2022/5782
In this week's Parashah, Moshe Rabbeinu warns Paroh multiple times that if he does not let the Jewish people go, Hashem will continue to strike Egypt with plagues that will only increase in severity. Before executing Makkat Bechorot, the plague that killed all the firstborns of Egypt, Hashem instructs Bnei Yisrael to take the blood of the Korban Pesach and put it on their doorposts as a sign. The sign differentiates them from the Egyptians, so that when Hashem passes through Mitzrayim to claim the firstborn of every household, Hashem will “know” which houses to pass over.
It is fairly obvious that Hashem, the Omnipresent, does not need a sign to know which houses belong to His nation and which do not. He is all-knowing. Therefore, the question arises: For what purpose did Hashem instruct the Jews to paint the blood of the Korban Pesach on their doorposts? There must be an underlying message.
Steven Garfinkel cites the Chasidic masters’ answer: We must take the first step. All we have to do is start the work, and we can leave the rest to Hashem. As TABC Rebbeim love to say, “do your best and Hashem will do the rest”. The Midrash says “פתחו לי פתח כחודה של מחט ואני אפתח לכם כפתחו של אולם” – “if you open up an opening the size of a needle, I (Hashem) will open up an opening the size of a ballroom.” (שיר השירים פרק ה אות ב)
The Zohar teaches that when Bnei Yisrael were in Mitzrayim, they sank to the 49th level of Tum’ah (Zohar Chadash, Parashat Yitro 31a). The Chasidic masters explain that Bnei Yisrael were so low that they did not have the wherewithal to fulfill the obligation to take the first step. At first glance, without this key ingredient, one must ask why Hashem took us out of Egypt.
The answer is, even though we did not do our part, this is an exception. Hashem said “even though you don’t have the strength to take the first step, I will not only do the rest, I will even do the beginning”. So what does “ופסחו על הפתח” mean? It means that Hashem passed over the beginning, the “opening”. Even though Bnei Yisrael did not ”begin”, Hashem began on our behalf.
In other words, Hashem instructed us to paint our doorpost to give us the opportunity to fulfill His command. By doing so, He made us a vessel worthy of being redeemed. Hashem took the first step to purify us, and then redeemed us from Egypt.
We must be eternally grateful to Hashem for taking the first step for us in redeeming us as His Chosen People. The best way to show that “Hakarat HaTov” is to imitate Him, by taking the first step with regard to each Mitzvah we perform. When we collectively take those first steps towards getting closer to Hashem, we hope to thereby merit to see the Ge’ulah Shleimah BeMheirah BeYameinu Amen.