Thursday, April 10, 2008

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Metzora

The following is a brief summary of a thought said over by the Rav who substituted for R' Frand and gave tonight's satellite shiur. Unfortunately, they did not identify the Rav by name, so I cannot give proper credit. I have attempted to reproduce this vort to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistencies are the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to the Maggid Shiur.

Tonight's shiur was entirely about the Haggadah and the commandment to tell over and learn the Haggadah on the Seder Night. As there was no discussion of Parshat Mitzorah, I have chosen a vort that the speaker said on part of the Haggadah that I felt was quite interesting.

It was said in the name of the Maharal that Hashem came to the Jewish people before they were to leave Egypt and saw that they lacked miztvot. This is alluded to in the Haggadah where it is stated "V'at Erom V'Eryah" that the Maharal explains that we were bereft of Mitzvot. The Maharal further explains that as a result, Hashem gave the Jewish people two commandments - to circumcise their sons and to bring the karban pesach - the paschal lamb. This is also alluded to in the Haggadah where it is written immediately thereafter that I (G'd) came to you and saw that you were in blood and I (G'd) said to you by the blood you shall live, by the blood you shall live. We derive from the double mention of blood that he gave us the mitzva of bris (blood) and paschal lamb (blood).

The Maharal explains that the two mitzvot chosen by Hashem serve to define us as Jews. The circumcision is akin to a passport in that it identifies us as Jews much as a passport identifies which country a person comes from. However, there is more than just an identification that makes us Jews. The Maharal points out that merely because you call something or someone by a particular title, it does not mean that the person or item is actually what you designate. Instead, the person needs to take certain actions that confirm that he is worthy of the designation.

For example (mine not one used by the speaker or the Maharal), a person can be identified as a Met fan in that when he is asked who he wants to win a certain game he answers "the Mets". However, if the person does not wear Met paraphernalia, does not watch any games, does not read the newspaper or listen to a game on the radio or know any players on the team, is he really a Mets fan?

The second mitzva of participating in the Pesach seder goes one step further. Instead of merely identifying ourselves as Jews (by virtue of the Bris) we take an active step to confirm our identities as Jews by participating in the seder that our fathers and grandfathers for generation after generation all performed. It is of no consequence what customs we observe and the differences in our level of observance. What is important is that we take active steps to confirm that we are not only Jews in name (i.e. by our designation since we have a bris). Hashem has given us the additional mitzva of the Seder - a way that our forefathers in Egypt outwardly demonstrated that they were Jews by participating in the Seder and eating the paschal lamb on the night that they left Egypt. We do the same, by continuing to identify ourselves as Jews by participating in our seder as our parents and grandparents before us. Simply put, we are not Jews by designation, we demonstrate who we are by continuing our tradition and having a seder.


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