Early in the maggid section of the Haggadah, there is a discussion of what the verse in Deuteronomy 16:3 means when it says “in order that you may remember the day you went out from Egypt/Mitzrayim all the days of your life.” Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah cites Ben Zoma in saying that the addition of “all” means nights as well as days, whereas the Sages say that it means both this world and the days of Moshiach. This is indeed seen as a mitzvah. This verse is the first of the Six (or Ten) Remembrances recited by many after Shacharis (and by Lubavitchers while wearing Rabbenu Tam tefillin) and many siddurim include an instruction with the last verse of the Shema to concentrate on remembering the Exodus to fulfill this mitzvah. (There are, of course, other texts related to this in the daily liturgy, such as the blessing after the Shema that culminates in verses from the Song at the Sea as well as the two additional Torah paragraphs outside of the Shema mentioning tefillin which are also recited while wearing tefillin – Rabbenu Tam tefillin in the case of Lubavitchers.)
A few paragraphs later, there is a discussion of why the discussion of the Exodus at the Seder is only commanded when the first night of Pesach arrives. Clearly, these are two related yet distinct mitzvot. I wonder if the twice-daily remembrance of the Exodus is meant to be enriched by the yearly special telling and vice versa.
This last verse of the Shema (Numbers 15:41) for which one
is instructed to have the kavannah of remembering the Exodus is fascinating in
its construction:
I am Hashem your G!d,
who brought you out
of the land of Egypt, to be your God:
I am Hashem your G!d.
Why does “I am Hashem your G!d” appear both at the beginning
and the end of the verse?
Of the traditional commentaries that I consulted, the most satisfying explanation comes from the Chasidic commentary Kedushas Levi, who says that whatever we do or even think has an echo in the celestial spheres, so thinking about Hashem being our G!d results in that echo, helping to keep us on the path. And this comes at the end of the Shema, which we recite daily to reaffirm our taking upon ourselves the yoke of Torah, so it reinforces this.
Rashi states that the name Hashem (the Tetragrammaton) refers to G!d giving reward and G!d (Elokim) to G!d’s punishment of sin. This fits well with his comment on Genesis 8:1 that G!d originally created the world with Din, judgment, but creation could not be sustained so G!d had also to bring in Rachamim, associated with Hashem, to mix the two so the world could persist.
Before we are brought out of Egypt – or Mitzrayim, the narrow places – Hashem is our G!d. Hashem is there in mercy/rachamim to lead us out of our bondage before we are even aware that we are in bondage and in need of redemption. G!d is there in din/judgment to exercise the gevurah/strength to help us separate ourselves from bondage and impurity to be ready for redemption.
The whole purpose of redemption is mentioned in the middle
phrase – G!d brings us out of our narrow places in order to be our G!d. We are
redeemed to be a holy people who follows G!d’s will in order to bring creation
to its fulfillment and create a dwelling place for G!d. It is interesting that
here, G!d is only given the name Elokim/Din/Judgment. While redemption is the
ultimate act of mercy/rachamim, G!d must make a division between us and our
previous life of bondage in order for us to be free. In the story of the
Exodus, there are three verses of 72 verses each which are believed, with
permutations, to make up the 216-letter, 72-word hidden name of G!d. The middle
verse (Exodus 14:20) makes this act of separation clear:
And it [pillar of cloud/visible sign of G!d’s Presence] came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud and the darkness here, yet gave it light by night there; and the one came not near the other all the night.
Redemption separates us from those narrow places and all that binds us. We must have a time of separation, not coming near those narrow places, until we are able to heal and be strengthened.
Then, after we are redeemed, G!d is once again Hashem our G!d – Rachamim and Din – and I believe it points to the fact that redemption can come both dramatically and suddenly, as it did with the Exodus from Egypt, and gradually day by day as we find new narrow places/Mitzrayim/Egypt from which we need to be redeemed. The process is cyclical.
A few years ago, after leaving an unhealthy situation that was detrimental to my spiritual health, I was at a Seder at the home of friends. They are machmir about consuming the kazayis of matzah, half of a hand-baked shmurah matzah, in a short period of time. As I ate, I had this profound sense of having been truly redeemed, having been brought out of a narrow place that was so constricting and destructive to my soul – a feeling of gratitude and relief and compassion for myself.
But I try to remember that wave of feelings I felt as I consumed the matzah (perhaps the most powerful Seder experience I’ve had – and I find the Seder very powerful to begin with) in my daily life, in slightly narrow places that are not so much destructive to my soul but nonetheless diminish it – and ask G!d – Hashem – how to exit those so that I may serve G!d better.
My bracha, my blessing, for all of you reading this is that you may have a powerful experience of redemption and freedom this Pesach that continues to increase throughout the coming year. May we all experience complete geulah, complete redemption, speedily in our days.
Wishing you a Chag Pesach Kasher v’Sameach!
