Devar/5768/Bo
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< Devar | 5768
עברית
English
And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying: This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. (Ex 12:1-2)
This is the first permanent commandment given to the Children of Israel. They had not yet left Egypt, and God commands them to count time beginning from "this month", that is, from the month they left Egypt, in the month we call "Nissan" (the Torah only calls it "the first month").
To what end did He command us this? One answer is that in that in this way we could track our festivals in a manner unique to us. This is true, and we know that almost every nation in the world has arranged a calendar unique to themselves, each one strange and different from its fellows.
If we look at the verses, we will understand: this month shall be unto you the beginning of months. To you, and not to any other nation. Just as I take you out from the land of Egypt to a Land which is only yours, so too do I establish for you a calculation of times which is exclusive to you. The Children of Israel in Egypt had already begun to think of themselves as part of Egypt. Therefore, God needed to take them out not only from the lowly land of Egypt, but also to take them out of the 'lowliness of spirit' in which they found themselves. He started this while they were still stuck in Egypt, before they had been freed.
As soon as a Jew uses the calendar God established for his benefit, and eschews the secular calendar - he casts off the yoke of the nations from his neck. He expresses his uniqueness as a member of a Holy Nation and Kingdom of Priests.
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