This week’s parsha introduces the halachic process of observing the commandments of the Torah. Every commandment contains numerous layers of meaning and importance: there is the social and moral value that it conveys. There are also the technical minutiae—complex details that comprise its very fabric. This week we encounter the laws that govern the observance of Pesach and of the structuring of the Jewish calendar, the general values of which are apparent to all. Pesach represents for us the concept of freedom from bondage, teaching us the beginning of our people’s history, while the calendar has always been vital for social and commercial life and keeps us in tune with the changing seasons of the year.
Though the general idea of our commandments is easy to grasp, the devil always lies in the detail. Theories are wonderful—but they rarely survive the tests of time and ever-changing circumstances. So what mechanism can enable the story of our departure from Egyptian slavery to freedom to remain fresh after thousands of years? Values only come to life if they are translated into human action and normative behavior.
Scientific theories can be tested by experiment and
validation. Values are different. Freedom is a great theory but it must be
tested by the realities of everyday existence. Pesach is a symbol of freedom but
only its practical implementation through matzah, chametz, the haggadah and so
forth can preserve the value and validate the theory and guarantee its
meaningfulness for generations to come. The uniqueness of the Jewish calendar
lies also in its technical details. The permanent calendar that we now follow,
established in the fifth century CE, is a lunar calendar with adjustments to
make it fit into a solar year. How the last Sanhedrin squared this circle is
too large a topic for Hanassi Highlights. However, if it were not
for their calculations, our calendar would long ago have disappeared—just as did
the ancient calendars of Egypt, Babylonia, Greece and Rome.
Many people look at the calendar not as a commandment but as
a convenience, a neat way to mark our passage through time. But, for Jews, the
details are of equal if not even greater importance than the convenience that
they represent. In our time, those Jews who for various reasons only
concentrated on the values, who were good Jews at heart but observed no
commandments or details, were rarely privileged to have Jewish descendants. We
must be careful, though. Concentrating only on the details is also a distortion
of the divine word. To see the general value of a commandment and to observe
its necessary technical details in practice is our guarantee that the Torah will
survive amongst the people of Israel for all time.
Shabbat shalom, Rabbi Berel Wein
