Laws Beyond Reason: The Key to Redemption
From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitzהרב דוד מתתיהו בן יחיאל יהושע רבינוביץProfile ›
Shemos 1:1
וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַבָּאִים מִצְרָיְמָה אֵת יַעֲקֹב אִישׁ וּבֵיתוֹ בָּאוּ
And these are the names of Bnei Yisrael who came to Egypt; with Yaakov, each man and his household came.
1“And these are the names of Bnei Yisrael who came to Egypt; with Yaakov, each man and his household came.”1 The Baal HaTurim, in his commentary on the Torah, notes that the first and last letters of Yisrael haba'im, “Yisrael who came,” spell milah, circumcision, and that the last letters of es Yaakov ish, “with Yaakov, each man,” spell Shabbos. This tells us that they were redeemed because of the Shabbos and the milah they kept in Egypt. But why was it these two mitzvos in particular that earned them the redemption?
וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַבָּאִים מִצְרָיְמָה אֵת יַעֲקֹב אִישׁ וּבֵיתוֹ בָּאוּ (א, א). אִיתָא בְּבַעַל הַטּוּרִים, יִ׳שְׂרָאֵל׳ הַ׳בָּאִים׳ רָאשֵׁי וְסוֹפֵי תֵּיבוֹת ׳מִילָה׳, אֵת׳ יַעֲקֹב׳ אִישׁ׳ סוֹפֵי תֵּיבוֹת ׳שַׁבָּת׳, לוֹמַר לְךָ שֶׁבִּשְׁבִיל שַׁבָּת וּמִילָה שֶׁשָּׁמְרוּ בְּמִצְרַיִם נִגְאֲלוּ. וְיֵשׁ לְהָבִין לָמָּה דַּוְוקָא בִּזְכוּת שְׁנֵי מִצְוֹות הַלָּלוּ זָכוּ לִגְאוּלָּה.
- Shemos 1:1. ↩
In shortThe Baal HaTurim says Bnei Yisrael were redeemed for keeping Shabbos and milah in Egypt; but why these two mitzvos in particular?
2The Pesach Haggadah says: “The wicked son, what does he say? ‘What is this service to you?’ ‘To you,’ and not to himself. Since he has excluded himself from the community, he has denied the very foundation … Had he been there, he would not have been redeemed.”2 Why does he deserve so severe a punishment, that he would not have been redeemed from Egypt? After all, he only came to ask about the services and mitzvos of the night and what they are for. And what do the words “he has denied the very foundation” mean? Which foundation did he deny?
וּבַהַגָּדָה שֶׁל פֶּסַח אִיתָא: רָשָׁע מַה הוּא אוֹמֵר מָה הָעֲבוֹדָה הַזֹּאת לָכֶם לָכֶם וְלֹא לוֹ, וּלְפִי שֶׁהוֹצִיא עַצְמוֹ מִן הַכְּלָל כָּפַר בָּעִיקָּר וְכוּ׳, אִילּוּ הָיָה שָׁם לֹא הָיָה נִגְאָל. וְיֵשׁ לְהָבִין, לָמָּה הוּא רָאוּי לְעוֹנֶשׁ גָּדוֹל כָּל כָּךְ שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה נִגְאָל מִמִּצְרַיִם, הֲלֹא לֹא בָּא אֶלָּא לִשְׁאוֹל עַל עֲבוֹדוֹת וּמִצְוֹות הַלַּיְלָה, עַל מַה הֵם בָּאִים. עוֹד יֵשׁ לְהָבִין הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳כָּפַר בָּעִיקָּר׳, בְּאֵיזֶה עִיקָּר כָּפַר.
- The wicked son's question is from Shemos 12:26. ↩
In shortWhy should the wicked son, who only asks about the Seder, lose the redemption, and which foundation did he deny?
