Chasidut for Berakhot 11:26
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 12,27. “you will say (answer) ‘it is a Passover offering for the Lord, etc.’” We need to examine why when the Torah has called this festival חג המצות, “the festival of unleavened breads,” we, the people, are in the habit of calling it first and foremost חג הפסח, a name that does not occur in the Torah at all.
In Song of Songs 6,3 we read: אני לדודי ודודי לי, “I alone am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.” In this verse Solomon describes the relationship between the Jewish people and its G’d and vice versa in the most flattering terms. This is demonstrated by the Jewish people in practice every time they put on phylacteries in which the praises of the Almighty are spelled out on parchment. In the Talmud B’rachot 6, we are told that G’d Himself also puts on phylacteries and that the verses contained in His phylacteries contain the praises of His people, the Jewish people. When we keep this in mind we can understand a statement recorded in Tanna de bey Eliyahu that it is a positive commandment to recite the praises of the Jewish people. In other words, G’d enjoys hearing the praises and virtues of His people being mentioned and appreciated.
The Talmud Menachot 36 advises that while wearing the phylacteries one should touch them intermittently. This is in line with the prohibition to turn one’s attention to other matters while wearing the phylacteries. [This explains why nowadays we do not wear the phylacteries except during prayer as it is too easy to violate the commandments surrounding the manner in which we are to conduct ourselves if we were to wear them all day long. Ed.] When the Talmud forbids turning one’s attention away from the phylacteries on one’s head or one’s arm, this is not to be understood literally, but it means that while wearing phylacteries one must either concentrate on the praises of the Lord or the praises of Israel. The praises of the Lord are spelled out in the Torah sections inscribed on parchment inside our phylacteries. The author quotes Rashi on 12,39 where the Torah reports that the unleavened breads of the Israelites actually were baked by the sun while the dough was slung over the women’s shoulders. The people’s faith in the Lord at that time was demonstrated by their not insisting that they wait in Egypt while their dough would bake into bread so that they would have something to eat while on the way. The term חג המצות, originated at that time. This is one example of how G’d publicises the virtues of the Jewish people. On the other hand, by calling this festival חג הפסח, we, in turn, tell the praises of the Lord Who, at that time, had deliberately passed over the houses of the Jewish people when He killed all the firstborn in Egypt. This mutually complimentary relationship between G’d and His favourite people is what Solomon referred to in Song of Songs 6,3.
Another [rather revolutionary facet Ed.] method of understanding the above verse is that the word פסח may be understood phonetically, i.e. פה סח, “when the mouth speaks,” i.e. explains the nature of the Passover to your children in the future, then the הוא, the hidden aspects of G’d, [impersonal “he,” instead of “thou,” Ed.]<small? will="" become="" לה',="" revealed="" to="" you="" as="" a="" reward,="" as="" <i="">Hashem.
In Song of Songs 6,3 we read: אני לדודי ודודי לי, “I alone am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.” In this verse Solomon describes the relationship between the Jewish people and its G’d and vice versa in the most flattering terms. This is demonstrated by the Jewish people in practice every time they put on phylacteries in which the praises of the Almighty are spelled out on parchment. In the Talmud B’rachot 6, we are told that G’d Himself also puts on phylacteries and that the verses contained in His phylacteries contain the praises of His people, the Jewish people. When we keep this in mind we can understand a statement recorded in Tanna de bey Eliyahu that it is a positive commandment to recite the praises of the Jewish people. In other words, G’d enjoys hearing the praises and virtues of His people being mentioned and appreciated.
The Talmud Menachot 36 advises that while wearing the phylacteries one should touch them intermittently. This is in line with the prohibition to turn one’s attention to other matters while wearing the phylacteries. [This explains why nowadays we do not wear the phylacteries except during prayer as it is too easy to violate the commandments surrounding the manner in which we are to conduct ourselves if we were to wear them all day long. Ed.] When the Talmud forbids turning one’s attention away from the phylacteries on one’s head or one’s arm, this is not to be understood literally, but it means that while wearing phylacteries one must either concentrate on the praises of the Lord or the praises of Israel. The praises of the Lord are spelled out in the Torah sections inscribed on parchment inside our phylacteries. The author quotes Rashi on 12,39 where the Torah reports that the unleavened breads of the Israelites actually were baked by the sun while the dough was slung over the women’s shoulders. The people’s faith in the Lord at that time was demonstrated by their not insisting that they wait in Egypt while their dough would bake into bread so that they would have something to eat while on the way. The term חג המצות, originated at that time. This is one example of how G’d publicises the virtues of the Jewish people. On the other hand, by calling this festival חג הפסח, we, in turn, tell the praises of the Lord Who, at that time, had deliberately passed over the houses of the Jewish people when He killed all the firstborn in Egypt. This mutually complimentary relationship between G’d and His favourite people is what Solomon referred to in Song of Songs 6,3.
Another [rather revolutionary facet Ed.] method of understanding the above verse is that the word פסח may be understood phonetically, i.e. פה סח, “when the mouth speaks,” i.e. explains the nature of the Passover to your children in the future, then the הוא, the hidden aspects of G’d, [impersonal “he,” instead of “thou,” Ed.]<small? will="" become="" לה',="" revealed="" to="" you="" as="" a="" reward,="" as="" <i="">Hashem.
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