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THE UNIVERSAL MEANING OF PASSOVER

בס”ד

  1. Exodus 12:12-13
And the blood on the houses where you are staying shall be a sign for you: when I see the blood I will pass over you, so that no plague will destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.וְהָיָה֩ הַדָּ֨ם לָכֶ֜ם לְאֹ֗ת עַ֤ל הַבָּתִּים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אַתֶּ֣ם שָׁ֔ם וְרָאִ֙יתִי֙ אֶת־הַדָּ֔ם וּפָסַחְתִּ֖י עֲלֵכֶ֑ם וְלֹֽא־יִֽהְיֶ֨ה בָכֶ֥ם נֶ֙גֶף֙ לְמַשְׁחִ֔ית בְּהַכֹּתִ֖י בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃

2. Rashi, loc.cit.

“And I will see the blood”: Everything is revealed before Him. Rather, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said, “I will see that you are occupied with My commandments, and I will pass over you”. “And I will pass over”: I will have compassion. And I say, this word indicates skipping or jumping over. “And I will pass over”: He skipped over the homes of the Israelites to the homes of the Egyptians, for one population dwelled amongst the other.וראיתי את הדם. הַכֹּל גָּלוּי לְפָנָיו, אֶלָּא אָמַר הַקָּבָּ”ה, נוֹתֵן אֲנִי אֶת עֵינַי לִרְאוֹת שֶׁאַתֶּם עֲסוּקִים בְּמִצְווֹתַי, וּפוֹסֵחַ אֲנִי עֲלֵיכֶם (שם): ופסחתי. וְחָמַלְתִּי, וְדוֹמֶה לוֹ “פָּסֹחַ וְהִמְלִיט” (ישעיהו ל”א). וַאֲנִי אוֹמֵר, כָּל פְּסִיחָה לְשׁוֹן דִּלּוּג וּקְפִיצָה. ופסחתי, מְדַלֵּג הָיָה מִבָּתֵּי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְבָתֵּי מִצְרִיִּים, שֶׁהָיוּ שְׁרוּיִים זֶה בְּתוֹךְ זֶה

3. Exodus 13:6-10

And Moshe said to the people, Remember this day, in which you came out from Miżrayim, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the L-rd brought you out from this place: no leavened bread shall be eaten. This day you came out, in the month Aviv. And it shall be when the L-rd shall bring thee into the land of the Kena῾ani, and the Ḥitti, and the Emori, and the Ḥivvi, and the Yevusi, which he swore to thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the L-rd. Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall leaven be seen with thee in all thy borders. And thou shalt relate to thy son on that day, saying, This is done because of that which the L-rd did to me when I came out of Miżrayim. And it shall be for a sign to thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thy eyes, that the  L-rd’s Tora may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand did the L-rd bring thee out of Miżrayim. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶל־הָעָ֗ם זָכ֞וֹר אֶת־הַיּ֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְצָאתֶ֤ם מִמִּצְרַ֙יִם֙ מִבֵּ֣ית עֲבָדִ֔ים כִּ֚י בְּחֹ֣זֶק יָ֔ד הוֹצִ֧יא יְ”הֹוָ֛ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם מִזֶּ֑ה וְלֹ֥א יֵאָכֵ֖ל חָמֵֽץ׃ הַיּ֖וֹם אַתֶּ֣ם יֹצְאִ֑ים בְּחֹ֖דֶשׁ הָאָבִֽיב׃ וְהָיָ֣ה כִֽי־יְבִיאֲךָ֣ יְ”הֹוָ֛ה אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ הַֽ֠כְּנַעֲנִ֠י וְהַחִתִּ֨י וְהָאֱמֹרִ֜י וְהַחִוִּ֣י וְהַיְבוּסִ֗י אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֤ע לַאֲבֹתֶ֙יךָ֙ לָ֣תֶת לָ֔ךְ אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָ֑שׁ וְעָבַדְתָּ֛ אֶת־הָעֲבֹדָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַזֶּֽה׃ שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים תֹּאכַ֣ל מַצֹּ֑ת וּבַיּוֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י חַ֖ג לַיְ”הֹוָ֛ה ׃ מַצּוֹת֙ יֵֽאָכֵ֔ל אֵ֖ת שִׁבְעַ֣ת הַיָּמִ֑ים וְלֹֽא־יֵרָאֶ֨ה לְךָ֜ חָמֵ֗ץ וְלֹֽא־יֵרָאֶ֥ה לְךָ֛ שְׂאֹ֖ר בְּכׇל־גְּבֻלֶֽךָ׃ וְהִגַּדְתָּ֣ לְבִנְךָ֔ בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא לֵאמֹ֑ר בַּעֲב֣וּר זֶ֗ה עָשָׂ֤ה יְ”הֹוָ֛ה לִ֔י בְּצֵאתִ֖י מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ וְהָיָה֩ לְךָ֨ לְא֜וֹת עַל־יָדְךָ֗ וּלְזִכָּרוֹן֙ בֵּ֣ין עֵינֶ֔יךָ לְמַ֗עַן תִּהְיֶ֛ה תּוֹרַ֥ת יְ”הֹוָ֛ה בְּפִ֑יךָ כִּ֚י בְּיָ֣ד חֲזָקָ֔ה הוֹצִֽאֲךָ֥ יְהֹוָ֖ה מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ וְשָׁמַרְתָּ֛ אֶת־הַחֻקָּ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את לְמוֹעֲדָ֑הּ מִיָּמִ֖ים יָמִֽימָה׃

