DRAFT
Beyond Bondage
The Spiritual Significance of Passover
Rabbi Gedalia Potash and William Schecter, MD
This draft has neither been edited nor approved by Rabbi Potash
Introduction
Passover is an iconic holiday for the Jewish People, a time for family and friends to gather at the Passover Seder, read from the Haggadah and share a delicious meal with symbolic foods such as matzah and bitter herbs. The Seder ritual is critical for transmission of the history of the Jewish People, its values and traditions from one generation to the next. The Hagaddah, with references to the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud, is the principal text guiding the ceremony.
However, there is a deeper meaning to the Passover experience and the Exodus from Egypt. Our tradition tells us that Moses taught the literal meaning of the Torah (Peshat) to the entire Jewish People. He then took a smaller group of intellectually gifted people and taught them interpretations of the text at which the Torah only hinted (Remez). He took an even smaller group and expounded on the meaning of the Torah (Drash). Finally, he took a very select group of scholars and taught them the secret meaning of the Torah (Sod). Kabbalah is the study of Sod.
The word Kabbalah means reception and it refers to the reception of the Torah by the Children of Israel at Mount Sinai. The purpose of this monograph is to present a Kabbalistic interpretation of the Passover experience based upon the writings of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (the Alter Rebbe -- 1745-1812), the founder of the Chabad branch of Hasidism.
Our tradition tells us that the secret knowledge of Kabbalah was passed orally from generation to generation until it was recorded in the Zohar, the fundamental text of Kabbalah, by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (2nd century CE) while living in a cave in the Galilean village of Peki’in, hiding from the Romans. A thousand years later, the Zohar was published in Cordova, Spain by Moses de Leόn (1240-1305) who claimed to have an original copy of Rabbi Shimon’s manuscript. Approximately three hundred years later, Rabbi Isaac Luria (the Arizal) expounded on the Zohar in the city of Safed, now a short drive from Rabbi Shimon’s cave in Peki’in. The Arizal’s teachings were recorded in a book entitled Atz Haim (the Tree of Life) written by his faithful student, Haim Vital.
The Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760), the founder of Hassidism, spread the teachings of Kabbalah to the masses. The Alter Rebbe, a spiritual disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, recorded a Kabbalistic interpretation of the Torah in two volumes, Likutei Torah and Torah Or, published early in the 19th century. The concepts presented in this monograph are abstracted from his commentary on Parashat Tsav.
Kabbalah teaches that the Or Ain Sof (Endless Light or Energy—a synonym for G-d) created an infinite number of worlds after undergoing tsimtsum (contraction of the Divine Energy). The worlds are ordered in a descending cascade of energy and spirituality until reaching our own world of materialism and physicality in which the Divine is concealed. The purpose of the Jew is to suppress the physical and material and transform it to the spiritual preparing for Divine Revelation.
The Hebrew word for Egypt, Mitzraim, actually means narrowness or limitation. On the one hand, the Exodus from Egypt can be considered as a going forth from bondage to freedom. On the other hand, it can be considered as unshackling the limitations of Egyptian polytheism and materialism and ascending to a higher, limitless, spiritual plane. This process began prior to the Passover and extended to the momentous Revelation at Mount Sinai. The Revelation occurred in stages. Each stage was preceded by a period of spiritual preparation. The subsequent revelation was followed by a period of processing and contemplation which in itself was preparation for the next revelation. If the creation of our world is considered a descending cascade of contracting Divine Energy, the eight-week period of successive revelation can be considered as an ascending cascade of spirituality.
There were three primary revelations. The first occurred at midnight between the 14th and 15th of Nissan when G-d passed over the houses of the Israelites to smite the first-born Egyptians. The second occurred on 21st day of Nissan when G-d split the Reed Sea allowing the Israelites to escape the onslaught of the Egyptian army. The final and most profound Revelation occurred at Mount Sinai when G-d spoke directly to the Israelites on the 6th day of Sivan.
The entire process from the Passover to the Revelation at Mount Sinai occurred over a period of two months. We will explore the Alter Rebbe’s Kabbalistic insights into these earth-shattering events in the following chapters.
