Rabbi Freedman’s Shabbat Message

For those who have been reading my Divre Torah over recent years will know of my interest in word patterns – such patterns either inform us of key messages hidden within the text, or in some cases explain why the rabbis in their wisdom divided up the sidrot and parshiyot in the way they did.

As I have mentioned previously, some years ago I was privileged to hear a lecture by Rabbi Dr Pinchas Heyman of Bar Ilan University. He explained that there was on-going research into the reasons behind the divisions of the sidrot and parshiyot; why some sidrot and parshiyot are relatively short, while others are disproportionately long. He suggested that the research demonstrated there were often vocabulary similarities or linguistic features common to the first and last parasha, which was the underlying reason why the rabbis chose to begin and end a sidra in those particular places. He further suggested that the weekly sidra was built on a seven day cycle shaped rather like a pyramid – with parshiyot 1, 2 and 3 representing Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and parshiyot 5, 6 and 7 representing Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The image he portrayed was of the first three parshiyot ascending towards, and the last three days descending from the high point of the Jewish week, namely Shabbat. With this in mind, he argued that Revii, the fourth portion, more often than not, contained the key message of the week.

In the case of this week’s sidra, a key word is found not once but twice in the opening and closing parshiyot, and then found just one more time in the sidra – in Parashat Revii, the 4th portion.

Here are the five verses, first the opening two verses of the sidra – the key word is emboldened in Hebrew and English:

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר ה֙’ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בֹּ֖א אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כִּֽי־אֲנִ֞י הִכְבַּ֤דְתִּי אֶת־לִבּוֹ֙ וְאֶת־לֵ֣ב עֲבָדָ֔יו לְמַ֗עַן שִׁתִ֛י אֹֽתֹתַ֥י אֵ֖לֶּה בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these SIGNS of mine among them. (Exodus 10:1)

וּלְמַ֡עַן תְּסַפֵּר֩ בְּאָזְנֵ֨י בִנְךָ֜ וּבֶן־בִּנְךָ֗ אֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִתְעַלַּ֨לְתִּי֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם וְאֶת־אֹֽתֹתַ֖י אֲשֶׁר־שַׂ֣מְתִּי בָ֑ם וִֽידַעְתֶּ֖ם כִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י ה’:
That you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my SIGNS among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord. (Exodus 10:2)

Next from Exodus 12:13 from Parashat Revii:

וְהָיָה֩ הַדָּ֨ם לָכֶ֜ם לְאֹ֗ת עַ֤ל הַבָּֽתִּים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אַתֶּ֣ם שָׁ֔ם וְרָאִ֨יתִי֙ אֶת־הַדָּ֔ם וּפָֽסַחְתִּ֖י עֲלֵכֶ֑ם וְלֹא־יִֽהְיֶ֨ה בָכֶ֥ם נֶ֨גֶף֙ לְמַשְׁחִ֔ית בְּהַכֹּתִ֖י בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם:
The blood will be a SIGN for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

Finally – two verses taken from the end of Parashat Shevii – the seventh and final portion of the sidra.

וְהָיָה֩ לְךָ֙ לְא֜וֹת עַל־יָֽדְךָ֗ וּלְזִכָּרוֹן֙ בֵּ֣ין עֵינֶ֔יךָ לְמַ֗עַן תִּֽהְיֶ֛ה תּוֹרַ֥ת ה’ בְּפִ֑יךָ כִּ֚י בְּיָ֣ד חֲזָקָ֔ה הוֹצִֽאֲךָ֥ ה’ מִמִּצְרָֽיִם:
This observance will be for you like a SIGN on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. (Exodus 13:9)

וְהָיָ֤ה לְאוֹת֙ עַל־יָ֣דְכָ֔ה וּלְטֽוֹטָפֹ֖ת בֵּ֣ין עֵינֶ֑יךָ כִּ֚י בְּחֹ֣זֶק יָ֔ד הֽוֹצִיאָ֥נוּ ה’ מִמִּצְרָֽיִם:
And it will be like a SIGN on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand. (Exodus 13: 16)

The Hebrew word אוֹת meaning a sign or token is found many times throughout the Tanakh – some scholars seek to explain the Hebrew word אוֹת as providing a crucial insight into God’s plans. It is explained as follows: אוֹת has a vav between an alef and a tav. The vav (ו) is the Hebrew letter that is often used for the prefix ‘and’. It is the letter of connection. The alef (א) is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The tav (ת) is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Thus the Hebrew word אוֹת – sign – implies a series of thoughts and actions, from beginning to end, that contain a commonality or unity of purpose, in this case devised by God to enhance and guide the destiny of the Jewish people.

Others suggest that the word אוֹת is related linguistically to the accusative אֶת which precedes and identifies a direct object in Hebrew grammar. The proposition is that the word אוֹת or sign also always points to the future – demonstrating God’s eternal role in the survival of Israel. The lesson is clear, if the word אֶת is symbolic of an impending direct object – so a sign or אוֹת is symbolic of Israel’s duty to look forward and pledge allegiance to God’s authority.

