QUESTIONS FOR THE SHABBOS TABLE
PARSHAS
TZAV, LEVITICUS, 6:1-8:36,
SHABBOS HAGADOL
LAWS
OF PASSOVER, PART II
The Shabbos
before Pesach is called “Shabbos Hagadol”.
Because in Egypt it was the day when we took the sheep that we would be
bringing as our קָרְבָּן, offering. . And each of our families tied the sheep to a bedpost, infuriating
our Egyptian neighbors.
On that first Shabbat Hagadol, we Jews started on our journey to freedom and liberty; that journey is a continuing one. That was true for them and also for us, The Times They Are A Changin'.
While ridding the household of all chametz in
preparation for the Passover holiday, my thoughts turn to the ultimate source
of chametz, namely and without reservation, bread.
In Parshat Tzav, Hashem instructs Moshe that as
part of Aaron’s inauguration process he should bring a special grain offering
that will be burnt in its entirety on the Altar (6:14).
“On a griddle it shall be made with
oil, scalded shall you bring it; a repeatedly
baked meal offering you shall bring it in broken pieces that you will offer it…”
עַל-מַחֲבַת,
בַּשֶּׁמֶן תֵּעָשֶׂה--מֻרְבֶּכֶת תְּבִיאֶנָּה; תֻּפִינֵי מִנְחַת פִּתִּים,
תַּקְרִיב
I’m thinking, what distinguishes this offering
is that it is scalded or boiled before baking.
After very sober serious contemplation, it is my belief that this method
of bread preparation, albeit altered by time and geography, has come down to us
as part of our esteemed Ashkenazi Jewish heritage.
It is my sincere belief that this bread
preparation is what my Yeshivish friends might call the “Ikar” (עִקָר)
or essence of who or what we are or have come to be. What I am referring to is the Bagel.
This ethnic bread preparation first surfaced in
Jewish Poland during the 17th century.
Indisputably we are as much the “People of the Bagel” as we are the
“People of the Book”.
Bagels for the untutored or if you know, are
boiled or steamed before baking. And its circular shape perhaps represents out
unending connection to Hashem and that all Jews must be included. Of course the hole in the middle is a
metaphor for our "holiness".
I rest my case.😉
In Parshat Tzav Hashem
commands (6:4) regarding the ashes of the olah offering:
“…and he [the
Kohen] shall take out the ashes to a ritually clean place outside the camp”.
וְהוֹצִ֤יא אֶת־הַדֶּ֨שֶׁן֙ אֶל־מִח֣וּץ
לַמַּֽחֲנֶ֔ה אֶל־מָק֖וֹם טָהֽוֹר
Before the Kohen
performs this mitzvah, he must sort through the ash residue and return any
animal part remainder back on to the Altar. This offering is to be fully
consumed by fire. I assume that outside the camp there were ritually
clean and ritually unclean places (for instance a privy). Even ashes from
the altar have a holy status, to be treated with respect and only be deposited
in a clean place. Think about the mindset.
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LAWS OF PASSOVER, PART II
The Festival of Passover
will shortly be upon us. It begins Wednesday evening, April 8th and ends in the evening of
Wednesday,15th of April.
In that regard, I would
like to present some of the many Laws of Passover to help you get ready for the
big event, the Festival of Our Freedom. It is not meant to be an
exhaustive presentation or for that matter an authoritative presentation, but
something for you to talk about at your table and put you on the right track.
BITTER HERBS – MAROR - מָרוֹר
The reason we eat moror, or bitter herbs, is to remind us
that there was great bitterness in Egypt.
A person should not fool himself into thinking that he can begin to feel
this bitterness unless he is quite knowledgeable of the events that took place. So you should become knowledgeable.
There is a commandment that on a Passover we are to eat
Matzah and bitter herbs. In my way of
thinking, the best way to accomplish this is to eat a leaf of romaine lettuce
with a teaspoon of freshly grated horse radish root.
THE TELLING OF THE
GOING OUT FROM EGYPT –
The central point of the Seder is the telling of the going
out of Egypt, Y’tzias Mitzrayim, The Exodus, יציאת
מצרים. Although
the other Passover laws are extremely important, the story of Y’tzias Mitzrayim
should be told in great detail.
It is a positive mitzvah from the Torah on the Seder night to
tell of the miracles and wonders which our ancestors experienced in Egypt: “And
you shall tell your child on that day, saying, "Because of this, the Lord
did for me when I went out of Egypt.”
In order to do fulfill the commandment it is incumbent on
each of us to learn what we can about the Exodus.
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