Order
in Ten Plagues
The great German rabbi and Biblical commentator (1808-1888), Rabbi
Samson Raphael Hirsch offers a compelling interpretation of the
10 plagues. In the Haggadah we read that Rabbi Yehuda ha'yah notayn
ba'hem see'maneem, "Rabbi Yehudah used to form acronyms (of
the 10 plagues) by their initials": D'tzach, A'dash, B'ah'ch'av.
Rabbi Hirsch asserts that Rabbi Yehuda's breakdown of the plagues
into three sets of three (Makkat B'chorot - the slaying of the
first born is in a category of its own), is not at all arbitrary.
In fact, it is based on the Brit Bayn Hab'tarim, the Covenant
Between the Pieces (Genesis 15) where G-d tells Avraham: Ya'do'ah
tay'dah, "You shall surely know that your children will
be gerim, exiles, in a land that is not theirs," va'avadum,
" they will be enslaved," v'eenu otam "and
they will be persecuted," arbah may'ot shana, "400
years."
Rabbi
Hirsch underscores the three elements of the Covenant Between
the Pieces: exile, enslavement and persecution. Elaborating on
the structure of the 10 plagues, Rabbi Hirsch points out that
the first plague of each triplet: dam, blood, arov,wild animals,
and barad, hail, always takes place at the riverside. The first
plagues of each triplet represent galut, exile. Just as the Jews
in Egypt experienced exile, so the Egyptians must experience exile.
The Nile is no loner the Nile. The most highly identified feature
of Egypt is now a river of blood. The land is overrun with wild
animals. It is no longer Egypt. Suddenly this country of hot climate
is stricken with barad, hail. It is no longer Egypt.
The
second of each triplet, says Rabbi Hirsch, always takes place
at Pharaoh's palace. Tz'pharday'ah, frogs, deh'ver,
death of the animals, and a'rbeh, locust, all represent avdut,
enslavement. The Egyptians are overrun by timorous frogs who control
their lives and enslave the citizens. The plague of the animals
requires the Egyptians to serve as clean-up laborers. And a'rbeh,
locusts, the little bugs control and in effect enslave the Egyptians.
The
final plague of each triplet always takes place without any warning
to Pharaoh. Kinim, lice, sh'chin, boils, and cho'shech, darkness,
represent the third aspect of the Covenant Between the Pieces
-- physical persecution. Physical persecution from lice, boils
and darkness. The darkness, as the rabbis interpret it, was so
fierce that the Egyptians were literally imprisoned, and they
could not physically move.
Now
we understand why Rabbi Judah would break the plagues up into
three categories--because the 10 plagues truly served as a fulfillment
of the Covenant Between the Pieces. We also see that there is
magic to the structure of the Torah -- what seemed to be ten arbitrary
plagues have deep and profound meaning when understood in the
proper context.
Demystifying...Bedikat
Chametz (The Search for Chametz)
Tis
the night before Pesach
and all through the place
we must search for our chametz,
in every corner and space.
We've
emptied our pockets,
and vacuumed the floor,
every inch has been dusted,
we can clean no more!
With a feather and a candle,
in the dark of the night,
we look for any chametz
that was hidden from sight.
Next
day after sunrise
all the chametz must be
burned out of existence
to set ourselves free.
On Passover, Jews are commanded to get rid of all "chametz"
(see definition of chametz in overview) which may be in their
possession. Weeks are spent cleaning and scrubbing. To confirm
the effectiveness of these efforts, a special search for chametz,
called Bedikat Chametz, is held on the night before Passover.
Shortly
after nightfall, Bedikat Chametz begins. The search is conducted
by the light of a candle, in order to look in all the nooks and
crannies (if the candle might cause danger, for instance when
searching near draperies, one may use a flashlight). It is also
customary to "sweep" the chametz away with a feather.
Before
the search
begins, the following blessing is recited:
|
Baruch
atah Ado-nai, Ehlo-haynu melech Ha-olam, asher kideshanu
b'mitzvotav v'tzeevanu al Bee'oor chametz
|
|
Blessed
are you L-rd, our G-d ruler of the world, who sanctified
us through His commandments and commanded us concerning
the removal of chametz
|
From
the recitation of the blessing until the search begins, there
should be no talking. Likewise, during the search, conversation
should be limited to matters which pertain to the search.
Sometimes
getting into the right mind frame for the search may be difficult,
especially if the house has already been thoroughly cleaned for
Passover. It is the custom, therefore, to carefully "hide"
ten pieces of chametz (for instance 10 pieces of pretzel) in the
rooms which will be searched. The search will thus be more diligent,
and will not conclude until all the rooms have been checked and
the 10 pieces found.
