Parashat Bo
Torah: Exodus 10:1 – 13:16
Haftarah: Jeremiah 46:13-28
Shevat 6, 5782 / January 7-8, 2022
This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Feigel bat Kreina and D'vorah bat Feigel.
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UNLEAVENED MITZVOT
"And you shall observe the matzot; for on this very day I brought out your hosts from the land of Egypt; and you shall observe this day for your generations - it is an ordinance forever." Ex. 12:17
"And you shall observe the matzot; for on this very day I brought out your hosts from the land of Egypt; and you shall observe this day for your generations - it is an ordinance forever." Ex. 12:17
"Rabbi Josiah says: Do not read thus (as matzot), rather as, 'And you shall observe the mitzvot.' Just as one should not leaven (chametz) matzah, one may not leaven a mitzvah. Rather, if a mitzvah comes to your hand, perform it immediately."
Mechilta D’Rebbi Ishmael, Tractate Pischa, Ch. 9
The Hebrew words "matzot" (מַצוֹת) and "mitzvot" (מִצְוֹת) may appear identical when written without vowel marks (מצות), as in a Torah scroll. Rabbi Josiah, noting this, goes on to say that just as matzah is observed while it is baking to assure that it does not rise (from leavening), so must mitzvot be carried out lest they too start to rise. What does it matter if a mitzvah becomes leavened (chametz)? For that matter, how can a mitzvah become chametz?
Matzah must be baked within 18 minutes of the formation of the dough, or else it may become leavened by airborne yeast. This contamination renders the dough unfit to be baked into matzah for Passover. A mitzvah also can become contaminated by delay - it becomes chametz.
Think of a mitzvah, or any other worthy act, you intended to perform and put off, for whatever reason. The longer you waited, the more you felt guilty about it, the more burdensome it became, until it was no longer desirable to perform. We are all familiar with this type of procrastination. It turns something sweet into something sour. And in fact, 'chametz' is also the word for 'vinegar'.
If you are considering performing any mitzvah, whether it is reciting prayers or kashering your kitchen or giving tzedakah or calling your mother, don't delay. The sooner you do a mitzvah, the sweeter it will be.
Have a wonderful Shabbat full of unleavened mitzvot!
The Hebrew words "matzot" (מַצוֹת) and "mitzvot" (מִצְוֹת) may appear identical when written without vowel marks (מצות), as in a Torah scroll. Rabbi Josiah, noting this, goes on to say that just as matzah is observed while it is baking to assure that it does not rise (from leavening), so must mitzvot be carried out lest they too start to rise. What does it matter if a mitzvah becomes leavened (chametz)? For that matter, how can a mitzvah become chametz?
Matzah must be baked within 18 minutes of the formation of the dough, or else it may become leavened by airborne yeast. This contamination renders the dough unfit to be baked into matzah for Passover. A mitzvah also can become contaminated by delay - it becomes chametz.
Think of a mitzvah, or any other worthy act, you intended to perform and put off, for whatever reason. The longer you waited, the more you felt guilty about it, the more burdensome it became, until it was no longer desirable to perform. We are all familiar with this type of procrastination. It turns something sweet into something sour. And in fact, 'chametz' is also the word for 'vinegar'.
If you are considering performing any mitzvah, whether it is reciting prayers or kashering your kitchen or giving tzedakah or calling your mother, don't delay. The sooner you do a mitzvah, the sweeter it will be.
Have a wonderful Shabbat full of unleavened mitzvot!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus - TBH/CBM
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT Yevamot 88a
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