This week’s Torah reading continues the laws of Temple sacrifice and begins with the commandment to have a constant fire on the altar. (here 6:6)
This Shabbat is also called Shabbat HaGadol, literally 'The Big Shabbat' because of a big miracle that happened over 3,300 years ago: All the First-born males in Egypt declared war against Pharaoh when he refused to save them from the tenth plague by freeing the Jews. [Hence the praise, "G-d smote Egypt in (via) their first-born". (Psalms 136:10)]
At first glance this is not understood. Revolutions happen all the time! What was such a big miracle about this one?
On the other hand, everything in the Torah has a message. What is the connection between the constant fire, the war of the firstborn and the holiday of Passover (this Saturday night). What does this mean to us today?
A Story from Baghdad
Here is a story that might help us to understand.
The scene is Baghdad some five hundred years ago. The thriving Jewish community there lived with a sword hanging over their head.
The chief advisor to the Sultan, Abdul Mustafa De’enu, was a rabid Jew-hater. The Jews were a bone in his throat and a thorn in his side. For years he dreamed of ridding the community of them and getting his hands on their riches. But he was a wickedly clever man and he knew that the only thing standing in his way was the Sultan's admiration for his number two advisor; Rabbi Avraham.
Rav Avraham was always full of clever answers and witty statements that enchanted the Sultan and filled Abdul with jealous fury. So he and his assistant, Faruk, discussed it and finally came up with a brainstorm plan to be rid of all the Jews.
Abdul in the course of the years as chief advisor had forged keys to virtually all the rooms in the Sultan's palace, including Sultan's royal bedroom. The plan was that Faruk would make an exact replica of the Sapphire which was the diadem of the Sultan's royal turban, Abdul would sneak him into the Sultan’s room, where he would switch his fake gem for the real one when the Sultan was sleeping. Afterwards they would implicate the Jews and be rid of them forever!
They decided to implement their scheme just before the Jewish holiday of Passover when all the Jews, including Rabbi Avraham, would be busy with their holiday preparations so no Jew would disturb their plan.
Abdul used the copied key to get Faruk into the Sultan's room by day where he hid until that night when the Sultan was soundly asleep in his firmly locked and guarded room, Faruk skillfully removed the Jem from the turban, inserted his and then returned to his hiding place. Then, after the Sultan left the next morning Abdul snuck him out.
As they hoped, the Sultan did not notice a thing and later that afternoon, when he was sitting on his throne in the main royal hall Abdul suddenly stared at the royal turban, let out a feigned gasp, took the Sultan by the arm to another room and whispered his horrible suspicion.
The Sultan removed his turban, took a good look and realized that his faithful advisor was right! His Sapphire had been stolen!!
"We must act quickly!" Abdul said as he paced back and forth nervously, "This is serious. I'm sure that it was done recently! Yesterday the stone was there, I'm sure of it! I would have noticed!"
Abdul saw that the Sultan was shaken. It was working!
"Your majesty, if the thief escapes and the word gets around that the Sultan cannot protect his own crown it will be a disaster!"
"Yes, yes!" replied the trembling Sultan, but .?
Abdul feigned deep thought and then said slowly and wisely as though thinking out loud.
"The Jews have a monopoly on precious gems here. The thief will have to sell the stone somewhere and if anyone will know about it will be them. The only solution is to force the Jews to find the stone."
"Force them?" Asked the Sultan. "Why use force? I'm sure they will do all they can to ..."
"Ahh, your majesty," Abdul replied. "This is different. Here we are talking about money. The Jews are very strange when it comes to money. Why, in their own Bible it brags of how they cheated the confused, frightened Egyptians and robbed them of everything, even their clothes, before leaving Egypt!
"But what can we do?" The Sultan asked
"Summon Rab Avraham. Tell him that your gem has been stolen and if the Jews do not come up with some evidence in one week, we will confiscate all their wealth and drive them out of the kingdom!"
But the Sultan winced. "Expel them? What have they.?"
"Your highness, I understand your feelings. But this is a matter that strikes at the very foundation of Baghdad! At the very heart of our nation and religion!! Who could have done such a thing if not the Jews? They care nothing about your country. They only dream about their Israel. On their Passover they scream 'Next year in Jerusalem!' Why, they have even totally rejected our Great Prophet! They don't accept one word of the Koran!!"