All
chametz that is found should be placed safely in a bag for disposal
the next morning. You may, however, put aside chametz to eat for
breakfast, making sure to clean up any leftovers and to add them
to the chametz bag afterwards.
When
the search is over, a general declaration is made stating that
any unknown chametz is hereby declared ownerless:
"Any
chametz or leaven that is in my possession which I have not seen,
have not
removed and do not know about, should be annulled and become ownerless,
like the dust of the earth."
On
the morning before the Seder, all chametz found during Bedikat
Chametz, or left over from breakfast, is burned. In larger communities,
there are often communal chametz burning barrels.
After
the burning of the chametz, since the time for eating chametz
has passed, we make a more comprehensive declaration nullifying
ownership.
"Any
chametz, or leaven, that is in my possession, whether I know about
it
or not, whether I have seen it or not, whether I have removed
it or not, should
be annulled and become ownerless, like dust of the earth."
The
removal and destruction of chametz is now complete.
A
DEEPER LOOK AT BEDIKAT CHAMETZ
On
Passover, the festival of freedom, we commemorate our liberation
from slavery. In the 21st century, most people often think of
freedom as a lack of restrictions and obligations. With the intensive
cleaning and obligatory preparations, Passover seems to be in
direct contradiction of freedom. After all, how can we be considered
free, when we are obligated to "slave away" cleaning
every corner of the house?
While
our release from slavery occurred on Passover, the Jewish nation
was not wholly free on the day they left Egypt. Although they
were no longer subjugated to taskmasters, the Israelites retained
the slave mentalities which they had acquired. Slavery, after
all, denies a person free will. Lack of free will often causes
a person to lose a sense of responsibility. Proof of this can
be seen in the fact that throughout their journey in the wilderness,
the Jews rebel and cry-out that it would have been better to still
be slaves in Egypt! While in slavery, they did not have to choose
how to act, their masters told them what to do.
Yes,
the Jewish nation was redeemed from Egypt in order to be free,
free to serve G-d! Thirty three centuries later, our mission has
not changed. Passover is the time for setting ourselves free from
that which today enslaves us. While the slavery of the 21st century
is not the physical hardship we faced in Egypt, today's bondage
is even more subtle and powerful. Today many Americans are enslaved
to their jobs, to money, to power and to technology.
How
many Jews will miss sttending a Sedera this year because they
"just couldn't get off work" (In America, one can't
really loose his/her job for taking time off for a religious holiday!!)
How many Jews are aghast at the idea of no TV, pager or cell-phone
for 25 hours on Shabbat. And how many Jews balk at the idea of
keeping kosher because of the fear of appearing different from
others? Is this freedom?
Perhaps
the root of enslavement is pride. The popular idiom of modern
life, "He who has the most toys, wins," is, unfortunately,
hardly a maxim for living life to the fullest. It is probably
more a means of showing superiority over others. Does anyone really
need a cell-phone/pager/internet with a video screen? The human
race has survived without it for millennia. But oh, to be the
first one on the block to own one!
Our
sages tell us that Chametz (any combination of water and flour
which is allowed to ferment) represents "pride," comparing
the "puffing-up" of the dough to the "puffing-up"
of the ego. We are proud of our business accomplishments, our
social coups, and even our "righteousness." Pride and
arrogance, however, are allies of the evil inclination, the Yetzer
Harah. When a person places too high a value on him/herself, the
importance of G-d is diminished and is more likely to sin. As
the holiday of our redemption approaches, we are reminded that
the People of Israel attained freedom by having faith in G-d and
accepting that it is G-d who ultimately runs the world and performs
miracles.
Searching
for chametz is symbolic of battling the evil inclination. We search
every corner of our souls for pride and arrogance. It is only
then, when we have labored to rid ourselves of these negative
character traits, that we are able to appreciate the freedom that
was given to us when we left Egypt.
The
actual search, during which pieces of chametz are "hidden"
in the house, reminds us that we must still search even when we
think that the cleansing is complete. One should never glory in
one's "righteousness," after all, no one is ever completely
cleansed of "chametz." Isn't the best Jew the one who
is always trying to be a better Jew?
The
Jewish concept of freedom is not a world without laws. Freedom
is the removal of obstacles in the path of serving G-d. Free will
is G-d's gift to humankind, but the freedom to use it properly
must be learned and earned.
May
you have a successful search and a joyful Passover.
