Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Galus hadibbur and geulah

The contrast between Mitzrayim as the "galus hadibbur" and Peh-Sach is already well known, but what does it mean for speech to be in galus and need redemption? I think we can get an inkling from a kashe of the Ramban. Moshe Rabeinu is told to come to Bnei Yisrael with the message of "pakod pakaditi", which they knew b'mesorah was the signal of the goel. Ramban asks: if everyone knew this mesorah, what guaranteed that the goel had arrived instead of some imposter just using the codewords? Ramban answers that the mesorah was taken so seriously no one would have dared try to undermine it with a false attempt at redemption. R' Tzadok HaKohen approaches the question differently, and argues that 'pakod pakaditi' inherently could not be falsified. Most people think dibbur is a reflection of the world around them; it is a way to create a "verbal" model of the physical and mental universe and communicate that to others. However, the Jewish idea of dibbur is different. We don't experience the universe and create a map of it through dibbur; rather, we speak and through dibbur create the reality of existance. Rav Kook writes that dibbur is "poel" (see Derech HaKodesh #10, 17, 21). It reveals and opens channels of ruchniyus into this world. An animal which is chulin can become hekdesh through dibbur. Weekday is turned into Shabbos through dibbur (kiddush). A women becomes sanctified as eishes ish through dibbur. Dibbur is a mekadesh. Just like if you say kiddush on a weekday it will accomplish nothing, so too, if 'pakod pakaditi' was uttered by an imposter, nothing would happen. But when uttered by the right neshoma at the right time, it served as the 'mekadesh' of the hearts of minds of Klal Yisrael, changing their reality from downtroden avadim to those who await geulah.
Probably no more posting till after Yom Tov. At this point the cleaning is over and my wife is busy cooking and preparing, and I just note that without her tireless efforts, Yom Tov would be an impossible burden to overcome - for transforming these 8 days into the spirit of 'zman cheiruseinu', she has my public gratitude and thanks.
Good Y"T everybody!

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