Timeline of the Exodus from Egypt
- 14th day of Nissan: the Passover lamb is slaughtered, the blood of the lamb is used to identify the doorposts of the Israelite houses, the Israelites eat matzah, bitter herbs and the roasted lamb until midnight
- 14-15 Nissan at midnight: G-d “passes over” the houses of the Israelites to smite the first born Egyptians
- 15th day of Nissan at noon—The Exodus from Egypt begins
- 16th day of Nissan- Begin counting the Omer
- 21st day of Nissan: Splitting of the Red Sea (Day 7 of the Exodus)
- 1st of Sivan: The Children of Israel arrive at Mount Sinai
- 3rd Sivan : The people declare they their allegiance to G-d by saying “Naaseh venishmah” (we shall do and we shall listen [learn])
- 5th day of Sivan: End Counting the Omer
- 6th day of Sivan: 50 days after the Exodus. The Children of Israel receive (hear verbally from G-d) the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. Moses then ascends Mount Sinai.
- Moses stays on the mountain for 40 days and nights.
- 17th day of Tammuz: Moses descends from Mount Sinai, witnesses the Sin of the Golden Calf and breaks that two Tablets upon which are written the Ten Commandments written by the “hand” of G-d. Moses reascends Mount Sinai and pleads for forgiveness on behalf of the Children of Israel.
- On Rosh Chodesh (the first day of) Elul: Moses descends telling the Children of Israel they will be forgiven
- On Rosh Chodesh Elul Moses reascends the mountain
- 40 days later, on the 10th day of Tishrei (Yom Kippur) he makes the final descent with the two tablets (carved by Moses). The full Torah Scroll as we have it today was not written by Moses until 40 years later immediately before his death. This Torah Scroll, together with the two tablets upon which were carved the Ten Commandments and the pieces of the broken tablets were placed in the Ark of the Covenant.
Notice that there are seven days between the Passover and the splitting of the Red Sea and seven weeks between the Passover and the Giving of the Torah. The spiritual significance of the number seven will become clear as we progress through the monograph.
Chapter 1
Prelude to Passover
The story of the Jewish People begins with the journey of a family living in the city of Ur Kasdim, in the year 1800 BCE. Ur Kasdim, located on the banks of the Euphrates River, near the city of Najaf in present day Iraq, was a center of Sumerian culture. The family of Terah, an idol worshipper, decided to migrate north, following the course of the Euphrates River to Haran in what is now northeast Syria, intending to reach the Land of Canaan. Our tradition tells us that Terah’s son, Abram, destroyed his father’s idols and was instructed by G-d to leave his homeland, cross over the Jordan River and enter the Land of Canaan.
The nomadic families of Abram, whose name was later changed to Abraham, his son Isaac and grandson Jacob wandered over the course of three generations between the Land of Canaan and Egypt depending upon the availability of food, water and pasture for their flocks. By Divine fate, Jacob’s son Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers, becomes the Viceroy of Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh, and stores food in the time of plenty to feed the people during the frequent cyclical famines. When the inevitable famine occurs, Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, descends to Egypt from the Land of Canaan with his extended family of 70 souls. There he is reunited with his son Joseph who provides sustenance to the family and a dwelling place in Goshen, located near the Nile Delta in northern Egypt. Over a number of generations, the Children of Israel multiply exponentially, and a new Pharaoh enslaves them.
After many years of slavery culminating in the order to murder all newborn male Jewish babies, G-d chooses Moses, the child of Jewish parents raised as an Egyptian Prince in the Court of the Pharaoh, to lead the Children of Israel to freedom. We celebrate this event each spring on the 14th Day of the month of Nisan, at the Passover Seder. It is this event, together with the crossing of the Reed Sea and the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai fifty days after the Exodus, that transform the Children of Israel, a collection of semi-nomadic tribes, into one People connected by a covenantal relationship with G-d guided by the Torah.
Chapter 2 “It happened at Midnight”
The slaying of the first-born Egyptians occurred at midnight preceding the day of the Exodus (the 15th day of Nissan).
Prior to midnight, the Children of Israel were seated in their households eating the Passover sacrifice awaiting the arrival of G-d. They had been instructed to use the blood of the Passover lamb sacrifice (slaughtered on the 14th day of Nissan) to mark the door frames of their houses so the G-d would “pass over” their houses, spare their first born and slay only the Egyptian first born. The Passover experience is the first revelation of G-d to the Israelites.
After the death of the Egyptian first born, Pharoah agreed to the Exodus which occurred at midday, the 15th of Nissan when 600,000 males (closer to 2 million souls) left Egypt in great haste. The Israelites had been enslaved in a polytheistic vulgar culture and were not yet prepared to receive Divine Revelation in its fullest extent. In order to do so, the Israelites would have to undergo a prolonged internal spiritual transformation to align with the new Divine relationship. This is analogous to a person who just won the lotto and is presented with a million dollars. This person may not have the maturity or the training to wisely manage this large sum of money and its potential benefits would be dissipated.
