for the seven days of chag
ha'matzot is
because "kriyat yam suf" took place seven
days after Bnei
Yisrael left Egypt, even though it's not
clear how he
reaches that conclusion.]
Nonetheless, the Torah itself never
connects the events
of "kriyat Yam Suf" with the seventh day of
Passover. In
fact, the Torah first discusses these seven
days in Shmot
chapter 12 (see 12:15-20 and 13:3-8) way
before the miracle of
the splitting of the Red Sea , as detailed in
chapter 14, ever
took place!
[This does not mean that "kriyat yam suf"
did not happen on
"shvii shel pesach"; we are simply
suggesting that there may
be a different, or at least an additional
reason for the
seven day length of the holiday. (For a
discussion of when
and how the events of "kriyat yam suf" took
place, see TSC
shiurim on Parshat Shmot and Beshalach.)]
Therefore, if we follow the 'simple
meaning' of the text,
there should be an independent reason for the
celebration of
these SEVEN days, unconnected to the
historical events of the
miracle at the Red Sea
In our shiur, we will search for that
reason by examining
several additional instances (later on in
Chumash) where the
Torah presents the laws of Passover within
the wider framework
of the three pilgrimage holidays [="shalosh
regalim"].
THE BIBLICAL NAME FOR 'SHVII SHEL PESACH'
In our introduction, we have referred to
this holiday by its
popular name - "shvii shel Pesach" [lit. the
seventh day of
Passover]. However, to be 'Biblically
correct', the proper
name for this holiday should be the seventh
day of "chag
ha'matzot". Let's explain why:
Technically speaking, Passover (in the
Bible) is only a 'one-
day' holiday - beginning on the 14th of Nisan
in the
afternoon, and ending on the 15th in evening
- when the korban
Pesach is offered (see Shmot 12:3-14). In
addition to this
holiday, the Torah also commands that we eat
matza (and don't
eat "chametz") for the next seven days (see
12:15-20, see also
Vayikra 23:5-7 and Bamidbar 28:16-18!).
Therefore, we refer
to this holiday as "chag ha'matzot", and
hence the celebration
of the final day should be called "shvii shel
chag ha'matzot".
[Note that in tefilah, the name of the
holiday is chag
ha'matzot - and not chag ha'Pesach.]
THE SHALOSH REGALIM IN PARSHAT MISHPATIM
Even though the seven days of "chag
ha'matzot" are first
mentioned independently in Parshat Bo, and
apparently as part
of an historical holiday; in Parshat
Mishpatim they are
presented once again - but this time as the
first of a set of
three agricultural holidays:
"Three times a year you shall hold a
festival for Me.
Keep:
* CHAG HA'MATZOT - SEVEN days you shall
eat matza as I
have commanded you [i.e. in Parshat Bo
12:15-10 & 13:2-8] at
its set time in the [first] month of the
spring ["chodesh
ha'aviv"] - for in [that month] you left
Egypt...
* CHAG HA'KATZIR [the Harvest holiday] -
the first grain
of your labor from what you sow in the
field, and
* CHAG HA'ASIF [the Fruit Harvest
holiday] when you
gather in the fruits of your toil from the
field.
* THREE TIMES a year, all your males
shall appear before
the Lord - Hashem..."
(see Shmot 23:14-17)
Review these psukim once again, noting how
they present the
"shalosh regalim" as a unit, and how the
names of each holiday
focus primarily on its agricultural aspect.
Furthermore,
these holidays are described solely by their
'seasonal' date,
without even mentioning the precise lunar
date.
It's rather obvious how each of these three
holidays
corresponds to a critical time in the
agricultural year in the
land of Israel:
(1) a spring holiday [chag ha'matzot,
b'aviv] - when the
fruit trees blossom, and the grain begins to
ripen.
(2) the grain harvest holiday [chag
ha'katzir - early
summer] - when most of the barely and wheat
harvest is
complete
(3) the fruit-gathering holiday [chag
ha'asif - late summer]
- after most of the grapes, figs, and dates
have been
gathered.
These seasons are especially important in
the Land of
Israel, where it rains only in the winter,
and hence its
produce is harvested only once a year (during
the summer).
For example, all of the grain that will be
consumed during
the course of the year is harvested during a
short time,
between the late spring and early summer. If
that grain
harvest fails, a famine will likely result,
for the grain will
not grow again until the next spring.
Similarly, the trees bear their fruit only
once a year,
towards the end of the summer. If that short
fruit harvest
season fails, the next crop will not grow
until the next year.
