The Light Within Yourself

Why is the commandment of milah mentioned right in the beginning of Tazria in the discussion of טומאת לידה? Why is tzarras translated by Onkelus as סגירו, closed up? Why does the Kohan need to pronounce the tumah of the negah?  Why does the Torah say the צרעת is found בעור בשרו, what does the word בעור add? The Sfas Emes (5635) says that the word עור is related to the word עיור, blindness. Every person has within themselves a great light, the light of the neshamah. However, one becomes blind to that light due to the coarseness that surrounds a person. This is the עור of a person that covers over the אור (as the Midrash says כתנות עור can be read as אור.) This is hinted to by the fact that a person's skin is porous. The holes represent that space from which the light can shine through. This is why צרעת is translated as סגירו. The tumah comes when a person's עור, their physicality clogs up a person's internal light (5641.) That is why the kohan must pronounce the person tamah. The pronouncement of tumah is not a punishment but is meant to allow the person to heal themselves from their blockages.  That is why the person with צרעת is called a מצורע- מוציא רע for the tzaras allow a person to drain the blockages around their soul.  

The Midrash cites the possuk אָח֣וֹר וָקֶ֣דֶם צַרְתָּ֑נִי regarding the man is elevated above animals but created after them. The Sfas Emes says that they are not two different modes of man but within every man is the aspect of קדם, the Divine spark that is above everything and the aspect of אחור, the last in the line of physical creations. It is up to man to determine which side will govern his actions more. 

We read in the haftorah of Shabbos Hachodesh שער החצר הפנימית הפנה קדים יהיה סגור ששת ימי המעשה וביום השבת יפתח וביום החדש יפתח. The Sfas Emes says during the week we often are consumed by the pursuits of life, and can't focus on our inner light. However, on Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh the gates are open and we can access the light easier. 

This is why the parsha of milah is in this parsha. The basis of the mitzvah of milah is the same point. A person is born creating a state of tumah but one attains a bris which allows the internal light to shine through a person's body (5661.) The Sfas Emes continues that is why נגע is the same letters as ענג for Shabbos is the time where one can focus on the kedusha that exists within an individual.  He adds ענג stands for עדן נהר גן for it is though ענג that one can access the past of themselves which was placed עדן נהר גן. 

Location

Tosfos Pesachim (3b) says that one who does not have land is exempt from korban Pesach. The Achronim struggle to find a source for the law of Tosfos. 

In the post 'What Makes A Kahal' it was cited the concept that only those living in Eretz Yisrael constitute a kahal. The Keren Orah takes this idea and says Tosfos understood that being part of the kahal is a necessary component of the obligation of korban pesach. Since it says ושחטו אותו כל קהל עדת ישראל, the Pesach requires one who is considered part of the קהל - living inside Eretz Yisrael.

Bris Of Chesed

 Chafetz Chaim p. Beshalach

I would like to say a little different peshat. Rav Solevetchik in Festival of Freedom pg. 22 recounts that people who lived in concentration camps had no ability to have compassion, sympathy or feelings of chesed. It was total self survival mode. He explains that it why the Torah emphasizes sharing the korban Pesach with a group. It is the act of doing chesed that can bring people from slaves into independent beings capable of moving beyond pure self survival. I would suggest that according to the Tana Devei Eliyahu Klal Yisrael realized this problem and made a pact to ensure that they would not descend into the pure slave mindset of self survival. נחית בחסדך, because of the chesed done with each other, that allowed Klal Yisrael to maintain a semblance of a free person and therefore they were able to be redeemed and did not just descend totally into slave mode with no way out. 

Good Or Bad

Found at the very end of the Haggadah Siach Yitchak he deals with the contradictions if those that left Egypt were considered to be very lowly or on a high level

This is the Midrash Shir Hashirim (1:25) שחורה אני במצרים ונאוה אני במצרים meaning although externally we were black with sins, intenally we were good. 

The Erev Pesach Holiday

The Gemarah Arachin (10a) says Pesach does not half full Hallel every day as opposed to Sukkot for on Sukkot there are different korbanot every day as opposed to Pesach. Rav Dovid Solevetchik ask so what, each day is still a מועד so why should it not have Hallel? 

