A Tefillin Riddle - Bo 5771

This week we have the Mitzvah of Tefillin twice in the Parsha. There is a Ramban in his introduction to Devarim who Klers (wonders) if the many Mitzvos that were said in Devarim were first told to Klal Yisrael at the end of the 40 years when the Chumash of Devarim takes place or did Moshe Rabbeinu tell it to them earlier and it was only recorded here.

The Ramban leans towards saying that these things were told at this point when Klal Yisrael was at the end of the 40 years. This seems to be a problem. Klal Yisrael was obligated in the Mitzvah of Tefillin in this week’s Parsha 40 years earlier. As you know, Tefillin contain within them the Parshios of Shema - V’ohavta and V’hoyo Im Shemoa which are in Parshas Va’eschanan and Parshas Eikev. Yet they were not even said until Parshas Va’eschanan and Parshas Eikev. How can the Ramban say that those Parshios were not said until after the 40 years? How else could Klal Yisrael be wearing Tefillin all this time?

Midnight - It's Where You're Headed - Bo 5771

Makkas Bechoros happened at the stroke of midnight. What was so special about midnight that that became the time that they were going to get permission to go out of Mitzrayim, that this was the time that the Bechorim died? Is it coincidental? It could have been a sunset, sunrise, midday? What is special about midnight?

We know Kabbalistically an idea that is brought in Halchacha that the first half of the night is a Zman Hadin, and the second half of the night is Zman of Rachamim. Those who say Tikkun Chatzos only say it after midnight. What is special astronomically about midnight that it becomes a Zman Harachamim?

The answer is that the sun which is not visible during the entire night is as we know traveling on the other side of the earth.  The first half of the night it is becoming more and more distant from the location in which a person is. So that here in Brooklyn when the sun sets it is becoming more and more distant from where I am during the first half of the night. At midnight a change occurs. The sun turns the corner so to speak. Now it becomes closer and closer to me as it makes it circuit around the earth. So that midnight is the idea of coming in the right direction. We know that in Yiddishkeit that direction is everything.  Where you are holding in your Avodas Hashem is meaningful but not that meaningful. The direction you are going in is much more meaningful. The direction of a Baal Teshuva brings him to a greater level than the direction of a regular person who might in absolute terms might be on a higher level but might not be moving to a higher level and becoming closer to Hakadosh Baruch Hu.   

The idea of Chatzos Laylah is the direction. After midnight you are going towards a time of more light, more Rachamim and therefore after midnight is a special time a Zman of Rachamim. The idea is the same idea as (מִשְׁכוּ, וּקְחוּ לָכֶם). Mishchu Yidaichem Mai’avoda Zorah, be heading in the right direction. After all is said and done that is really what counts.

Rav Pam once said a similar idea and it was printed in the Haggadah in which they put Rav Pam’s Vertlach. He said that in Shulchan Aruch we find that we put on Tzitzis first and Tefillin second. As a matter of fact in Shulchan Aruch, Mitzvas Tzitzis is first and Mitzvas Tefillin is second. This is because Maalin B’kodesh V’ain Moridin. We want to move upwards in Kodesh.

The Shagas Aryei in Siman 28 asks a Kasha. We don’t find such a concept of Maalin B’kodesh V’ain Moridin except by an individual Mitzvah. If you have Tefillin and you want to change the Retzua of the Tefillin Shel Rosh and put it on the Shel Yad we say Maalin B’kodesh V’ain Moridin. If there are 2 different Mitzvos we don’t find the concept of Maalin B’kodesh V’ain Moridin. Each Mitzvah stands for itself.

The Eliyahu Rabba answes the Shagas Aryei’s Kasha. Maalin B’kodesh V’ain Moridin he says, is not talking about the Mitzvas of Tzitzis or Tefillin. It is talking about the person. The person has to be a person of Maalin B’kodesh V’ain Moridin.  He should put on Tzitzis first and Tefillin second. His body should be moving up B’kodesh. The direction is everything.  

Mishchu U'Kchu - Bo 5771

12:21 The first Posuk after Chamishi when Moshe Rabbeinu calls together the Ziknei Yisroel and says to them (וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה לְכָל-זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם:  מִשְׁכוּ, וּקְחוּ לָכֶם צֹאן לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיכֶם--וְשַׁחֲטוּ הַפָּסַח). He tells them the Mitzvah of Korban Pesach and the language used is (מִשְׁכוּ, וּקְחוּ לָכֶם). The Gemara understands to Darshun this Posuk as follows. Mishchu Yidaichem Mai’avoda Zorah, Uk’chu Lachem Tzon. First pull your hands back from the Avodah Zorah, which many Jews had become accustomed to in Mitzrayim, and then go purchase for yourselves a sheep for the Korban Pesach.