3aWe can explain this by first citing the holy sefer Bnei Yissaschar, which quotes a teaching in the name of the holy R' Zusha of Anipoli, zt"l, on the verse “Blow the shofar at the new moon, at the appointed time of our festival day. For it is a chok for Israel, a judgment for the God of Yaakov.”3 These are his words: “Hashem sees, as it were, the claims of the accusers on high, and He wants to save Israel and judge it favorably. Yet He is a King Who ‘establishes the land through justice,’ and the accusers ask: what reason is there to save Israel, when it has no merit, Heaven forbid? Then Hashem, blessed be He, answers that it is in keeping with the Torah and with justice. Since Israel keeps mitzvos that are chukim, decrees without a reason, it is a just judgment, measure for measure, to judge it favorably and save it without a reason. This is the meaning of ‘Blow the shofar at the new moon … for it is a chok for Israel’: a chok without a reason, and that is what becomes ‘a judgment for the God of Yaakov.’ This is the just judgment: since Israel keeps the chukim without a reason, the judgment is that it be saved without a reason. Understand this.” So far his words.
וְאֶפְשָׁר לְבָאֵר בְּהֶקְדֵּם מַה שֶּׁכָּתַב בְּסֵפֶר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בְּנֵי יִשָּׂשכָר (תשרי מאמר ג, ב) בְּשֵׁם הרה״ק רַבִּי זוּשָׁא מאנפולי זצללה״ה עַל הַכָּתוּב (תהלים פא, ד) ״תִּקְעוּ בַחוֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר בַּכֵּסֶה לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ כִּי חוֹק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא מִשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹקֵי יַעֲקֹב״. וְזֶה לְשׁוֹנוֹ: כְּשֶׁה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ רוֹאֶה כִּבְיָכוֹל טַעֲנוֹת הַמְּקַטְרִיגִים, וְהוּא יִתְבָּרֵךְ שְׁמוֹ רוֹצֶה לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וּלְזַכּוֹתָם, וְהִנֵּה הוּא יִתְבָּרֵךְ שְׁמוֹ מֶלֶךְ בְּמִשְׁפָּט יַעֲמִיד אָרֶץ, וְשׁוֹאֲלִים הַמְּקַטְרְגִים מָה טַעַם יֵשׁ בַּדָּבָר לְהוֹשִׁיעַ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כֵּיוָן שֶׁאֵין זְכוּת ח״ו, אֲזַי אוֹמֵר ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ כַּתּוֹרָה וְכַמִּשְׁפָּט הוּא, כֵּיוָן שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל מְקַיְּימִים מִצְוֹת שֶׁהֵם חוּקִּים בְּלֹא טַעַם, הַמִּשְׁפָּט צֶדֶק הוּא, מִדָּה כְּנֶגֶד מִדָּה לְזַכּוֹתָם וּלְהוֹשִׁיעָם מִבְּלִי טַעַם. וְזֶהוּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר וְגוֹ׳ כִּי חוֹק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא״, חוּקָּה מִבְּלִי טַעַם, וְהוּא הַנַּעֲשֶׂה מִשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹקֵי יַעֲקֹב, כֵּן הוּא הַמִּשְׁפָּט צֶדֶק, כֵּיוָן שֶׁמְּקַיְּימִים יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּחוּקָּה מִבְּלִי טַעַם, אֲזַי הַמִּשְׁפָּט הוּא שֶׁיִּוָּושְׁעוּ מִבְּלִי טַעַם הָבֵן, עכ״ד.
- Bnei Yissaschar, Tishrei, Maamar 3:2; Tehillim 81:4–5 (the sefer has 81:4). “Establishes the land through justice” is from Mishlei 29:4. ↩
3bHis holy words make it clear that when there are accusers against Israel in Heaven, the remedy is for Bnei Yisrael to devote themselves to the mitzvos that are chukim, which have no reason, and to keep them wholeheartedly. Then Hashem deals with them measure for measure and judges them favorably, even without a reason.
מְבוֹאָר מִדִּבְרֵי קָדְשׁוֹ, דִּבְעֵת שֶׁיֵּשׁ מַסְטִינִים עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּשָּׁמַיִם, אָז הָעֵצָה לָזֶה הִיא שֶׁבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יַעַסְקוּ בְּמִצְוֹות שֶׁל חוֹק אֲשֶׁר אֵין לָהֶם טַעַם, לְקַיְּימָם בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם, וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה נוֹהֵג עִמָּם ה׳ מִידָּה כְּנֶגֶד מִידָּה, וְשׁוֹפְטָם לִזְכוּת גַּם בְּלֹא טַעַם.
