Happy New Year! A Tazria‘-Metzora‘ DvarTorah

The first משנה in מסכת ראש־השנה tells us that there are actually four ראשי שנה — four new year's days.

The first of ניסן is ראש השנה למלכים ולרגלים — the new year for calculating kings' reigns, and for counting months and holidays. Not long before פסח we read the parsha of החדש הזה לכם ראש חדשים, that ניסן, the month of liberation, is the first of all months.

Then there's the first of אלול, ראש השנה למעשר בהמה — the beginning of each yearly cycle for tithing livestock.

There's the first of שבט, or according to the other opinion in the משנה, the one we follow, ט"ו בשבט a.k.a. ראש השנה לאילנות, the beginning of each yearly cycle for tithing fruit trees.

And then there's the first of תשרי, the ראש השנה that we celebrate as "ראש השנה" — the New Year for years, for the שמיטה and יובל cycles, and for some other agricultural calculations, as well.

This past week I heard a lecture by ר' יובל שרלו. R' Cherlow is the ראש ישיבה of the ישיבת הסדר in פתח־תקוה in Israel, and one of the founders of צֹהַר, an organization that tries to help heal the divide between religious and secular Jews in Israeli society.

He said that in his ישיבה, he calls יום העצמאות, Israeli Independence day — which is coming up this coming Wednesday — ראש השנה למדינה. The New Year for the State of Israel.

Now let's just hold that thought — יום העצמאות as ראש השנה למדינה, the New Year for the State, and put it off to the side for a few minutes, while we discuss this morning's Torah reading.

One of the dominant topics in תזריע and מצורע is the mysterious malady known as צרעת.

The Torah tells us that צרעת — particularly-defined discolorations of the skin — can make a human being טמא, ritually impure.

Similar discolorations can have the same effect on clothing, and on houses.

רמב"ם and others see צרעת as a supernatural signal, warning the afflicted individual against speaking לשון הרע. The גמרא in מסכת ערכין brings a play on words — a person receives צרעת, and becomes a מצורע because they were מוציא שם רע, a slanderer.

In this view, the three forms of צרעת — on people, clothes, and houses — are stages of warning or punishment. When someone begins to spread rumors and libel, the first thing to go is their home. צרעת appears on the walls, as an early-warning system. If they persist in their destructive ways, eventually the house will have to be disassembled. If they still don't learn their lesson, the צרעת moves to their clothes, until the clothes need to be burned.

And in the end, if they still persist in misusing their God-given power of communication, the צרעת attaches itself directly to their body.

This is probably the most popular understanding of how צרעת worked. You'll find it in numerous parsha sheets and children's books.

But there are other explanations for the phenomena of צרעת and the rules of how to diagnose and deal with it — and I'd like to concentrate particularly on צרעת בתים, the impure discolorations that afflict houses.

In the same place in מסכת ערכין that includes the idea that a מצורע is a מוציא־שם־רע, a slanderer, one of the other opinions brought is that צרעת of houses isn't a punishment for misused speech, but for theft; similarly, another opinion identifies the relevant sin as stinginess.

As part of the house צרעת procedure, the building is emptied. All its contents are removed and placed outside. This way, if the house will be declared טמא, the contents will remain pure. However, while everything is outside, passers-by can — according to the "theft" opinion — identify their own stolen property, or — according to the view that blames צרעת on stinginess — they can see the wrench that the house's inhabitant denied owning when they asked to borrow it last week.

On the other hand, the צרעת of houses might actually be a good thing.

צרעת בתים can only occur in the Land of Israel, and רבי שמעון בר יוחאי claims that צרעת marked the location of buried Cana‘anite treasure that בני־ישראל inherited upon conquering the land. Breaking apart the walls of these houses wasn't a punishment but a challenge and a reward.

צרעת בתים, the צרעת of houses which can only occur in the Land of Israel, may be a guidepost, pointing the way to treasure and success, to better things to come; or it may be an alarm, an early-warning system alerting us that something is starting to go wrong. Theft, slander, selfishness —
society
our society
in our Land
may be beginning to break down.

