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Parshat Bo
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

בס"ד

לשכנו תדרשו 

Bonding with the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land

"על המזוזות ועל המשקוף"

"May the Merciful One break the yoke of exiles upon our necks and quickly raise us upright to our Land." In the Land of Israel, Land of the Holy Presence, our People are given the gift of uplifted stature, the gift of freedom from the yoke of foreign influence, befitting the People of God.

In this week's parsha we see how the Exodus from Egypt, our prototype of redemption, teaches us how redemption and freedom to serve God are linked to the uplifting of stature, the raising of courage to emerge via the main entrance surrounded by the blood of the 'god' (sheep) of the Egyptians. Indeed, our Sages see this main entrance as one of the primary symbols of freedom, as they explain that the reason a Jewish slave who refuses to be freed is taken to the entrance of a house to have his ear pierced there is because he refuses the freedom inherent in Israel from the Exodus symbolized by the entrance and the doorpost. Just as the Exodus for the Land of Israel is symbolized by the entrance of a house so too we find that a decisive factor in the mitzvoth of the Land is the entrance of the house.

In the laws of Maaser we find that produce is rendered liable for Maaser only if it is taken through the main entrance of the house and not through ad-hoc apertures of the roof or the like. Although this law is learned from the verse 'and they shall eat it (the Maaser) in your gateway', we may perhaps ascertain from it the nature of Maaser and the mitzvoth of the Land that come from it thereof (for only after Maaser can one take Trumat Maaser, Maaser Sheni, etc.). As we just mentioned, the Land of Israel gives our People freedom to truly live as the People of God, and for this reason it seems that the Torah insists that Maaser and other mitzvoth of the Land take hold only when we indeed live in an upright manner, entering as proper owners in the Land through the main entrance of our houses, the entrance once again hinting to the symbol of freedom.

Another name for Hebron is Mamreh, which our Sages interpret as stemming from the verb root m.r.h which means to go forwards despite opposition, signifying Abraham's courage to commit circumcision despite the opposition of his friends. In this way, Hebron acts as a beacon of courage to our People, to break forward, to emerge from the entrance, to break the yoke of exile, to be reborn again.  

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Real Stories from the Holy Land #104:

"Once I told someone that I was the head of a specific program/organization, as I felt this was needed in order for him to understand why I am so busy. Nevertheless, I had concern that such a statement may cultivate feeling of haughtiness within myself. Just about 2 hours later someone inquired me for the first time 'who or what is responsible for this program (the program I run)' and without hesitation I answered: 'HaShem'..."  

Sources: Rambam Maaser 4, 1, see Rashi beginning of p. Mishpatim
  

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