Parshat Acharei Mot

• | Print |
•  Email

Parshat Acharei Mot
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

בס"ד

לשכנו תדרשו

Seeking the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land

"לְמַעַן֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָבִ֜יאוּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אֶֽת־זִבְחֵיהֶם֘... וֶֽהֱבִיאֻ֣ם לַֽיקֹוָ֗ק אֶל־ פֶּ֪תַח אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד אֶל־הַכֹּהֵ֑ן"

"Blessed are You, HaShem, our God, King of the universe, who has redeemed us and redeemed our fathers from Egypt, and enabled us this night to eat matzah and maror. So too… enable us to attain other holidays… rejoicing in Your service [in the Bet Hamikdash]. Then we shall eat of the Passover-offerings …and we shall thank You with a new song for our redemption and for the deliverance of our souls. Blessed are You, HaShem, who redeemed Israel."

It is on the night of our redemption that we are especially aroused to supplicate unto HaShem for the full redemption, for the building of the Bais HaMikdash and for the bringing of the korban pesah therein. Of all 248 positive commandments, only two, circumcision and korban pesah, have such crucial importance that if not fulfilled render liability for 'spiritual incision' (karet). Indeed, just as circumcision represents the covenant between God and Israel, so too we find that the korban pesah is seen in Tanach time and time again as a renewal of the covenant, especially in the Land of Israel.

Take for example the renewal of the korban pesah in Gilgal upon Israel's entrance into the Land of Israel in conjunction with receiving the covenant at Mount Grizim and Eval.  In a parallel nature, we find a great arousal to fulfill the korban pesah just a bit before the Exile in the time of Yoshayahu, the last king to seriously try to make the People renew the covenant with God and abolish idolatry. Indeed, as we have shown many times before, the return to the holiness of location, the settlement of Israel in the Holy Land and the building of the Holy House, the Bait HaMikdash, which gives forth to the korban pesah and more, are integrally linked as both being a renewal of covenant between the People and HaShem through the holiness of space.

In halacha, we find yet another link between these concepts in context of the commandment to bring offerings exclusively to the Bait HaMikdash as mentioned in our title quote of this week's parsha. Although there is already a commandment in general to bring offerings specifically to the Bait HaMikdash, there is a special additional commandment (of the 613) to bring offerings from the Diaspora to the Bais HaMikdash. This 'extra' commandment seems to hint that one who lives in the Diaspora should not think, 'I'm already distanced from the Land of Israel, why take the effort to come?' Rather, the Torah deliberately commands him to come to the Bais HaMikdash, passing through the boundaries of the Land of Israel, to show that he too is connected to the holiness of space and the Holy Presence therein.

Similarly, in Hebron the connection of the Holy Land to every Jew whatsoever, as being a descendant of Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yakov, who lived, died and were buried in this city purchased to them, highlights the profoundly deep connection all our People have to this whole Land in general and to the Bais HaMikdash in specific.

Real Stories from the Holy Land #65:
"One day, I found a discarded book-case which I liked, so I brought it home. About an hour later, one of my book-cases collapsed. I was able to replace it with the book-case I just found. "HaShem provides the cure before the blow…"

Sources: Rambam Maaseh Hakorbanot 18, 1