So let's return to ר' שרלו and his ראש השנה למדינה.
יום העצמאות, he said, is not just about הלל or other newer synagogue rituals; it's not about concerts, parties, and barbecues in the park. It is about those things — because ראש השנה is a holiday, and so ראש השנה למדינה is a celebration of independence, creativity, and God-willing eventual complete redemption.

But ראש השנה is also a day of judgement — a day of looking back and looking forward.

And so ראש השנה למדינה needs to also be a day of paying attention, and of taking account.

The צרעת of houses could only occur in ארץ־ישראל — and it may have been a sign of coming good; or it could have been a sign
of developing danger; but it was always a signal to stop and think.

We don't have צרעת of any kind anymore. If you have Hansen's disease, psoriasis, mold on your clothes or mildew on your walls, and you're living in Israel, you don't have to go find a כהן because maybe it's צרעת and you need to know if you're טמא or טהור.

But we do have
יום העצמאות
ראש השנה למדינה
a day of celebration and of paying attention; a day to think about all the ways that things can and do go wrong; and all the ways to make sure that they go right. And when you get down to it, even the basic fact that Jews in the world today after two thousand years finally once again do have those challenges to face — is in itself a reason to celebrate.

חודש טוב
and שנה טובה.

My Sun Salutation

No, I did not perform any yoga-esque stretches, but I did piece together my own liturgy for Birkat Hahhama, the Blessing of the [New] Sun, centered around the Mishna Berura's suggestions. It starts with some mood-setting texts about the sun and our relationship to it and to its Creator.

1. from Yerushalmi Berakhot:

מודה אני לפניך י' אלהי ואלהי אבותי שהוצאתני מאפילה לאורה!

2. Based on Qidush Levana:

ברוך יוצרֵךְֿ, ברוך עושֵךְֿ, ברוך קונֵךְֿ, ברוך בוראֵךְֿ;
הוא יברך את ישראל מקדשֵךְֿ.

3. from Mishna Sukot 5:2(-4)'s description of the Simhhat Beit Hasho’eiva:

מוצאי יום טוב הראשון של חג, היו יורדין לעזרת הנשים, ומתקנים שם תיקון גדול. ומנורות של זהב היו שם, וארבעה ספלים של זהב היו שם בראשיהם, וארבעה סולמות על כל מנורה ומנורה; וארבעה ילדים מפרחי כהונה, ובידיהם כדי שמן של מאה ועשרים לוג, והם מטילין לתוך כל ספל וספל. [ג] מבלאי מכנסי הכוהנים ומהמייניהם היו מפקיעין, ובהם היו מדליקין. לא הייתה חצר בירושלים, שלא הייתה מאירה מאור בית השאובה. [ד] חסידים ואנשי מעשה היו מרקדין לפניהם באבוקות, ואומרין לפניהם דברי תושבחות. והלויים בכינורות ובנבלים ובמצלתיים ובכל כלי שיר בלא מספר, על חמש עשרה מעלות היורדות מעזרת ישראל לעזרת הנשים, כנגד חמש עשרה שיר המעלות שבתהילים, שעליהם הלויים עומדים ואומרים בשיר. עמדו שני כוהנים בשער העליון היורד מעזרת ישראל לעזרת הנשים, ושתי חצוצרות בידם. קרא הגבר, תקעו והריעו ותקעו; הגיעו למעלה עשירית, תקעו והריעו ותקעו; הגיעו לעזרה, תקעו והריעו ותקעו. היו תוקעין והולכין, עד שמגיעין לשער היוצא למזרח.
הגיעו לשער היוצא למזרח — הפכו פניהם למערב ואמרו, אבותינו היו במקום הזה "אחוריהם אל היכל ה', ופניהם קדמה, והמה משתחוויתם קדמה, לשמש" (יחזקאל ח,טז); ואנו, ליה עינינו.
רבי יהודה אומר, שונים אותה לומר, ואנו ליה, וליה עינינו.

4. from the Piyutim of Ne‘ila on Yom Kippur, based on the above:

אנו ליה ועינינו ליה.