The Passover experience was the first revelation representing only a Divine Revelation from above. In order for this relationship to be sustainable, a reciprocal reaching up of the people toward the Divine would be required. How then did the People prepare for the second greater revelation which occurred on the seventh day after the Exodus (the 21nd day of Nissan)?
Chapter 3 The Bread of Affliction
The Passover Haggadah
Immediately after completion of the various blessings at the beginning of the Passover Seder, the person conducting the Seder uncovers the Matzah and famously recites in Aramaic “This is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.”
The commandment to eat Matzah
Eating Matzah for the seven-day period of the Passover Holiday is one of the most recognizable of our customs. Yet, if we examine the Torah carefully, we find that the enslaved Children of Israel were instructed to eat Matzah even before they left Egypt. The requirement to eat Matzah was for only one day prior to the Exodus. Both the Torah and the Haggadah then describe how there was insufficient time to bake bread after Pharaoh gave the expulsion order and therefore the unleavened dough carried on the backs of the Israelites baked in the hot sun. This is an important point. There were in fact two Matzah experiences. The first was Divinely commanded. Matzah was to be eaten for only one day prior to the Exodus. The second Matzah experience was circumstantial as a result of the hasty departure from Egypt. As a remembrance of the Exodus, the Torah instructs all subsequent generations to refrain from eating Chametz during the seven-day period of the Holiday. (Exodus 12:15,17) Eating Matzah during the Seder is mandatory. Eating Matzah during the remaining 6 days of the Holiday is elective.
The Spiritual Significance of Matzah
However, eating Matzah during Passover has a deeper significance. Matzah, the bread of the impoverished slave, is composed only of flour and water. It must be baked within 18 minutes of the mixture in order to prevent any fermentation. The eating of Matzah prior to midnight at the Seder is a reminder of our enslavement. On the other hand, the decision to eat Matzah after midnight is a recognition of our exodus to freedom. In this sense, Matzah represents both affliction and freedom.
Chametz, material added to flour allowing it to ferment, is spiritually analogous to the materialism and animal inclinations to which all of us are subject. The rising of the dough due to chametz represents the bloating of ego, the pursuit of wealth and power at the expense of spiritual purification. On the other hand, Matzah, the simple hard tack unleavened cracker, is associated with the qualities of humility and modesty.
The word Matzot (מצות - מצות) is the plural of Matzah. In the Torah the word Matzot is spelled two ways: one containing a vav- מצות, and the other without a vav – מצתThe letter vav represents an integration of the higher (Divine) and the lower (human) realms. Therefore, Matzot without a vav represents a spiritual level that remains separate and higher (Divine) whereas Matzot with a vav represents a harmony of the spiritual with the corporeal (human). Both the structure and the meaning of the letter vav help us understand its role in joining the spiritual and the physical. Vav (ו) is a long straight letter. In Kabbalistic terms it serves as a channel through which the Divine Light passes from the spiritual realm to the physical world. Similarly, the vav in the Matzot serves as connection or channel uniting the spiritual and physical elements of the Passover experience.
In addition, the words Matzot (מצות ) and Mitzvot (מצות ) can be spelled exactly the same way. Therefore, eating Matzot both before the initial Divine Revelation on the Passover night and the more profound revelation occurring seven days later at the splitting of the Reed Sea can be seen as performance of Mitzvot. The humility and modesty of the Matzot experience can purge the contamination incurred by the Egyptian enslavement and prepare the people for Divine Revelation.
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Chapter 4 The Parting of the Reed Sea
The Children of Israel ate Matzah for 7 days from the 14th until the 21th day of Nissan when “Moses raised his arm over the sea and G-d drove back the sea throughout the night with a powerful east wind and split the sea” revealing dry land. The parting of the Reed Sea, allowing the Children of Israel to escape the Egyptian army “on dry land”, represents the second Divine Revelation. How so?
When we look at the sea, we see only the surface, not the abundant biosphere nor the intricate terrain hidden below. The sea surface conceals a more profound and complex reality within its depths. Kabbalah teaches that the Divine Infinite Light was necessarily diminished and concealed during the process of creation. Were it not so, the powerful Energy would have consumed all of creation. Although G-d is present in the world, He is hidden from us.
