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by Rabbi E. Tauger
Nissan
The Month
of Redemption
This month is one of the few whose theme
is explicitly stated by our Sages. On the verse, "This month shall
be the head of months, the first of the months of the year," they
comment: "When the Holy One, blessed be He, chose His world, He
established the beginning of months. When He chose Jacob and his
sons, He established for them a month of redemption." Nisan is the
month of redemption. Moreover, it is "the head of months," establishing
a pattern for the months that follow.
What We Mean by Redemption
The above quote also gives us some insight
into the definition of Redemption. G-d established a natural order
for the world. Flowers bloom, birds chirp, it rains and then the
sun shines. It's a beautiful world. Why shouldn't it be? G-d created
it. Would He make it otherwise?
It's true, He left part of the creation process to man and man can
create problems. There is unfinished work left for man, he can cause
difficulties for himself or for others which appear as - and may
even be - oppressive. But that is all external. Within the world,
there is an internal rhythm that is G-dly. When we tune into that
rhythm, we will discover the inner strength to overcome most of
the challenges we face and to be at peace with those that we cannot
surmount.
New Horizons
Why then do we need Redemption? We don't
need Redemption to solve our problems with our fellow men. We can
do that with a little bit of patience, understanding, and love.
We don't need Redemption for wealth and prosperity. We can do that
with knowledge, hard work, and the realization that the pie is big
enough for everyone and the good fortune of others multiplies one's
own. And even health is to a large extent accessible without Redemption.
For if we both keep in sync with our bodies' natural patterns and
use the breakthroughs that modern science has given us, we can avoid
or heal most sickness and live long and fruitful lives.
Then what do we need redemption for? To become conscious of G-d.
In our present framework, we can appreciate that there is an inner
pattern to creation. When we look deeper, we can appreciate that
there is a Hand that set this pattern in order. For it is not logical
to assume that such a carefully integrated system as our world came
into being by random happenings. So we can understand that G-d is
at work. But we don't see Him, we see the world that He brings into
being and maintains. From the world, we deduce that He must exist.
But within the present framework of our existence, there is no way
that we can appreciate Him as He is for Himself.
That's what Redemption is all about. To lift the veil and enable
man to perceive G-d, not as He manifests Himself in a limited, contained
framework, but to see Him as He is, without limitation.
Is it He or Us?
Why is redemption necessary for man to come
to this awareness? Because he simply cannot do it on his own. He
is part of the limited sphere of creation and can't go beyond that.
To understand G-d as He is for Himself, as He transcends creation,
is simply beyond mortal capacity and must be granted by G-d.
But then a question immediately comes to mind: If this cannot be
achieved by man and requires G-d's intervention, what is He waiting
for? Why didn't He just reveal this dimension of existence at the
beginning of creation? Doing so would have alleviated much suffering
and hardship, for mankind has strayed from the Divine rhythm with
which He endowed creation. One does not have to look past the front
page of the newspaper or the first pages of any history to see how
man has marred G-d's world with killings and cruelty. Why didn't
G-d avoid this and reveal Himself to man at the outset? Afterwards,
all of creation would have been different. For in an environment
of revealed G-dliness, man would not act depravedly.
Among the answers given is that man has a tendency to appreciate
what he has earned. If this revelation would have been granted to
man as a gift from above, he would not have felt comfortable in
receiving it. To borrow an expression from the Zohar, it would have
been "bread of shame."
But this answer merely deflects the question. For after all, this
tendency was also created by G-d. It did not have to be. He ingrained
it within our being only because He wanted to.
So why did He want to? Why did He want us to earn the revelation
of G-dliness and undergo all the trials and tribulation of history?
He could have made us appreciative of revelation from above and
then revealed everything to us.
The Uniqueness of Man's Potential
To resolve this query, we have to appreciate
G-d's intent in creating man. He didn't want merely that man appreciate
G-dliness as an external factor, He wanted man to be G-dly.
What is unique about G-d? That He alone is the Creator. There is
no other entity physical or spiritual who can make something new
out of absolute nothingness.
And man is also given a chance to create. Or more specifically to
create in reverse. G-d made a material world out of absolute nothingness.