5. Four verses about the sun, spelling out God's Name, from the OU's Text:

תהלים עב:ה
יִֽירָא֥וּךָ עִם־שָׁ֑מֶשׁ, וְלִפְנֵ֥י יָ֝רֵ֗חַ דּ֣וֹר דּוֹרִֽים׃

תהלים עה:ב
ה֘וֹדִ֤ינוּ לְּךָ֨ ׀ אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים ה֭וֹדִינוּ וְקָר֣וֹב שְׁמֶ֑ךָ, סִ֝פְּר֗וּ נִפְלְאוֹתֶֽיךָ׃

מלאכי ג:כ
וְזָֽרְחָ֨ה לָכֶ֜ם יִרְאֵ֤י שְׁמִי֙ שֶׁ֣מֶשׁ צְדָקָ֔ה וּמַרְפֵּ֖א בִּכְנָפֶ֑יהָ, וִֽיצָאתֶ֥ם וּפִשְׁתֶּ֖ם כְּעֶגְלֵ֥י מַרְבֵּֽק׃

תהלים צז:ו
הִגִּ֣ידוּ הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם צִדְק֑וֹ, וְרָא֖וּ כָל־הָֽעַמִּ֣ים כְּבוֹדֽוֹ׃

6. Tehillim 148:1-6, like in Qidush Levana:

הַ֥לְלוּ יָ֨הּ ׀
הַֽלְל֣וּ אֶת־יְ֭הוָה מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֑יִם, הַֽ֝לְל֗וּהוּ בַּמְּרוֹמִֽים׃
הַֽלְל֥וּהוּ כָל־מַלְאָכָ֑יו, הַֽ֝לְל֗וּהוּ כָּל־צְבָאָֽו׃
הַֽ֭לְלוּהוּ שֶׁ֣מֶשׁ וְיָרֵ֑חַ, הַֽ֝לְל֗וּהוּ כָּל־כּ֥וֹכְבֵי אֽוֹר׃
הַֽ֭לְלוּהוּ שְׁמֵ֣י הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם, וְ֝הַמַּ֗יִם אֲשֶׁ֤ר ׀ מֵעַ֬ל הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃
יְֽ֭הַלְלוּ אֶת־שֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֑ה, כִּ֤י ה֖וּא צִוָּ֣ה וְנִבְרָֽאוּ׃
וַיַּֽעֲמִידֵ֣ם לָעַ֣ד לְעוֹלָ֑ם, חָק־נָ֝תַ֗ן וְלֹ֣א יַֽעֲבֽוֹר׃

7. from Bavli Berakhot 59b, explaining what we're doing:

תנו רבנן: הרואה חמה בתקופתה, לבנה בגבורתה, וכוכבים במסילותם, ומזלות כסדרן, אומר „ברוך עושה בראשית“. ואימת הוי? אמר אביי, כל כ"ח שנין והדר מחזור ונפלה תקופת ניסן בשבתאי באורתא דתלת נגהי ארבע.

8. THE BERAKHA ITSELF!

בָּרוּךְֿ אַתָּה יי א'-נוּ מֶלֶךְֿ הָעוֹלָם עוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁיתֿ!

9. The Piyut “Eil Adon” from Shabbat Morning:

אל אדון על כל המעשים
ברוך ומבורך בפי כל נשמה
גדלו וטובו מלא עולם
דעת ותבונה סובבים אותו

המתגאה על החיות הקודש
ונהדר בכבוד על המרכבה
זכות ומישור לפני כסאו
חסד ורחמים לפני כבודו

טובים מאורות שברא אלהינו
יצרם בדעת בבינה ובהשכל
כח וגבורה נתן בהם
להיות מושלים בקרב תבל

מלאים זיו ומפיקים נוגה
נאה זיום בכל העולם
שמחים בצאתם וששים בבואם
עושים באימה רצון קונם

פאר וכבוד נותנים לשמו
צהלה ורינה לזכר מלכותו
קרא לשמש ויזרח אור
ראה והתקין צורת הלבנה

