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Shiur · Rav Mordechai Burg

Bo - Midnight Madness: The Revelation of the Essence

Jan 29, 202540 minTranscript
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In this shiur, delivered in Ba'er Miriam, Rav Burg explains (based on a Sicha from the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt"l) why Makkas Bechoros specifically happens at midnight and why Klal Yisrael needed a special protection during this plague. Hashem chooses Klal Yisrael from the essence of His being. Through the Mitzvah of Bris Mila and Korban Pesach we reveal our own essence thus drawing Hashem's essence into our world.

Transcript

Automatic transcript; may contain mistakes, especially in Hebrew.

And we have the final three Makos in this week's Parsha. I want to spend tonight sharing with you an idea from the Lubavitcher Rebbe on Makas Bchoros. What was going on precisely in Makas Bchoros? There are two unusual features of Makas Bchoros that, if you're paying careful attention, you'll see are obvious. It jumps off the page at you. For the first nine Makos. Hashem didn't give a time. There was no time presented to Pharaoh about exactly when the plague would occur. But when it came to makas b'choros So Hakadosh Baruch Hu said it's going to happen around midnight. That's what Moshe Rabbeinu told Paro. So our first question is, what's the connection between midnight and makas b'choros? Would it have made a difference if it was twelve o'clock in the afternoon? Would it have made a difference if it was nine o'clock in the morning or at six o'clock at night? Obviously, the fact that the Torah highlights that makas b'choros is going to specifically happen at midnight means there's some connection between midnight and makas b'choros. So we need to do two things then: we need to understand the unique nature of makas b'choros, and we need to understand the unique nature of midnight.

Because whatever it is about makas b'choros has to relate to the inner nature of time. Every single moment in time has a specific meaning. In Yiddishkeit, everything has a meaning. So nine o'clock in the morning means something. Twelve o'clock in the afternoon means something. Six o'clock midnight. Everything means something. So the question is, what does midnight mean, and what does it have to do with Makos B'choros? That's our first question. The second unique feature of Makos B'choros was different than all of the other nine Makos. In that Klal Yisrael had to take precautions. So when it came to makasdam, tsvardeya, kinnim, it afflicted the Egyptians, and Klal Yisrael was not in any danger. They didn't need to protect themselves in any way. Here, when it came to makas b'choros, they had to have a bris milah And they had to shech the carbon pesach and put the blood on the doorposts of their homes, which seems to imply that for some reason Klal Yisrael needed to be afraid that makas b'choros could impact them too.

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And that's different than the other nine makos. We again need to understand the unique nature of makos b'choros and why Klal Yisrael was shyeh to makos b'choros. It was possible that Jews would have been killed in makos b'choros. Obviously, we're speaking about something very unique here. You have the two questions. The first question was why specifically. The first thing was why specifically midnight? What is it about the nature of midnight that it relates specifically to makas b'choros? The second question is why does Klal Yisrael need to protect themselves through bris mila and the carbon pesach? Why those two specific things protect them from makas b'choros? It's almost as if they wouldn't have done those things, then somehow they would have been killed also along with makas b'choros, which is different than every other nine makos. Specifically, bris mila, circumcision, and carbon pesach. The Paschal offering, the Paschal lamb offering. So far so good.

So the simple answer to the second question is, and I don't know how many of you have heard of this, there's a concept called a mashchis, a destroyer. And Hashem gave permission to the destroyer, so to speak, to this mashchis, this power of destruction in the world. To unleash its fury upon Mitzrayim as Makas Bchoros. And therefore this mashchis, this destroyer Is going to impact anybody that's out there. It was like let loose, so to speak. So the reason why Klal Yisrael needed a special shmirah of Bris Mila and Karban Pesach and having the blood on their homes, they needed to go inside and stay inside, is because this power of destruction was unleashed upon the world. And in theory, it was going to kill any of the b'choros, any of the firstborns that were out at that time. So that's the easy answer to the question of why Klal Yisrael needed a special shmirah, because this power of destruction This mashchis was let loose upon the world.

