CHOCHMAS NASHIM: OF METZORAH, MISSILES AND MATZOH
By: Suri Davis
My aunt Marcia died last week, and I learned while paying a shiva visit, that she always stopped veterans when she saw them to thank them for their years of service to our country. So, it was today, I was pulling out of the Woodmere post office, when I saw from the corner of my eye, a man with a veteran’s cap walking in to the post office. I pulled my car forward and parked it waiting for him to exit.
When he did, I came out of my car and approached him cautiously. I told him that my aunt died last week and that she liked to thank veterans for their years of service to our country and that this is the first time I am doing this, to honor her, and so I thanked him.
He asked if I had seen the movie Forrest Gump, and I replied many times, and he showed me his army card which showed his name and his rank as Lieutenant. He was contacted by the producers of Forrest Gump and they interviewed him about what it was like fighting in Vietnam, and the character, Lieutenant Dan in the movie was based on his life and information.
Totally bizarre.
I lost a friend as well last week. She had a terminal illness and through it she took words from Tehilim/Psalms, and wrote songs to get her through difficult moments. She sent me audio of the songs and they are deeply beautiful as is her voice. She took King David’s words, many of which were written during moments of pain and suffering, and used them to sing to G-d, praise G-d, and let G-d know she trusted in Him.
I was speaking with a new neighbor this week about my thirty years on the block, when there was only one other Jewish family on the block, she asked me if I could have anticipated what happened in the thirty years I’ve been living here.
I thought about the question deeply, and I could have never guessed the twists and turns in the thirty years, now four children and three grandchildren later.
When Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt with great wealth, could they have ever imagined that they would be enslaved for 210 years. That is an aching number of years to be enslaved.
There is information the 300 drones and missiles sent our way by Iran were intercepted by Israel, United States, Great Britain and also Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Who would have ever imagined that Jordan and Saudi Arabia would come to Israel’s aid.
Rav Schwab in his Prayer book, in the appendix, focuses on the mitzvah of V’higadita L’vincha, there is a commandment that parents tell their children about the miracle of Pesach. Often children take the stage by reciting all they learned in school, but, as Rav Schwab writes, it is not V’higadita L’vincha/recited the story of exodus to your parent, but it is the parent who is to transmit the story of exodus to his/her child/ren. The child asks why is this night different from other nights, which is the platform for parents to tell of the miracle of exodus, understanding that what is amazing about the miracle is that it was not done by an angel of G-d or his servant, rather by G-d Himself, and the night of the seder is called Leil shimurim/night of anticipation as stated in Exodus 12:42:”it is a night of anticipation for Hashem to take them out of the land of Egypt, this was the night for Hashem a protection for all the Children of Israel for their generations.”
It is a meal at which G-d is present. It is the only night/s of the year that we don’t recite the Shema of bedtime. Some have a custom of not locking their doors. So it is, continues Rav Schwalb, that the Baal Haggadah/the author of the Haggadah tells us: kulanu chachamim, kulanu nevonim, kulanu zikanim, kulanu yodim et hatorah/even though we are wise, even though we are elders familiar with the Torah, it is still incumbent upon us to recite the glory of the miracle of Exodus by G-d. It is so very important that even if one is alone, one should recite the four questions and the Haggadah.
One who gets tzoraat, a disease similar to leprosy, is surprised that his gossip lead to such a disease which would require him to leave the Jewish encampment. Psychologists believe that gossiping is a bonding opportunity which builds community feeling. The Torah is clear that gossiping is killing a person about whom you talked, in that the Rabbis tell us that the greatest possession a person has is not his material wealth, but his reputation, and ratcheting someone’s reputation is often irreversible damage to him. Yet by forcing the gossiper to leave the community, G-d gives him a time out to review his actions by doing to the gossiper what he had done to the person about whom he spoke, ostracizing him and forcing him out of the community. G-d in His infinite wisdom punishes and redeems in a way to permit each one of us to grow.
Leil Shemorim, under-rated. Hkbh at our seder under-discussed. This is the month of redemption in that we prepare in the beginning of the month not only in cleaning our homes, but in cleaning out the chometz/the leavening in our souls, those doubts which prevent us from fully engaging G-d and in His mitzvoth, and it continues after the Seder, as an after-glow having sat with G-d/Hkbh at our seder table, and felt the real possibility of redemption.
May G-d grant us the fifth cup of redemption, V’hayvayti, speedily in our days.
Chag Kasher V’sameach [Yanky Brach reminded me of what Rabbi Pelcovitz used to say about his greeting: For those of you staying at home for Pesach, it will a chag and kosher, but perhaps not so happy with all the work to be done. For those who are going to hotels it will a chag and happy, but perhaps not so kosher…lol]
-Suri