שבח נותנים לו כל צבא מרום
תפארת וגדולה שרפים ואופנים וחיות הקודש

10. Tehillim 19:

לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃
הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם מְֽסַפְּרִ֥ים כְּבֽוֹד־אֵ֑ל, וּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָ֝דָ֗יו מַגִּ֥יד הָֽרָקִֽיעַ׃
י֣וֹם לְ֭יוֹם יַבִּ֣יעַֽ אֹ֑מֶר, וְלַ֥יְלָה לְּ֝לַ֗יְלָה יְחַוֶּה־דָּֽעַת׃
אֵֽין־אֹ֭מֶר וְאֵ֣ין דְּבָרִ֑ים, בְּ֝לִ֗י נִשְׁמָ֥ע קוֹלָֽם׃
בְּכָל־הָאָ֨רֶץ ׀ יָ֘צָ֤א קַוָּ֗ם, וּבִקְצֵ֣ה תֵ֭בֵל מִלֵּיהֶ֑ם, לַ֝שֶּׁ֗מֶשׁ שָֽׂם־אֹ֥הֶל בָּהֶֽם׃
וְה֗וּא כְּ֭חָתָן יֹצֵ֣א מֵֽחֻפָּת֑וֹ, יָשִׂ֥ישׂ כְּ֝גִבּ֗וֹר לָר֥וּץ אֹֽרַח׃
מִקְצֵ֤ה הַשָּׁמַ֨יִם ׀ מֽוֹצָא֗וֹ וּתְקֽוּפָת֥וֹ עַל־קְצוֹתָ֑ם, וְאֵ֥ין נִ֝סְתָּ֗ר מֵֽחַמָּתֽוֹ׃
תּ֘וֹרַ֤ת יְהוָ֣ה תְּ֭מִימָה מְשִׁ֣יבַת נָ֑פֶשׁ, עֵד֥וּת יְהוָ֥ה נֶֽ֝אֱמָנָ֗ה מַחְכִּ֥ימַת פֶּֽתִי׃
פִּקּ֘וּדֵ֤י יְהוָ֣ה יְ֭שָׁרִים מְשַׂמְּחֵי־לֵ֑ב, מִצְוַ֥ת יְהוָ֥ה בָּ֝רָ֗ה מְאִירַ֥ת עֵינָֽיִם׃
יִרְאַ֤ת יְהוָ֨ה ׀ טְהוֹרָה֮ עוֹמֶ֪דֶת לָ֫עַ֥ד, מִֽשְׁפְּטֵי־יְהוָ֥ה אֱמֶ֑ת צָֽדְק֥וּ יַחְדָּֽו׃
הַֽנֶּחֱמָדִ֗ים מִ֭זָּהָב וּמִפַּ֣ז רָ֑ב, וּמְתוּקִ֥ים מִ֝דְּבַ֗שׁ וְנֹ֣פֶת צוּפִֽים׃
גַּֽם־עַ֭בְדְּךָ נִזְהָ֣ר בָּהֶ֑ם, בְּ֝שָׁמְרָ֗ם עֵ֣קֶב רָֽב׃
שְׁגִיא֥וֹת מִֽי־יָבִ֑ין, מִֽנִּסְתָּר֥וֹת נַקֵּֽנִי׃
גַּ֤ם מִזֵּדִ֨ים ׀ חֲשֹׂ֬ךְ עַבְדֶּ֗ךָ, אַֽל־יִמְשְׁלוּ־בִ֣י אָ֣ז אֵיתָ֑ם, וְ֝נִקֵּ֗יתִי מִפֶּ֥שַֽׁע רָֽב׃
יִ֥הְיֽוּ לְרָצ֨וֹן ׀ אִמְרֵי־פִ֡י וְהֶגְי֣וֹן לִבִּ֣י לְפָנֶ֑יךָ, יְ֝הוָ֗ה צוּרִ֥י וְגֹֽאֲלִֽי׃

11. from the OU's Text:

מודים אנחנו לך שהחייתנו וקיימתנו והגעתנו לברך ברכת הודאה זו, ויהי רצון מלפניך י' א'-נו וא'-י אבותינו, כשם שזכינו לברך ברכה זוֹ, כן תחיינו ותקיימנו לעבדך בלבב שלם. ותזכה אותנו ואת צאצאינו לברכהּ בתקופות אחרות הבאות עלינו לשלום, שמחים בבנין עירָךְֿ וששים בעבודתָךְֿ, ותזכנו לראות פני משיחָךְֿ, והיה אור הלבנה כאור החמה, ואור החמה יהיה שבעתים כאור החמה, ביום חבוש י' את לבב עמו ומחץ מכתו ירפא, במהרה בימינו.

