3. Count Me In! Just Because You Don’t Have to Doesn’t Mean You Shouldn’t Want To

Dedicated in honor of the bar mitzva of Yaakov Kopel Ha’ Silberberg on Lag Ba’Omer 5780.

May his steps be forever guided and blessed by Hashem and His . May he always be a proud ambassador of Klal Yisrael and a source of never‑ending nachat for his parents and grandparents in good health, happiness, and success. [ 40 ]

HOLIDAY OVERVIEW Pesach Sheni

What Does Pesach they had done the previ‑ Sheni Mean? ous year just before they Pesach Sheni means “Sec‑ left Egypt. ond [Sacrifice].” It “There were, however, marks the day when some‑ certain persons who had one who was unable to become ritually impure participate in the Passover through contact with a offering in the proper time dead body, and could not, would observe the mitzvah therefore, prepare the exactly one month later. Passover offering on that It is customary to mark this day. They approached day by eating matzah—she- Moses and Aaron . . . and murah matzah, if possible— they said, ‘. . . Why should and by omitting Tachanun we be deprived and not be from the prayer services. able to present G‑d’s offer‑ ing in its time, amongst How Pesach Sheni the Children of Israel?’” Came About (Numbers 9:6–7). A year after , G‑d In response to their plea, instructed the people of G‑d established the 14th of Israel to bring the Passover Iyar as a day for the “Second offering on the afternoon Passover” (Pesach Sheni) of the 14th of , and to for anyone who was unable eat it that evening, roasted to bring the offering on its over the fire, together with appointed time in the pre‑ matzah and bitter herbs, as vious month.

TORAH STUDIES / SEASON THREE 5780 [ 41 ]

What Pesach Sheni Means In the words of Rabbi The day represents the Yosef Yitzchak Schnner‑ “second chance” achieved sohn, “The Second Pass‑ by repentance, the power over means that it’s never a of repentance and “return.” ‘lost case.’”

Emor

The Torah section of Emor for seven days before being (“Speak”) begins with the eligible to serve as an offer‑ special laws pertaining to ing; one may not slaughter the kohanim (priests), the an animal and its offspring Kohen Gadol (High Priest), on the same day. and the Temple service: The second part of Emor A kohen may not become lists the annual Callings ritually impure through of Holiness—the festivals contact with a dead body, of the Jewish calendar: the save on the occasion of the weekly ; the bring‑ death of a close relative. A ing of the Passover offering kohen may not marry a di‑ on 14 Nisan; the seven-day vorcée, nor a woman with a Passover festival beginning promiscuous past; a Kohen on 15 Nisan; the bringing of Gadol may marry only a vir‑ the Omer offering from the gin. A kohen with a physical first barley harvest on the deformity is not permitted second day of Passover, and to serve in the Holy Temple, the commencement, on nor may a deformed animal that day, of the forty-nine be brought as an offering. day Counting of the Omer, A newborn calf, lamb, or kid culminating in the festival must be left with its mother of Shavuot on the fiftieth

LESSON 3 / Count Me In! [ 42 ] day; a “remembrance of showbread (lechem hapa- shofar blowing” on 1 Tish‑ nim) placed weekly on the rei; a solemn fast day on table there. 10 Tishrei; the Sukkot fes‑ Emor concludes with the tival—during which we are incident of a man executed to dwell in huts for seven for blasphemy, and the pen‑ days and take the “Four alties for murder (death) Kinds”—beginning on 15 and for injuring one’s fellow Tishrei; and the immedi‑ or destroying his property ately following holiday of (monetary compensation). the “eighth day” of Sukkot (Shemini Atzeret).