And out of the crass materiality of our world, man makes spiritual
existence. In doing this, He reveals a potential that is truly G-dly,
giving full expression to the spark of G-dly fire contained within
His soul. This is man's work in preparing the world for redemption
Not a Dream of a Distant
Future
The Lubavitcher Rebbe has announced: "The
time for the Redemption has arrived. The tasks have already been
completed. All that is necessary is to open our eyes." On the
most obvious level, the Rebbe is saying that over the course of
the centuries, man has been working at the above-mentioned task:
laboring to refine the material and give expression to the G-dly
energy it contains.
After all these centuries, we have crossed the watershed. For there
is no situation and no element of existence that has not been used
to express G-dliness. Now is the time to understand the motif, to
turn our attention to what we and our ancestors have been doing
for all these centuries. And as we turn our attention to Him, He
will turn His attention to us, revealing how our world is His dwelling,
the place where His essence comes into expression.
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Telling
Tales
Yud-Alef Nissan is the birthday
of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Many throughout the world have witnessed
miracles the Rebbe has performed. There are others, however - some
out of disbelief and some because of the deep-felt understanding
that the Rebbe has more than miracles to communicate to us - would
downplay this dimension of his being. An important purpose, however,
is served by telling such stories. For they open us up to a dimension
of G-dliness that transcends the natural order, enabling us to appreciate
the G-dly element latent within our world. In that vein, we would
like to share the following story:
A tall, dark, and good-looking gentleman
walked into 770 and asked to see the Rebbe. Rabbi Groner, the Rebbe's
secretary, asked him who he was and the purpose of his visit.
"I am a doctor from South America," the visitor replied,
"and I would like to meet the man who can perform life-saving
miracles from thousands of miles away."
The man was an obstetrician. A Jewish woman had entered his hospital
to give birth, but he had immediately realized there were severe
complications. He called the husband aside and told him that a major
decision had to be made. Either the baby could be delivered, which
would kill the mother, or the infant could be sacrificed to save
the woman. The decision was the father's, but he had to make his
choice quickly.
The father wept, not knowing what to do. Then a Jewish woman standing
nearby, hearing the man's anguish, approached and gently asked if
anything could be done.
The husband told her the choice that he had to make, and confessed
that he simply didn't know what to tell the doctor.
The woman answered that there was a great tzaddik in New York who
could work wonders. She then took the initiative and called the
Rebbe's office. When Rabbi Groner was told the story, he said he
would consult the Rebbe, and that the person should call back soon.
The Rebbe told Rabbi Groner to find out if the mother-to-be would
accept the mitzvah of taharas hamishpachah.
When the man called back and was given the Rebbe's reply, his sister-in-law
(who was with him) promised that she would see to it that her sister
kept the mitzvah.
When the Rebbe received this assurance, he told Rabbi Groner that
the husband should instruct the doctor to deliver the baby, and
that both mother and child would be safe.
The happy results so surprised the physician that on his next trip
to the US, he made it a point to visit 770.
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Pessach
Celebrating Pesach Today
We do not come to the seder merely to commemorate a story that
took place more than 3000 years ago. Although we may have never
seen Egypt and never tasted actual slavery, the message of redemption
conveys a contemporary message to each of us.
The Hebrew name for Egypt, Mitzrayim, resembles the word meitzarim,
meaning "boundaries" or "limitations." Egypt
is not only a geographic location, but a state of mind.
For each of us, there are forces, internal and external, that
contain us and prevent us from expressing who we really are. "Leaving
Egypt" means stepping beyond those boundaries and enabling
the fundamental truth that lies at the core of our beings to become
manifest. This is what our Sages meant when they said: "In
every generation, a person is obligated to regard himself as if
he personally left Egypt."
Our Pesach experiences should initiate an ongoing pattern. To
emphasize that point, the Lubavitch Haggadah does not include
the passage Chasal Siddur Pesach, "the Passover Seder has
been concluded." For going beyond our individual boundaries
and tasting personal freedom at the Seder inspires us to continue
this motif and rise above all the constraints which hold us back.
When the exodus is understood in this manner, the entire realm
of Jewish experience can be appreciated as stepping stones leading
us out of Egypt, the forces of confinement, and towards Eretz
Yisrael, the ultimate appreciation of our reality to be experienced
with the coming of Mashiach.