That's a great question beyond the scope of this particular shir. How far was it willing to go? Let's say just for now that we're talking about Mitzrayim. But that is a good question because we do see by other nisim that happened in Mitzrayim that it impacted not just Mitzrayim but the entire world. So that's a great question. I don't know if I know the answer right now, but it's not necessarily relevant to what we're speaking about right now. But great question. Question number two is answered. Not yet. We're just giving a simple answer to that question, which, as we're going to see soon, is going to become deeper. The simple answer is that if Hashem unleashes this force of destruction upon Mitzrayim, it's going to destroy whatever is in its path. Jew, Egyptian, doesn't make a difference. That's a simple answer to the second question. As we're going to soon see, it's deeper.

So let's start going a little bit deeper now. The tenth plague in Mitzrayim has a unique purpose, and we know it has a unique purpose because if you're paying careful attention, you'll see that in the psukim, the first nine makos were for the Egyptians to have an awareness of Hashem. That was the purpose. In other words, the purpose of the first nine makos was educational. How do you know this? Because if the purpose wasn't educational, aside from the fact that it says it. Then you would kill the Mitzrim through the makos. The fact of the matter is, there was only one makah that was designed to kill the Egyptians. The tenth plague of Makkos Bchoros. In all of the other ones, they suffer, they're afflicted, but ultimately they live. Why do they live? Because the purpose was education. There is a God. One second, let me finish this thought, and then I'll get to you. Already we could start to think: Was Klal Yisrael aware in Mitzrayim already that there was a God? The answer is yes.

So you didn't need to afflict. The first nine makos upon Klal Yisrael, because they already knew that lesson. In other words, if the first nine are educational, who are they designed to educate? Only the ones that are not aware of Hashem. For the first nine makos, if a Jew was walking around, was he afflicted by those makos? Why not? I know that lesson already. It's not relevant to me. Which means That the tenth Maka was not educational Because if the tenth Maka was educational, you don't kill your students, right? That's not the point of education. The point of education, you might, you'll forgive me for speaking this way, and obviously I don't mean it, and maybe I shouldn't even say it this way, which means I'm definitely going to say it this way. But if you need to smack your student around, so to speak, to get their attention. That's one way of thinking about the Makos. That Hashem afflicted them in order to create an awareness of Hashem.

But then, of course, you keep them alive. Now they're aware of Hashem. That was the whole point. If you kill your students, then obviously the point was not awareness. At that point, it's punitive. At that point, it's punishment. Because we don't care if they're alive or dead at the end. They're getting punished. It's over. Show's over. You understand? So for the first nine Makos, they were educational. For the tenth Makkah, it's not educational. It's not about creating awareness of God. It's about punishing the Israelites. So far so good. What was your question? I heard that some Egyptians died during the dark. So I don't think that was the purpose of the Makkah. I think you're talking about Klal Yisrael maybe dying during Makkah's Choshech. Maybe I think that's what you're referring to. Egyptians didn't. I don't think that's what the Makkah was. They weren't frozen in the darkness.

But the Pashut Shad is not that they were killed in the darkness. Was Hashem doing it that he had ten set and nine of them were going to be educational, one is not going to be, or was it that he did one by one and he saw that they were not learning from each passing, so he would add another one until the ten. Great question. I hope that by the end of this year it's going to be answered. Now we know an unbelievable thing: the tenth Makkah is not educational. The tenth Makkah is a punishment. So Hashem unleashes this punishment upon Mitzrayim, and then what does He say? Klal Yisrael, go indoors, put that blood on your doorpost, protect yourselves from this mashkes, from this destroyer that's coming to punish. Now there's only one question left—not the first question. There's a new question. What's the difference between a Jewish home and an Egyptian home?

You understand? In other words, if it's punitive in nature, if Hashem is coming to punish And the mashchis is out, the destructive force is out, and it's going to obliterate anything in its path. So now there's a question: Why shouldn't the Jews be punished? Obviously, if they were out and about, they would be punished. So what's the difference if they're out and about or if they're home? Or to put it a little bit differently, girls, were the Jews in Mitzrayim worshiping Avodah Zarah? What's the answer to that question? Yes. So then, why should a Jew be spared the punishment that the Mitzrayim weren't? It's a, it's like, it's almost like You know that game tag when you're growing up. You like put your hand on base so you can't get out. So it's like, what happens? A Jew puts a siman on their doorpost. They have a bris milah. They run inside and it's like, you can't get me.

