Reb Ginsbourg: Two faces of "the day after"

Two faces of "the day after"

Though we had no merits - ‘no פתח no opening’ - Hashem still redeemed us.

The ‘day after’ appears twice in the Torah, in very different contexts, relating somewhat, to Pesach - in one instance as מחר, in the second, as ממחרת.

In the Haggadah passage of the four sons, we read:’חכם: the clever son, what does he say:What are these העדת והחוקים והמשפטים : testimonies, statutes and ordinances, which the Lord, our G-d commanded us?’

The question posed, as asked by the wise son, is taken from Parashat VaEtchanan ( 6:20).

However, the Haggadah here omits the opening words of the verse in the Torah.

The verse, in full, states: ’If your son asks you מחר: tomorrow, saying:’What are the testimonies, the statutes , and ordinances, which the Lord our G-d has commanded us.’

The critical importance of the words the Haggadah omits, is beautifully elucidated by the Maharsha (Mahudura Batra, Shabbat 88).

The Gemara relates, that every man in Bnei Israel, when they declared: נעשה ונשמע: ‘we shall do and we shall hear all that Hashem says’, received two crowns, from the ministering angels, one against נעשה, and one against נשמע.

The Maharsha expounds: ’This can be understood according to what the Rambam and the Chovot haLevavot write, that this is the appropriate order of learning in mitzvot - first, according to the tradition that we received from our ancestors, as Moshe commanded us, in the Torah, so should he perform them, and - afterwards - he is obligated to learn and to delve, as far as his mind is able to, perhaps he will find reasons which satisfy his heart.

The Rambam concludes: as long as he does not stray from our traditions - meaning: even should his intellect be unable to find satisfying reasons, for the mitzvot, this will not cause him to transgress, but he will continue to observe them, according to what he has received by tradition.

‘In this way, we can also understand the difference between the question of the wise son, AND the question of the wicked son in the Haggadah - the wise son does not ask the reason for the Mitzvah, why he should do it - but observes and performs it, as is taught by our tradition, and only afterwards מחר: asks , perhaps he will be given satisfying reasons, for the Mitzvah.

‘The wicked son, by contrast, asks ‘what is this service? ’, as he is not prepared to perform it, as he does not know the reason for it.’

Although the Maharsha does not bring the ‘omitted’ words from our passuk, it is clear that they are alluded to in his words:’only afterwards asks’ - מחר:‘tomorrow’, in the words of the verse. 

If in this ‘first’ ‘day after’, Bnei Israel merited praise from even the ministering angels, the second ‘tomorrow’, regards them as far from praise-worthy.

We are commanded on Sefirat haOmer, in Parashat Emor: (23:15) ’You shall count for yourselves - ממחרת השבת: the morrow of the Shabbat, from the day when you bring the Omer of the waving - seven weeks, they shall be complete.’

Here we ask two questions: ’First, why is the count not to begin on Pesach, but only on the following day?

Second: why does the Torah describe the day on which we begin to count, as ממחרת השבת, and not - as in fact it is - ממחרת פסח: the day after the first day of Pesach?

The Parshanim answer our first query: The day of Pesach is fully devoted to the wonders Hashem performed, and it would not be respectful to mix with this, reference to our deeds.

Indeed, for this reason, Moshe Rabbeinu is only mentioned once in the Haggadah, and then - in Rabbi Yossi Haglili’s passage - as משה עבדו: Hashem’s servant.

To elucidate, let us note that Bnei Israel, if judged by their merits, did not deserve to be redeemed from Egypt, at this point in time. 

The Midrash famously notes that the ministering angels, at the salvation of Bnei Israel - as against the demise of the Egyptians by the sea, protested:’These’ - the Egyptians, ‘are idol worshippers, and these’ - Bnei Israel - are idol worshippers ! Why then, do you save Bnei Israel, but drown the Egyptians?!’

Indeed, the Sages of the Zohar add: ’Bnei Israel were at the forty-ninth’ - highest - ‘gate of impurity.’

The Darchei Noam offers a beautiful insight, as to the redemption from Egypt being by the exceptional grace of Hashem :’Our Sages ( Shir Hashirim Rabba ) say: Hashem says: ’Open for me an opening as small as the eye of a needle, and I will open for you, an opening wide enough for wagons and carriages.’

‘In the Haggadah, to the question: ‘The Pesach offering, what does it represent?’, we answer: ‘represents the fact that HaKadosh-Baruch-Hu פסח:׳: passed over the פתחים: our ancestors’ houses, in Egypt’, during the Plague of the First-Born.

Expounds the Darchei Noam: read the words, as alluding to Hashem ‘skipping over’, not the openings of our houses, but as skipping-over the requirement - that the Midrash we brought, requires, for us to first make an opening, for Him.

‘Though we had no merits - ‘no פתח no opening’ - Hashem still redeemed us. 

We still need to answer our second question, as to the words ‘ממחרת השבת’: literally: after the Sabbath, for the beginning our Sefirat haOmer, instead of ממחרת פסח.

The Midrash Lekach Tov expounds:’Yom Kippur is called, in the Torah, שבת שבתון, and, in its footsteps, all the Moadim are referred to as Shabbat, or Shabbat Shabbaton.’

Elaborates the Bnei Yissachar: ’וספרתם לכם: Count for yourselves ממחרת השבת: It comes to us from our Oral Torah, that it means - as the Targum translates - ‘from the morrow of the Chag.

‘Wny - we still ask - could it not have written ‘from the morrow of the first day of Pesach’, and we would not need all the drashot of our Sages?

‘The reason is that our deeds did not, at that point, merit the redemption, and, therefore, Hashem commanded us to count afresh, day after day, to gradually, by our deeds, to merit redemption.

‘This is why it says: ’And count for yourselves’: meaning: for your good and for your benefit. 

‘To further elucidate, we need to recall the teaching of the Ari’zal as to the difference between Shabbat and Yom-tov: Shabbat is called:’Sanctified it is, to you’ - unlike, Yom Tov, which is called :’holy convocation’, as on Shabbat, the sanctity comes from itself, not by our deeds, whereas Yom Tov: by ‘holy convocation’ , language of invitation to sanctity - we invite the sanctity by our deeds.

‘Therefore, the sanctity of the first day of the first Yom Tov of Pesach, is also not by our deeds.

‘This is alluded to in the words of the Mitzvah:’Count for yourselves’: for your good, for your benefit, ממחרתהשבת: ‘,from the morrow of the Sabbath’ - meaning: as the first day is in the nature of Shabbat, without any influence from your deeds, the lights of sanctity only begin when you count day after day, and by your deeds, will there be days that have meaning for you - be ‘yours’.

‘This is why the Torah called it ממחרת השבת, to teach us the reason for the Mitzvah.’

The Rav adds:’ We find in all the Moadim, it is written: ’holy convocation it shall be for you’, except in respect of the first day of Pesach, where it is written simply:’holy convocation’ - but does not say: ’will be for you’.

‘This is readily understandable, as in all the other Moadim, the ‘holy convocation’ is by your deeds - but this is not the case with the first day of Pesach, as the convocation on that day, is not by ‘your deeds’.’

Thank you A7:  https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/406583