A Taste of Shabbos – Parashat Tzav

This coming Shabbat is a heavy one; besides being erev Pesach, it has a literally weighty name- Shabbat HA’GADOL- The (really) big Shabbos. Many reasons are given for this name- Here are a few: The Jews were commanded to take the Paschal lamb, which was an Egyptian god, and tie it to their bedposts. Their obedience signaled their transformation from ‘children’ to ‘adults’, just like a bar/bat mitzvah comes of age at 12 or 13, when their actions count as mitzvah observance and not just training or practice. 

A second reason, related to Shabbos, is that in Egypt, they kept Shabbos because Pharaoh allowed them, as Moshe suggested, to have a day of physical rest, from their relentless enslavement. But once they prepared to leave as free people, their Shabbat observance became much ‘greater’ as a way of serving G-d. A third, enduring reason is that throughout Jewish history, rabbis have been known to give long talks about how to prepare and celebrate Passover. This may have made Shabbos more intense, or somewhat jokingly may have made the day drag on.

This week’s parsha reading continues the list of offerings started last week. One offering that stands out is the ‘KORBAN TODAH,’ the thanksgiving offering with a combination of bread and matzah. This offering continues till this day in the form of reciting a particular prayer after being rescued from four different kinds of dangerous situations, as described in Psalm 107: from crossing the desert, from being released from prison, from crossing the ocean, and from recovering from a serious illness. These are situations where life has been restored to someone. In fact the word for life, CHAIM as spelled in Hebrew, can serve as an acronym for the four. 

 The sages debate the specifics to warrant a formal blessing, but one thing is certain. These examples are templates to remind us to be grateful for everything we have in life, both ‘great’ and small. In fact, the word for Jews, Yehudim, comes from the word for thanksgiving or gratitude- HODA’AH. When Leah had her fourth son, she named him Yehudah, when she declared, ‘Now I can (really) thank G-d for giving me more than I expected. Since Yacov had four wives, she expected each to have three sons, since the family knew there would be twelve tribes, so her fourth was literally one more than anticipated. 

Contemporary psychology reminds us that our first thoughts each morning can set the tone for the entire day. Indeed our first Jewish prayer upon arising is MODEH ANI- Grateful am I. In fact, the word MODEH comes even before ANI. In fact, the MODEH prayer has exactly twelve words,  the amount of time we need to stay in bed for our health before we jump up. At any rate, when we start our day with being ready to say ‘Thank You, G-d,’ we are more likely to see more miracles, both hidden and revealed, throughout the day!

Another advantage I find about a gratitude attitude is it can be a protection against arrogance- the trait the sages find most reprehensible. When good things happen to us, we can tend to feel,  in Israeli vernacular, ‘MAGIA LI,’ It’s coming to me. Instead, gratitude can make us feel more humble. And isn’t this in fact a primary  message of the simple, unembellished flat bread called matzah that we eat for a whole week, this year, immediately following the ‘great Shabbat?’

When the thanksgiving offering was actually brought, there was something about it that was similar to the Paschal offering when the holy Temple stood. Both had to be eaten within one night and day. The Hassidic masters explain. Though expressing gratitude for salvations both ‘great’ and small, we are not meant to hold on to the euphoria of a past experience. While we may fully savor it at the time, we are encouraged to let go, and still be sensitive, conscious, and trusting of divine benevolence that is yet to come. There is an oft repeated story that resonates with modern attitudes of laws of attraction. A man was taking a walk when a heavenly voice rang out: ‘How are things going today?’ If the man answered, ‘not too good,’ the response came, ‘You call that ‘not too good? I’ll show you..’ But if the man answered, ‘Great!’ the response came, ‘You call that ‘great?’ I’ll show you what great looks like’….The point is clear. Be grateful for all the good that has and is happening in your life, but be open to the unknown blessings that are about to come. In short, for this coming Shabbat Hagadol…MAKE IT A GREAT ONE.