Based on these observations, it appears
that these "shalosh
regalim" are simply 'agricultural' holidays,
not very
different than holidays found in the culture
of other nations,
especially in agrarian societies.
So why are they 'special times' for God's
'special nation'?
THE 'DANGER' OF WORKING THE LAND
In ancient societies, it was very common
to relate the
success or failure of crops (or agriculture
in general) to a
pantheon of gods who controlled the various
powers of nature.
For example, historians inform us that the
ancient Canaanites
believed in a god who controlled the rain -
known as Baal; and
another who controlled fertility, known as
Ashera.
Recall as well that God had taken Bnei
Yisrael out of Egypt
in order that they would conquer the Land of
Canaan, and
establish therein a special nation that would
represent Him.
Towards that purpose, God brought Bnei
Yisrael to Har Sinai,
where they entered a covenant and received a
complete set of
laws that would guide their behavior in the
Land of Israel -
which include the laws in Parshat Mishpatim!
Therefore, we
should not be surprised to find laws in the
Torah that relate
to the danger of following other gods,
especially in relation
to the agriculture of the land.
Even though God had proven His existence to
His people via
the miracles of the Exodus, and by providing
for their
physical needs in the desert with the manna
(& water); there
remained a serious fear that this belief
would wane once the
nation conquered the land, and their
livelihood became
dependent instead on cultivation of the land.
This included
the reasonable fear that Bnei Yisrael would
follow the local
customs of the other peoples living in Eretz
Canaan, and begin
to worship other gods.
THE SHALOSH REGALIM & AGRICULTURE
With this in mind, let's consider the
transition pasuk
(23:13) in Parshat Mishpatim that introduces
the laws of the
"shalosh regalim". Recall how Parshat
Mishpatim presented a
complete unit of both civil and ethical laws,
that began back
in chapter 21 (see Shmot 21:1 thru 23:12/ see
also TSC shiur
on Parshat MIshpatim). At the conclusion of
that unit, we
find a short 'summary phrase', followed by a
very interesting
additional command:
"... and ALL [these mitzvot] which I have
told you be sure
to keep, and the NAMES of other gods do not
mention; their
names should not be heard on your lips. -
"shalsoh regalim"
- you shall celebrate [instead] for Me!...
(see 23:13-14)
Note how immediately after this summary
phrase (in 23:13)
God warns Bnei Yisrael: 'DO NOT even mention
the NAMES of
these other gods (and certainly don't worship
them), instead -
celebrate before God three times a year -
during these three
critical times of the agricultural year!
Clearly, these 'NAMES of other gods'
refer to the
'agricultural gods' such as the Canaanite
gods of Baal and
Ashera. This would explain why the laws of
the "shalosh
regalim" that follow focus on how God expects
His nation to
celebrate these agricultural holidays. Let's
examine those
psukim once again to identify the primary
mitzvah associated
with these holidays:
"Three times a year you shall hold a
festival for Me. Keep
(1) CHAG HA'MATZOT - SEVEN days you shall
eat MATZA... in
the [first] month of the SPRING ["chodesh
ha'aviv"] - for
in [that month] you left Egypt...
(2) CHAG HA'KATZIR [the Harvest holiday]
- the first
[grain] of your labor from what you sow
in the field, and
(3) CHAG HA'ASIF [the Fruit Harvest
holiday] when you
gather in the fruits of your toil from
the field.
THREE TIMES a year, all your males shall
appear before the
Lord - Hashem..." (Shmot 23:14-17)
[Later in Devarim 16:1-17, in a
parallel passage, the
Torah explains that this "aliyah
la'regel" must take
place "ba'Makom asher yivchar Hashem"
- or better known
as the bet ha'Mikdash in Jerusalem.]
Clearly, the primary mitzvah that links
all of these
holidays together is the obligation to
'visit' [lit. 'to be
seen'] by God - what we refer to as "aliyah
la'regel".
At each of these three critical times of
the agricultural
year, the Torah obligates us to 'visit God'.
Apparently, God wants Bnei His nation to
gather at His
Temple during these critical times of the
agricultural year -
not only to thank God for their harvest, but
also as a
preventive measure to make sure that Bnei
Yisrael would not
worship other gods at these key times of
agricultural year.
A similar fear is spelled more
explicitly in Sefer
Devarim, also in relation to Bnei Yisrael's
imminent entry
into the land:
"And it shall be, when God shall bring you
into the land
which He swore unto thy fathers...., and
give you great and
goodly cities, which you did not build...
and cisterns hewn
out, which thou the didst not hew,
vineyards and olive-
trees, which you did not plant, and you
shall eat and be
satisfied--
then beware lest thou forget HASHEM, who
brought you out of
the land of Egypt....