The Rishonim beginning og Makom Shenahagu cite the Yerushalmi that Erev Pesach is assur to do work after midday since the korban Pesach is offered then. In other words, the day one brings a korban is assur to do work (the Rishonim argue is this is a Bibical law or Rabbinic - see Tosfos, Ran etc.) The Rambam Yom Tov (8:17-18) says עֶרֶב הַפֶּסַח אַחַר חֲצוֹת, שֶׁהָעוֹשֶׂה בּוֹ מְלָאכָה אַחַר חֲצוֹת מְנַדִּין אוֹתוֹ, וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר שֶׁמַּכִּין אוֹתוֹ מַכַּת מַרְדּוּת אִם לֹא נִדּוּהוּ. לְפִי שֶׁיּוֹם אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר בְּנִיסָן אֵינוֹ כִּשְׁאָר עַרְבֵי יָמִים טוֹבִים, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ חֲגִיגָה וּשְׁחִיטַת קָרְבָּן.לְפִיכָךְ יוֹם אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר אָסוּר בַּעֲשִׂיַּת מְלָאכָה מִדִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים, כְּמוֹ חֻלּוֹ שֶׁל מּוֹעֵד. Why does he compare it to chol hamoed, why is this law in the laws of Yom Tov if it is a korban law? 

Rav Wahrman (Oros Hapesach siman 18) explains :

Erev Pesach itself is a holiday. He says the korban creates the holiday. Rabbi Brown says a similar idea in Moadanay Moshe siman 2; he says the korban is a siman that it is a moad. 

The Rambam Kli Mikdash (6:9-10) says regarding those who donate wood to the mizbaoch that on those days they can't do work but he says this is a minhag. This seems to contradict the aforementioned Rambam that Erev Pesach is an issur because of the korban but as R. Brown explains, according to the above explanation of the Rambam it is not difficult for a regular korban creates an issur of minhag as to keep one's thought occupied with the korban and Erev Pesach is a real issur due to it being a moad. 

What we see is that a chiuv korban can create a form of holiday. The same can be said for the korbanot of the holidays. The korbanot are a siman of the kedusha of the day. Yes, every day of Pesach is a moad, but the fact that the korbanot are the same means that it is all one long holiday. As the Alter Rebbe says (490:6) that all the days of Pesach are secondary to the first day. However, Sukkot which has different korbanot every day is a unique holiday every day. 

Cup Of Kiddush II

This post is an addendum to the post from last year 'The Cup Of Kiddush' where it was explained why the Magen Avraham assumes that the first of the four cups assumes the status of the 4 cups and therefore can't be recited before the time for the Haggadah and therefore kiddush can only be said after nightfall. However, why would the Magen Avraham not explain that one must wait for nightfall in order to fulfill קידוש במקום סעודה since one can't eat until nightfall as the Taz does? The assertion of the Taz is that in order to be קבמ"ס it has to be the timeframe to eat seudas Shabbos. However, this is not agreed upon. The Maharal Gevurot (Ch. 48) holds that to fulfill seudas Shabbos the meal must be eater into the night even though he allows one to say kiddush before nightfall. It is clear he holds one can say kiddush, eat the meal (even though it does not count for seudas Shabbos) and then eat bread after nightfall. (The Taz (291:6) holds one can fulfill seudas Shabbos before nightfall.) Clearly, he holds even though it is too early to fulfill seudas Shabbos, it does not mean one can't fulfill קבמ"ס. This would indicate the Mahara"l holds קבמ"ס is not a דין in seudah for one can eat a meal to occupy accompany the kiddush even though it is not a "seudas Shabbos." This is the opinion of the M.A. as well for he writes in 267:1 in the name of the Shl"a like the Mahara"l that one must eat bread after nightfall to fulfill seudas Shabbos. Hence, he can't say like the Taz that it won't be קבמ"ס if one can't eat the meal yet, for it is no different that saying kiddush before nightfall every Shabbos. (The Taz might mean that on Pesach night one can't eat anything at all and hence it is not קבמ"ס as opposed to when it is just to early to fulfill seudas Shabbos but one can eat Though in theory one may be able to have a bit of mezonos, וצ"ע.) 

From Poor To Rich

The Gemara in Pesachim (36a) teaches that matzah ashirah, matzah kneaded with wine, oil, or honey may not be eaten on יום טוב ראשון, but is permitted ביום טוב שני. Rashi explains that יום טוב ראשון  here does not literally mean the entire first day; rather, it refers specifically to the first night, when there is a Torah obligation to eat matzah. At that time, the matzah must fulfill the requirement of לחם עוני.

Rabbenu Channanel seems to hold that the halacha of לחם עוני applies the entirety of the night. This may be since he holds that לחם עוני is not a law merely describing the matzah but a law in the Haggadah. The Haggadah demands the presence of matzah - what matzah? לחם עוני. Hence the Haggadah obligates the eating of לחם עוני (one can also explain the Rach's opinion that all the matzah eaten at the Seder is part of the kium mitzvah of eating matzah and hence all the matzah should be לחם עוני.)  