In shortSince Israel keeps chukim without a reason, R' Zusha taught, justice requires that Hashem save it without a reason.
4Accordingly, we may say this. As is well known, the Arizal teaches, citing the Zohar, that Bnei Yisrael in Egypt were sunk in the forty-nine gates of impurity, the lowest depths of defilement, so deeply that not even an angel or a seraph could enter there.4 So far the Arizal's words. What stood in their favor and made them worthy of redemption was that they kept these two mitzvos, Shabbos and milah. Both are chukim, mitzvos that have no reason. Milah, we know, is a chok, since no sufficient reason can be found for why the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded circumcision. Shabbos, too, has something of a chok in it. Many acts forbidden on Shabbos, such as carrying from one domain to another, lighting a fire and the like, do not look like work, yet on Shabbos they count as work, and that is the chok in it. Since they kept these mitzvos, Shabbos and milah, which are like a chok without a reason, in the spirit of “for it is a chok for Israel,” it was “a judgment for the God of Yaakov” to take us out of the exile of Egypt, even though we were not worthy.
וּלְפִי זֶה יֵשׁ לוֹמַר, דְּהִנֵּה נוֹדַע מַה דְּאִיתָא מהאריז״ל (שער המצוות שמות בשם זוהר ח״א קיג, א) שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל בְּמִצְרַיִם הָיוּ שְׁקוּעִים במ״ט שַׁעֲרֵי טוּמְאָה, עַד שֶׁגַּם מַלְאָךְ וְשָׂרָף לֹא הָיָה יָכוֹל לְהִכָּנֵס לְשָׁם, ע״כ. אַךְ מַה שֶׁעָמַד לָהֶם לִזְכּוֹת לִגְאוּלָּה, הָיָה מַה שֶׁקִּיְּימוּ שְׁנֵי מִצְוֹת אֵלּוּ, מִצְוַת שַׁבָּת וּמִצְוַת מִילָה, שֶׁהֵם מִצְוֹת חוּקִּיּוֹת שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם טַעַם, דְּמִצְוַת מִילָה יָדוּעַ שֶׁהִיא בְּחִינַת חוֹק, דְּלָא נִמְצָא טַעַם מַסְפִּיק לָמָּה צִוָּה הקב״ה עַל הַמִּילָה, וְכֵן שַׁבָּת יֵשׁ בָּהּ בְּחִינַת חוֹק, שֶׁכֵּן מָצִינוּ הַרְבֵּה מְלָאכוֹת כְּמוֹ הוֹצָאַת שַׁבָּת וְהַדְלָקַת אֵשׁ וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה, שֶׁהֵם דְּבָרִים שֶׁאֵינָם נִרְאִים מְלָאכָה, וּלְגַבֵּי שַׁבָּת הֵם חֲשׁוּבִים כִּמְלָאכָה, וְזֶהוּ בְּחִינַת חוֹק. עַל כֵּן כֵּיוָן שֶׁהֵם קִיְּימוּ מִצְוֹות אֵלּוּ שַׁבָּת וּמִילָה אֲשֶׁר הֵמָּה כַּחוֹק מִבְּלִי טַעַם, בִּבְחִינַת ׳כִּי חוֹק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא׳, הָיָה ׳מִשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹקֵי יַעֲקֹב׳ לְהוֹצִיא אוֹתָנוּ מִגָּלוּת מִצְרַיִם, אַף שֶׁלֹּא הָיִינוּ רְאוּיִים.
- Shaar HaMitzvos, Shemos; Zohar I 113a. ↩
In shortSunk in the forty-nine gates, Bnei Yisrael kept Shabbos and milah, chukim without a reason, and so were redeemed though unworthy.
5This lets us explain the wicked son's words. On the Seder night we do many mitzvos that involve food. But the wicked son keeps only what his own mind understands; he does not want to keep mitzvos that are chukim. So “the wicked son, what does he say? ‘What is this service to you?’” He is asking what service of Hashem there can be in eating. To him, a mitzvah in such things looks like a chok without a reason, for in his view one serves Hashem only in spiritual things such as Torah and prayer. That is why Chazal said that “he has denied the very foundation.” He has denied a great foundation of our Torah: to keep even the chukim that have no reason. On the contrary, the heart of serving Hashem is to serve one's Maker through chukim that are beyond one's understanding. So it is rightly said, “Had he been there, he would not have been redeemed.” As we explained, what made Bnei Yisrael in Egypt worthy of redemption, even in their lowly state, was that they kept even the chukim, which have no reason. Had the wicked son been in Egypt and not kept them, he would not have been worthy to be redeemed.