Next, the Torah discusses the lighting of the menorah in the Temple, and the

TORAH STUDIES / SEASON THREE 5780 [ 43 ]

I. THIRTY-NINE YEARS WITHOUT PASSOVER Passover in the Desert

TEXT 1 BAMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 9:1–5

ְוַידַּבֵר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה ְב ְמִדּבַר סִינַי, ּבַשָׁנָה הַשֵׁנִית ְלצֵאתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִ ְ רַ יִםצ ּבַ חֹדֶׁשהָרִ אׁשֹון לֵאמֹר: ְויַעֲ ׂשּו ְבנֵי ְיִש ׂרָאֵל אֶת חהַּפָסַ ְּבמֹועֲ דֹו: ְּבאַ ְ ּבָעָ הר עָשָ ׂריֹום ּבַ חֹדֶ ׁש הַזֶה, ּבֵ ין הָעֲ ְ ּבַיִם רּתַעֲ ׂשּו אֹתֹו ְּבמֹועֲ דֹו, ְּככָל חֻ קֹתָ יו ְּוככָל מִ ְ ּׁפָטָ שיו ּתַעֲ ׂשּו אֹתֹו: וַ ְי רדַּבֵ מֹשֶ ׁה לאֶ ְּבנֵי ְיִש לׂרָאֵ לַעֲ שֹוׂת הַּפָסַ ח: וַיַעֲ ׂשּואֶ ת הַּפֶסַ ח, ּבָרִ אׁשֹון ְּבאַ ְר הּבָעָ עָשָ ׂריֹום לַחֹדֶ ׁש ּבֵ ין הָעַ ְרּבַ יִם ְּבמִ ְדּבַר סִ ינָי, ְ כֹלאֲשֶ ּכׁר צִ ּוָה ה'אֶ ת מֹשֶ ׁה ּכֵן עָ ׂשּו ְּבנֵי ְיִשׂרָאֵ ל:

G-d spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert in the second year of their Exodus from the land of Egypt in the first month, saying, “The Children of Israel shall make the Passover sacrifice in its appointed time.

“On the afternoon of the fourteenth of this month, you shall make it in its appointed time; in accordance with all its statutes and all its ordinances you shall make it.”

Moses spoke to the Children of Israel [instructing them] to make the Passover sacrifice.

So they made the Passover sacrifice in the first month, on the afternoon of the fourteenth day of the month in the Sinai Desert; according to all that G-d had commanded Moses, so did the Children of Israel do.

LESSON 3 / Count Me In! [ 44 ]

The Bigger Picture

TEXT 2 , AD LOC.

Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki Rashi), 1040–1105) “בחדש הראשון״. פרשה שבראש הספר לא נאמרה עד אייר, Most noted biblical and למדת שאין סדר מוקדם ומאוחר בתורה. ולמה לא פתח בזו? Talmudic commentator. Born in Troyes, France, Rashi studied מפני שהוא גנותן של ישראל, שכל ארבעים שנה שהיו ישראל in the famed yeshivot of Mainz במדבר, לא הקריבו אלא פסח זה בלבד. and Worms. His commentaries on the Pentateuch and the Talmud, which focus “In the first month”: The portion at the beginning of the on the straightforward meaning of the text, appear Book [of Numbers] was not said until Iyar. [From this] you in virtually every edition of the Talmud and Bible. learn that there is no chronological order in the Torah. But why did Scripture not begin with this [chapter]? For it is a disgrace to Israel that throughout the forty years the Children of Israel were in the desert, they brought only this Passover sacrifice alone.

TORAH STUDIES / SEASON THREE 5780 [ 45 ]

No Obligation

TEXT 3a SHEMOT (EXODUS) 12:24–25

ְּושׁמַ ְרּתֶם אֶת הַדָבָר הַזֶ ה, ְלחָ ק ְָךל ְבָ ּולנֶיָך דעַ עֹולָם: ְהָיָה וּכִי תָ בֹאּואֶ ל ץהָאָרֶ אֲשֶ ׁר ןיִּתֵ ה׳ לָכֶם ּכַאֲשֶ ׁר דִּבֵר, ְּושׁמַ ְרּתֶ ם אֶ ת הָ עֲ בֹ דָ ה הַ זֹ א ת :

And you shall keep this matter as a statute for you and for your children forever.

And it shall come to pass when you enter the land that G-d will give you, as He spoke, that you shall observe this service.

LESSON 3 / Count Me In! [ 46 ]

TEXT 3b RASHI, AD LOC.