The Seventh Day Of Pesach
The seventh day of Pesach commemorates the splitting of the Red
Sea. This too is an event which is more than history. Our Rabbis
explain that until the Jews saw the Egyptians washed up on the
shores of the Red Sea, they still feared them. Thus the splitting
of the Red Sea represents the last step out of Egypt, how we leave
not only the physical confines of that land, but its grips on
our mentality.
Moreover, the splitting of the Red Sea represents a wondrous miracle,
a revelation of G-dliness so great that our Sages said: "A
maid-servant at the Red Sea saw greater revelations than the prophet
Ezekiel." It conveys the potential for such transcendent
revelation to future generations.
Acharon Shel Pesach - The Last Day Of Pesach
The Haftorah reading for this day centers around the coming of
Mashiach, containing Isaiah's stirring prophecies of the unique
era which Mashiach will introduce: "A shoot shall emerge
from the stem of Yishai and a branch shall sprout forth from his
roots. The spirit of G-d will rest upon him.... The wolf will
dwell with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the young
goat...The earth will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the
sea covers up the ocean bed."
Moreover, our experience of Mashiach does not remain confined
to the realm of thought. On Acharon Shel Pessach before sunset,
we follow the custom initiated by the Baal Shem Tov, partaking
of Mashiach's Seudah, "the feast of Mashiach." Partaking
of Mashiach's Seudah translates our awareness of Mashiach into
a meal, a physical experience which associates this concept with
our actual flesh and blood.
The Baal Shem Tov would celebrate this meal with matzah, "the
food of faith," for with Mashiach's coming, our faith will
be lifted to higher plateaus. To this, the Rebbe Rashab, the fifth
Lubavitcher Rebbe, added the custom of drinking four cups of wine,
indicating that Mashiach will not only expand our powers of faith,
but will also expand our understanding to new frontiers.
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Torah
readings of the month
Parshas VaYikra
The Haftorah read this week
sheds light on the unique mission of the Jewish people, quoting
G-d as saying: "This people I fashioned for Myself; that they
declare My praise." Every Jew, whether He desires to accept
this mission or not, was brought into being for one purpose: to
"declare G-d's praise."
Now no entity can go against its fundamental identity and thus in
one way or another every Jew is doing just that: making the world
aware of G-dliness and making His presence known throughout existence.
Parshas Tzav
The conclusion of the Torah
reading details the preparations which Moses and the entire people
underwent for the dedication of the Sanctuary. For seven days, Moses
would set up the Sanctuary and bring its offerings. But these were
all preparatory acts, G-d's fire had not descended on the altar
and the Sanctuary was not revealed as holy.
Why was this preparation necessary? Because G-dliness does not rest
upon an imperfect medium. The purpose of the Sanctuary is to reveal
G-dliness that transcends man's grasp, however, man must prepare
the Sanctuary for that revelation, Moses and the people had to first
reveal the G-dliness that was within their reach. Hence, they spent
a full week, an entire cycle of human activity, preparing the stage
for G-d's revelation.
Parshas Shemini
TThis week's Torah reading
begins by describing the dedication of the Sanctuary, stating that
the dedication took place "On the eighth day." Our Rabbis
explain the significance of that phrase. Our natural existence is
divided into cycles of seven, as in the seven days of the week and
the seven millennia of existence.
Eight is seven plus one. It introduces the oneness of G-d into the
framework of our existence. It is, however, important to emphasize
that it is not one, but eight.
G-dliness is not revealed as independent transcendence, existing
above the level of worldly existence. Instead, this transcendence
permeates our framework of reference. This was the purpose of the
Sanctuary: to make a dwelling for G-d among mortals, enabling us
to perceive Him within the context of our day-to-day existence.
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Dates of the Month
Nissan 2
- the yahrzeit of the Rebbe Rashab, Rabbi Sholom Dovber of Lubavitch
Nissan 11 - the Rebbe's birthday
Nissan 13 - the yahrzeit of the Tzemach Tzedek, Rabbi Menachem
Mendel of Lubavitch
Nissan 14 - the birthday of the Rambam
Nissan 18 - the birthday of the Rebbe's father, Rabbi Levi
Yitzchak Schneerson
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