The news hit the Jewish community like a lightning bolt. They had one week to find the Sapphire or face almost certain death.
Rav Avraham tried to avert the decree; every day he attempted to see the Sultan but hit a stone wall. Abdul had complete control.
Rav Avraham declared a public fast day, then another, then a third and a fourth. The Synagogues were full; the entire Jewish population of Baghdad, men women and children, wept, read Psalms, fasted and prayed for four days, eating only some bread and water at night.
Then, at the end of the fourth day Rabbi Avraham solemnly ascended the podium in the in the main synagogue and announced: "Fellow Jews we have fasted and prayed for four days and G-d has not yet answered us. The deadline to bring the gem is in three days. In two days will be Passover. Pesach, the joyous festival of our freedom.
“Let us remove our sackcloth, forget our pain, return to our homes, clean them of all leaved bread. Let us bake Matzot, prepare festive meals and celebrate the way G-d wants us to. Perhaps our joy will succeed in bringing our salvation where our sorrow failed."
The Sultan's Discovery
Meanwhile, back in the palace, the Sultan was miserable. His gem was still gone and now he was about to lose his beloved Rabbi Avraham and all the Jews in Baghdad as well.
He had been pacing back and forth in his room for days. Now it was late at night, the week was almost over and he couldn't bring himself to even lie down.
Suddenly he had a crazy idea. Rav Avraham hadn't tried to see him recently, maybe there was a development! Maybe the Jews found the gem, or the thief! He decided to go to the Jewish section of town to see for himself.
He removed his royal robes, dressed up like an ordinary person, left his room via a secret exit and in just moments he could see the Jewish quarter from afar.
Aha! Just as he thought! The houses were brilliantly lit! Faint sounds of song and laughter could be heard wafting through the air! They must have good news!
He walked quickly to the house he knew to be Rav Avraham's and peeked in a side window. It was like looking at heaven. Everything, and everyone looked holy, and shining. They were all smiling, seated around a large dining table covered with a festive white tablecloth and decorated with sparking silver vessels. It was a definitely not a scene of mourning or worry they must have good news!
Suddenly they all broke into one of the traditional joyous Passover songs; Dayenu, "Dai Dai Yainu, Dai Dai Yainu, Dai Daiiii Yainu, Daiyainu Daiyainu!!!"
"Aha," Sultan said to himself. Its Deenu!! Abdul Mustafa Deenu! That’s what they’re happy about. That rat! I never really trusted him!!
The Sultan ran back to the palace, re-entered through the secret path, put on his royal robes and ordered his personal guards to search the home of Abdul Mustafa Deenu until they found the stone. And sure enough, they found it!
Deenu was punished and the Jews were miraculously saved.
The Lesson: The Constant Fire
Now we can answer our questions. About the constant fire, the firstborn war and Passover.
We must keep a continual fire burning. A fire of enthusiasm, hope and certainty that HaShem will help us.
And that fire ITSELF will cause miracles to happen. Just as in our story, the joy of the Jews gave them a miracle to be happy about.
Even more, it will bring our enemies to be friends, like the firstborn in Egypt and the King in our story. That is a BIG miracle.
This is VERY important and practical to us today when it seems that the entire world (including a lot of Jews) is against us. Anti-Semitism is reaching record highs.
Nevertheless our Torah portion is telling us that our enthusiasm, our 'constant fire' can change it all: Even the forces and circumstances that seem to OPPOSE us will TRANSFORM to become helpers (just as the Sultan helped Rav Avraham and the firstborn fought for the Jews).
Soon we will SEE that we are really what the Lubavitcher Rebbe said we are (and he never made a mistake): the first generation of redemption!
YES!! Before THIS Pesach the Moshiach will arrive, build the Holy Temple and in it we will bring this year's Pesach offering along with all the sacrifices written in this week's portion!!!
It all depends on us to make it happen even one moment sooner. We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish hopes, prayers and suffering. Now it could be that just one more good deed, word or even thought will bring a happy and Kosher Pesach with ......
Moshiach NOW!!
Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel
