Spirituality

TORAH PORTION

Dipping Veggies
Twice? Dayenu!

From this poinVofwew
Ev erything looks easy

That's why we take a different perspective

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Shabat Chol HaMoed Pesach; Exodus
33:12-34:26; Numbers 28:19-25;
Ezekiel 37:1-14.

enslavement and the beginning of the
Hebrew emancipation.
At this time, each Hebrew family
arlier this week, the Four
slaughtered a lamb in preparation for
Questions were asked at every
their Exodus. The blood of the lamb
seder table. But one question
represented the willingness of the
has always disturbed me: "On all other
Israelites to sacrifice an Egyptian god
nights we do not dip our vegetables
(for such was the lamb) to
even once, why on this night
their higher belief in the
do we dip twice?"
Lord of redemption and
Another seder occur-
freedom. They performed
rence also puzzled me.
this pascal sacrifice during
During the singing of
the time of the killing of the
"Dayenu," the thanksgiv-
first born of the Egyptians
ing to God for every step
— a plague from which
through which He guided
the Hebrews were saved
us on the road to redemp-
because of the pascal blood
tion, one verse states: "Had
that was dipped into and
He brought us in front of
Rabbi Shiomo
smeared their doorposts.
Mount Sinai and not given
Ris kin
The Israelites were all
us the Torah, it would have
Special to the
united in their commit-
been sufficient — dayenu."
Jewish News
ment to the Almighty and
In what sense would it
fulfillment of this com-
have been enough? What
value could there have been for God to mand, including their all remaining in
their homes despite the fact that the
have taken us close to the mountain
Egyptian streets were ripe for looting
without revealing to us His laws?!
in the frenzied hysteria which most
The fact is that the entire drama of
certainly accompanied the death of
the servitude and Exodus from Egypt
the Egyptian first born.
began with an act of 'dipping' — and
Thus, the second act of dipping
concluded with an act of 'dipping'.
served as a tikkun or repair of the
The Israelites initially made their
first; the sin of brotherly strife found
way down to Egypt as a result of the
its repentance in the form of broth-
fact that Joseph, the son of Jacob, was
erly unity, by which merit we were
sold into Egyptian servitude by his
redeemed from Egypt. This explains
brothers. Since the brothers had to
both dippings at the seder and intensi-
explain in some way Joseph's mysteri-
fies the fact that if only we as a nation
ous disappearance, they dipped his
could be united together, no force on
special coat of striped colors in the
earth would be able to harm us.
blood of a slain goat, making it appear
When the Bible describes the momen-
he had been torn apart by a wild beast.
tous Revelation at Sinai, the Israelites
Our Sages teach us that it was the
were united as if they were all one
sin of the brotherly strife and hatred
individual with one heart. It was their
that was responsible for the enslave-
very unity of purpose and commitment
ment of the Israelites in Egypt. Hence,
— their togetherness as a nation that
some Jews have the tradition of dip-
enabled them to merit the Revelation.
ping the karpas (green vegetable) not
This I believe is the meaning of the
only in saltwater symbolizing the tears
"Dayenu" song: Had the Almighty mere-
that the Jewish people shed but also
ly brought us in front of Mount Sinai
in the red charoset, which, according
with singleness of goal and united in
to the Jerusalem Talmud, symbolizes
spirit, even before He gave us the Torah,
blood and expresses the tragedy of
that unity would have been sufficient! ❑
Jewish internal hatred — the root
cause of our exiles and persecutions.
Shiomo Riskin is chancellor of Ohr Torah
As for the second dipping, it took
Stone and chief rabbi of Efrat, Israel.
place at the end of the Egyptian

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April 1 • 2010

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