Do not go after other gods, of the gods of
the peoples that
are round about you.... lest the anger of
God be kindled
against you..." (see Devarim 6:10-15, see
also 8:1-15!)
Based on this interpretation, there is
ample reason to
celebrate these three pilgrimage holidays,
even had no
significant events taken place in Jewish
history during those
times of the year. Nonetheless, the Torah
goes out of his way
to emphasize how Bnei Yisrael must remember
their Exodus -
specifically in the spring: Recall Moshe
Rabeinu's first
speech to Bnei Yisrael, immediately after
they left Egypt and
camped in the desert:
"And Moshe said to the people: 'Remember
this day that you
are leaving Egypt... today you are leaving
in the month of
the SPRING. [Hence,] when you come to
Israel... keep this
custom in this month. Seven days eat
matza..."
[See Shmot 13:3-6, note also Devarim
16:1-2.]
Therefore, it would only be logical to
conclude that it was
not simply incidental that God took Bnei
Yisrael out of Egypt
in the spring. Rather, it appears that God
intentionally
wanted our annual celebration of the Exodus
to coincide with
the beginning of the spring. In fact, God
seems to have
orchestrated those events, to make sure that
our holiday of
redemption would fall out in the spring!
With this mind, let's return now to the
'seven' days of
"chag ha'matzot", and attempt to explain why
this
'historical/agricultural holiday' should last
seven days.
WHY SEVEN?
Considering that the agricultural
holidays relate to
'nature' and its yearly cycle of fruit
production, the Torah
demands that we relate these powers of nature
to the one God
who created them. But how do we express this
belief?
Recall from our shiur on Parshat Breishit
how we explained
that this very point was the primary message
of the first
chapter of Sefer Breishit. The Torah's use
of the name
'Elokim' to describe God, even though it is
written in the
plural form [lit. all of the powers],
emphasized how all the
'powers of nature' that appear to work
independently - are
truly the work of one God. Stage by stage,
the organized
world of nature was created by Elokim, one
day at a time - for
six days. By keeping Shabbat, once every
seven days, we
remember this point; and by refraining from
work (or any
'creativity'), we show our belief that it was
God Himself who
created nature and continues to oversee it.
From this perspective, any time in the
Bible where we find
'seven days', it would be safe to assume that
it relates in
some manner to that same concept that there
is only one God,
and He is the true power behind all the
phenomena that we
refer to as nature.
This can explain why "chag ha'matzot" is
celebrated for
seven days, in the beginning of the spring.
By celebrating
for 'seven days' at the beginning of the
spring when nature
blossoms in full force, and then counting
'seven weeks' until
the grain harvest is complete; and then
celebrating yet
another 'seven days' and the conclusion of
the fall fruit
harvest - we relate all these phenomena of
nature to God
Himself.
[Note how almost every ancient [and even
modern] culture
relates its prosperity to powers of various
gods. In
Judaism, we declare that there is only one
God, and our
prosperity is a function of His will. (See
Devarim 11:10-
21!)]
THE SHALOSH REGALIM IN EMOR
To support this explanation, let's take
a look at how the
holidays are presented in Parshat Emor.
In our study of Parshat Emor (Vayikra
chapter 23), we
noticed how each of the "shalosh regalim"
included a special
law that relates to agricultural, and the
specific season of
each holiday.
On chag ha'matzot - the OMER offering /
see 23:9-14;
from the first barely harvest, the
first grain to ripen.
On Shavuot - the SHTEI HA'LECHEM / see
23:15-21;
an offering brought from the first
wheat harvest.
On Succot - the ARBA MINIM [four
species] / see 23:39-41;
the lulav, etrog, hadas and aravot
are waived
Note also how in each of these mitzvot
the holiday itself
is referred to as a 'shabbat' or 'shabbaton'!
[See 23:11,15,&
39!] One could suggest that the Torah's use
of the word
'shabbat' to describe these holidays also
relates back to
"shabbat Breishit" and the creation of nature
in seven days.
[See the TSC shiur on Rosh ha'Shana which
discussed the
agricultural aspect of Rosh ha'Shana & Yom
Kippur as well,
i.e. the beginning of the autumn rain
season.]
As we would expect, each special mitzvah
relates to the
specific time of the agricultural year in
which it falls.
