Page 3 - HaMizrachi #28 Pesach USA 2021

TORAT MIZRACHI
TORAT MIZRACHI

Rabbi Doron Perez

No Place Like Home

PESACH, PARENTING AND THE PLAGUE

F or over a year, the world has been sacrifice. Sacrifices are normally divided The only safe place for the Israelites to

forced to stay home.
into two major categories – communal
avoid the worst of the 10 plagues, the
People have probably spent more offerings such as the daily tamid and death of the firstborn in every house-
time at home than at any other time mussaf offerings, or individual offerings hold, was for each family to batten
in their working lives. The most pres- for different occasions, whether man- down their hatches and remain within
tigious universities in the world have dated or voluntary. The only sacrifice the security of their own homes. It was
been devoid of students with all courses defined as a home-based sacrifice, to the home, and only the home, which
moving online. And the salient result be brought and eaten as a family, is afforded such protection. They smeared
of all this has meant that the home has the Korban Pesach. As the verse says the lamb’s blood at the entrance to the
become the locus of our primary inter- regarding the original Pesach in Egypt, home, on the doorposts, as a sign that
action with society. “On the tenth of the month they will this was a safe house and no plague
take for themselves each person, a should enter.
We have also experienced this focus on lamb for each father’s house, a lamb for
the home specifically on Pesach. Until each household.” 1 Remarkably relevant to our current
last year, many people had not spent reality, Pesach means creating an immu-
Pesach in their own home for years – In Beit HaMikdash times, the Korban nized home that any plague should pass
and some for decades – enjoying the Pesach was brought and eaten as a over.
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plethora of Pesach programs that had household, known as a chabura in Indeed, the way to avoid our mod-
become an entire industry in and of Massechet Pesachim. Only people who
themselves. Others had been used to joined together as a group could eat ern-day plague has been through the
large seders with extended family and from that particular korban; no one else safety of our homes. Avoiding contact
relatives. All that changed and will could partake of it. with others, social distancing, no mass
remain so in many places this Pesach Similarly, in the prohibition of not gatherings… while remaining at home
too. owning any form of chametz, the as much as possible.
More than any other holiday, Pesach, emphasis is placed on the home: “For Perhaps the most profound experience
in every aspect, is about the home. In seven days no leaven is to found in of our Pesach today is Leil HaSeder,
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Shemot 12, the Torah introduces us to your homes...” when we retell the story of the coming
the many mitzvot of Pesach. Incredibly, The very name of the holiday, Pesach, out of Egypt. Once again, the emphasis
the word תִי ַּ ב – home – is mentioned is also directly related to the home, as is on home and family. We sit in our
in one form or another 15 times in this the verse clearly states, “And you shall home in our core family unit – parents
chapter, regarding the Korban Pesach, say ‘it is a Passover feast offering to and children, or just with ourselves –
chametz and the very name and essence Hashem who passed over the houses of and recall the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim
of the holiday itself. and the meaning of Jewish history. In
the Children of Israel in Egypt when
The Korban Pesach has the unique he smote the Egyptians, but he saved short, whichever way we look at Pesach
distinction of being the only ‘family’ our households...’’’ 3 – its name, essence, primary sacrifice,
Continued on page 4

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