Bo: Beyond Logic
Makkat Bechorot is the only one where Moshe announced the exact time it would occur, and it’s also the only one where the Jews had to mark their homes to be spared. What’s so special about this plague? • Moshiach Beparsha is a weekly drasha connecting the Rebbe’s teachings on Moshiach with the weekly Parsha, presented in an engaging way with stories and practical life lessons • Full Article
BEGIN WITH A GRIN
The Dubno Maggid once found himself in a difficult situation. He was asked to deliver a drasha before non-believers who demanded that the drasha contain no pesukim, only purely educational messages.
The Maggid agreed and began to tell a story about a teacher who walked with his students through a dense forest. He told them that if dogs attacked them, all they needed to do was recite the pasuk: “But against all the Jewish people, no dog shall whet its tongue” and the dogs would calm down.
Suddenly, a pack of dogs attacked them. The teacher, along with his students, ran through the forest. After a long run, they reached safety. The students asked the teacher: “Why did you run and not recite the pasuk?”
The teacher answered: “What can I do when the dogs won’t let me say even one pasuk?”
YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT
In Parshas Bo, we read about the “final solution” to the Egyptian exile – the plague of the firstborn, the tenth plague that brought about the long-awaited exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt. There are many interesting details about the plague of the firstborn that differ from all the other plagues. In the following lines, we will focus on some of them in light of the teachings of the Rebbe.
(A) The plague of the firstborn is the only plague for which Moshe announced the exact time: “about midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt” (Bo 11:4). (B) This is also the only plague for which the Jewish people had to make a sign on their homes so the plague would not harm them – they had to smear the blood of the korban Pesach “on the two doorposts and on the lintel.”
What is the reason for these changes in the plague of the firstborn? And what is their connection to the true and complete Geula?
In a long and complex sicha (Likutei Sichos vol 3 Parshas Bo), the Rebbe explains this through the lens of Chassidus. The main point focuses on the fact that the spiritual root of the plague of the firstborn is in a supreme level that transcends the natural order. A level that is above all intellect and above all logic. Sound logic would argue: “What distinguishes these from those?” “These worship idols, and those worship idols!” Why should the firstborn of Israel be saved while the firstborn of Egypt die? Where is the justice and fairness?!
The answer is simple. Sound logic is correct, but the plague of the firstborn is a plague that transcends logic! It is rooted in a level above the natural order, and there shines G-d’s essential love for every single Jew, without any reason, without any rationale, and without any logic. The wicked Pharaoh was incapable of accepting such declarations. The ancient Egyptians were the epitome of human intellect (similar to Greek culture in later periods). The magicians were known throughout the world as great wise men, and even Pharaoh (though he was wicked) was not foolish. He acted according to intellect, and therefore he thought to himself that such a plague, which would kill all the firstborn without distinction of race, religion, skin color, or language, would certainly also harm the firstborn of Israel, which is why he was confident it would not take place.
Therefore, Moshe (according to G-d’s command) had to tell him “about midnight” this will happen! Midnight is a time of joining opposites. It is the time when the first half of the night, symbolizing the attribute of severity, darkness, and contraction (gevura), joins with the second half of the night, which symbolizes the attribute of kindness, light, and expansion (chesed). Therefore, in the first half of the night, it becomes darker moment by moment, while in the second half of the night, the light grows brighter moment by moment. This connection of two opposites – chesed and gevura, kindness and severity – comes from a level that transcends both of them together; a level that is itself unlimited in any way, and therefore it can connect two opposites. This is the level above the natural order which brings with it G-d’s essential love for every Jew. At the moment of midnight, that essential love is revealed, and it is what protected the Jewish people and guarded them from ‘the destroyer.’
But this explanation only strengthens the question about the second change. If so, if G-d’s essential love protected the Jewish people, why did they need a sign?
DO WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN
Here lies a great principle in serving G-d. All divine flow comes down only through human effort. For a divine revelation to be received by a person and shine and be absorbed inwardly, he must do something that resembles that revelation. Even G-d’s essential love, which transcends logic, requires effort. Our work is not the cause of the love; human effort does not strengthen the love, and lack of effort does not weaken it, but without effort, one cannot receive that love.