In the Sefer Panim Yafos he explains the question beautifully in a Derach Halachah. He asks, since the sheep were Avodah Zorah they should not have been suitable for a Korban. How did it become Kosher for the Korban Pesach?  

He answers based on a Halacha. In Maseches Avodah Zorah we find the following Halachah. That if a non Jew owns an Avodah Zorah it is possible for that Avodah Zorah to become permitted because of something called Bitul. What is Bitul? Bitul is when the non Jew who is an idol worshiper is Mevateil the Avodah Zorah. He shows that he no longer believes in it either by breaking it or by doing something to it which would show that he doesn’t respect it anymore. If he performs any type of such action, he could render that Avodah Zora something which is now permissible.

One type of Bitul is if an idol worshiper sells the idol to someone else who is himself not an idol worshiper. Someone who believes that it is an idol would not sell the god to someone who does not believe in it. Certainly not an animal which the person would kill. Therefore, when the Mitzrim sold their Avodah Zorah, their sheep, to a Jew, that itself constituted a Bitul which would make it Muttar.

But one minute. A sale only works as a Bitul if the purchaser himself is not an Oved Avodah Zorah. If the purchaser is himself an Oved Avodah Zorah then the sale doesn’t show Bitul. Therefore, the Posuk Mishchu Yidaichem Mai’avoda Zorah, first demonstrate that you no longer believe in Avodah Zorah and only then Uk’chu Lachem Tzon, then could you purchase for yourself sheep for the Korban. A beautiful Halachik interpretation.  

We have to add and stress that this was a tremendous Achrayos and responsibility on Klal Yisrael. Between the time that they were commanded and the time that they purchased the sheep they had to separate themselves from Avodah Zorah to a degree that it would be noticeable to all. That any non Jew who looked at them would understand that these people were no longer Oved Avodah Zorah. After all in their hearts they were not idol worshipers, however, if the sellers thought that they were, that would not be a Bitul. The whole point of the Bitul is that you have an idol worshiper who was selling to a non idol worshiper. This was the obligation of Klal Yisrael. Mishchu, to pull themselves back from being Oved Avodah Zorah , specifically at this moment, so that the Korban would be good.

Based on this we can understand something in Navi. In Melachim 2 Perek 23 we find that King Yoshiyahu (the last great king of Klal Yisrael) started a Teshuvah movement among the Jewish people.  We find there that when he started the Teshuvah movement it was right before Pesach. He afterwards gathered the Jews together and they offered the Korban Pesach and the Posuk says 23:22 (כִּי לֹא נַעֲשָׂה, כַּפֶּסַח הַזֶּה, מִימֵי הַשֹּׁפְטִים). That this Pesach was so extraordinary in that in the past centuries there had not been any Pesach such as that. We ask ourselves, what are you talking about? Dovid Hamelech, Shlomo Hamelech, they had Pesach. Certainly they were more knowledgeable and more Mehadeir B’mitzvos than the generation of Yoshiyahu who had just done Teshuvah?

What was so unique and special about Yoshiyahu’s Korban Pesach? Anyone who learns this part of Navi has to wonder, so many great Kings were before him, what was unique about his?

Now we can understand. The Korban Pesach of (מִשְׁכוּ, וּקְחוּ לָכֶם), go to the Korban Pesach as Baalei Teshuva, who have just withdrawn from being Oved Avodah Zorah, that was something that Dovid Hamelech and Shlomo Hamelech’s generation didn’t do, Yoshiyahu Hamelech’s generation did. The beauty of the Korban Pesach of Yoshiyahu is that they were moving in the direction of Teshuvah. That is what made it so special, so unique that it had not taken place on such a scale for centuries.