12. from the text at the NeoHasid website:

והנה אנו יודים כי הבטחת על יד נביאך „הִנֵּה הַיּוֹם בָּא בֹּעֵר כַּתַּנּוּר“ ואינו משל כי אם אזהרה, כי נתת בידינו הכח להפוך סדרי בראשית. וכאשר הבטחת „היום בא“ הבטחת „וְזָֽרְחָה לָכֶם ... שֶׁמֶשׁ צְדָקָה וּמַרְפֵּא בִּכְנָפֶיהָ“, וכן ברחמיך תברכנו.

אמן סלה

Remember, You Were A Slave: A Shabbat Hagadol ShulDrasha

[but not quite a Shabbat Hagadol Drasha]
(this drasha owes a lot to Ben Greenberg's Pesahh as a Liberation Imperative article and shiurim; this is also the first drasha i ever gave where i actually told people to 'get off their encounter-suited butts' and do something. and i reformatted it out of poem-style into prose-style for ease of reading in response to previous comments)

During the course of the סדר, we recite a משנה from מסכת פסחים that contains רבן גמליאל's list of the basic obligations of the Seder Night.

And he says that aside from the content of the Seder — the mention of פסח מצה and מרור without which one's obligation to retell the story of יציאת מצרים has not been fulfilled — the entire enterprise of telling the story of the Outgoing from Egypt boils down to one basic מצוה, one underlying obligation: בכל דור ודור חייב אדם לראות את עמצו כאילו הוא יצא ממצרים. In every single generation, one is obligated to see themself as if they, personally, came out from Egypt.

And he bases this on a verse in the Torah, שנאמר — והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא לאמר, בעבור זה עשה ה' לי בצאתי ממצרים. Because it says, “You will tell your children on that day, saying: ‘It was because of this that God acted on my behalf when I left Egypt’.”

I, myself — I left Egypt. I was taken out of מצרים. I was rescued from slavery by God, with symbols, wonders, miracles and awe.

חייב אדם לראות את עצמו כאילו הוא יצא ממצרים.

And there's another version of this משנה. According to some traditions, רבן גמליאל didn't say that one is obligated לראות את עצמו to see themself — but להראות את עצמו to
show themself.

In every single generation we are obligated to show ourselves — to demonstrate practically — that we, personally, were rescued from slavery by God.

But what does that mean? What does it mean לראות to see ourselves, or להראות to show ourselves, as if we personally left מצרים?

What could it mean to have left Egypt ourselves?

Does it mean the סדר? The long, luxurious philosophical meal, reclining around the table and telling stories between courses?

Does it mean the Sephardic custom of wrapping מצה and holding it on our shoulders,
while walking around the room in imitation of בני־ישראל trekking through the wilderness?

Maybe to answer this question we should look back at the תורה.

What does the תורה tell us — not about the experience of slavery... but the memory of slavery? Not about leaving Egypt... but about having left Egypt?

According to the תורה, many of the מצוות that we are commanded are somehow
consequences specifically of יציאת־מצרים.

God tells us that we are obligated to engage in commerce in an honest fashion, and then self-identifies as ה' אלקיכם אשר הוצאתי אתכם מארץ מצרים God who took you out of Egypt.

A false prophet is put to death for inciting disloyalty against “God who takes you out of Egypt and redeems you from slavery.”

The ציצית that we put on our four-cornered garments, and the third paragraph of שמע
which describes them that we recite twice a day — all because God is the God who took us out of מצרים.

And there are many more מצוות written in the תורה and associated with Egypt than just those few.

There are the four times when the תורה warns us against oppressing the גר — the stranger, the convert, the immigrant — כי גרים הייתם בארץ מצרים because you were strangers in the Land of Egypt.

And in פרשת משפטים it goes further — ואתם ידעתם את נפש הגר it says, you understand their soul. You know what it's like to be a stranger, to be powerless, to be exploited and abused.

