Pesach - 5781

Pesach - 5781

Rabbi Hal Miller

Three pilgrimage festivals shall you celebrate for Me during the year. You shall

observe the Festival of Matzot, seven days shall you eat matzot as I have

commanded you at the appointed time of the month of springtime, for in it you

left Egypt, you shall not be seen before Me empty-handed. And the Festival of

the Harvest of the first fruits of your labor that you sow in the field, and the

Festival of the Ingathering at the close of the year when you gather in your work

from the field. Three times during the year shall all your males appear before

the Lord, God. You shall not offer the blood of My feast-offering upon leavened

bread nor may the fat of My festive offering remain overnight until morning.

[​Shemot 23:14-18]

In a handful of other places in Tanach, we are told of the three pilgrimages, our

verses here being the commandment itself. What purpose do these pilgrimages

to Yerushalayim serve?

Perhaps context of each mention may help. Our verses occur in the middle of

an extensive monologue, where God is feeding commandment after commandment

to Moshe to be repeated to the nation. Just before this was the Revelation on Mt.

Sinai, God appearing to and speaking to the entire nation. Then the people asked

Moshe to act as an intermediary, afraid they would die from listening to God

directly. Specifically, our verses appear right after the statement that we should

not speak the names of other gods, and they are followed by God informing the

people that He will send an angel to protect them, that they should obey him.

After the golden calf incident, Moshe returns up the mountain and makes the Second

Tablets, then God gives over another monologue of commandments. In Shemot 34:23

the pilgrimages are commanded again, right after mention of Shabbat, Shavuot, and

Succot. Interestingly, Pesach is separated, preceding this by a couple verses about

redemption of the firstborn. After this version of the pilgrimage command comes

God's reassurance that He will protect our land during the journeys.

Vayikra chapter 23 explains details on the various holidays, including these three

main festivals, but does not mention the pilgrimage to Yerushalayim, in fact makes

clear that the rules covered apply anywhere. Similarly we find in Bamidbar chapter

28. This seems to indicate that perhaps not everyone traveled to Yerushalayim. The

rule about pilgrimages does get repeated in Devarim 16:16, but seems to be

separated from the various commandments about the holidays, with the specific

exception about bringing the Pesach sacrifice having to be in the Temple.

Is then the purpose of the pilgrimages just to bring the various sacrifices? We know

that, with only certain exceptions not relevant to this discussion, we must bring all

our sacrifices in Yerushalayim, thus today without the Temple we do not have the

practice of fulfilling the pilgrimage command. But this does not seem correct, since

the three pilgrimages are singled out for something that would apply to all sorts of

other things as well, but the Torah only mentions these three. So what is different

between these three festivals and the various other events on the calendar that

do not require trips to Yerushalayim?

Pesach, Shavuot, and Succot are cyclic, commemorating the natural periods that

God built into the universe. But then, Rosh Chodesh and the various Roshei

Hashana do too. Pesach in particular commemorates a major historical event for

the Jews, but so do Chanukah and Purim. Perhaps the difference, leading to the

purpose, is that these three are all in recognition of the agricultural cycles, further

not just acknowledging, but offering prayers for the coming season. On the other

holidays, we acknowledge and thank God, which we do on these three as well,

but here we also ask for His blessing on our efforts to sustain ourselves. Perhaps

that additional prayer is the purpose of the trip to Yerushalayim, to make it clear

to us that this is different.

Sfas Emes takes a more spiritual view of the purpose of these three. The entire

idea of leaving our homes, fields, and many members of our family alone at home

while we take a couple week trip, should scare all of us, given that, now as then,

there are unpleasant folks around who would love to take advantage of our being

beyond defending our borders. Thus God gave us these times so we would have

faith in Him to, as He said, banish nations from our borders and protect our homes.

In doing this, when He promised Avraham that He would guard him, Sfas Emes says

that this is not just a physical protection, but a protection of his inner spark. This

commandment is God showing every Jew in the future as well that He will protect

our souls, not just our physical safety. Why is this made clear here? When we go

to Yerushalayim we are honoring His commandment, we are offering our souls to

His keeping.

That leaves us one question. Who is obligated to go? Certainly, we do not do this

today as we do not have the sacrifices to bring, and the Torah made it clear we

are not to appear before Him empty-handed. How about in the days of the Temple?

The Gemora in Chagigah tells us that this is a time-bound mitzvah, therefore

women are exempt. They can, of course, go along, but are not required to do so.

The Gemora continues by saying that those who are ill, aged, or otherwise unable

to take that long trip by foot are exempt.

All of this is no surprise, but then in Gemora Pesach (Tosafot daf 3b, "me'alyah")

we find, "one does not go up to Yerushalayim for the regalim who does not own land

or is old and not able to walk on his feet." This, while reinforcing the previous point,

adds a requirement to own land! Perhaps it is a proof that the difference between

these three holidays and the others is that these are about prayers for agriculture.

But then, Tosafot continues that "he may be patur from bringing the Pesach"!

This seems in direct contradiction to the Torah commanding us so many times

that each of us bring this sacrifice, but this particular sacrifice is singled out for

a separate verse telling us it must be in Yerushalayim. If one is not required to go

to Yerushalayim, and if the Pesach must be brought there, perhaps Tosafot is

correct! Given that other commentators do not take this position, it does not seem

like something we should rely on. Today, we do not need to worry, but tomorrow,

when Moshiach comes, we will get clarification.