Parashat Hashavua: Bo
Should the minutiae of Halacha inspire obedience or bewilderment? Are we really meant to do all those mitzvot? Within the incredible narrative this week of the final plagues and preparations for leaving Egypt, we find the mitzvah of not breaking the bones of the korban pesach, the Pesach offering: “you shall not break its bone / וְעֶ֖צֶם לֹ֥א תִשְׁבְּרוּ־בֽוֹ.” (Ex. 12:46) In Sefer HaChinuch, which is an anonymous work (13th century Spain) written to explain the 613 mitzvot in the Torah to a child, the author imagines the child asking the following question: “Why would God command us to do all of this in memory of one miracle; wouldn’t one reminder suffice to keep it foremost on our minds, not to be forgotten by our descendants? / וְלָמָּה יְצַוֶּה אוֹתָנוּ הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת כָּל אֵלֶּה לְזִכְרוֹן אוֹתוֹ הַנֵּס, וַהֲלֹא בְּזִכְרוֹן אֶחָד יַעֲלֶה הַדָּבָר בְּמַחְשַׁבְתֵּנוּ וְלֹא יִשָּׁכַח מִפִּי זַרְעֵנוּ.” (Mitzvah 16) In other words, just tell us to remember Yetziyat Mitzrayim, the miracle of our Exodus from Egypt, and Dayenu!
His answer to this question can help us appreciate not only Yetziyat Mitzrayim, but all mitzvot and other actions we take in life: “You must know that a person is impacted by their actions; and one’s heart and all one’s thoughts always follow what one does, whether good or bad… And even from doing good not for the sake of heaven, one will incline toward the good, because doing something not for its own sake leads to doing it for its sake, as our hearts follow our actions / דַּע, כִּי הָאָדָם נִפְעָל כְּפִי פְּעֻלּוֹתָיו, וְלִבּוֹ וְכָל מַחְשְׁבֹתָיו תָּמִיד אַחַר מַעֲשָׂיו שֶׁהוּא עוֹסֵק בָּהֶם אִם טוֹב וְאִם רָע… וַאֲפִלּוּ שֶׁלֹּא לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, מִיָּד יִנָּטֶה אֶל הַטּוֹב, וּמִתּוֹךְ שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ בָּא לִשְׁמָהּ…כִּי אַחֲרֵי הַפְּעֻלּוֹת נִמְשָׁכִים הַלְּבָבוֹת.”
In other words, one’s actions shape one’s character, whether intentionally or not. Even when someone doesn’t mean what they are doing, their actions impact them over time, and what might not be done with intention now will eventually be done with intention, because our heart follows our actions.
One is reminded here of the rabbinic teaching that favors deeds over wisdom: “What is one whose deeds exceed their wisdom similar to? To a tree whose branches are few and roots are many, so that even if all the world’s winds come and blow on it, it is not moved out of its place, as it is said, ‘He shall be like a tree planted by waters, sending forth its roots by a stream. It does not fear the heat, as its leaves are robust; it does not worry in a year of drought, as it will not stop yielding fruit / אֲבָל כָּל שֶׁמַּעֲשָׂיו מְרֻבִּין מֵחָכְמָתוֹ, לְמַה הוּא דוֹמֶה, לְאִילָן שֶׁעֲנָפָיו מֻעָטִין וְשָׁרָשָׁיו מְרֻבִּין, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ כָל הָרוּחוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם בָּאוֹת וְנוֹשְׁבוֹת בּוֹ אֵין מְזִיזִין אוֹתוֹ מִמְּקוֹמוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ׳וְהָיָ֞ה כְּעֵ֣ץ ׀ שָׁת֣וּל עַל־מַ֗יִם וְעַל־יוּבַל֙ יְשַׁלַּ֣ח שׇׁרָשָׁ֔יו וְלֹ֤א יִרְאֶה֙ כִּי־יָ֣בֹא חֹ֔ם וְהָיָ֥ה עָלֵ֖הוּ רַעֲנָ֑ן וּבִשְׁנַ֤ת בַּצֹּ֙רֶת֙ לֹ֣א יִדְאָ֔ג וְלֹ֥א יָמִ֖ישׁ מֵעֲשׂ֥וֹת פֶּֽרִי׃.’” (Avot 3:17) Thus not only do one’s actions impact oneself, they also are the most enduring way to ‘yield fruit,’ that is, to impact the future.