And so the תורה tells us, don't oppress the strangers in your midst, don't exploit or abuse them — protect them!

Four times we are commanded to protect the stranger because we were strangers in Egypt.

And another five times when the תורה reinforces particular מצוות by commanding us to observe שבת; to help an indentured servant regain self-sufficiency; to share our holiday celebrations with the less-fortunate; to seek justice for the stranger and the orphan; and to leave produce in the fields for the poor to take themselves — why? וזכרת כי עבד היית ב(ארץ) מצרים.

So that you will remember that you were a slave in Egypt.

You were oppressed, so don't oppress others.
You were exploited, so protect others from exploitation.
You were downtrodden, so lift others up.

Rav Soloveitchik explained that “without the experience of slavery, we would have remained unexposed to suffering, emotionally vulgar and insensitive.” The slavery experience is the root of Jewish morality, and that is why the תורה invokes שעבוד מצרים
and the memory thereof “whenever it speaks of our duty to respect the feelings of others, particularly the lonely and defenseless... Had we not been in Egypt,” he continues, “had we not felt the pain caused by the whip, we would not have understood the divine law of not oppressing the stranger or the law of loving one's neighbor.”

This is what God did for you when you went forth from Egypt. וזכרת כי עבד היית במצרים Remember that you were a slave. That is the obligation of the Seder Night. In every generation, עשה ה' לי God did it for me — for you — when God rescued us from slavery.

And although the הגדה makes a point of emphasizing — אני ולא מלאך, אני ולא שרף, אני ולא השליח it was God who rescued us, not an angel, and not the messenger — we know that God did not do it alone.

Why did the Creator of Worlds pick משה רבנו as the spokesman and the enactor of divine justice and divine mercy?

רש"י explains that when משה first went out to his people, a ‘Prince of Egypt’ as we say today, going out to encounter his enslaved brethren, he did it to look and to see and to feel their pain. And when he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite, he killed the abuser
and rescued the slave.

That act of defense set a pattern of intervention.

Next, משה saw two Hebrews fighting with each other, and he intervened to protect the weak from the abusive strong.

At this point it became clear to him that his first intervention wasn't as secret as he had tried to keep it, and פרעה tried to punish him, so he fled to מדין, where he rescued יתרו's daughters from the herdsmen who attacked them.

נחמה לייבובֿיץ theorized that “had we only been told of the first clash, we might have doubted [...] his motive.” Maybe משה only intervened because it was one of his own people being beaten by the oppressor?

But then he attempts to protect an Israelite from another Israelite. No Egyptian taskmasters involved.

And then, she says, “came the third clash, where both parties were outsiders — neither brothers, friends nor neighbors.” And yet, as נחמה לייבובֿיץ points out, משה's “first deed on arriving in the land of his forced exile after having risked his life to protect the defenseless [—] was to repeat his action and champion the weak again.”

And why did he do it? How did משה רבנו start on his path of intervention, that very first time? The תורה tells us וַיִּפֶֿן כֹּה וָכֹֿה וַיַּרְא כִּי אֵין אִישׁ. He looked around, and saw no one — and רבי יהודה explains in מדרש ויקרא רבה:
ראה שאין מי יעמוד ויקנא לשמו של הקב"ה.
משה looked around to see if anyone else would stand up and take action on behalf of the honor of God, but no one would — so he stepped up himself.

And he did it once, again, and three times — no matter who was involved.

משה arrived in מדין and rescued יתרו's daughters, bringing justice to the untamed grazing land.

And in return, when יתרו arrives at the wilderness encampment of בני־ישראל at Mount Sinai, having heard about the wonders of יציאת־מצרים, what does he do? He ends up instituting a system of justice based on fairness and honesty — just as God commands us to deal honestly in commerce and measurements in consequence of the Exodus.

יתרו responded to God's great act of emancipation, liberation and justice with one of his own, on a smaller scale.

