Community Magazine May 2021

14 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Words of Rabbi Eli J. Mansour לעילוי נשמתם של משה בן עליזה, יצחק הלל בן עליזה, והנרייט לאה בת עליזה, דוד בן גילה, רבקה בת גילה, יהושע בן גילה, משה בן גילה, שרה בת גילה, יעקב בן גילה, ואליאנה בת גילה. ולרפואה שלמה ליוסף בן אהובה מסעודה, שילת אהובה בת עליזה, ודניאל בן עליזה. In our prayers and kiddush on Shavuot, we proclaim that Gd has given us this great festival “ zecher liytziat Mitzrayim – in commemoration of the Exodus fromEgypt.” Surprising as it sounds, the celebration of Shavuot serves to remind us of our miraculous departure from Egypt. This seems strange, because we are just several weeks away from the seven-day holiday which is all about the Exodus from Egypt – Pesach. We already have a celebration of that miracle. And besides, how does Shavuot celebrate the Exodus? We all know that Shavuot commemorates Matan Torah , our receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, seven weeks after leaving Egypt. What does this have to do with the Exodus? True Freedom The answer, in one word, is: EVERYTHING. Pesach is referred to in our liturgy as “ zeman herutenu – the occasion of our freedom.” It celebrates our attaining our freedom after years of Egyptian slavery. However, there is a common and grave misconception about what “freedom” means. Having no obligations or responsibilities is not true freedom. True freedom is the freedom to realize the purpose for which one has come into this world. Gd did not bring us out of Egypt so we could live an empty life, bereft of meaning and purpose. He brought us out of Egypt so we could serve Him – which is our purpose as human beings. Once we understand this definition of “freedom,” we understand that the process of Yetziat Mitzrayim (the Exodus from Egypt) was not complete until we stood at Mount Sinai and accepted the Torah, formally entering into Gd’s service. Leaving the service of Pharaoh was only the first phase; the second phase was committing ourselves to the service of Gd. This is reflected in the famous “ arba leshonot geulah – four expressions of redemption,” the four promises that Gd made to our ancestors in Egypt (Shemot 6:6-7): 1) vehotzeti (“I shall take you out”); 2) vehitzalti (“I shall save you”); 3) vega’alti (“I shall redeem you”); 4) velakahti (“I shall take you”). The fourth expression – “ velakahti ” – refers to the time of Matan Torah , when we entered into a covenant with Gd, becoming His cherished nation. This marked the culmination of the process of the Exodus. As we know, the four cups of wine we drink at the seder commemorate the fulfillment of these four promises. These cups are drunk at specific times during the seder – at the beginning, at the end of the Maggid section, after birkat hamazon , and after hallel . Significantly, halachah permits drinking additional cups of wine in between these four cups, if one wishes, except in between the third and fourth cups. The reason given is that we must make it abundantly clear that the fourth cup – signifying Matan Torah – is integrally connected to the first three, which correspond to the stages of our freedom from Egyptian bondage. There can be no disruption whatsoever between our departure from Egypt and our acceptance of the Torah – because we must understand that we were freed solely for the purpose of entering into the service of Gd. Thus, Shavuot, which celebrates the event of Matan Torah , is truly “ zecher liytziat Mitzrayim ” – a commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt, insofar as it marks the culmination of this process. Our Wedding With Gd There may, however, be an additional explanation. Numerous customs observed at weddings bring to mind Matan Torah . Tradition teaches that Gd adorned Mount Sinai with beautiful greenery and flowers – correspondingly, it is customary Scaling the Mountain