The democratizing effect of elevating the power of deed is worth noting and, in my opinion, celebrating. In the words of Sefer HaChinuch, even if one who thinks of oneself as “bad,” or is perceived as such, “if their spirit awakens enough to put their efforts and actions into Torah and commandments, even if not for the sake of Heaven, then they will immediately incline towards the good / אִם יַעֲרֶה רוּחוֹ וְיָשִׂים הִשְׁתַּדְּלוּתוֹ וְעִסְקוֹ בְּהַתְמָדָה בַּתּוֹרָה וּבַמִּצְוֹת, וַאֲפִלּוּ שֶׁלֹּא לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, מִיָּד יִנָּטֶה אֶל הַטּוֹב.” And, on the flipside, “even one who seems completely righteous with a heart that is directed and genuine, desiring Torah and the commandments, who constantly does improper things…eventually will turn from the righteousness of their heart to become completely evil / וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם יִהְיֶה אָדָם צַדִּיק גָּמוּר וּלְבָבוֹ יָשָׁר וְתָמִים, חָפֵץ בַּתּוֹרָה וּבַמִּצְוֹת, אִם יַעֲסֹק תָּמִיד בִּדְבָרִים שֶׁל דֹּפִי, כְּאִלּוּ תֹּאמַר דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל שֶׁהִכְרִיחוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ וּמִנָּהוּ בְּאֻמָּנוּת רָעָה, בֶּאֱמֶת אִם כָּל עִסְקוֹ תָּמִיד כָּל הַיּוֹם בְּאוֹתוֹ אֻמָּנוּת, יָשׁוּב לִזְמַן מִן הַזְּמַנִּים מִצִּדְקַת לִבּוֹ לִהְיוֹת רָשָׁע גָּמוּר.” Transformative action is available to us all. As Kohelet teaches, “God has made the one as well as the other / גַּ֣ם אֶת־זֶ֤ה לְעֻמַּת־זֶה֙ עָשָׂ֣ה הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים” on equal footing. (Kohelet 7:14)
And, returning finally to where we started, it is of course change for the better that we always hope for, which Yetziyat Mitzrayim teaches us is always possible. Sefer HaChinuch, in his discussion of the mitzvah to retell our origin story as a nation, explains that it is “a great foundation and strong pillar of our Torah and faith because it is a sign and absolute confirmation of the world’s creation and renewal, and of a primordial being with will and ability who operates all of existence and can change it at any time, like he did in Egypt when changing the natural world for us / יְסוֹד גָּדוֹל וְעַמּוּד חָזָק בְּתוֹרָתֵנוּ וּבֶאֱמוּנָתֵנוּ לְפִי שֶׁהוּא לָנוּ אוֹת וּמוֹפֵת גָּמוּר בְּחִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם, וְכִי יֵשׁ אֱלֹהַּ קַדְמוֹן חָפֵץ וְיָכוֹל, פּוֹעֵל כָּל הַנִּמְצָאוֹת הוּא וּבְיָדוֹ לְשַׁנּוֹתָם, כְּפִי שֶׁיַּחְפֹּץ בְּכָל זְמַן מִן הַזְּמַנִּים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁעָשָׂה בְּמִצְרַיִם, שֶׁשִּׁנָּה טִבְעֵי הָעוֹלָם בִּשְׁבִילֵנוּ.” (Mitzvah 21)
May we recognize the opportunities that mitzvot offer us to find meaning in our actions, and even when perhaps we don’t, to use the power of our deeds to make change for the better – potentially, with God’s help, to a miraculous degree – in ourselves and the world around us.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Jack Nahmod
Middle School Judaic Studies Head (Ivrit/Limudei Kodesh/Tefillah)
