-
The Blood on The Doorpost and The Mezuzah - Pesach
- 2025/04/16
- 再生時間： 16 分
- ポッドキャスト
-
サマリー
あらすじ・解説
By Your Blood You Shall Live: How the Mezuzah Keeps the Exodus Alive This Pesach, a simple question turned into a deep journey. The Torah tells us inParshat Bo: “You shall take the blood and place it on the lintel and the two doorposts…” “And Hashem will pass through tostrike Egypt… and He will see the blood… and He will not allow the destroyer toenter to strike.” “You shall observe this matter as adecree for yourself and for your children forever.” וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה לְחָק־לְךָ וּלְבָנֶיךָעַד־עוֹלָם. (שמות י”ב, כד) So,the question is obvious: What is this eternal mitzvah of placing blood on ourdoorposts? Wedid it once in Egypt. We talk about it every year at the seder. But we neveractually do it again. Why not? Basedon the Teachings of The Shvilei Pinchas: TheOhr HaChaim HaKadosh and the Chatam Sofer both ask: if it’s supposed to be aneternal statute, where’s the ongoing practice? The Ramban and Ibn Ezra suggestit refers only to the korban Pesach, not the blood on the doors—but the flow ofthe pesukim makes that difficult, as we see the command for the future korbanPesach in the next paragraph. Addingto that question, let us ask what is the blood that was placed on the door? Thecommand we received required each family or household of Benai Yisrael fourdays before the exodus on Shabbat Hagadol, to take a sheep for the korban. Wemust keep in mind that this wasn’t a private ritual—it was a public act ofdefiance. The sheep was the Egyptian god, and Bnei Yisrael were told to tie itto their bedposts for four days. Imagine trying something like this in Indiatoday where they worship cows in some places or even taking an in adamantobject like a large cross from the church and tying it to your bed in a deeplyCatholic country a century ago—not as decoration, but with the stated intent toslaughter it, smear its blood on your door, and burn it in front of thebelievers. That’s what our ancestors did in Egypt. It wasn’t just an act ofsacrifice—it was an act of both defiance and identity. Facing their oppressors,they declared: We are no longer yours. We belong to Hashem. Butlet us recall the pasuk from Yechezkel. “By your blood you shall live.” וָאֹמַר לָךְ בְּדָמַיִךְ חֲיִי; וָאֹמַר לָךְ בְּדָמַיִךְחֲיִי. (יחזקאל ט”ז, ו) Whythe repetition? Andwhen do you recall most often saying this verse? Mostlikely at a Brit Mila. Rashi,quoting the Mechilta, brings us deeper. The Jews in Egypt had no merits forredemption, so Hashem gave them two mitzvot to perform: Britmilah and korban Pesach. Bothinvolved blood. Both were deeply personal and national. Both required courage. TheTargum Yonatan and the Zohar go even further: the blood of the korban and theblood of the brit were mixed together and smeared on the doorposts. And in thatmerit, Hashem passed over the Jewish homes. B’damayich chayi. B’damayich chayi. Whatis so special about these two misvot aseh which distinguish them from all otherpositive commandments. They are the only two positive commandments in theentire Torah that, if neglected, carry the punishment of karet—being cut offfrom the people. We read in the Torah וְעָרֵל זָכָר אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יִמּוֹל אֶת־בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתוֹוְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מֵעַמֶּיהָ אֶת־בְּרִיתִי הֵפַר. (בראשית י”ז, י”ד) וְהָאִישׁאֲשֶׁר הוּא טָהוֹר וּבְדֶרֶךְ לֹא הָיָה וְחָדַל לַעֲשׂוֹת הַפֶּסַח וְנִכְרְתָההַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מֵעַמֶּיהָ. (במדבר ט’, י”ג) Whythese two of all the positive commandments? Because they are acts of identity.They declare: I belong to Hashem. Thereis a question our rabbis ask Whydoes the paragraph of Shema Yisrael and VeAhavta precede the paragraph ofV’haya im shamoa Ourrabbis explain that • ShemaYisrael—accepting Hashem’s Sovereignty (ol malchut shamayim). • V’hayaim shamoa—accepting His mitzvot (ol mitzvot). Andaccepting the yoke of Heaven must precede the accepting of the misvot Now,the nation of Israel came into being during the plague of the firstborn theywere referred to as (Shemot 4,22): “בני בכורי ישראל”, my firstborn son, Israel.This is why they were commanded to place on their doorways the blood of thekorban pesach – and the blood of the brit milah. Theblood of the milah represents acceptance of the yoke of Heaven—the placing ofthe Almighty’s seal upon our flesh. Theblood of the korban pesach, the slaughtering of the Egyptian’s g-d for ...