G-d revealed Himself to the Israelites in stages. Before each revelation a period of preparation was required. G-d commanded the Israelites to eat matzah on the day before the Passover to prepare them for the first revelation. Matzah was eaten during the following seven days, not as a Divine Commandment, but as a matter of circumstance. The hasty departure from Egypt did not allow time to bake bread. The unleavened dough carried by the Israelites baked in the sun to become matzot. The attribute of humility associated with Matzot helped the Israelites cleanse themselves of the impurities acquired during their sojourn in Egyptian materialism preparing them for the revelation.
G-d revealed Himself by parting the Reed Sea with an East Wind. The term East Wind hints at the fact that G-d Himself was responsible for the Revelation, a reaching down if you will from the Heavens to our material world. The Biblical word for east, “kadim” (קדים ), has the same semitic three consonant root ( קדם ) as the word “kadmon” (קדמון ) which means “that which preceded”, a synonym for G-d. By this reasoning, the parting of the Reed Sea by an East wind means that G-d Himself parted the sea revealing Himself and the Dry Land upon which the Israelites escaped the Egyptian horde. The significance of this moment is that there is a Supranatural Force of creation that is concealed within the creation itself. The Divine nature of creation was revealed to everyone present from the simplest person to the most learned scholar. We can use this concept as a prototype for contemplating and interacting with the physical world in which we live. This second revelation is a critical step in the transformation of the Israelites as they continue their journey from spiritual bondage in Egypt to spiritual freedom at Sinai.
Chapter 5 Counting of the Omer
The Children of Israel were commanded to count the Omer starting on the second day of Passover, the 16th of Nisan, for a period of 49 days until the 5th day of Sivan. The Holiday of Shavuot, celebrating the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, begins the next day, the 6th day of Sivan (Leviticus 23:10-16; Deuteronomy 16:9-12). This forty-nine day period of the Counting of the Omer represents the two month sojourn in the desert between the Exodus from Egypt and receipt of the Torah.
The Omer is a dry measure used during the Biblical era and is equivalent to approximately three pounds of grain. The barley harvest in the Fertile Crescent begins in the month of Nisan. During Temple times, the Priests would elevate an Omer of barley, often translated as a sheaf-a bound bundle of barley stalks, and wave it in the air before offering it as the grain sacrifice in the evening. The barley harvest ends during the month of Sivan and thereafter wheat is offered as the sacrifice.
What does the Counting of the Omer have to do with the Exodus from Egypt and Divine Revelation? We have seen so far that before each of the two previously discussed revelations, the Passover and the Splitting of the Reed Sea, there was a period of spiritual preparation and then a period of processing the revelation which in itself was preparation for the next more profound revelation. These periods of reflection involved eating Matzot symbolizing both humility and the performance of Mitzvot through which man establishes a closer connection to G-d.
The Counting of the Omer was initiated by the barley offering. Barley represents simplicity and humility similar to Matzah. After receipt of the Torah on the 6th day of Sivan, wheat, a more refined grain than barley, was substituted symbolizing a higher level of spirituality. After the destruction of the Temple, the Rabbis instituted a ritual Counting of the Omer to be said in the evening after the Maariv Service to replace the grain offering which was no longer possible.
There is however a more profound spiritual significance for the Counting of the Omer which represents a contemplation and processing of the qualities and characteristics that comprise the human soul and experience. The Counting of the Omer then is a deeply mystical and psychological framework for understanding human nature and the connection between man and G-d.
Kabbalah teaches that there are seven basic building blocks of the human character which are called the seven emotional midot. The word Mida means measurement but can be translated as attribute or quality. The seven midot are:
Chesed: Loving Kindness- the feeling of warmth and love that comes with communication and sharing with others
Gvurah: Discipline or Severity- the attribute of justice, discipline and restraint. Chesed represents flowing, bestowing love. Gvurah represents withdrawal and restraint.
Tiferet: Harmony and beauty- a balance between Chesed and Gvurah, a synthesis of the two. Tiferet is an emotion beyond Chesed which is usually directed at one person. Tiferet is compassion and mercy for others
Netzach: Perseverance – the driving force behind ambition.
Hod: Humility – the emotion balancing Netzach. Netzach, the unrelenting drive, fortitude and perseverance is balanced Hod, humility, yielding.
Yesod: Foundation- a bonding or cleaving to something. Yesod is beyond experience, a true unification.
Malchut: Royalty or Kingship. The uniqueness of each human being, free will.
Each of the seven weeks of the Counting are assigned one specific Mida that we can unpack and process. For example, the first week of the Counting of the Omer is devoted to Chesed, the second to Gvurah, the third to Tiferet and so on.