That sounds very childish. These things need to be understood in a very deep way. If the Jews were worthy of being punished and the Midrash were worthy of being punished, why do we pass over the Jews? As an awareness of God. But once the Jews also have benefited from that too Because we did a good job. Just because you do have avodah zarah doesn't mean that you're not aware of God. They knew that there was a God. That was the mesora that they had of Avraham Yitzchak and Yaakov. You could fall into idolatry. Egypt wasn't aware that there was one God. They weren't aware of that at all. So they had a much more, they had a much greater need for a more primary education. Like think about it. Like again I don't want to get into a whole conversation now about what avodah zarah is, but think for just a moment that avodah zarah is a form of control.

So I could know that I'm not in control, and yet I might do things that give me the feeling of control. Klal Yisrael knew that there was one God, and yet many of them slipped into their idolaters' ways. Mitzrayim needed a much more primary form of education. So now we have a very big question. If everything we set up until now is true, that the reason Klal Yisrael had to have a bris mila, the reason they needed to shech the carbon pasach, put the blood on their doorpost and go inside, is because otherwise the mashkes would kill them. Just like it would kill the Egyptians. Now they go inside, and the mashgiches passes over their house. The obvious question is, why? What's the difference? If they were meant to be punished, then they should be punished. If they weren't supposed to be punished, then they shouldn't be punished. What's this whole game of going indoors and having a bris mil and having a carbon bezach?

Maybe it's like an act of tshuva. It's a great answer. Of course, it's some sort of act of tshuva. But we're going to need to do a lot better than that. Why do they need to go indoors? What's specific about bris mila and what's specific about carbon pesach? A hundred percent, you're right. But there's something that they're doing, because if they deserve to be punished, they deserve to be punished. So then maybe the Torah should have said do tshuva. It's not exactly what the Torah says. Let's go further. You don't have a question. Say there. So I want to share with you now a very, very deep thing. This is what I'm about to tell you is not easy. This is the part I told you in the beginning of the year. This is not going to be an easy year. Here's the part where it gets really hard.

I want to talk to you about Hashem. That's a hard thing to talk about, Hashem, right? I want to talk to you about Hashem. Let's think deeply together about Hashem. There's Hashem as a creator. And then, well before Hashem is a creator What is he? The answer is he is him. It's called Hashem's essence. From the perspective of Creator, God as a creator of the world creates categories. God creates categories. For example, God creates Jews. God creates Gentiles. God creates trees. God creates rocks. There's a lot of different things. That's Hashem as a creator. He creates these categories. And if you think about it, what world do we live in? We live in a world of categories. Isn't that what all of science is about? What is science? If you think for a moment about it, what is science? Science is the creation of categories. That's why when you first started learning science in ninth grade, what did they tell you? Science is the study of all things. What is biology? The study of all living things. What is the mitochondria?

The powerhouse of the cell. If you think about it, that's the only thing you know about science—you ended your scientific education in ninth grade with mitochondria, like everybody else, except for scientists. When you think about what science is, isn't it just the creation of categories? This belongs to this category, and it operates within this category, and it has an impact on other categories. That's what science is. Science is the study of creation. It's the study of Hashem's creation of categories. And from the perspective of categories, things are different. But when you look at Hashem's essence You can't even say that Hashem is a creator, because even that is a limitation. There's nothing you can say about Hashem's essence. You can't even say that Hashem's essence is infinite. You can't say anything. The only thing you can say about Hashem's essence is that it is. In what way? It's impossible to know. There is no word that you can use to categorize Hashem's essence, because Hashem's essence is ultimately that which gives birth to categories, but it cannot be limited by any category. How many people are still with me? That's a very deep thing.

Good. About forty percent. I'm not moving on until we get a hundred percent. Let me think of another mashal to give this. You know how you have a lot of different names? Sister. God willing, one day mother. God willing, one day wife. You'll have a job, right? You know that's like a lot of different names, but none of those categories are you. The you that is you, can you describe it? Can you use any words to describe it? That's Hashem's essence There's Hashem as Creator, that's categories But then there's Hashem Himself. You can't say anything about Hashem Himself. It's beyond words, just like your essence is beyond words. How are we doing now? How many people get it now? Better, much better. Sometimes it just takes the right marshal. I want to read to you a line from the Hagada now. I know you've read the Hagada before in your life, but now I want you to try to hear it with new ears, based on what we just said.