When רבי חמא ברבי חנינא in מסכת סוטה explains that we are obligated to ‘walk in God's ways’, all the specific actions he lists are acts of חסד and רחמים, of kindness and mercy.
Just as God clothed the naked, so must we clothe the naked.
Just as God visited the sick, so must we visit the sick.
Just as God comforted mourners, so must we comfort mourners.
Just as God buried the dead, so must we bury the dead.

So what does it mean —
וזכרת כי עבד היית בארץ מצרים,
חייב אדם לראות את עצמו כאילו הוא יצא ממצרים —
we are obligated to remember and to see ourselves as if we ourselves came out of Egypt?

It means חייב אדם להראות את עצמו כאילו הוא יצא ממצרים — We are obligated to demonstrate that we ourselves came out of Egypt!

Just as God brought us out from slavery to freedom, so must we bring others out from slavery to freedom!

Today, in the year ה'תשס"ט, in the year 2009, there are about 27 million human beings
enslaved around the world.

27 million people is twice the number of individuals who were removed from Africa during the entire 250-year period of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. There are more people enslaved today than there were at any previous time in history.

‘Enslaved’ doesn't just mean ‘worked hard’.
It doesn't just mean ‘paid less than they deserve’.
It means literal slavery — one person completely controlling another person, through violence or the threat of violence, for the purpose of economic exploitation, and only paid with enough food to survive.

And over the past 4000 years of human history, across societies and cultures, the average price of a slave has been valued at the cost of between 4 to 8 oxen. Ten years before the Civil War in the United States, the price of an average slave was equivalent to about 6 oxen, or the price of a house. Think about that — the price of a house. Today, though, the average price of a slave is only 90 dollars. And just like anything else, when human beings become cheap, they become expendable.

27 million people without the freedom to walk away — even if it were only into a worse situation.

When משה first goes to פרעה, instead of listening to his divine message, and releasing בני־ישראל, the King of Egypt intensifies their labor, and worsens their oppression.

משה turns to God in frustration or despair, and asks
לָמָה הֲרֵעֹתָֿה לָעָם הַזֶּה לָמָּה זֶּה שְׁלַחְתָּנִי
Why have you made it worse for these people?!
Why did you even send me?!
וּמֵאָז בָּאתִֿי אֶל פַּרְעֹה לְדַֿבֵּר בִּשְׁמֶךָֿ
From the time that I came to Pharoah to speak in your name,
הֵרַע לָעָם הַזֶּה וְהַצֵּל לֹא הִצַּלְתָּ אֶתֿ עַמֶּךָֿ
it's just gotten worse for them
and in no way have you rescued your nation.

In מדרש שמות רבה, we see רבי עקיבא imagining משה not raising his hands in weakness and casting words at Heaven, but actually challenging God and holding God to God's promise — ‘You haven't rescued your people. And I know that one day you will — אבל מה איכפת לך אלו הנתונים מתחת לבנין? but don't you care about those right now who are crushed [to death] underneath the construction?!’

Other מדרשים describe how slaves would drop dead in the middle of their labor; how the Egyptians would wedge Israelites and Israelite babies between the slabs of their edifices; how children would be born in the mudpits where clay was mixed and end up integrated into the bricks with which their parents built cities for their masters.

‘There are human beings suffering right now’ — משה reminds God — ‘What are you doing about it?’

עבדים היינו לפרעה במצרים
We were slaves to Pharoah in Egypt and God took us out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm...

We are free.
Slavery is just a memory.
Exodus is just a memory.

וזכרת כי עבד היית,
כי גרים הייתם
Remember
God judged your oppressors,
so act with justice and honesty.
Remember
you were once strangers,
so protect the weak and vulnerable.
Remember
you were once a slave,
so release the oppressed.

At our סדרים we reimagine ourselves as if we, personally, were rescued from מצרים.

But the תורה tells us that if we really want to show that we ourselves were rescued from מצרים, we can't just sit around our dining room tables telling stories — just as God freed us from slavery, so must we too work to free others, as well.

What do we care about those human beings who, just as our ancestors were, just as we were, right now are being “crushed [to death] underneath the construction”?

What are we doing about it?



Free The Slaves
anti-slavery
Task Force on Human Trafficking [in Israel]
iAbolish
Vital Voices's How to Recognize a Trafficking Victim