“והיה כי תבאו אל הארץ״. תלה הכתוב מצוה זו בביאתם לארץ, ולא נתחייבו במדבר אלא בפסח אחד שעשו בשנה השנית ועל פי הדיבור:

“And it shall come to pass when you enter”: Scripture makes this commandment contingent upon their entry into the Land, but in the desert, they were obligated only to bring one Passover sacrifice, the one they performed in the second year, [which they did] by divine mandate.

TORAH STUDIES / SEASON THREE 5780 [ 47 ]

TEXT 4 THE REBBE, RABBI MENACHEM MENDEL SCHNEERSON, LIKUTEI SICHOT 23, P. 65 Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson דארף מען פארשטיין דעם תירוץ )פון רש״י וכו'( “מפני שהוא 1902–1994 גנותן של ישראל, שכל ארבעים שנה שהיו ישראל במדבר לא The towering Jewish leader of the 20th century, known הקריבו אלא פסח זה בלבד": as “the Lubavitcher Rebbe,” ”.or simply as “the Rebbe אין וואס באשטייט דא די “גנות" – רש״י האט פריער שוין Born in southern Ukraine, the Rebbe escaped Nazi-occupied מפרש געווען, אז “תלה הכתוב מצוה זו )קרבן פסח( בביאתם .Europe, arriving in the U.S לארץ ולא נתחייבו במדבר אלא פסח אחד שעשו בשנה השנית in June 1941. The Rebbe inspired and guided the revival על פי הדיבור". דאס הייסט זיי זיינען בפירוש נצטווה געווארן of traditional Judaism after בהקרבתו נאר אין ארץ ישראל. the European devastation, impacting virtually every Jewish community the Rashi’s answer, “For it is a disgrace to Israel that throughout world over. The Rebbe often emphasized that the the forty years the Children of Israel were in the desert, performance of just one additional good deed could they brought only this Passover sacrifice alone,” doesn’t usher in the era of Mashiach. The Rebbe’s scholarly talks seem to make sense. and writings have been printed in more than 200 volumes. What is the “disgrace” here? Rashi already explained above that “Scripture makes this commandment [the Passover sacrifice] contingent upon their entry into the Land, but in the desert, they were obligated only to bring one Passover sacrifice, the one they performed in the second year, [which they did] by divine mandate.”

In other words, they were explicitly obligated to bring the offering only in the .

Question for Discussion: Can failure to do something you’re not obligated to do be considered a disgrace?

LESSON 3 / Count Me In! [ 48 ]

The Spies’ Sin

TEXT 5 TOSAFOT, TALMUD TRACTATE KIDUSHIN, 37B Tosafot

A collection of French ואם תאמר, כיון שמן הדין לא היה להם לעשות מה גנות היה להם? and German Talmudic commentaries written ויש לומר, דהיינו גנותם שנשתהו ליכנס לארץ עד מ' שנה מפני during the 12th and 13th centuries. Among the most עוון מרגלים, ולפיכך לא נצטוו. ואם היו זוכים ליכנס לארץ מיד famous authors of Tosafot היו מצווים מיד. are Rabbi Yaakov Tam, Rabbi Shimshon ben Avraham of Sens, and Rabbi Yitzchak The question arises: They weren’t obligated [to bring the (“the Ri”). Printed in almost all editions of the Talmud, these Passover sacrifice in the desert]. If so, why is [their failure commentaries are fundamental to basic Talmudic study. to bring it] considered a disgrace?

Rather, the disgrace is that it took them forty years to enter the Land due to the sin of the spies, which is why they weren’t obligated. Had they [not sinned and thus] merited to enter the Land right away, they would have been obligated to bring the offering then.

