Our sages established that we drink 4 cups of wine at the Seder for the 4 expressions of redemption that Hashem commanded Moshe to convey to the Jewish people at the beginning of Parshas Vaera, “I will take you out… I will save you… I will redeem you… And I will take you (to Myself as a nation)…”
If these 4 expressions of redemption are so significant, that they should be symbolized by the Seder, why not have 4 matzahs which are a biblical commandment, as the Mishnah tells us that the reason we have matzah is “because our parents were redeemed from Egypt,” as opposed to 4 cups of wine that are only a rabbinical enactment?
Why do we need 3 matzahs? The simple reason is that 2 whole matzahs are for Hamotzi (just like on every Yom Tov, we make the blessing of Hamotzi on 2 whole challahs or matzahs), and an extra broken piece of matzah, poor man’s bread, to recite the Haggadah over.
However, being that everything in Torah is perfect and we know that the reason we have matzah is “because our parents were redeemed from Egypt,” the 3 matzahs must represent redemption as well.
With this understanding, we can conclude that there are two aspects of redemption, one is connected to the number 3 and is represented by matzah and the other is connected to the number 4 and is represented by wine.
What are these two aspects of redemption? And why are they represented by wine and matzah?
We are told that the Jewish people had sunken to such a low in Egypt that if they would have stayed a moment longer, they would have been totally lost, with no chance of redemption. It was only that Hashem pulled us out in the nick of time. In other words, it wasn’t on our merits or through our efforts that we were redeemed, rather it was a one-sided redemption; Hashem did it himself.
This is what the Exodus was all about, being redeemed by Hashem Himself, without our effort. Being that it was from Him, and we had no involvement, we have no pleasure in it. This is represented by matzah, which doesn’t have much flavor. It is poor man’s bread, symbolizing that we were poor in understanding and poor spiritually. We have 3 matzahs, representing the first 3 expressions of redemption, “I will take you out… I will save you… And I will redeem you…” These are all one-sided. They are all from Hashem himself without our involvement. Being that these 3 actually happened at the Exodus, they are represented by matzah, a biblical commandment.
The fourth, “And I will take you to Myself as a nation,” didn’t reach completion until we received the Torah at Mount Sinai, after 50 days of working on ourselves to be worthy of receiving Hashem’s Torah. Being that it came about through our effort and on our merit, we have pleasure in it; therefore, it is represented by wine that has flavor. Because it only reached completion 50 days after the Exodus, it is not totally connected to Pesach and, therefore, only a rabbinical enactment.
So you have 3 that is given and the fourth that is developed by the recipient. This will help us understand a few other things.
This is one of the reasons that we have 3 fathers and 4 mothers. In producing a child, the part of the father is to give, but the mother takes what she receives, and with her body’s effort, she develops it into a complete baby. Being that 3 represents giving, there are 3 fathers, and since 4 represents taking and developing through our own effort, there are 4 mothers.
The same thing is with Torah. The written Torah is called “The mussar (discipline) of your father” because it is given to us completely by Hashem, we have no input. It is similar to redemption from above, symbolized by matzah, a biblical commandment.
However, the oral Torah, the Mishnah, Talmud, etc. is called “The Torah of your mother” because our great rabbis develop and complete its details, showing the importance of personal involvement in the Torah. This is similar to redemption through our effort, symbolized by wine, a rabbinical enactment.
You may ask, the fourth is only one, so why do we have 4 cups of wine?
Because through our effort, we reveal that the essence and the purpose of the first three is for the fourth, so our effort begets all 4. Hence, 4 cups of wine.
May we soon merit to see the final redemption, which we deserve and earned. The time has come.
This week’s Parsha, Vayikra, is the beginning of the book of Vayikra, which tells us about the sacrificial offerings that were offered in the Mishkan and later in the Temple. The sacrificial offerings were the primary service done in the Mishkan and Temple.
The Torah is eternal, meaning that we can and should take a practical lesson from every law and story found therein, and that applies for every person, in every place and at every time.
This is especially true about the details of the service in the Mishkan and Temple because that is what Hashem wants most, to reside in us, that we should make ourselves, our homes, and our place in the world, into a Mikdash, a holy place for Hashem to be. Even though the Temple was destroyed, its teachings are pertinent and relevant to us, and maybe more so than ever.
