Rabbi Chaim Lobel
Inspiration from the Korban
Pesach
Young Israel of Aberdeen - Cong.
Bet Tefilah
(Exodus; Chapter 12, Verse 3 & 6) “Speak to the entire
assembly of Israel , saying: On the tenth of the month
(Month of Nissan) they shall take for themselves, each
individual, a lamb… one lamb per each household… It
shall be for you for safekeeping until the fourteenth
day of this month; the entire congregation of Israel
shall slaughter it in the afternoon.”
As the
Jewish nation prepares for the exodus, G-d commands the
Israelites to care for the lambs that will be used for
the Passover sacrifice.
Rashi
(12:6), a commentary on the Torah, explains that the
Jewish nation needed to watch their sacrificial lambs
for four days to ensure the lambs remained unblemished
prior to the Passover offering. The obligation to watch
over the lambs for four days was a one-time commandment;
in future years, the Jews could select unblemished lambs
on the day of the sacrifice.
Why
were the Jewish people given a one-time special
commandment? As Rashi explains, prior to the Exodus, the
Jewish people only had one mitzvah (commandment) -
circumcision. They were so immersed in Egyptian culture
that G-d provided the Children of Israel a special
commandment to inspire and lift them from the spiritual
depths.
But
Rashi's answer leads us to another question. The
Israelites had witnessed the ten plagues, the “finger of
G-d”. They witnessed G-d's “strong hand and outstretched
arm” at the splitting of the Sea of Reeds . The Jewish
nation was led through the desert by a pillar of flame
and the Clouds of Glory. Yet, not only were these
miracles not enough, the mitzvah of caring for a
sacrificial lamb was sufficient to inspire them?
Yes.
Inspiration without action is a fleeting emotion that
withers in time. Despite all the Israelites witnessed,
they would not have been able to sustain their spiritual
achievements unless they could channel that spirituality
through positive action. Through mitvahs, the Torah
gives us a means to reach spiritual heights and stay
there.
Shabbat Shalom