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Putting Things into Context

TEXT 6 THE REBBE, RABBI MENACHEM MENDEL SCHNEERSON, LIKUTEI SICHOT 23, P. 67

אויב מ׳זאל דאס פאררעכענען אלס ״גנות״, איז דאס שייך ניט בלויז צו קרבן פסח, נאר צו אלע מצות וועלכע זיינען תלויות בארץ ובכניסה לארץ — פאסט דאך ניט מייחס זיין די ״גנות״ צו קרבן פסח דוקא? ואדרבא מער ״גנות״ איז אין די אלע אנדערע מצות פון דעם סוג, ווייל זיי האט מען ניט מקיים געווען במדבר אפילו לא פעם אחת.

If we consider [the failure to bring the Passover sacrifice in the desert to be] a “disgrace” [because they shouldn’t have sinned and shouldn’t have been in the desert for so long], the following question emerges: It is not just the failure to bring the Passover sacrifice which is a disgrace, but also the failure to observe any of the other commandments that only take effect upon entry into the Land. Why, then, is the Passover sacrifice singled out as a sign of this “disgrace”? To the contrary, [the Passover sacrifice] was at least observed once in the desert, unlike the others.

LESSON 3 / Count Me In! [ 50 ]

II. THE SECOND CHANCE Missing the Boat?

TEXT 7 BAMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 9:6–8

וַ ְי יהִ אֲ נָשִ ׁים ׁראֲשֶ הָ יּו ְטמֵאִ ים ְלנֶפֶ ׁש אָדָ ם, ְוֹלא ְיָכלּו לַעֲ שֹׂת הַּפֶסַ ח ּבַ יֹום הַ הּוא, ְוַיִקְרבּו ְלִפנֵי מֹשֶ ׁה ְו ְ נֵי לִפאַהֲ רֹןּבַ יֹום הַ הּוא: ְוַיֹאמרּו הָאֲנָשִׁים הָהֵמָה אֵלָיו ְאֲנַחנּו ְטמֵאִים ְלנֶפֶׁש אָדָם, לָמָה נִגָרַ ע ְלבִ ְלּתִי הַ ְקרִ יב אֶת קָ ְר ןּבַ ה' ְּבמֹעֲ דֹו ְּבתֹוְך ְּבנֵי ְיִשׂרָאֵ ל: וַ יֹאמֶר אֲ לֵהֶ ם מֹשֶ ׁה, עִ ְמדּו ְואֶ ְש ְׁמעָה מַ ה ְיצַ ּוֶה ה' לָכֶ ם:

There were men who were ritually unclean [because of contact with] a dead person and therefore could not make the Passover sacrifice on that day. So they approached Moses and Aaron on that day.

Those men said to him, “We are ritually unclean [because of contact] with a dead person; [but] why should we be excluded so as not to bring the offering of G-d in its appointed time, with all the Children of Israel?”

Moses said to them, “Wait, and I will hear what G-d instructs concerning you.”

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TEXT 8 RABBI CHEZKIAH BEN MANO’ACH, CHIZKUNI, AD LOC.

Rabbi Chezkiah ben Mano’ach למה אין אנו רשאין לאכול קדשים בטומאה, הרי אשתקד אכלנו (Chizkuni) c. 1250–1310 הפסח במצרים אפילו בטומאה?

French rabbi and exegete. His commentary on the Torah, [The impure individuals asked,] “Why are we not allowed Chizkuni, is based principally on the work of Rashi and, to eat it in a state of impurity? After all, last year we were according to the author’s allowed to partake of the Passover rite in Egypt even if we testimony, also draws upon nearly 20 earlier sources that were impure.” he collected during his travels. He focuses on elucidating the straightforward meaning of the text of the Torah.

LESSON 3 / Count Me In! [ 52 ]