V'yotzienu Hashem miMitzrayim. Hashem took us out of Mitzrayim. Listen carefully to these words. Lo al yadei malach, not through an angel. Lo al yadei saraf. V'lo al yadei shliach Not through an even higher angel, and not through a messenger. Eloha Kadosh Baruch Hu, who bechvodo uvaatzmo. Think deeply now about what that line in the Hagada is saying. I'll say it again. Yotzienu Hashem miMitzrayim. Who took us out of Mitzrayim? Not through a malach Not through a saraf Not through a shliach. Elohu bechvodo uvaatzmo. If you were listening carefully, this is what you heard. When God took us out of Mitzrayim, He did not take us out as a post-creation God. Post-creation, there's something called categories. There's malachim, there's sraffim, there's shlichim. There's servants, there's messengers, there's angels. But those are all what? Categories. When Hashem took us out of Mitzrayim, He didn't take us out as God, the Creator of categories.

How did He take us out? Bechvodo ubaatzmo. What does atzmo mean? His essence, excellent. He took us out not as a creator. He took us out as him Before any notion of categories. We just don't know what to do with it yet. Say it again. Hey, feel like it's a no-brainer? We'll see in a minute. That's definitely a no-brainer. In fact, it's beyond the world of brains, as we'll soon see. The haggadah part is v'yotzienu Hashem Yisroaim. Hashem took us out of Egypt. Lo al yaday malach, not through an angel. Lo yaday saraf, not through a higher type of angel. Lo yaday shliach, not through a servant, not through a messenger. Elohu, these are the keywords. Himself, bechvodo uvaatsmo, in his glory and his essence. So far, so good. It's not easy at all. I'll tell you why. From the perspective of creation, there's a category called midas ha'chesed.

And Midas hadin The attribute of mercy and the attribute of strict justice. If God would have taken us out of Mitzrayim as Hashem, the Creator Within the world of categories What category would have existed? Strict justice. And from the perspective of strict justice, what would Midas Hadin say? Who should be punished in Makas B'choros? Everyone. Not just the Egyptians, but also Klal Yisrael, the Jews. And if you say, "have mercy on them," then what will the Midas Adin say? Have mercy on the Egyptians too. Ready for it? Here it comes. Here's the pitch, right down the middle. You have to see it coming in slowly and hit it out of the park. You see that, boy? A hundred percent. Thank you for slowing me down. From the person, I told you, girls, this is deep. It's a deep Lebabat Shatayra. From the perspective of creation, there are categories: Jews, Gentiles, rocks, trees. Everything in the world is a category. There are even categories that we could speak about God with these categories. He has an attribute of midas hadin, strict justice. He has an attribute of midas harachamim, midas hachesed, mercy.

If God would take us out as a creator with categories, then the Midas Hadin would have said, "Why are you punishing the Egyptians and not the Jews? They also deserve to be punished." You understand? And if you'll have mercy, if there's a Midas Arachem and Midas Chesed on Klal Yisroel, then you should have just as much mercy on the Egyptians. So Hashem says, "Ready for it?" I'm not taking you out as the Creator of the world. When Klal Yisrael was taken out of Eretz Yisrael by Hashem, what does the Hagada say? Elohu bechvodo uvaatzma. What took us out of Eretz Yisrael? Hashem's essence. And from the perspective of Hashem's essence, is there a midas hadin? That's something else. Just this one line. Does Hashem take us out from midas hadin? No. Does He take us out from midas arachim? No. Because those are categories. Hashem takes us out from His essence.

And you're going to see why this is super important in a second. In other words, there's something called categories, and then there's something called transcending categories. You are not just a daughter. A daughter is a category that you have in your life, but there's something pre-creational about you that you are you well before you are a daughter. You are you well before you are a wife, and you are you well before you are a mother. Even though the you that is you is playing the role of mother, sister, wife, daughter. But you are you. Hashem didn't take us out as a post-creation category. God, I'm giving them rachamim. He took us out from the deepest essence of who Hashem is. Here's how it gets. This is the first major flourish. If you understood what we just said, then watch this. There's two parts of the night: the first half of the night and the second half of the night. The first half of the night is when it gets darker until midnight.

That's a very specific moment. And then there's another part of the night from midnight until the sun rises, where it gets lighter and lighter. The first half of the night is called Midas Hadin, strict justice. The second half of the night is called Midas Harachamim, mercy. So when does Hashem take us out? He can't take us out in either section of the night. Because if he took us out from the midas din, it wouldn't have been his essence, and it would have been, why are you taking them out and not the Egyptians? And if it would have been from midas rachim, why are you having mercy on them and not the Egyptians? I'll say it again. The first part is din because that's the darkest part of the night. The second part is rachim because that's how it gets lighter. There's a moment. It's a very specific moment and it's quick.

