EXOD152 As those going on a journey. R. Yossi Haglili says: Scripture is hereby teaching proper deportment to those setting out on a journey -- that they do things with dispatch. (Mechilta).

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD153 The symbol of putting the blood of the sacrifice on the doorposts once again demonstrated the unity of the Jewish home, the Jewish family. Therefore, to leave Egypt and truly become a people, the Jews first had to be united as a Jewish family.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD154 See [[DEUT210]] Deuteronomy 6:5 love SPERO 96

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD155 (Continued from [[DEUT863]] Deuteronomy 16:20 righteousness TZADIK 291). Rabbi Yehudah ben Tema said (Avos 5:20): "Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer, and strong as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven." See how the Sages have exhorted us to make ourselves light and strong for mitzvos! And this did David say (Tehillim 119:60): "I was quick and did not delay to heed Your mitzvos." And so did our Rabbis of blessed memory expound: "'And you shall heed the matzos' [this verse]--do not read it matzos, but mitzvos. If a mitzvah comes to hand, do not allow it to go stale, but do it immediately (Mechilta). And one must be extremely light, zealous, and strong to combat the wicked, to be as stouthearted as Moshe our teacher, may peace be upon him, who said (Shemos 32:27): "And Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon the priest, saw and he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand." Therefore, take great care to be extremely zealous to separate yourself from the company of the wicked, not to participate in their counsels and in their accords. Above all, one must be zealous to repent. He must make haste and not delay the process of repentance, so that he not remain wicked in Hashem' presence for even one moment. See how the ministers of kings and princes are swift in their embassies and services. How much more zealous must one be in the service of the King of kings, the Holy One Blessed be He!

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD156 …there is one annual holiday meal during which the Bible mandates meat eating: The Passover feast, at which every Jewish family is instructed to consume the Pascal Lamb Exodus 12:21 – 27. So basic was participation in the eating of this lamb that a Jew subjected himself to the punishment of karet -- which involves the possibility of premature death at the hand of God--by refusing to participate in this ritual Numbers 9:13. It is, therefore, clear that Judaism in the past did not sanction a complete vegetarian lifestyle. However, Jews have not sacrificed Paschal lambs since the destruction of the Second Temple (70 C.E.), and so the issue today is a moot one. (Also… Rabbi Kook ... [believes] that in messianic times all sacrifices will consist of vegetation, not animals). Therefore, there is now no meal at which a Jewish vegetarian is specifically enjoined to eat meat.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD157 See [[EXOD153]] Exodus 12:13 blood AMEMEI 70