The Law of the Second Passover Sacrifice

TEXT 9 BAMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 9:9–12

וַ ְידַּבֵ ר ה' אֶ ל מֹשֶ ׁה לֵאמֹר: דַ רּבֵ לאֶ ְּבנֵי יִ ְ אֵ שׂרָ ללֵ אמֹר, אִ יׁשאִ יׁש ּכִ י ְיִה יֶהטָמֵ אלָנֶפֶ ׁש, אֹו ְבדֶרֶ ְך ְר החֹקָ םלָכֶ אֹו ְלדֹרֹתֵ יכֶ ם, ְועָשָ ׂה פֶסַ ח לַה': ּבַ חֹדֶ ׁש הַשֵ ׁנִי, ְּבאַ ְרּבָעָ העָשָ ׂר יֹום ּבֵ ין הָעַ ְ ּבַ יִםר יַעֲ ׂשּו אֹתֹו, לעַ מַ צֹות ְּומרֹרִ ים ְיֹאכלֻהּו: ֹלא ְ ׁאִ יַשירּו מִמֶ נּו דעַ ּבֹקֶ ר ְועֶצֶם ֹלא ְיִשְרּוּׁב בֹו, ְּככָל תחֻקַ הַּפֶסַ ח ׂשיַעֲ ּו א תֹ ֹו :

G-d spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Children of Israel, saying, ‘Any person who becomes unclean from [contact with] the dead, or is on a distant journey, whether among you or in future generations, he shall make a Passover sacrifice for G-d.’

“In the second month, on the fourteenth day in the afternoon they shall make it; they shall eat it with unleavened cakes and bitter herbs.

“They shall not leave over anything from it until the next morning, and they shall not break any of its bones. They shall make it in accordance with all the statutes connected with the Passover sacrifice.”

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TEXT 10a MAIMONIDES, MISHNEH TORAH, LAWS OF THE PASCHAL LAMB 10:15 Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon ושניהם דוחין את השבת, וטעונין הלל בעשייתן, ונאכלין צלי (Maimonides, Rambam) 1204–1135 בבית אחד על מצה ומרור, ואין מותירין מהן ואין שוברין בהן

,Halachist, philosopher, author את העצם. and physician. Maimonides was born in Córdoba, Spain. After the conquest of Córdoba Both [the primary Paschal lamb and the second Paschal by the Almohads, he fled lamb] are alike in that offering them supersedes the Sabbath Spain and eventually settled in Cairo, Egypt. There, he prohibitions. is recited when they are offered. They became the leader of the Jewish community and served are eaten roasted in one house together with matzah and as court physician to the vizier of Egypt. He is most noted bitter herbs. In neither instance may their meat be left over for authoring the Mishneh Torah, an encyclopedic until the next morning, nor may their bones be broken. arrangement of Jewish law; and for his philosophical work, Guide for the Perplexed. His rulings on Jewish law are integral to the formation of halachic consensus.

LESSON 3 / Count Me In! [ 54 ]

TEXT 10b MAIMONIDES, IBID.

מה בין פסח ראשון לפסח שני? הראשון אסור בחמץ בבל יראה ובל ימצא, ואינו נשחט על חמץ, ואין מוציאין ממנו חוץ לחבורה, וטעון הלל באכילתו ומביאין עמו חגיגה . . . אבל פסח שני - חמץ ומצה עמו בבית, ואינו טעון הלל באכילתו, ומוציאין אותו חוץ לחבורתו ואין מביאין עמו חגיגה.

What are the differences between the first Paschal sacrifice and the second Paschal sacrifice?

When the first is offered, leaven is forbidden to be seen or possessed in one’s domain. It may not be slaughtered while one is in possession of leaven. Its meat may not be removed from the company in which it was designated to be eaten. The Hallel must be recited when it is eaten. A festive offering is brought with it. . . .

With regard to the second Paschal sacrifice, by contrast, both leaven and matzah may be in the person’s possession. Hallel is not recited while partaking of it. It may be taken out of the company in which it was designated to be eaten. A festive offering is also not brought with it.

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III. WE DON’T WANT TO BE EXEMPT Why Should We Lose Out?

TEXT 11 THE REBBE, RABBI MENACHEM MENDEL SCHNEERSON, LIKUTEI SICHOT 23, P. 69

מצד דער בקשה וטענה פון עטלעכע געציילטע אידן “למה נגרע", האט דער אויבערשטער געגעבן א זמן פון קרבן פסח בי"ד באייר ווען זיי זאלן קענען מקריב זיין דעם קרבן פסח, א זאך וואס מען געפינט ניט בא קיין אנדער מצוה אדער קרבן )וואס מ'זאגט אז בכלל — עבר יומו בטל קרבנו(.