That moment is neither here nor there. It's the essence of the night, and it transcends all categories. And that is called midnight. Hashem's taking us out of Mitzrayim is not accidental. When Moshe said it's going to be about midnight. So why midnight? And why is it communicating that to Paro? Because Paro would have said Oh, we're going to die now. It's not just educational. Then you're coming with us. Because if there's going to be din. You're just as guilty as we are, and if there's going to be rachamim, why should you get mercy and they don't? So Moshe Rabenu came and he said to Paro, No It's a midnight punishment. This punishment comes from Hashem's essence, and from Hashem's essence, it's beyond all created categories. So he's going to take out Klal Yisrael and not Egypt. One second, because I know you have some questions on that.

The essence is beyond all categories. From the perspective of essence, Hashem could take out Klal Yisrael and He could punish the Mitzrayim. There's a pasuk in Malachi. You need to learn this pasuk because it's one of the most important pasukim in the world. Listen to this amazing pasuk. I'm going to read it slowly. I'll tell you where it is. It's Malachi chapter one, verses two and three. If you want to look it up later to write down all the words, okay? Malachi chapter one, verses two and three. Listen to the words, 'Aḥafti eschem amar Hashem. I loved you Says God. Ve'amartem, and you said Bamahav tanu. How have you loved us? And Hashem responds. Listen to these words Hal'ach esav leYaakov neum Hashem. You have a brother, Esav. Says God. Yaakov had a brother, Esav. The Oheh v'es Yaakov, and yet who does Hashem love? Not Esav, but Yaakov. In fact, what does Hashem do to Esav? The pasuk continues, and it says, "V'es Esav sanesi" And I hated Esav, says Hashem.

"V'asim es harav shmama, v'es nachalaso lesonos baMidbar." I made his mountains desolate, and I made his habitat for the jackals of the desert. Listen carefully. I want to explain this pasuk to you. God comes to Klal Yisrael and says, "I love you." Klal Yisrael says back, 'How?' Hashem says Listen carefully Because from the perspective of the essence Is there a difference between Esav and Yaakov? Those are just the categories. From the perspective of Hashem's essence. There's no difference between Yaakov and Esav, just like there's no difference between a mitzvah and an avera, just like there's no difference between a rock and a tree. From the perspective of the essence. It's all him. And yet, says Hashem I chose you, and I didn't love Esav. I gave desolation to Esav. Now here's ready. This is big move number two for the night. I'm gonna say it one more time.

From the perspective of Hashem's essence, there are no categories. Yaakov and Esav are the same. Mitzvos and averos are the same. Trees and rocks are the same. From the perspective of essence, there are no categories. And yet, says Hashem I chose you to love Klal Yisrael and not Esav. There's an obvious question here. If there's no categories and everything is the same, what's the question? Why choose Klal Yisrael? Why choose Klaysol? It's all the same. Why not choose Asaf? You said before it seems so simple. It's a no-brainer. Listen carefully. True love happens from the essence and not from categories. I'll explain what I mean. If somebody says I love you What the next thing they're going to do is they're going to give you a category. I love my wife because she's a great baker. That's a category. I love my wife because she's a great mother.

I love my wife because of the way she makes me feel. I love my wife or I love my husband because he's a good provider. I love my husband because he's a good father. If you think about it, in all of those cases That guy doesn't love that woman, and that woman doesn't love that man. Because if I love my wife because she's a good baker, what do I really love? Food. And if I love my wife because she's a good mother, then what do I really love? And if I love my wife because of the way that she makes me feel, what do I really love? And if a wife loves a husband because he's a good provider, what does she really like? Money. And if she says I love my husband because he's a good father, then I love my. True love has no reason at all.

It's literally a no-brainer. If you love from the perspective of logic and rationality, then you don't love your spouse at all. Love comes from a place that you cannot give language to. If somebody asked you why you love your kids, you cannot possibly answer that question. There's no words for it. And if there are words for it, it means you don't actually love them. This is what the Mishnah means when it says, "A hava sheteluya bedavar, ena a hava." If your love is dependent on a thing Then you don't really love at all. Because as soon as your wife stops being a good mother The only reason I loved you is because you were a good mother. And as soon as your wife stops being a good baker, I loved food, and now she's not providing me with food. As soon as my wife stops making me feel good, I don't love her anymore because I really only loved myself the entire time.

Supposedly, my grandmother, Aleha Shalom, was at some point a good cook. By the time I was born Very bad. The only thing she knew how to do was deep-fry French fries. I used to go to her house and eat Swiss fudge cookies and deep-fried French fries. Not exactly a balanced breakfast. She would bake like everything in a toaster oven. I used to say to my dad, "Did Grandma Carrie ever know how to cook?" He said, "She used to be a really good cook. She got older, she forgot. I guess it's a talent you can lose." If you only love your wife because of how she cooks, what happens when she gets older and she forgets how to cook? So love only happens from where? From the essence, from the atzmos. Let me finish the line and I'm going to get to you. So when Hashem says Klal Yisrael. I loved you. That's what the Baisak says. Ahavti eshem. I loved you. What's Klal Yisrael's question?

How? How do you love us? Ahavti eshem. I love you. What's Hashem? What's our response? How? What's Hashem's answer? You were brothers with Asav. There was no difference between you And yet I love you. Why? There's no difference between us. What's the answer? It's beyond rational. I can't give it words. It's a no-brainer. It's beyond rational. What was your question? I get that it comes from the essence, but can there be other aspects of it, like that she's a good mother? So there's a big difference between 'I love you' and 'I love because I love you.' Here are the things I love about you. If I love my wife because she's a good mother, I don't love her. I love my kids. But if I love my wife in a way that I can't possibly articulate, then here are the things I love about her.

But if she stops doing those things, my love doesn't change. The word truth means unchanging. One plus one will always equal two. That's how you know it's true. If something is true love is not Cinderella. That's childish. That's Disney. True love in Judaism is absolute and complete loyalty and devotion because our relationship exists beyond created categories. That's why when you're dating somebody and they go, why him? You know what the woman says? No clue. And that's why other people look at you when you marry your husband and go, why him? And they go, no clue. Because how could you possibly articulate it? So it's the difference of I love you because. I love you. I love you. Right. And that's why the Torah tells us. That we have a mitzvah, v'ahavta l'reyacha kamocha. To who? To everyone. It might be difficult for me to build a family with you because we might have different values, because our personalities might not mesh. Because our chemistry isn't there, and that's why I might choose somebody over another person. Because when our values aren't there, and when we don't have that chemistry, I'm not getting that essential connection. And there is an essential connection that exists. But the truth is, I'm meant to love everyone, every single Jew.

I'm not meant to be married to every single person because that would be very difficult. Hard enough juggling one spouse, let alone four. But yes, a person could make a marriage work in a very beautiful way. I'm not suggesting that you should go out once and then get married. I happen not to believe in that at all, and my rebbe was very against that. The idea that we share an essential connection that's unique to a husband and a wife. But of course, Klal Yisrael has an essential connection. One second. Let's push this. So it's again, we're going to take us too far afield right now, but it's a good question. I have to share. I'll handle that with you. So let's now tie this back in. So now Paro has a question. Paro's question is like this. Moshe comes and he says Makas bechoros. What's Paro's question? We said it before. Makas b'choros, I'm good because if you get punished, you get punished. If I get spared, you get spared. What does Moshe Rabbeinu say? Midnight.

It's from the perspective of the essence. What's the implied question now that Paro is going to ask? Why you? Why you? Why are you being chosen and not me? What's the answer? That's the nature of the love that Hashem has for Klal Yisrael. Let's just cut this point. You're at the last part of the year. I'm still holding on. Step number two. Step number two is you were chosen. Why? I don't know. This is the nature of the bond between K'laliyosol and Mitzrayim. It's an essential bond. Let's finish up the year now by answering your last question. Then why do we need? What was that? You want to say the last part again? Paro says, "So why were you chosen?" If it's from the perspective of the essence, why you and not me? What's the answer? There is no why. It's from the perspective of the essence. Here's the last part. This is the final flourish. For those of you that are still with me, this is going to be a beautiful thing. You ready for it?