In a similar way, each day of the week is associated with a particular Mida: Sunday with Chesed, Monday with Gvurah, Tuesday with Tiferet, etc. Since all the human emotional midot are intertwined, each day of the week gives us an opportunity to focus on two of the Midot. For example, during the first week, on Sunday, we contemplate Chesed in Chesed, on Monday Gvurah in Chesed, Wednesday Tiferet in Chesed, etc. The second week is associated with Gvurah. On Sunday, we focus on Chesed in Gvurah, Monday Gvurah in Gvurah, etc. In this fashion, over a period of seven weeks, we are able to contemplate forty-nine permutations of the seven emotional Midot.
The seven-week sojourn from the Nile Delta to Mount Sinai was an opportunity for introspection, purification and character refinement. In effect, it was a period of cleansing the sordid Egyptian depravity in which the Israelites were immersed during the period of bondage in preparation for the final revelation at Mount Sinai. Similarly, during the current period of Exile, the seven-week period of the Counting of the Omer is an opportunity for us to further suppress the animal soul, refine our midot and ascend to a higher spiritual plane.
Chapter 6 Encounter at Sinai
On the first day of Sivan the Israelites arrived at the foot of Mount Sinai after a close to seven-week journey through the desert preparing spiritually for their encounter with G-d. On the 2nd of Sivan, Moses ascended Mount Sinai and received instructions to tell the Israelites that they would be G-d’s chosen people, a nation of Priests, if they would observe G-d’s covenant and commandments. Moses reascended the Mountain on the 3rd of Sivan and G-d said “I am about to come to you in the thickness of the cloud so that all the people will hear when I speak to you and then they will believe in you” (Exodus 19:9). The people told Moses that they wanted to see G-d themselves so Moses reascended the mountain on the 4th of Sivan and was instructed to further prepare the Israelites to receive the Torah by washing their clothes and refraining from intimate relations.
At dawn on 6th of Sivan, a thick cloud descended upon the mountain accompanied by thunder, lightning and a blast or a ram’s horn causing all the people to tremble. The entire mountain was encased in smoke as G-d had descended upon it in fire. G-d articulated the first two commandments and Moses spoke the remaining eight.
The eight-week period after the Exodus was a period of introspection, reflection and purification resulting in an awakening from below – an appeal to the Divine to establish an intimate relationship. This awakening from below stimulated an awakening from above inspiring G-d to descend to the mountain and bond with the people.
Two metaphors can clarify the concepts of “awakening from below” and “awakening from above”. Consider the relationship between a student and a teacher. If the enthusiastic student comes to class prepared, the teacher will be stimulated to connect with the student and establish an intimate dialogue.
Our Sages often used an alternate metaphor for the relationship between G-d and Israel -- a marriage with G-d as the bridegroom and Israel as the bride. In a marriage there is a profound commitment between husband and wife creating a new entity with a document, the Ketubah, defining the relationship. The relationship rises above the individual egos of the bride and groom stripping them of parochial interests in favor of the intimate connection. The Torah serves as both a guide and an outcome of the marriage between G-d and the People of Israel. The intimate connection established at Sinai is the basis for the trusting relationship essential for Tshuvah (repentance), reconciliation and redemption when we humans inevitably fall short of the high standards demanded by our covenant with the Divine.
Chapter 7 The Aftermath
Our Sages often compare the Torah to Light. When the Children of Israel first received the Torah, it was not in written form. They first encountered G-d when gathered as “one heart” at the foot of Mount Sinai, were infused with Divine Light and elevated with a unified spirit above the egotistical and material concerns of the world. However, this condition did not last long. Soon after Moses reascended the mountain for forty days, the Israelites reverted to sin in the form of the Golden Calf. In the meantime, Moses received the Torah orally from G-d and descended the Mount on the 17th of Tammuz with two Tablets upon which G-d had inscribed the Ten Commandments. Upon seeing the Israelites worshipping the Golden Calf which they had themselves constructed, the enraged Moses smashed the two Tablets and issued a severe rebuke. He then reascended the mountain and pleaded with G-d for forgiveness on behalf of the Israelites. The relationship that had been established held firm and Moses was able to descend on Rosh Chodesh Elul (the first day of Elul) to bring the news that that redemption was at hand. Another forty-day period ensued during which the Children of Israel reflected upon their sin. Finally on the tenth day of Tishrei, Yom Kippur, Moses returned to the Children of Israel with a second set of Tablets which he had carved and began to teach Torah.
The rest of the history of our people has been an attempt to restore the spiritual state achieved by the Revelation at Sinai by stripping away the shackles of ego and materialism through Torah Study, performance of Mitzvot and Prayer.