Because a few individuals protested and said, “Why should we lose out?” G-d established Pesach Sheni on the 14th of Iyar, enabling them to bring the Passover sacrifice. This is something unprecedented in any other mitzvah or sacrifice (generally, the rule is “If its day passes, its offering is canceled”).

LESSON 3 / Count Me In! [ 56 ]

The Missing Complaint

TEXT 12 THE REBBE, RABBI MENACHEM MENDEL SCHNEERSON, IBID.

ווי קומט עס אז די אלע ל״ט שנה וואס אידן זיינען געווען אין מדבר האבן זיי ניט געפאדערט און געבעטן פון אויבערשטן “למה נגרע", אז זיי ווילן מקריב זיין דעם “קרבן לה'", דעם קרבן פסח )ובפרט אז דאס איז געווען דער קרבן וואס האט זיי געראטעוועט אין מצרים און געבראכט צו דער גאולה פון מצרים(?

How is it that for all the remaining thirty-nine years the Jewish people were in the desert, they didn’t demand G-d, “Why should we lose out?” expressing a wish to bring the “offering to G-d,” the Passover sacrifice? (Especially considering that this sacrifice is what helped them achieve their redemption from Egypt.)

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The Mitzvot We Do and the Mitzvot We Don’t

TEXT 13 SEFER HACHINUCH, AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTION

Sefer Hachinuch

A work on the biblical יש מצות הנוהגות בזמן הזה, והם בין כולם ג' מאות ששים commandments. Four aspects ותשעה. ויש מאלו הנוהגות שלא יתחייב בהן האדם כי אם בסיבה, of every mitzvah are discussed in this work: the definition of ופעמים שלא תבא הסיבה לו לאדם בכל ימיו ונמצא שלא יעשה the mitzvah; ethical lessons that can be deduced from אותה לעולם. כגון מצות נתינת שכר שכיר ביומו, שיש מבני the mitzvah; basic laws אדם שלא ישכור שכיר בימיו, וכל כיוצא בזה. וכן מן הלאוין, יש pertaining to the observance of the mitzvah; and who is קצת מהן שלא יתחייב עליהן האדם כי אם מרצונו ועל ידי סיבת obligated to perform the מעשיו, ובהמנעו מאותו המעשה — לא יהיה עליו חטא ולא יחסר mitzvah, and when. The work was composed in the 13th אליו דבר. כגון מוציא שם רע, שלא יגרש אשתו לעולם — שהוא century by an anonymous author who refers to himself הגורם על עצמו להתחייב בלאו הזה, כי הוא הוציא שם רע, וכן ”.as “the of Barcelona לאו דלא תאחר בנדרים, הוא ג"כ גורם אותו ומי שיחדל לנדור לא It has been widely thought that this referred to Rabbi יהיה בו חטא, וכן כל כיוצא בזה. והם בין כולם תשעה ותשעים, Aharon Halevi of Barcelona מהן שמונה ושבעים עשה ואחד ועשרים לא תעשה. אבל אותם (Re’ah); however, this view .has been contested מצות שחייבין בהם כל אדם מישראל מבלי שיתחדש בו סיבה בעולם, הם בין כולם מאתים ושבעים, וסימנם: אני ישנה ולבי ע״ר. מהם שמונה וארבעים עשה, ושנים ועשרים ומאתים לאוין.

Altogether, there are 369 mitzvot that are applicable in the current era. Many of these are only obligatory under certain circumstances; sometimes a person will never in his life be obligated to fulfill them. For example, there are people who never hire others, so they never become obligated to pay their workers on time.

Similarly, some of the Torah’s prohibitions only come into effect as a result of a person’s deeds; by avoiding those deeds, one is not bound by the prohibition. For example . . . the prohibition against delaying fulfillment of vows only falls upon one who has taken a vow. One who never takes

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a vow can never violate the prohibition. The same is true of many other mitzvot.