Pidyon Haben & A Riddle - Bo 5770

13:1 – 13:15 ב  קַדֶּשׁ-לִי כָל-בְּכוֹר פֶּטֶר כָּל-רֶחֶם, בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל--בָּאָדָם, וּבַבְּהֵמָה:  לִי, הוּא טו  וַיְהִי, כִּי-הִקְשָׁה פַרְעֹה לְשַׁלְּחֵנוּ, וַיַּהֲרֹג יְkוָk כָּל-בְּכוֹר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, מִבְּכֹר אָדָם וְעַד-בְּכוֹר בְּהֵמָה; עַל-כֵּן אֲנִי זֹבֵחַ לַיkוָk, כָּל-פֶּטֶר רֶחֶם הַזְּכָרִים, וְכָל-בְּכוֹר בָּנַי, אֶפְדֶּה Everyone knows that a child must be 30 days old in order to have a Pidyon Haben. What many people are unaware of is that there is a Machloikes Magen Avraham and Shach how to Teitch 30^th day for Pidyon Haben. The Magen Avraham holds that it has to be the 31^st calendar day. The Shach holds it has nothing to do with the calendar. You need 29 days, 12 hours, and 44 minutes, which is a Lunar month. Once that passes you do the Pidyon Haben. Sometimes this falls out on the 30^th day and sometimes on the 31^st day. L’halacha, we perform a Pidyon Haben only after both have passed which is why we never do a Pidyon Haben on the night of the 31^st day, because it will not always be after 29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes after birth. It is always done on the 31^st day. For example, if a baby is born on a Monday the Pidyon Haben is on a Wednesday.

The Posuk says that the reason for Pidyon Haben is because in Mitzrayim the Bechor of people and animals were killed therefore there is a Mitzvah of Pidyon Haben. Pidyon Haben has to be a Bechor to the mother, however, in Mitzrayim even a Bechor to a father and a Bechor to a mother died. This is a Gemara in Maseches Bava Metzia 61b (19 lines from the top) that Hakadoish Baruch Hu discerned in Mitzrayim who was a Bechor and who was not. אמר הקב"ה אני הוא שהבחנתי במצרים בין טפה של בכור לטפה שאינה של בכור

So how can it be that the Mitzva of Pidyon Haben is K’neged Makkas Bechoirois if Pidyon Haben and Makkas Bechoirois didn’t go with the same rules? There was no Teretz given for this Kasha.

Chametz And Rushing - Bo 5770

12:11 וְכָכָה, תֹּאכְלוּ אֹתוֹ--מָתְנֵיכֶם חֲגֻרִים, נַעֲלֵיכֶם בְּרַגְלֵיכֶם וּמַקֶּלְכֶם בְּיֶדְכֶם; וַאֲכַלְתֶּם אֹתוֹ בְּחִפָּזוֹן We memorialize the fact that the Yidden were rushing, by baking the Matzos in a rush. We are always told that rushing is not a good thing and here we are told to remember the rushing. What exactly is the wonderful thing about rushing?

The Arizal is known to have said, when Klal Yisrael left Mitzrayim, they couldn’t wait because if they had waited another moment, they would have fallen into the 50^th Shar of Tumah from which they wouldn’t have been able to get out from. Why did the Ribboinoi Shel Oilam wait until the very last minute to take them out? Why didn’t he take them out a day early and then he wouldn’t have had to rush?

Another question, let us say that the Geula would have happened a minute later, would the Yidden have fallen to the 50^th Shar? What was going on in Mitzrayim during this night of Makkas Bechoirois, was there a Yeitzer Hora for Avoida Zorah? How can we say that if they would have stayed for an extra moment in Mitzrayim that they would have fallen into the 50^th Shar Hatumah?

Rav Hutner in Pachad Yitzchak Maimar 1 Ois 1 on Pesach explains that there are 2 types of rushing and these 2 types of rushing are very central to all of our lives. There is one type of rushing that the time puts a pressure on you. For example a time deadline, like leaving late on a Friday afternoon. The second type of rushing is for something that is very important that you want to do like for example making sure everything is in its correct place if a dignitary would be visiting us.  

Klal Yisrael when leaving Mitzrayim were not pressured by the clock. We are talking about Klal Yisrael after 10 Makkos and serving as slaves for 210 years now being told that they could leave. If their leaving would not be important to them as to be L’mayla Min Hazman, in order to make them rush, then they would have fallen into the 50^th Shar Hatumah. How can you be in the 49^th Shar Hatumah and be presented with an opportunity to get out and not grab it B’chipazoin? If they wouldn’t have shown that enthusiasm then they would have fallen into the 50^th Shar Hatumah. So this B’chipazoin we are obligated to remember. This is why we have the rule Mitzvah She’boi B’yadcha Al Tach’mi’tzena. The Mitzvois must be important to us.

