Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Bo by Rabbi Ganzweig

by Rabbi Naftali Ganzweig

ואמרתם זבח פסח הוא לה' אשר פסח על בתי בני ישראל במצרים ואת בתינו הציל ויקד העם וישתחוו

You shall say: “It is a meal of deliverance performed through a halting passing over dedicated to G-d, Who Paused as He passed over the houses of The Children of Israel in Mitzrayim (Egypt) when He struck Mitzrayim mortally and rescued our houses!” And the people bowed and prostrated themselves.

Asks R’ Moshe Leib Sassover why does the Posuk say that Hashem paused - passed over on the houses of the Yidden with the phrase al botei Bnei Yisroel on the houses of the Jews it should say that Hashem passed over the homes of the Jews? Says R’ Moshe Leib of Sassov that when Hashem went through Mitzrayim during makas bichoros and he passed over the house of a Jew he danced on the house, “This is the house of a Yid”. When R’ Moshe Leib was at the table of The Rebbe R’ Elimeilech of Lizensk and he said this vort he (R’ Moshe Leib) burst into a enthusiastic dance on the table “Doh voint ah Yid, Doh voint ah Yid - here lives a Jew, referring to the great tzaddik (and his elevated holiness).

A Jewish home is a dwelling place of the Shechina (divine presence). Many seforim say that when Moshiach comes, homes that attained the status of a mikdash m’at by filling them with Torah and mitzvos will also go to Eretz Yisroel, just as shuls they too are a dwelling place of the Shechina.

R’ Elya Lopian would say that one who eats with the intention to gain energy to serve Hashem his meal is honored as a seudas mitzvah.

The Mishnah in Avos 3:4 says three that eat and do not say Divrei Torah it is as if they had eaten from sacrifices of the dead, but three that sit on one table and speak words of torah it is as if they ate from the table of Hashem.

The Rebbe of Parshischa once asked his disciples; had it not been already said by Hashem that the Jews will be in bondage in Egypt. Therefore why did Hashem bring the makos on Paroh?
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To which he answered that the Jews do all the commandments to fulfill the will of Hashem with fear and fondness. Not so Paroh that slaved and tortured the Jews because of his own evilness and wickedness and he did not say I am doing this for the sake of Hashem. (No l’shaim yichud was said!)

From this we can learn that by being mamlich (carnating - crowning) Hashem on all our actions we are elevating them to be mitzvos, the will of Hashem and we are thus glorifying the name of Hashem in this world.

As a result our homes are not mundane dwellings, but houses of spiritual elevation on which Hashem rejoices “Here lives a Yid”.

לז"נ אסתר בת ר' משה חיים ע"ה
נלב"ע ב' חשון תשנ"ז
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