Shabbos Parshas Bo - 5778

Shabbos Parshas Bo - 5778 Rabbi Hal Miller

This month shall be for you the beginning of the months, it shall be for you the first of the months of the year. [Shemos 12:2]

This pasuk appears to be redundant. If a month is "the beginning of the months", isn't it also "the first of the months of the year"? Further, what is the pasuk doing here, between the ninth and tenth plagues, between Pharaoh's "last great act of defiance" and the slaying of the firstborn, just as the Jews were beginning preparations for the actual Exodus? It seems completely out of place amidst such grand goings-on.

Why is the calendar so important in Judaism? An obvious answer is that we need to be accurate in Shabbos and holidays, to ensure we correctly follow the various commandments. However, there are deeper reasons too. Numerous commentators note that this pasuk reads (twice) "for you", and they show that this is a part of man's partnership with G-d in Creation--time was created for us to use. Sforno, for example, explains, "Henceforth the months of the year shall be yours, to do with them as you will. During the bondage, however, your days did not belong to you but were used to work for others and fulfill their will, therefore 'It shall be the first month of the year to you.' For in this month your existence as a people of free choice began." In other words, the calendar (time) was created as a tool for us to use to achieve our Divinely-given mission.

How does this help us with our questions?

This pasuk contains the first mitzvah given to the Jewish people, even before the rest of the Torah at Sinai. Consecration of the new month is apparently so important that it couldn't wait a couple of months. In fact, Rav Hirsch says that it's TWO mitzvahs, setting the beginning of a month with the appearance of the moon, AND starting the year with Nissan (the month of Redemption), thus both phrases are necessary. He notes that if we do not have two kosher witnesses by the end of the day on the 30th of a month, the next day the Court will declare Rosh Chodesh automatically, but even if the Court itself sees the moon on the day of the 30th, and knows for certain that Rosh Chodesh "should" have been that day, it may not consecrate the new month based on that knowledge. Witnesses (who must see it at night) must testify, we cannot act assuming that Heaven declared Rosh Chodesh. The decision regarding time is not in Heaven, it is here in this world, resting with us. We have the responsibility for carrying out this part of the running of the world.

We see now why this mitzvah is important. But why was it necessary for G-d to have given it at this particular juncture?

Ramban tells us, "The explanation is that Israel should count that month of deliverance from bondage as the 'first month'. This is so that this counting should be a remembrance of the great miracle of the Exodus, for on every occasion that we mention the months, the miracle will be recalled." Thus, "the beginning of the months." But, the mitzvah could have been given at any time and still referred back to this event.

Rav Moshe Feinstein notes Rashi's comments about which month should be the first of the year, in particular with regard to the relative importance of various dates, concluding that Nissan is the right choice. He says, "We can learn from this an important lesson regarding the proper method of raising children. The teaching of proper character traits and emunah cannot wait until a child is ready to begin learning and understanding Torah. We must strive to imbue our children with these all-important ideas from birth--so that when the time comes they will be prepared to dedicate themselves fully to leading a life of Torah and mitzvos." In other words, we cannot put off the important things.

Rav Hirsch differentiates between "the months" and "your months", the former being 'months' in general, the latter referring specifically to the "for you" verbiage in the pasuk. He notes that consecration of the new moon "is an institution for the periodical fresh spiritual and moral rejuvenation of Israel by finding itself again in conjunction with its G-d." Those, like Pharaoh and the 80% of the Jewish people who did not merit Redemption, who did nothing to return to G-d, slipped further and further away until they were incapable of reversing the course. The commandment to consecrate the new moon was the last "test" for becoming a Jewish nation, and preparation for earning the upcoming Exodus.

We all get wrapped up in the vagaries of day-to-day life, and forget to pay attention to the big picture. Even in the midst of the alligators, we have to remember that our intention is to drain the swamp. This pasuk comes at this point to remind us that if we fail to interrupt the external things around us, then the important things will slip away.