CHOCHMAS NASHIM: WE INTERRUPT THIS PORTION…
Suri Davis
We are coming to the climax of the story of Jewish slavery in Egypt, ten plagues, Pharaoh’s obstinancy in refusing to permit the Jews to leave, and THEN…
Oh by the way, this month of Nissan is going to be considered as the beginning of the new year…huh? First of all, we already have a new year, which occurs in the fall, around September time, in the Jewish month of Tishrei, when the physical world was created.
Why do we need another beginning of the year, and why now, as we complete the ten plagues in preparation for leaving Egypt, could it not wait, until let’s say, we were given the Torah on Mount Sinai?
The answer is that we celebrate the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, which commemorates the creation of the physical natural world, the seven days of physical creation.
What has been unfolding in last week’s torah portion, and this week’s torah portion, is an increasing in the greatness of the miracles G-d is revealing to the Jews, Egyptians and to the entire world, for Egypt was the pre-eminent world power, the Jews were powerless slaves. Egypt was brought down not by the acts of the Jews themselves, it was not an act of rebellion, but Egypt was brought down by the obvious miracles wrought by G-d. Miracles are above nature and science.
The root of the word for the Jewish month which is the month in which the miracles of the Exodus occurred in the month of Nissan, is nes, miracle. It is this month of Nissan which will always be a testament to the beginning of G-d’s revelation of miracles on behalf of the Jews. Starting each Jewish year with a reminder that we are not bound by nature or science, we can rise above what doctors and astrologists and scientists predict by praying and doing good deeds. This is core trust in G-d, not merely faith that there is G-d, but miracles let us KNOW that there is G-d, and He can change nature, as He did with the splitting of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army, by turning nature against itself as only G-d can.
In a blink of an eye.
Good Shabbos.
-Suri