All told, there are 99 such [circumstantial] mitzvot; 78 obligatory and 21 [not]. [The number of] mitzvot that apply to every Jew, regardless of circumstance, is 270, equaling as in the ,[ער] ”the numerical value of the word “awake Of these, 48 are ”.[ער] verse, “I sleep, but my heart is awake obligatory mitzvot, and 222 are prohibitions.

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The War Against Complacency

TEXT 14 PASSOVER

Passover Haggadah

The Passover Haggadah was ּבָרּוְך אַּתָ ה ה'אֱ ֹלקֵ ינּו מֶ לְֶךהָ עֹולָם, אֲׁשֶ ר ְגאָלָנּו ְו לגָאַ אֶ תאֲ בֹותֵ ינּו compiled during the Talmudic מִמִ ְצרַ יִם, ְוהִגִיעָ נּו ְלָה הַלַיהַזֶה לֶאֱכָל ּבֹומַצָ ה ּומָ רֹור. ּכֵןה' אֱ ֹלקֵ ינּו era. It incorporates verses from the Torah and Talmudic וֵ אֹלקֵ י אֲ בֹותֵ ינּו יַגִ יעֵ נּו ְלמֹועֲדִ ים ְו ְלִרגָלִ ים אֲחֵרִ ים הַּבָאִ ים ְלִקרָ אתֵ נּו exegesis to tell the story of the Exodus. The Haggadah, which ְלׁשָלֹום, ְׂשמֵחִים ְּב ְבִניַן עִירֶָך ְו ׂשָׂשִיםּבַעֲבֹודָתֶָך, ְונֹאכַל ׁשָם מִן also establishes the structure ְהַזבָחִים ּומִן ְהַּפסָחִים אֲׁשֶר יַגִיעַ דָמָם עַל קִיר ְמִזּבַחֲָך ְלרָצֹון, of the seder, has been printed in thousands of editions and ְונֹודֶ ה ָךְל ׁשִ יר חָדָ ש עַ ל ְגאֻלָתֵ נּו ְו לעַ ְּפדּות ְׁשֵ נַפ נּו,ּבָרּוְך אַּתָ ה ה' has spawned thousands of אַגָ ל י ִ ְׂש רָ אֵ ל . commentaries, making it one of the most popular books in the history of literature. Blessed are You, G-d, our G-d, King of the universe, who has redeemed us and redeemed our fathers from Egypt and enabled us to attain this night to eat matzah and [bitter herbs]. So too, G-d, our G-d and G-d of our fathers, enable us to attain other holidays and festivals that will come to us in peace—with happiness in the rebuilding of Your city, and with rejoicing in Your service [in the Beit Hamikdash]. Then we shall eat of the sacrifices and of the Passover offerings, whose blood shall be sprinkled on the wall of Your altar for acceptance; and we shall thank You with a new song for our Redemption and for the deliverance of our souls. Blessed are You, G-d, who redeemed Israel.

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Asking for Mashiach

TEXT 15 THE REBBE, RABBI MENACHEM MENDEL SCHNEERSON, LIKUTEI SICHOT 23, PP. 71–72

על פי כל הנ״ל . . . לערנט מען דעם גודל הענין פון דער בקשה ״למה נגרע״ . . . ועל דרך זה איז מובן בנוגע בקשות ותפלות פון בני ישראל בכלל, ועל אחת כמה וכמה די בקשה נפשית פון כל אחד ואחד מבני ישראל, עס זאל זיין )ווארום ס׳איז דאך ״כלו כל הקיצין״( די גאולה האמיתית והשלימה, ובאופן ד״מיד הן נגאלין". ובלשון פון תפלת העמידה, וואס אידן זיינען מתפלל דריי מאל יעדן טאג )פון ימות החול(, ״את צמח דוד עבדך מהרה תצמיח״ . . . כפשוטו — במהרה בימינו ממש.

The above teaches us the importance of crying out, “Why should we lose out?” The prayers of the Jewish people as a whole, and certainly the heartfelt pleas of every individual asking G-d to bring the final and complete Redemption— as we recite three times a day in the Amidah . . . “Bring the Redemption to reality—speedily in our days.”

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