Vaera 5774
The
Passover custom of drinking four cups of wine is based on the four expressions
of redemption that are found at the beginning of Parshat Vaera (Shemot/Exodus
6:6-8):
(6) Say therefore to the children of
Israel: I am the Lord. And I will take
you out from under the burdens of Egypt, and I will save you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great
judgements. (7) And I will take you
to me as a people (this refers to the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai) and I
will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God who takes you
out from under the burdens of Egypt.
(8) And I will bring you to the land, concerning which I swore with an uplifted hand to give to Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov…
(8) And I will bring you to the land, concerning which I swore with an uplifted hand to give to Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov…
The
late Biblical scholar Nechama Leibowitz
noted that a gradual change takes place from the first expression to the
second, then to the third, and to the fourth reflecting the changing
relationship between our ancestors and both the Egyptians and God, as follows:
1)
“And I will take you out from under the burdens of Egypt” – Bnai Yisrael are at
this point in total subjugation to the Egyptians.
2) “And I will save you from their bondage” – Here the Egyptian bondage is still a factor, but the Egyptians are not mentioned by name. This reflects a lessening of the subjugation.
3) “And I will redeem you” – Here the Egyptians and the bondage are not referred to at all, reflecting a liberation from Egyptian subjugation.
4) “And I will take you to me as a people” – After being completely liberated from the Egyptians, Bnai Yisrael can forge a new relationship with God.
2) “And I will save you from their bondage” – Here the Egyptian bondage is still a factor, but the Egyptians are not mentioned by name. This reflects a lessening of the subjugation.
3) “And I will redeem you” – Here the Egyptians and the bondage are not referred to at all, reflecting a liberation from Egyptian subjugation.
4) “And I will take you to me as a people” – After being completely liberated from the Egyptians, Bnai Yisrael can forge a new relationship with God.
Her
interpretation is intended to show the wisdom underlying God’s not attempting
to bond by immediately and decisively liberating our ancestors, but rather by
slowly building God’s relationship with them until the moment was ripe for them
to connect in a meaningful way. Although
God could have granted our ancestors their freedom one fell swoop they probably
could not have handled it – for they had been slaves far too long and viewed
the world through the prism of slaves.
Freedom was granted slowly – in stages – as they became accustomed to
their new status and privileges. Only
when they became response-able did they became responsible.
Had
they attempted to forge that new relationship with God while still under
Egyptian subjugation they would surely have failed. They same may be said for all of us. Building
a relationship with God is a process. It
takes time and energy. Only after we
have prepared the ground, planted the seeds and continue to care for them can
we hope to see a relationship blossom and grow.
Shabbat
Shalom,
Rabbi
Matt Futterman
Senior
Educator