Nowadays signs are used in a variety of arenas. Within Judaism for example, the so-called ‘Three Outward Signs’ of Tefillin, Tzitzit and Mezuzah allow others to identify our Jewish soul. In the Torah, three specific commandments are described as signs – Tefillin, Shabbat and Circumcision. But beyond Judaism signs are used to identify, to advertise and to warn.

Road signs for example warn the driver of impending danger or help direct the driver onto the right road. I recall an occasion many years ago when I was driving and my passenger was a dayan – a rabbinical judge on the Beit Din. As I was driving, he asked how everything was going in my shul…and I said things were good…he asked if I spoke every Shabbat and where I found inspiration for my sermons. Rather proudly I said, that the previous week I had written a sermon based on a chiddush. A chiddush is a novel idea – an original thought. I then proceeded to share with him my interpretation of the previous week’s parasha.

I expected him to congratulate me, and compliment me – but instead he looked at me and gently criticised me – using an analogy, he said that when he drives he likes to see the road signs, then he knows that he is on the right road, similarly when he is giving a drasha he also likes to see the signposts along the way, the signposts of people like Rashi, or Ibn Ezra, or the Baal Haturim or the Rashbam – great rabbis of the past who wrote extensive commentaries on the Torah to guide us along the right path when we study these ancient and holy texts.

It was a message I never forgot – over the years I have continued to follow his advice.

I mention this story, because here in Parashat Bo the very idea of signs seems to be of some consequence. These are signs that direct us on the pathway of life and faith, and like road signs should lead us safely to our destination. So if one would compare road signs with those mentioned in the Torah, what would we discover?

The first sign, often annoying, and seen everywhere, is the familiar red STOP sign. It’s a constant source of irritation to most drivers. I understand – everyone’s in a hurry, but the sensible driver understands that the purpose of the STOP sign is to protect his life, and the lives of others.

A constantly recurring sign on the Jewish road of life is also the STOP sign – it’s called Shabbat. It is described as אוֹת הִוא לְעוֹלָם an “eternal sign” that has appeared every seventh day since the first week of creation. Some of us get frustrated by this STOP sign because it interferes with what we want to do, with our pace of life. We want to play sport, go to the movies, some people even enjoy shopping! Either way, we have no time to waste with STOP signs like Shabbat. But I would argue that Shabbat is like a jewel which brightens our darkness and shows us the world from a completely different perspective, a day of quiet and reflection, a day of peace of mind and family harmony – a day which preserves and enhances our sanity.

It is exactly as Ahad Ha’am wrote:

יותר משישראל שמרו את השבת שמרה השבת אותם
More than Israel has kept Shabbat; Shabbat has preserved the Jewish people.

Then there is another sign – GIVE WAY. This is absolutely fundamental to safe driving, but equally fundamental to an understanding of Judaism. Do we give way to the Torah, or do we expect the Torah to give way to us? I recall a most moving passage in a book entitled Moving Home written by my daughter in law. Published by Gefen Publishers (Jerusalem) the book spoke of her journey from a secular to a religious life. She described how in the early years of her relationship with our oldest son, she would at times become quite frustrated at his unwillingness to ‘bend the rules’ to fit in with her. Then she wrote something that was intuitive: “When I asked him to compromise for me, I knew in my heart it was impossible for him. I could always bend the rules for him, yet he could not bend a single rule for me. The reason was obvious – My rules were mine and his rules were God’s”– and that in a nutshell is the Give Way sign.
I could go on – and describe the religious meaning behind School Zone signs, how we have to slow up to make sure that our children are safe, guarantee they are educated; how in our Jewish life we need to go a little slower to ensure that our children know what we are doing and why we are doing it – so that they can learn how to enjoy the beauty of our religious traditions.

I could speak about the warning signs for approaching Speed Cameras, which are ready to take incriminating photos of us if we are breaking the law. Isn’t this idea just the same as the teaching of our rabbis in Pirke Avot; that we should live our entire lives as if someone is viewing everything we do, and listening to everything we say.

There are a multitude of signs warning us to take special care because animals may be on the road. The concept of Tsaar Baalei Chayim – the law to avoid any form of cruelty to animals is part of our Jewish life as much as it is part of the highway code.

Although my favourite, is the one we sometimes see near freeways, Danger, Wrong Way – Turn Back – think of the moral messages contained in that one.
Anyway during the week as you are driving around, see how many of these very ordinary road signs can teach you a lesson – not just in safe driving – but in the meaning of life itself. To ignore these signs would be foolhardy – sooner or later fines will be issued and points deducted from one’s license. Perhaps it is equally important to watch out for our Jewish signs – which are just as critical for our well-being for they serve as powerful reminders of faith, identity and history, and help bridge the gap between abstract beliefs and daily life.

So never forget that this world was designed by the Creator, that His signature is on every aspect of the cosmos, that the observance of a Jewish way of life is the most significant decision you will ever make, and that your behaviour based on Jewish values signals to one and all more about your character than anything else. Without resignation perform your assignment as a loyal Jew – and ensure the assignation between God and the Jewish people endures for ever. As you can see – signs are everywhere – so keep looking for them and integrating them into your life.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi David Freedman