It is an excellent idea, not only to Teitch up all these questions but more importantly for a person to analyze his whole life and to see where he is going, where he is rushing and where he is heading.

How The Jews Carried On Pesach - Bo 5770

12:16 וּבַיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן, מִקְרָא-קֹדֶשׁ, וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, מִקְרָא-קֹדֶשׁ יִהְיֶה לָכֶם:  כָּל-מְלָאכָה, לֹא-יֵעָשֶׂה בָהֶם--אַךְ אֲשֶׁר יֵאָכֵל לְכָל-נֶפֶשׁ, הוּא לְבַדּוֹ יֵעָשֶׂה לָכֶם Rebbi started the Shiur with a Dvar Halacha. We know that when Klal Yisrael left Mitzrayim they took everything with them, including everything they owned and everything they borrowed. In addition, they also had Ugois Matzos with them. The problem is that Klal Yisrael had already been commanded to keep the first day of Pesach, Koidesh. At this point Klal Yisrael had not yet received the Torah, however, they were given some Mitzvois including Tefillin and Pidyoin Haben. In addition, they also received the Mitzvah of Chag Hapesach which included eating Matzah for seven days and that the first and seven days is Koidesh in that no Melacha could be done.  The only Melacha that was permitted was for Oichel Nefesh. So I can understand why they carried out with them from Mitzrayim the Matzos as that was for Oichel Nefesh, however, what was the Heter for them to take everything else that they took with them which included the wealth of Mitzrayim and their personal belongings?

The Chasam Soifer says that is why the Posuk says that they carried the Matzos in their hands whereas everything else was on the Behaimos. The reason is they only carried in their hands what was for Oichel Nefesh while everything else had to be carried by the Behaimos. This really wasn’t enough because there is an Issur D’oiraissa of Mechamer which applies to a Behaimah doing a Melacha for you. The Chasam Soifer brings a Gemara in Maseches Shabbos 153b (24 lines from the top) where it discusses if a person who is stuck on Friday late afternoon with a Hefsed Meruba, should have the animal carry and when it stops you lift the package off the animal and when it starts walking again you put the package back onto the animal. So in this way there is never an Akira or a Hanacha. אמר מר אין עמו נכרי מניחו על החמור והלא מחמר ורחמנא אמר (שמות כ) לא תעשה כל מלאכה א"ר אדא בר אהבה מניחו עליה כשהיא מהלכת והא אי אפשר דלא קיימא להשתין מים ולהטיל גללים ואיכא עקירה והנחה כשהיא מהלכת מניחו עליה כשהיא עומדת נוטלו הימנה The Chasam Soifer suggests that this is what Klal Yisrael did when they left Mitzrayim, by taking everything off and putting everything back on the animals. It seems a bit humorous that each person with 90 Chamoirim full of stuff would be picking up and putting down the packages as they went and stopped. The Kasha still remains what was the Heter?

A Teretz was offered. The Biur Halacha brings that Melacha is permitted for Tzorchei Mitzvah as we know you can carry a Lulav on Sukkos. Even though there is a Din of Lachem V’loi L’gavoi’a, however, a Mitzvois Hayoim you can carry for. Mimeila, it is very good, because the Ribboinoi Shel Oilam was Mechayeiv them to take out the wealth of Mitzrayim. Whatever they took out was the Dvar Mitzvah of the day. So there was a Heter for carrying.

This is good for the first day that it was Koidesh. What about the seventh day that was also Koidesh, they should have also not been permitted to carry? You can’t say that they parked and sat still, because we have a Kabbala that Kriyas Yam Suf was on the seventh day. So they obviously traveled?

When the Yidden walked through the Yam Suf there was water on either side of them so that there were walls of water on the side of them. You are permitted to carry if there are walls surrounding you. However, if there are walls only on 2 sides you are not permitted to carry?  The Gemara in Maseches Arachin 15a says that Klal Yisrael crossed the Yam Suf in a U shape crossing. They went into the Yam Suf and came out on the same southern bank as where they started however; it was at a different point as is shown in the diagram in the Artscroll Gemara 15a4. The question that remains is, why didn’t Klal Yisrael go directly across the Yam Suf? Had they gone directly across there would be the Issur of carrying. To go in a U shaped area where the water was in effect a wall on either side of them, the northern, eastern, and western side of them which in turn makes it permitted to carry M’doiraissa. This is why they came out the same side that they went in, in order that there were 3 walls surrounding them.