We are approaching the festival of Passover, the time of our freedom. As we have mentioned many times, the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), taught that one should live by the Torah, that is, by the weekly Torah portion. The Torah is divided into 54 portions, which are read in synagogues throughout the world each Shabbat. It follows, then, that there should be practical teachings related to Passover in this week's portion.
El nombre de la parashá de esta semana es Tzav, que significa «manda». Al comienzo de la misma Di-s manda a Moshe que le diga a Aharón y sus hijos, los Cohaním, una serie de detalles sobre cómo debe ser ofrendado el sacrificio de Olá – holocausto. Sin embargo, previo a la ofrenda propiamente dicha Di-s establece que debe vestirse una ropa específica para preparar el Altar en la forma adecuada, removiendo las cenizas de la noche anterior y preparando el fuego sobre el mismo para el día corriente.
Aparentemente, más allá de las cuestiones ligadas al Templo y el trabajo en el mismo, no hay una enseñanza práctica para nosotros hoy. Sin embargo, cuando observamos el primer comentario de Rashi (Rabí Shlomó ben Itzjak, 1040-1105) de esta sección, vemos algo fantástico: Rashi comenta sobre la expresión que da nombre a esta parashá, la palabra tzav, que no es la forma habitual de dirigirse a una persona. En la mayoría de los lugares Di-s habla con Moshe para que le diga a un tercero (el pueblo judío, o un individuo) una determinada cosa, pero es poco común ver en la Torá que Di-s le diga a Moshe que mande a otro a hacer tal o cual cosa. Ante esta novedad, Rashi comenta: «La palabra Tzav no significa otra cosa que animar ahora y para siempre.» O sea, Moshe no debía solamente transmitir un mandato Divino a Aharón y sus hijos en forma de mandato, sino que debía animarlo, urgirlo para que sea diligente con el mismo.
The Torah teaches us that one must not only be diligent, prompt, and efficient in observing the commandments themselves, but that the same quality of diligence must also be present in the preparation for them. And it is this proper preparation that ultimately ensures the observance itself is appropriate in every respect.
Passover is one of the Jewish holidays that requires the most preparation: a thorough cleaning of the house, buying all the necessary materials (food in general, matzah, wine, etc.), finding and selling the chametz, and other (seemingly endless!) preparations. And after so much work and time invested, the holiday itself hasn't even begun! For everyone to have a kosher and joyful Passover, we must prepare properly and joyfully, diligently and efficiently.
In fact, talking to a man from La Plata, he told me how his mother would whitewash the kitchen walls for Passover and that they also had a cupboard where they kept the specific Passover utensils, so that when the holiday arrived, the house looked different. You could feel the Passover atmosphere, while after the holiday ended, the house returned to its previous state. Why did the house feel different? Because there had been preparations in accordance with Passover.
May we all have the merit to live a Chag HaPesach Kosher veSameach, a proper and joyful festival, and may we be able to eat at this Passover Seder of the true Passover offering, in the Third Temple, with our Righteous Messiah.