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD158 Judaism is almost alone in its insistence on holiness in all things, even in the most mundane matters of life. The Rabbinic advice was: "Be holy even in the prosaic act, performing all thy deeds in the name of Heaven." For this reason does Jewish teaching condemn unchastity in look, thought or act; regarding profanity of speech as an unpardonable offense against Him who made all speech possible. The Jew was taught that "the Lord, thy God, walketh in the midst of thy camp; ... Therefore shall thy camp be holy, that He see no unseemly thing in thee, and turn away from thee [Deut. xxiii.15] One will find that whereas throughout the dark Middle Ages, coarseness and lewdness prevailed among high and low in non-Jewish circles, a spirit of modesty and charity prevailed in the Jewish home, raising it into a model of sanctity--an inspiration to modesty in demeanor and to the practice of the love and charity which their faith taught. "And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." [Exodus 25:8] by keeping their home life pure, they kept away destruction from their habitations. [this verse] "Their homes become not their graves"-- the earnest plea of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD159 The history of storytelling as an essential part of moral education begins in Parashat Bo. It is quite extraordinary how, on the brink of the Exodus, Moses turns to the future and to the duty of parents to educate their children about the story that was shortly to unfold. In fact, he does so three times: "When your children ask you, 'What is this service to you?' You shall answer, 'It is the Passover service to God. He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians, sparing our homes'" (this verse and previous); "On that day, you shall tell your child, 'It is because of this that God acted for me when I left Egypt'" (Exodus 13:8); "Your child may later ask you, 'What is this?' You shall answer him, 'With a show of power, God brought us out of Egypt, the place of slavery'" (Exodus 13:14). This is truly extraordinary. The Israelites have not yet emerged into the dazzling light of freedom. They are still slaves. Yet already Moses is directing their minds to the far horizon of the future and giving them the responsibility of passing on their story to succeeding generations. It is as if Moses were saying: Forget where you came from and why, and you will eventually lose your identity, your continuity, and raison d'être. You will come to think of yourself as the mere member of a nation among nations, one ethnicity among many. Forget the story of freedom and you will eventually lose freedom itself. .... Moses ... knew that without a specific identity it is almost impossible not to lapse into whatever is the current idolatry of the age--rationalism, idealism, nationalism, fascism, communism, postmodernism, relativism, individualism, hedonism, or consumerism, to name only the most recent. The alternative, a society based on tradition alone, crumbles as soon as respect for tradition dies, which it always does at some stage or another. Identity, which is always particular, is based on story, the narrative that links me to the past, guides me in the present, and places on me the responsibility for the future. ... The Jewish story is in its way the oldest of all, yet ever young, and we are each a part of it. It tells us who we are and who our ancestors hoped we would be. Storytelling is the great vehicle of moral education. It was the Torah's insight that a people who told their children the story of freedom and its responsibilities would stay free for as long as human kind lives and breathes and hopes.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD161 When one hears the admonition of the Sages and of others who offer reproof, he should listen, be receptive and compliant, and repent; he should be willing to accept the complete admonishment without detracting from what is said. Indeed, this person is able to emerge, in one brief moment, from darkness to great light. For from the moment that he listens and takes heed, and his heart understands and returns; when upon hearing his admonisher's words he accepts them, and he resolves from that day onwards to do as the Torah sages [Yirmeyahu 2:8] have instructed him--to be heedful when exhorted by those who astutely grasped the nature of the times [I Divrei Hayamim 12:33]--he will then be able to effectively repent, and he will be a completely changed individual. From the moment he has determined in his mind and taken on the inner commitment to follow through with this, he has acquired for himself the merits and rewards of all the mitzvos and moral injunctions [that he has yet to fulfill] [i.e., this commitment alone is regarded as if he has already fulfilled all of his obligations]. How fortunate is such a person, for in one brief moment, he has cleansed his soul! [Yirmeyahu 3:11]. Similarly, our Sages, z"l, said (Mechilta 12:28): "'The Children of Israel went and did...' [this verse][this is a reference to the Korban Pesach]--did they act upon it without delay? It wasn't until the fourteenth of the month that they did so! Yet, once they have resolved to do so, the Torah accredits them as having done so without delay."

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD160 There are four types of behavior among those who go to the beth midrash, the House of Study: He who goes and does not act, attains reward for attending; Pirkei Avot, Perek V, mishnah 17. Our text refers to someone who has time for the beth midrash, but while there he does not act as a student. As Rashi explains, he studies and learns nothing; at best he may listen to the others, to catch a phrase or stray remark here and there, or to be entertained. As others explain our text, the man goes to the beth midrash and does study, but then makes no particular effort to put into practice what he has learned. Analogously, there is the person who supports Torah schools but himself does not study; or he holds that the ideals and teachings of these schools need not inform his personal life. Another will listen to the Rabbi's sermon and believe it addresses someone else, not him. He will master the lesson at Torah study, but will not use it to improve himself. Such people do deserve a reward for "going": They are making an effort, taking a first step, and deserve credit for as much as they do. R. Bahya notes that after Moses told the Israelites in Egypt about the paschal lamb they were to slaughter, roast, and eat, Scripture records, "And the Israelites went and did as the L-ord had commanded…" And the Midrash comments: This indicates that they received a reward for going and reward for doing [this verse. Mechilta ad loc.] Then our mishnah's point derives from the Written Torah: reward is given separately for "going"--even if the trip accomplishes little. And the reward has some justification. By going to the beth midrash, the synagogue, the Torah lecture, people help support a communal institution that is essential to keep authentic Judaism alive. If some derive less than the full benefit, others will. And being for a while in the House of Study or the synagogue, though he does not behave then or afterwards as we might expect, a person does become acclimated somewhat to its spirit and purpose. In the House of Study man hears the words of his Maker; in the House of Prayer man speaks his words to his Maker. As he sits in either, no matter how his conscious mind avoids sharing in its basic activity, his unconscious has a chance, unknown to him, to absorb, become attuned to the age-old melodies, words, perceptions of holiness appreciate these consecrated centers of our faith.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT