Shabbat Forshpeis
A Taste of Torah in Honor of Shabbat
PARSHAT KI TAVO
THE IMPORANCE OF PERSPECTIVE AND FOLLOW-UP:
THE ROLE OF THE EXODUS NARRATIVE IN
THE PASSOVER SEDER
August 23-24, 2002 / 16 ELUL 5762
Four sentences found in this weeks portion have become a central element of the Passover Seder.
These sentences prescribe the ritual that is to accompany the presentation of the first fruits at the sanctuary in Jerusalem. A beautiful prayer is recited upon that occasion which deals with the Jews settling in Egypt; their being enslaved by Pharaoh; their crying out to God for help; and finally their being freed. (Deuteronomy 26:5-8)
Yet, why should verses from Deuteronomy be recited at the Seder table rather when there are chapters dedicated to the actual unfolding of the story in the Book of Exodus? Several answers come to mind.
The portion of the first fruits instructs the native Israeli to thank God for his bounty by bringing the first of his produce to the Holy Temple. Although not enslaved in Egypt he recalls the Egyptian experience in the first person as if he were there. Hence, this text is read on Passover night, as it is our challenge then, not only to "retell" the story of the Exodus but to "reenact" the event as if we, living thousands of years later, were in Egypt. "Only through this total identification as a Jewish people," writes Rabbi Shlomo Riskin in his Passover Haggadah, "can we ensure the historical continuity of Judaism and Jewry." Just as the native Israeli acts as if s/he were there, we must do so as well.
Rabbi David Silber of Drisha offers an alternative approach. Paradoxically, he argues, only the people who were not in Egypt can fully understand that bondage. In fact, many of the slaves who left wanted to return-as they never fully comprehended what it meant to leave Egypt. Only a free people could attain the proper perspective to recognize that the experience in Egypt may not have been a punishment but a covenantal opportunity.
Indeed, sometimes, one is better able to assess the significance of an event years after it has occurred. Seeing an experience from a distance gives one a more whole perspective of what happened. For example, the generation after the Holocaust, not having been there, has a different perspective on the significance and impact of the Shoah. Each generation has the potential to understand the Shoah in ways that even survivors may not.
A final thought comes to mind. The text chosen to be analyzed on the Seder night deals with the land of Israel to teach that the leaving slavery has much more significance and meaning if it is followed by entry into the Jewish land of Israel. The land of Israel then takes its place as a central idea in the Passover Seder.
Centrality of Israel is a foundation of Judasim. There are, of course,
communities in the Diaspora that have become exemplary expressions of Torah
values. But the place, the only place, where the national destiny of
the Jewish people can be carried out is in the land of Israel. Only
there do we have the sovereignty, the independence, the autonomy,
to potentially become a light to the nations. Thus, entry to
Israel is inextricably bound to the exodus. Without it,
leaving Egypt is incomplete.
Rabbi Avi Weiss
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