THE SHALOSH REGALIM IN SEFER DEVARIM
Finally, the Torah's presentation of the
"shalosh
regalim" in Parshat Re'ay (see Devarim
16:1-16), also
emphasizes agriculture as a primary theme of
these holidays,
as well as the number seven:
Its opening phrase reminds us to "keep the
month of the
SPRING - and celebrate Passover". Then, we
are commanded to
eat matza for the SEVEN days that follow the
Passover offering
(see 16:3). Then, note how Sefer Devarim then
presents the
mitzvah to celebrate the seventh day of "chag
ha'matzot" in a
manner very similar to the mitzvah of
Shabbat:
"Six days you shall eat matzot, and on the
SEVENTH DAY there
shall be an ATZERET [a gathering] for the
Lord your God, you
shall not do any work."
(see Devarim 16:8, compare w/Shmot
20:8-10)
Similarly, Shavuot as well is presented
as follows:
"Count SEVEN weeks from the beginning of your
grain
harvest..." While Succot begins with: "Keep
the holiday of
Succot for SEVEN days, when you gather your
harvest..."
Once again, we find thanking God for our
produce, and the
number seven, as the primary theme of the
"shalosh regalim".
BACK TO HISTORY
Based on our above explanation, it
appears that the
agricultural seasons alone provide reason
enough to celebrate
before God on the "shalosh regalim".. So why
must each holiday
include a historical aspect as well?
The reason why may be quite fundamental.
As we explained
above, God intentionally planned for Am
Yisrael to leave Egypt
in the spring - but we did not explain why.
One could suggest that by celebrating
our redemption and
freedom in the spring, Bnei Yisrael will
better appreciate
what our freedom is all about. As spring
fills the air with
hope and high expectations [what we call
'spring fever'] and
signals the beginning of a new season; we
must assess the
appreciation of our freedom as well. By
remembering how (and
why) God granted us our freedom - we become
inspired, for it
enables tremendous opportunities (& raises
our hopes) for
national and spiritual growth. It's a 'new
start' - with all
its excitement and potential, if nurtured
properly!
The celebration of our redemption from
Egypt in the
spring may reflect this very purpose.
Yetziat Mitzraim can be
understood as the initial stage in a long and
complex
historical process leading towards the next
two key stages of
our national destiny:
* Matan Torah - the giving of the laws
at Har Sinai -
which we celebrate on SHAVUOT; and
* Entering the Promised land - where the
nation will be
established - which we celebrate on
SUCCOT.
Furthermore, by adding historical
significance to key
agricultural times of the year, the Torah
helps us recognize
that the same God who oversees our national
history [i.e. who
performed the miracles of Exodus etc.] is
also the same God
who oversees nature (and will provide the
produce of the
land).
[In our previous shiurim on Shavuot and
Succot, we discussed
the connection between those holidays and
their agricultural
time of the year as well. It should be
noted the Torah
itself only provides historical reasons for
chag ha'matzot
and succot. However the historical reasons
for Shavuot
[Matan Torah] and Yom Kippur [the second
luchot] are rather
obvious. (The question is actually quite
the opposite, i.e.
why doesn't Chumash mention explicitly the
rather obvious
historical connection?) Therefore, it only
makes sense that
Chazal would assume that the seventh day of
chag ha'matzot
should have historic significance as well,
and "kriyat yam
Suf" becomes the most obvious candidate.]
BACK TO KRIYAT YAM SUF
One could even suggest a thematic
connection between the
historical event of the splitting of the Red
Sea and the
seventh day of chag ha'matzot. From an
agricultural
perspective, the spring marks a new
beginning, and clearly
marks a new start. In a similar manner we
can view the events
of "Kriyat Yam Suf".
Recall how Bnei Yisrael, expressed their
fear of the
Egyptians as they felt that they had been
trapped at the Red
Sea:
"As Pharaoh drew near, Bnei Yisrael lifted
their eyes and
saw the Egyptians advancing. Greatly
frightened, Bnei
Yisrael cried out... saying: 'Were there
not enough graves
in Egypt that you brought us to die in the
desert?
... Is this not what we told you back in
Egypt - LEAVE US
ALONE and let us serve Egypt... Moshe
calmed the people
saying: 'Have no fear... for in the MANNER
which you view
Egypt today, you will no longer see them in
this way ever
again..."
[See 14:10-14 (and previous shiur
on Be'shalach).]
Up until that point in their history, Bnei
Yisrael still
viewed themselves as subservient to Egypt.
That was the only
existence that they ever experienced. The
miracle of "kriyat
Yam Suf", just like the spring, marked a new
beginning for the
nation of Israel, as they now march into the
desert, totally
cut off from their Egyptian masters.
FREEDOM FOR SERVITUDE
What would Bnei Yisrael do with their
freedom?
Would they wisely reap its 'fruits' - to
properly serve God?