Goes like this. So then, why do we need to do anything? Why do we need to go indoors? Why do we need to put sacrifice a carbon Pesach? Why do we need to get a bris milah? Why do we need to do anything? If Hashem chooses us, then let the mashchis kill the Egyptians and not the Jews. So here's the most beautiful answer. Do you mind just closing the door over there? You might just close the door on you. Here's the most incredible answer. The question is, why does Klal Yisrael have to do anything? If Hashem's essence. I love the fact that you girls are locked in, working hard to get every single step. Why does Klal Yisrael have to do anything? Girls, the number seven, seven days of the week. Those are what? Categories. What is the number eight? Symbolized in Judaism Supernatural Beyond the creation of categories. That's the whole Yisod of Chanukah, beyond created categories. The light that is before creation.

When do we have our Bris Mila? What day? What does Klal Yisrael do? Hashem says, if you want me to relate to you from my essence, how do you have to relate to me? They are supernatural when they do it. Exactly. So Hashem tells Klal Yisrael, in order for you to be saved, it can't be from created categories. The things you need to do are going to be what From beyond categories. The first thing you have to do is bris mila. You have to live beyond the dimension of created categories. And the second thing, and I'm going to spell this out a little bit. One second. The second thing is the carbon pesach. Girls, how dangerous was it to shecht a carbon Passover in Egypt? What did they serve in Egypt? What was their god? That's what they worshipped. So imagine you're a Jew, you parade out onto your front lawn the carbon Pesach, and you kill the god in front of the Egyptians. Super dangerous. You know what we call that, girls? Maseras nefesh.

Maseras nefesh in Judaism means that I sacrificed my life for beyond reason. For example, I think we said this once already this year, but it bears repeating. If I die for a cause, then did I really die al Kiddush Hashem? Because you died for a reason. For example, if I say I live for this cause, and now if I'm going to be assassinated, it's going to advance the cause. So great, if somebody kills me, my entire life was to advance the cause, and now my death will advance the cause. That is not Maseres Nefesh al Kiddush Hashem. That's not what we believe in Judaism. What do we believe in Judaism? Dying for beyond reason. Girls, isn't that what Klal Yisrael has done throughout history? Jews that weren't willing to live for God when you put a gun to their head and said Worship Avodah Zarah or I'll kill you, what did they do throughout history? They died. Why? They weren't willing to live for it. Isn't that irrational? What's the answer? Yes. The Jewish soul is beyond rational. It's supra rational. It's a no-brainer. It's from the perspective of the essence. From the perspective of the essence, you know what a Jew is willing to do? If Hashem says shechta carbon pesach on my front lawn in front of the mitzrayim, I'll do it.

Are you nuts? You're going to die. What's the answer? I live for Hashem from the perspective of my essence. Once we lived from the perspective of the essence, then what does Hashem do? How does Hashem respond to us? He says, "Oh." You love me beyond reason. I love you beyond reason. So we weren't going inside because the malacham aves, the mashkes, doesn't know how to get in through the window. It's not like tag where you're holding on to the base. It's you're showing Hashem I love you. Hashem says why? We go I don't know. Couldn't possibly express it. Hashem says I feel the same way about you. And that's how Klal Yisrael leaves Mitzrayim. Last line. Any questions at this point? You can just ask me after shir. The pasuk in Micha says, "Kimei." The pasuk in Micha says Kimei tzaischa me eretz Mitzrayim are enu niflows. Like the days of Yisias Mitzrayim, you'll see wonders. You know what that means, girls?

It means that in the times of Mashiach, when it's going to be exactly like. It's going to be like how we left Mitzrayim. The wonders of Mashiach are going to come from where? It's a replay. We've seen this show before. Girls, how did we leave Eretz Yisrael when we had an essential connection to Hashem? How are we going to leave this Galus? How are we going to bring Mashiach when we live with an essential connection to Hashem? And girls, isn't that what we're seeing? All these Jews who weren't necessarily observant. What happened after October seventh? What did they start doing? Give me tzitzis. Put on tefillin. But you weren't doing it beforehand. What's the answer? The essential Jew is coming out. We're getting closer and closer to the times of Mashiach because we see that Yidden are living not from the perspective of reason, but they're tapping into their souls. That's what every kid wants today. They don't want to come and hear just give me proofs of God. They say I want to feel it. I want to feel that essential connection. That's why you came to your shalayim. You could learn Torah anywhere in the world. You come to your shalayim. It's different in the air here. Can you explain why? You can't. There's something about being home that taps you into your essential connection with Hashem, and that essential connection, the ez Hashem, is what will bring Mashiach. Girls have a wonderful shabbat.

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