Spirituality
TORAH PORTION
Passover: Past,
Present And Future
Shabbat Hagadol (Parsha Achrei Mot):
Leviticus 16:1-18:30; Malachi 3:4-24.
re you a messianic Jew? "Of
section of the haggadah (the telling
course not," you're probably
of the story of the Exodus) by lifting
thinking. I don't believe
up our cups and reciting a rather long
in Christianity in any form. While I
blessing. We bless God for "redeeming
certainly agree with that statement,
us and our forefathers from Egypt:'
I, nevertheless, consider
but then we add, "So too
myself a "messianic" Jew in
Hashem our God and the
that I believe in the coming
God of our fathers will
of moshiach, literally mean-
bring us to future festivals
ing "the anointed one,' who
and holidays in peace, glad-
will bring redemption to
dened in the rebuilding of
the world and salvation to
Your city, and joyful at Your
the Jewish people. How do
service'
I know that there will be a
Its not just about the
moshiach? His arrival and
redemptions of the past.
existence is woven through-
On Pesach we celebrate the
Rabbi Reuven
out Judaism. Let's take three
redemption of the future.
Spolter
examples from this weekend.
In fact, in every Amidah
Special to the
Traditionally, we call the
prayer we recite, the third
Jewish News
Shabbat that falls before
blessing refers to God
the holiday of Pesach
as "He who will
Shabbat Hagadol,
awaken the dead:'
meaning "the great
a central tenet of
Shabbat." While com-
•
the Jewish faith.
mentators give a
Rambam lists belief
number of different
in the coming of
explanations for this
moshiach and the
appellation, one expla-
ultimate redemp-
nation comes from
tion as one of his
this week's haftorah, the additional
thirteen principles of faith.
reading from the prophets that we
What, you might wonder, if I don't
insert after reading from the Torah.
believe? What if I find it simply to out-
The haftorah comes from the Book
rageous, too fantastic to believe that
of Malachi and concludes with the
a man will arrive, reunite the Jewish
verse,"Behold, I will send you Elijah
people and bring redemption and sal-
the prophet before the coming of the
vation to the world?
great (in Hebrew: hagadol) and terrible
I have two answers. First of all, where
day of the Lord." For what "great day"
does the problem lie: in the belief or in
do we name this Shabbat? The great
your lack of faith? And secondly, when,
day of Elijah's arrival, announcing the
at the end of the seder you sing, recite,
arrival of moshiach.
pray, "Next year in Jerusalem!" what
In this week's Torah portion God
exactly do you mean? El
warns us about many of the forbid-
den sexual relationships. Yet, when
Reuven Speer is rabbi of Young Israel of
introducing these laws the Torah tells
Oak Park.
us, "You shall guard My statutes and
laws, that a man will do them and live
by them, I am the Lord"(18:5). Rashi
notes that following the laws does not
Conversations
automatically guarantee life. After all,
Can you find two other refer-
all God-fearing and Torah-observant
ences to Moshiach during the
Jews die eventually! Therefore, Rashi
seder? Why does traditional
tells us, the life that following the Torah
Judaism consider belief in the
promises refers to life "in the world to
redemption such an important
come:'
facet of Jewish faith?
At the seder, we conclude the Maggid
Pesach is not just
about redemptions
of the past.
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April 17 • 2008
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