As mentioned above, the sacrificial offerings were the primary service in the Temple. The main offering in the Temple was the Tamid offering. It was a daily offering brought once in the morning, before all the other sacrifices, and once again in the afternoon, after all the other sacrifices.
What are some of the lessons that we are meant to learn from the Tamid offering?
The Tamid was offered twice daily, but it wasn’t an obligation for every Jew to bring one, rather it was one offering that included all of the Jewish people. It was also a small offering, that consisted of a lamb, a bit of wine and oil, some flour, and salt. How was everyone included in the Tamid offering? It was purchased from the half-shekel that was given annually. When you divide it over a year, you realize that the part that everybody had in a Tamid was small, if not minuscule, yet this brought blessing to the Jewish people throughout the year, no matter where they were.
The lesson here is that Hashem doesn’t want us to give away all of our possessions to Him, rather, He wants a little, but it is how that little bit is given that matters. Hashem wants you to do it with your whole heart, meaning with passion and joy. It is not how much you give, but how you give it, that matters to Hashem. That is why the Tamid was so powerful because the people gave to it with their whole heart. When you give to Hashem with all of your heart, with passion and joy, then your life and home are filled with blessings, just as it was when the Tamid was brought.
Another lesson from the Tamid is that although it was only brought in the morning and evening, it was called Tamid, which means constant. If it was only brought twice a day, why was it called constant? Because, although it was only brought twice a day, its effect was constant, its impact lasted all day long, so it was constant. It was the foundation for all the offerings that came after it, it influenced and affected them.
The same is true for our day. Our day consists of a number of events and tasks, physical and spiritual and we don’t always see the G-dly light in them. Even the time that one spends on soul matters is flawed, because it is done from a human perspective, which is commonly wrong and at times, could lead one astray.
What we have to do, is give ourselves over to Hashem first thing in the morning, before anything else. And that is what we do when we say, “Modeh ani lefanecha melech… I give thanks before You King…” as soon as we wake up. This is thanking Hashem for returning our neshamas, and we call Him “King,” a king is one who you give yourself completely over to, your body and even your life. It is proclaiming Hashem your King and giving yourself completely over to Him.
When one brought a sacrifice, the main things that were offered were the blood that was sprayed on the altar and the fat that was burned on the altar. The blood is the life force of the body; it represents the life and the passion of the person. The fat is the good stuff; it represents pleasure. What Hashem wants is that we should give our pleasure and our passion to Him, that we should make what He wants our passion and our pleasure.
When you start your day with Modeh ani, all the chores of the daily grind are influenced by this proclamation, your passion and pleasure is for Hashem. It’s in effect, the Tamid offering of your day, and it brings blessing to you, your home, and your family.
A third lesson from the Tamid. The Midrash says that the Tamid was an atonement for sins committed prior to its offering. In other words, Hashem gives a person the opportunity to return to Him if he or she happened to have a moral failing.
Our lives are difficult, every one of us is put to the test regularly, and it is possible for one to fail the test. This is not a reason to give up. Rather you should bring a Tamid offering, say Modeh ani, which is the same idea as the Tamid. If you say Modeh ani with your whole heart and soul, with a true resolve to give yourself completely over to Hashem, it is like offering a Tamid, and He will surely forgive you.
A Jew should never give up on himself, but he should take the opportunity to return to Hashem with all of his or her heart, repair what needs repairing, mend what needs mending, and hopefully, Hashem will accept his teshuva.
This teshuva, in the way of Modeh ani, is making the decision with your whole heart, with a strong resolve to put your passion, joy, and pleasure in holy things. And when you do teshuva in the way of the Tamid offering, you are forgiven by Hashem and you are given the blessings, for you, your home, and your family.
This is especially important for women, who are the backbone of their homes and their families. When they set up their homes to have a Tamid atmosphere, it brings Hashem’s blessing to their homes.
The blessings of the home will surely have a ripple effect. It will spread to all of the Jewish people, and it will hasten the coming of Moshiach when we will once again see the Tamid being offered. May it happen soon.
Dedicated to my wife Dina who is the backbone of our home and a true aishes chayil, beautiful inside and out.
ABOUT RABBI YITZI HURWITZ
Rabbi Yitzi Hurwitz—father of seven, husband of Dina, and spiritual leader at Chabad Jewish Center in Temecula, Calif.—has been rendered immobile by ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Unable to speak or type, he uses his eyes to write heartfelt thoughts on the weekly Torah portion.
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