During the seven weeks of intense
experiences in the desert,
from the Exodus until they arrive at Har
Sinai, God
consistently 'tests' the His people,
preparing them for the
challenge of Matan Torah.
Just as it will take another seven weeks
from the early
spring barley harvest ("omer") until we can
reap the fruits of
our wheat harvest ("shtei ha'lechem") in the
early summer - it
will take us seven weeks of preparation, to
internalize the
spiritual message of Passover - until we are
ready once again
to re-accept the covenant at Har Sinai on
Shavuot. That in
itself would be reason enough to set aside a
special holiday
[an "Atzeret"/ see Devarim 16:8] on "shvii
shel Pesach" - to
contemplate the purpose of our freedom - and
a sense of
direction for the year that has just begun.
Something to think about when counting
Sefirat ha'omer!
chag samayach,
menachem
FOR FURTHER IYUN
=================
BACK TO BRIT BEIN HA'BTARIM
A. In our shiurim on chag ha'matzot and
Magid, we discussed
the thematic connection between the process
of Yetziat
Mitzraim, and God's original covenant with
Avraham Avinu -
brit bein ha'btarim - which already
forecasted that process of
enslavement and redemption. With that
background, one could
view the manner by which Bnei Yisrael crossed
thru the Red Sea
as thematically parallel to that covenant.
The most basic parallel is simply
passing in between two
parts (see also Yirmiyahu 34:18!) as a symbol
of entering into
a covenant. Note also the word "gezarim"
(split into two
parts) as it is used in Breishit 15:17 and
Tehillim 136:13 (in
a description of "kriyat yam suf".
Note also "tanur ashan v'lapid aish" (in
15:17) which
reminds us of the "amud anan & amud ha'aish"
that protect Bnei
Yisrael at the Red Sea and lead them through
the desert (see
Shmot 14:24).
Finally see Breishit 15:6 - "v'he'emin
b'Hashem",
parallel to Shmot 14:31 - v"hae'eminu
b'Hashem uv'Moshe avdo".
OTHER REASONS FOR SEVEN DAYS
B. See Chizkuni on Shmot 12:15 (in the middle
of his pirush)
where he explains that chag ha'matzot is
specifically seven
days to correspond to the seven days that
each plague lasted.
Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim Part III
chapter 43, in his
explanation of the various holidays, explains
that if we only
at matza (or sat in the Succah) for one or
two days, the
change would not be noticed. Only be eating
matza (and not
eating chametz) for a full seven days does it
become clear to
everyone that we are changing our routine to
eat ONLY matza -
and by doing so we recall the events of
Yetziat Mitzraim.
A PARALLEL "ZACHOR V'SHAMOR"
C. When we hear "zachor v'shamor", we
immediately relate
these two commands with SHABBAT, for they are
the two opening
statements which introduce the mitzvah of
shabbat in the Ten
Commandments in Yitro (see Shmot 20:8) and
Ve'etchanan (see
Devarim 5:12).
However, we find a similar pattern by
chag ha'matzot:
When Bnei Yisrael first receive the mitzvah
in Shmot we find:
"ZCHOR et ha'yom ha'zeh asher yatzata
m'Mitzraim..."
(13:3)
compare with the mitzvah in Devarim:
"SHMOR et chodesh ha'aviv, v'asita
PESACH... shivat yamim
tochal alav MATZOT..." (see 16:1-3)
Relate this to the above shiur.
Note also the 'conflicting' reasons for
shabbat in the
Ten Commandment in Yitro & Ve'etchanan.
"... Six days you shall work, but on the
SEVENTH day you
shall rest, in order that your ox and
donkey may rest and
that your bondsman and the stranger may
rest as well.
"CHUKAT OLAM..."
D. Notice in Parshat Emor (Vayikra 23) how
each of the
agricultural mitzvot ends with the pasuk:
"chukat olam l'doroteichem b'chol
MOSHVOTEICHEM"
[Note this after the mitzvah of omer, shtei
ha'lechem, yom
kippur, and succot!]
Note however how succot is different,
for it is missing
"moshvoteichem". But look at the pasuk that
follows! Can you
now explain why!?
A YOM TOV FOR CHAG HA'MATZOT
E. One could understand the holiday on the
seventh day as the
primary holiday of chag ha'matzot (see
Devarim 16:8) and the
holiday on the first day of yom tov as the
holiday of 'korban
Pesach'. This could explain the need for two
yom-tovim on
chag ha'matzot. Relate this possibility to
the above shiur.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.atlchai.org/pipermail/par-lite/attachments/20130331/313efb21/attachment-0001.html>
More information about the Par-lite
mailing list