The work required to receive divine revelation must resemble that revelation. Regarding our subject, to receive a revelation that transcends intellect, one must behave beyond intellect – with self-sacrifice, avoda beyond reason and knowledge. And this was the reason for making the sign, smearing the blood on the doorposts and lintel. The blood of the korban Pesach (and also the blood of circumcision) that the Jewish people smeared on the doors of their homes was an excellent symbol of self-sacrifice and personal dedication beyond reason and knowledge. Circumcision is a mitzva beyond intellect, and taking the Egyptian idol (the lamb) and openly declaring that the Jewish people were going to slaughter and sacrifice it constituted open mesirus nefesh.
With this, the Rebbe resolves an apparent contradiction in the words of the Sages. On one hand, it is stated in sources (Mechilta 14:31) that “by virtue of faith our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt, as it says ‘and the people believed,’” while on the other hand, it is stated (also in Mechilta, quoted in Rashi) that the Jewish people were redeemed by virtue of the blood of circumcision and the blood of the korban Pesach. So by virtue of what were we redeemed?
The answer is: by virtue of both!
Faith in general is something beyond logic, especially the faith of the Jewish people in Geula (from Egypt). They were in a degraded physical and spiritual state, without any chance of salvation. (Even prisoner exchange agreements or international intervention would not have helped them.) But they believed anyway in what the prophet said about the coming Geula.
However, as mentioned above, faith, even if it transcends reason and knowledge, is not sufficient – actions are needed! One must bring faith into action, and this is why the Jewish people had to express their irrational faith through the performance of the mitzvos – the blood of circumcision and the blood of Pesach.
That same faith, which was expressed through the performance of these two mitzvos, aroused above the divine revelation that transcends the natural order, and this caused the plague of the firstborn, which brought about the Exodus from Egypt.
The general principle learned from all the above is that to bring the Geula, even in situations where it seems to us there is no chance it will come, we must believe! And not just believe, but believe beyond intellect and beyond logic. But faith is not everything – we must bring faith into action, actions that will internalize the faith, even in the lower bodily functions, like the mitzva of circumcision, which internalizes Jewish faith even in the most physical and lowly organs of man. Moreover, we must internalize the faith even in things outside the human body, in the manner of the blood of the korban Pesach, which internalized the faith even in the walls of the house (the door, the doorpost, and the lintel).
“As in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt” – we too must learn the most important lesson from all the above. To bring the Geula, even in situations where it seems that there is no hope of it ever coming we must believe! Not ordinary belief, but belief that transcends logic and reason. And we must internalize this faith in the innermost part of our soul and body, not just lip service, but within our very core. The internalization of faith in recent generations is accomplished through deep study of Chassidus, because through studying Chabad Chassidus, a person internalizes the spiritual concepts and they penetrate the innermost part of his consciousness, until they become an inseparable part of him. And through internalizing faith, with practical results in action (including fulfilling the mitzva of Torah study), Geula will come!
TO CONCLUDE WITH A STORY
We will end with a Chassidic story about the power of faith.
Once, the Baal Shem Tov traveled with one of his students until they reached the desert, a place without water. The student, who was tired from the journey, was very thirsty. He turned to the Baal Shem Tov and said: “Rebbe, I am thirsty.”
But the Baal Shem Tov did not answer. When the student saw he was in mortal danger, he turned again to the Baal Shem Tov and said: “Rebbe, I am very thirsty.” The Baal Shem Tov answered him: “Do you believe that when Hashem created the world, He saw your trouble and prepared water for you to drink?”
The student did not rush to answer. After a moment of thought, he replied: “Yes, I believe with complete faith.”
The Baal Shem Tov responded: “Wait a moment.”
After a short time, the Rebbe and his student met a non-Jew carrying on his shoulders two buckets full of water. They paid him a coin for two cups of water and quenched their thirst.
However, the Baal Shem Tov did not let the non-Jew hurry on his way. He stopped him and asked: “What possessed you to carry water here in the desert?”
The non-Jew answered: “My master went crazy. He sent me to bring him water from a spring very far from his house. And I’ve been carrying this water for a long time, running a distance of thirteen kilometers, and I don’t understand why the master is doing this to me.”
The Baal Shem Tov turned to his student and said:””Do you see, my dear son, what is the way of Divine Providence? G-d created a crazy feudal lord (‘poritz’) for you, in order to give you water, and all of this He foresaw at the moment He created the world.”
Good Shabbos!
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