 Torah Thoughts
This week we read the Torah portion Bo
(Exodus 10-13:16). It contains 105 verses and 20 commandments- 9 positive and
11 negative.
Tefilin
The mitzvah of Tefilin is mentioned twice in our portion
(Exodus 13:9, 16). The Tefilin are described as a “sign” on the arm and a
“reminder” and “adornments” between the eyes, connecting us with the Exodus
from Egypt.
The Exodus, the birth of the Jewish People, and the
giving of the Torah, its culmination seven weeks later, are unique events in
world history. G-d revealed Himself as never before since Creation. With the
plagues, wonders and revelation at Sinai, G-d demonstrated that not only
could He turn the world upside down as only the Creator could; but that He is
constantly involved in the events of history. Every Jew- man, woman and child
experienced the revelation at Mount Sinai.
This is a claim no other religion dares to make.
Tefilin are a memento of these great bonding experiences
with G-d. As we wind the strap around the finger, we recite the beautiful
verses from Hoshea, “I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you
to Me with righteousness, justice, kindness and mercy. I will betroth you to
Me with fidelity, and you shall be intimate with HaShem.”
The Torah uses a singular noun (“ot”) for the
Tefilin of the arm. The Tefilin container (“bayit”), containing a
single scroll with four Torah passages referring to the Tefilin, is bound on
the left bicep (if you’re right-handed) opposite the heart. This symbolizes a
dedication of our actions (arm) and emotions (heart) to the service of G-d.
The Tefilin of the arm has a single compartment demonstrating that every
healthy human has the same capacity for serving G-d through action and
emotion.
Tefilin worn on the head have the plural appellation “totafot”.
Indeed, the bayit of the head Tefilin is divided into four
compartments, each containing a scroll with a passage from the Torah
referring to Tefilin. The Tefilin of the head remind us that our thoughts,
intellect and ingenuity must be directed towards divine service. The Tefilin
of the head are divided into compartments to indicate that in the realm of
the intellect, not all minds think alike and not all intellectual capacities
are the same. In Judaism there is room for curiosity and dissent within the
framework of the Torah.
The bayit of the Tefilin must be a perfect
square. This is a shape not found in nature. The Jew must take the resources
of the natural world (symbolized by the leather used for Tefilin) and
transform them into vehicles for spirituality.
As a positive time-bound mitzvah (Tefilin are only worn
during the day), women are exempt. If it is so fundamental a mitzvah, why are
women “deprived” of it? Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan explains that women resemble and
are connected to G-d in a way that a man could never be. A female has the
capability of bringing new life into existence. The Kabbalists teach that the
hand Tefilin represent a female aspect. The container signifies the womb and
the coils, the umbilical cord. The Tefilin represent a Jew’s mission in life.
We take an animal skin- a gross, material object representing man’s
animalistic nature, and transform it into a holy object, used to serve G-d. A
woman achieves this by transforming an animalistic act into a source of holy
life. What a man must achieve using external objects, a woman can realize
with her very body.
There is so much more to be said about Tefilin. To find
out more, and to try it yourself, please contact jlerabbi@jle.org.
Haftara
Jeremiah 46:13-28. Almost a millennium after Egypt
was devastated by the plagues; the prophet Jeremiah predicted doom once more
for that super-power. This time Babylon would
devastate haughty Egypt
as punishment for its sin. The Jewish People too will suffer for ignoring
G-d, but after the exile, G-d promises to bring His People home after
destroying their oppressors.
The themes that connect the Haftara with our Torah
portion are the devastation of “mighty” Egypt and the promise of
redemption for the Jewish People.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Baruch Price
Technical
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