The Rambam (Chametz 5:20) however is of the opinion that entire first day of Yom Tov one can not eat מצה עשירה. This fits with the simple read of the Gemarah, בְּיוֹם טוֹב רִאשׁוֹן but why would there be a law against מצה עשירה the entire first day?

The Briskor Rav points from the terminologies of the Rambam it emerges that he doesn't hold that לחם עוני defines the matzah of the obligation of the first night, but rather it is a separate דין to have לחם עוני and that is why it is not limited to the matzah of the obligation. The דין of לחם עוני doesn't define the matzah of the mitzvah but rather is a separate halacha with its own dinim. 

This approach is reflected in the Maharal Gevurot Ch. 48 that holds someone who does not have regular matzah for the seder should still eat מצה עשירה for although there will be no kium of לחם עוני it will still be a kium of eating matzah. Based upon this he does not allow for eating מצה עשירה on Erev Pesach (not like Tosfos Pesachim 35b and 99b.)  

It is also clear that in the הו"א of the Gemarah that לחם עוני applies all seven days. It is clear (as the Chidushay HaRan and R' Dovid point out) that the Gemarah initially holds that the law of לחם עוני is not a law in the matzah of them mitzvah but rather is a separate law. Furthermore, the Nemukay Yosef and R' M'lonil understand that there is an actual opinion in the Gemarah that one may not eat מצה עשירה all 7 days for all 7 days one is required to eat לחם עוני. 

However, this still doesn't explain why this דין of לחם עוני should apply the first day? What is unique about the first day?   

Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky connects this to the Gemarah (28a, 96a) that mentions the issur chametz is Egypt was one day. למאי נ"מ? He suggests that the issur of chametz from Egypt lasts even now - and that issur is not based upon the fact that dough didn't rise but is because of a דין of לחם עוני. However, it is not clear why would the issur of the first day be linked to לחם עוני?  

Rav Yaakov notes that with this Rambam we can answer the contradiction in the Haggadah if we eat matxah since it is what was eaten in Egypt as said in the beginning of the Haggadah or because there was no time for the matzah to rise as said in מצה זו? The answer is that there are two matzos. There is the matzah that we eat the first day - and that is the matzah eaten for to remember the matzah eaten as we were leaving Egypt. The matzah the rest of the days of Pesach is since there was no time for the matzah to rise. 

The possuk in Reah (16:3) says תאכל עליו מצות לחם עני כי בחפזון יצאת מארץ מצרים למען תזכר את יום צאתך מארץ מצרים כל ימי חייך. The לחם עוני is connected to the day of leaving Egypt. The leaving of Egypt, as the Ramban (Bo 12:12) notes, started at night but was completed during the day. The first day in its entirety was devoted to getting out of Egypt. Based upon this we can say the source for the first day is not from the issur of chametz but rather since the entire first day is considered the time of leaving Egypt. 

What is the nature of this dual leaving- in the night and the day? The dual nature is not just a historical sequence but a spiritual model. At night, darkness limits vision, one can't see properly and things are unclear. This is how the geulah began. In the nighttime phase, Bnei Yisrael followed Hashem not because they had reached a mature recognition of His truth. They followed simply because it was a way out of Egypt. It was a redemption as a way out of slavery.  As explained in the maamer of Pesach 5719 (second night), this stage is marked by kabbalas ol without daas, movement without clarity, acceptance rooted in bittul rather than comprehension.

In daylight one can see properly, distinguish directions and move with intention.  In the day there is clarity, resolve, and conscious commitment. The daytime leaving of Egypt represents the stage where the Jewish people follow Hashem not simply because He is pulling them out but because they themselves perceive that it is the best to follow Hashem (see maamer 5719 second night Pesach.)

We begin counting the Omer only after the first day of Pesach. The Sefer HaChinuch asks: why don’t we start counting from the very first day of Pesach? The answer is that the first day was devoted entirely to leaving Egypt. Only once we were safely out could we begin the process of internal growth and self‑refinement. This also explains why the Gemara records that R’ Yehoshua instructed his children specifically to prepare matzah ashirah only after the first day. On the first day we must eat לחם עוני because, at that stage, our role was pure submission to Hashem. It was a moment of complete bittul, without asserting our own identity. Hashem took us out, and our task was simply to follow. After that first day, however, the work changes. We are still in the “matzah mode” of humility and simplicity, but now we can begin to add some some ashirus. This represents taking our own independent strengths, personality, and capabilities and using them in the service of Hashem. It is still Pesach, still rooted in bittul, but now flavored with our own contributions.