וּלְפִי זֶה יֵשׁ לְבָאֵר דִּבְרֵי הָרָשָׁע הַנִּזְכָּרִים, דְּהִנֵּה בְּלֵיל הַסֵּדֶר אָנוּ עוֹשִׂים הַרְבֵּה מִצְוֹת בְּעִנְיְנֵי מַאֲכָלִים, אַךְ הָרָשָׁע מְקַיֵּים רַק דְּבָרִים שֶׁהַשֵּׂכֶל שֶׁלּוֹ מֵבִין, וְאֵינוֹ רוֹצֶה לְקַיֵּים מִצְוֹת שֶׁל חוֹק, וְעַל כֵּן ״רָשָׁע מַה הוּא אוֹמֵר מָה הָעֲבוֹדָה הַזֹּאת לָכֶם״, הַיְינוּ שֶׁשּׁוֹאֵל מָה עֲבוֹדָה יֵשׁ בְּעִנְיְנֵי אֲכִילָה, דְּנִרְאֶה הַדָּבָר בְּעֵינָיו כַּחוֹק לְלֹא טַעַם שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בְּכָךְ מִצְוָה, דִּלְדַעְתּוֹ אֵין עֲבוֹדָה אֶלָּא בִּדְבָרִים רוּחָנִיִּים כַּתּוֹרָה וּתְפִלָּה. וְעַל כֵּן אָמְרוּ שֶׁ׳כָּפַר בָּעִיקָּר׳, שֶׁכֵּן כָּפַר בָּזֶה בְּעִיקָּר וִיסוֹד גָּדוֹל בְּתוֹרָתֵנוּ, לִשְׁמוֹר אַף אֶת הַחוּקִּים שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם טַעַם, וְאַדְּרַבָּה עִיקַּר הָעֲבוֹדָה הוּא לַעֲבוֹד אֶת קוֹנוֹ בְּמִצְוֹת חוּקִּיּוֹת שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מֵהַשָּׂגָתוֹ. וְאִם כֵּן שַׁפִּיר נֶאֱמַר ״אִילּוּ הָיָה שָׁם לֹא הָיָה נִגְאָל״, כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר כִּי מַה שֶׁזָּכוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמִצְרַיִם לִגְאוּלָּה אַף שֶׁהָיוּ בְּשֵׁפֶל הַמַּצָּב, הָיָה מִצַּד שֶׁהָיוּ מְקַיְּימִים אַף מִצְוֹת הַחוּקִּיּוֹת אֲשֶׁר אֵין בָּהֶם טַעַם, וְעַל כֵּן אִילּוּ הָיָה הוּא בְּמִצְרַיִם וְלֹא הָיָה מְקַיְּימָם לֹא הָיָה זוֹכֶה לְהִגָּאֵל.
In shortThe wicked son accepts only what his mind grasps, denying the very chukim that redeemed Bnei Yisrael, so he would not have been redeemed.
6May the Holy One, blessed be He, grant that we be privileged to serve Hashem in simple wholeheartedness until the coming of the Redeemer. Amen, may it be His will.
יִתֵּן הקב״ה, שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה לַעֲבוֹד אֶת ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ מִתּוֹךְ תְּמִימוֹת עַד בִּיאַת גּוֹאֵל, אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן.
In shortThe Rebbe prays that we serve Hashem in simple wholeheartedness until the Redeemer comes.
Takeaway
Bnei Yisrael in Egypt had sunk too low to offer any reason for their redemption, yet they kept Shabbos and milah, mitzvos whose reasons are beyond us, and so Hashem redeemed them “without a reason,” measure for measure. The wicked son's mistake was to accept only the mitzvos his own mind could approve. When we feel unworthy, the remedy the Rebbe teaches is to keep the chukim wholeheartedly, serving Hashem even where we do not understand.
Learn this in the merit of Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz. His yahrzeit and life ›
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.