4. Numbers 23:9

For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: it is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.כִּֽי־מֵרֹ֤אשׁ צֻרִים֙ אֶרְאֶ֔נּוּ וּמִגְּבָע֖וֹת אֲשׁוּרֶ֑נּוּ הֶן־עָם֙ לְבָדָ֣ד יִשְׁכֹּ֔ן וּבַגּוֹיִ֖ם לֹ֥א יִתְחַשָּֽׁב׃

5. Maharal of Prague, Gur Aryeh, loc. cit.

The explanation of the word הן, “truly” is as follows: “from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him”. “Truly”, this is what their forefathers caused them to merit—for they are the “rocks” and the “hills”—they caused them to merit to dwell alone.הוא אשר זיכו לו אבותיו. פירוש, מלת “הן” פירושו כך; “כי מראש צורים אראנו ומגבעות אשורנו”, הן אשר זיכו לו אבותינו, שהם הצורים והגבעות (רש”י כאן), שזיכו לו שיהיה “לבדד וגו’

6. Mishna, Pesachim 10:2

In each and every generation a person is obligated to see himself as if he went out of Egypt, as the verse states, “and you shall teach your child, saying, ‘This is done because of that which the L-rd did to me when I came out of Miżrayim’”  (Exodus 13:8)בְּכׇל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּיב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְּאִילּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה ה׳ לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם״.

7. Rashi on Exodus 13:8

“Because of that”: in order for me to fulfill His commandments, such as the eating of the paschal lamb, matzah and maror, etc.בעבור זה. בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאֲקַיֵּם מִצְווֹתָיו, כְּגוֹן פֶּסַח מַצָּה וּמָרוֹר הַלָּלוּ:

8. Mishna, Avot 6:2

And he (Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi) says, “and the tablets were the work of G-d, and the writing was the writing of G-d, engraved upon the tablets” (Exodus 32:16)—do not read charut, “engraved”, but rather cherut, “freedom”, for no one is called “free” except he who occupies himself with Torah.ואומר. והלוחות מעשה אלהים המה והמכתב מכתב אלקים הוא. חרות על הלוחות. אל תקרא חרות אלא חירות. שאין לך בן חורין אלא מי שעוסק בתלמוד תורה.

9. Haggadah

How much more so is the good that is doubled and quadrupled that the Omnipresent One of all bestowed upon us; since He took us out of Egypt, and made judgments with them, and acted against their gods, and killed their firstborn, and gave us their wealth, and split the Sea for us, and brought us through it on dry land, and drowned our enemies in the Sea, and supplied our needs in the wilderness for forty years, and fed us the manna, and gave us the Shabbat, and brought us close to Mount Sinai, and gave us the Torah, and brought us into the land of Israel and built us the ‘Chosen House’ to atone upon all of our sins.עַל אַחַת, כַּמָה וְכַמָה, טוֹבָה כְפוּלָה וּמְכֻפֶּלֶת לַמָּקוֹם עָלֵינוּ: שֶׁהוֹצִיאָנוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם, וְעָשָׂה בָהֶם שְׁפָטִים, וְעָשָׂה בֵאלֹהֵיהֶם, וְהָרַג אֶת־בְּכוֹרֵיהֶם, וְנָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־מָמוֹנָם, וְקָרַע לָנוּ אֶת־הַיָּם, וְהֶעֱבִירָנוּ בְתוֹכוֹ בֶּחָרָבָה, וְשִׁקַּע צָרֵנוּ בְתוֹכוֹ, וְסִפֵּק צָרְכֵּנוּ בַּמִדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה, וְהֶאֱכִילָנוּ אֶת־הַמָּן, וְנָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־הַשַּׁבָּת, וְקֵרְבָנוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי, וְנָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה, וְהִכְנִיסָנוּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבָנָה לָּנוּ אֶת־בֵּית הַבְּחִירָה לְכַפֵּר עַל־כָּל־עֲוֹנוֹתֵינוּ.

By Rabbi Tani Burton

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