Parashat
Bo
Next week's Torah portion begins the narrative
of the actual exodus from Egypt.
Exodus 12:42 says:
"That was for the Lord a night of vigil (leil shimurim l'Adonai) to bring them
out of the land of Egypt; that same night is the Lord's, one of vigil for all
the children of Israel throughout the ages."
Two 14th century Catalonian illuminated
haggadahs, The Rylands and the Barcelona, open with piyyutim (liturgical poems)
with the heading, Leil Shimurim.
Virtually all of the classic commentators for the last 2 millennia have
interpreted "a night of watching," "a night of preserving,"
"a night of observing." What exactly does this mean? "Just as
God redeemed us from Egypt, without a moment of hesitation; just as God made a
covenant with Abraham on this same night, the Covenant of the Pieces (Gen. 15);
"so in the future God will redeem Israel on this same night."
The Rylands haggadah precedes Leil Shimurim with a poem reciting how
excellent was life at the Exodus and how miserable was their life in Catalonia
by contrast.
What does Judaism do for us? Human nature is
to consider, in virtually every moment, our existential situation. It has been
said that we cannot approach God if we have a stone in our shoe; all we can
think about is the stone. But Jewish poetry, prayer, ritual, symbol attempt to
redeem our pain by explaining our role in God's plan. "The Jewish people
revealed the Torah, the ethical rules of humanity, the 7 Noahide laws, the
morality of Micah and Isaiah, to humanity." "Love your neighbor as
yourself (Lev. 19:18) What is hateful to you do not do to your neighbor; all
the rest is commentary; go and learn. (Hillel)" To achieve such lofty
humanitarian heights, we must be thinking all of the time about the intricasies
of our lives. What does suffering mean? Why am I here? What is my purpose?
That's what Jewish culture does. It's a means to consider the purpose of human
life.
Much of American life has abandoned culture,
to our detriment. American culture too often demonstrates (think Kardashians
here) that life is about money and sex.
If it does consider the great questions, too
often there is no concept of Redemption. I love reading Philip Roth, for
instance, but as good as he is about stating the existential realities of a
male's life, he has no redemptive solutions – just gut wrenching observations.
Judaism not only explains that we suffer. It
constructs why we suffer, and the solution. American culture has radically
turned toward self-centered obsession. "I have a right to my gun, and your
rights to not be intimidated are not my concern." "I'll send my
children to private school; you can take care of yourself." I am shocked
that in Kansas even the roads are less a public concern. Now there are those
who want the users of the roads to pay for them. We truly are focused on
ourselves exclusively, devoid of a sensitivity to the transcendant meaning of
life. As a result, we are not only disconnected from others, we are
disconnected from ourselves as a result.
"A night of vigil for the Eternal."
We dedicate an entire night, and then a 7 day celebration, to the idea and
ideal of communal freedom. I can't leave Egypt without you. And it's not a
thought for Egypt alone, but the destiny of our lives. Just as God redeemed us
from Egypt, so in the future God will also redeem. But we all must go together;
no one gets redeemed alone. Consider the meaning of the metaphor. There are
profound implications for your life.
You want to know what Redemption means. Try
watching this YouTube without crying:
We cry because it's beautiful. We cry because
we'd love for it to be true in our own lives, that when we fall, everyone would
stop and pick us up so that we can finish the race together.
At the seder, the Night of Watching, everyone
leaves Egypt holding hands, no one left behind. Think about it. We are a culture
of life for everyone. "Just as God redeemed us from Egypt, so in the
future God will redeem us." But only if we are willing to hold hands and
bring everyone out together.
Shabbat shalom.
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