Shnayim Yomi - Bo - R'vi'i - #4 - Rabbi Yaakov Glasser - The Light of a New World

Paras Bo. The fourth aliyah, the aliyah of Ravi, the aliyah of Ravi is somewhat disruptive in the flow of narrative that we have encountered throughout Paras because all of the sudden the aliyah of Ravi, we encounter a mitzvah. And that mitzvah is the mitzvah of the mitzvah to sanctify the new moon. the mitzvah the renewal the comes from essentially declaring this to be a new month and it's a fascinating mitzvah which if we remember all the way back when we were learning paras in the very first p IN THE TORAH RASHI ASKED WHY DO WE NEED ALL THESE PARIOS WHY DO WE NEED ALL of the initial parios of shimos we should START THE TORAH FROM re of paras this is a of the Torah potential of the Torah. We should start the Torah with since it represents the mitzvah of the Torah which is the essential purpose of what has given us and it also represents the first mitzvah that we're given as a nation for mitzvah first mitzvah we're given as a Jewish people. It's fascinating that Mosher Raenu actually struggled with theic details and contours of this mitzvah to the point that had to take Moshenu outside and had to point AND SHOW MOSHENU THIS IS this is what a new moon looks like ask how complicated is a new moon. How many of us we step outside the moon how complicated is it to look up at the sky and see a new moon? There are many different interpretations. Some suggest that keshesh is really about what the new moon looks like in they were in mit. All sorts of different interpretations. The dasan share such a beautiful idea. The dasanum writes I'll TELL YOU WHAT MO WAS STRUGGLING with he was struggling with the fact when you see a sliver of moon in the sky against the backdrop of the darkness of Egypt. You know what's ambiguous? What's ambiguous is is that the final sliver of the waning light of the moon of the previous month or is it the initial rays of light and illumination that are ultimately going to lead to the light of the new month? What are you looking at? Are you looking at the end of the previous month and basically the dissension into darkness or are you looking at the anticipatory illumination that's going to ultimately bring us the full moon and all of its brightness? That's what Moshe couldn't figure out. And had to show him that it all depended on the direction of that sliver of the moon. When it's pointing in one direction, when the crescent is pointing in one direction, you know that it's the end of the previous month. But when it's pointing in a different direction, you know that it's the beginning of the new month. And this had to do so much with the optimism and hope that was trying to instill within the Jewish people in the context of Mits trying to show them that all throughout gulus when we are in the abyss of exile when we're in the darkness of mitz and we see a little bit of light we see an increase in Torah being learned. We see a new leader come upon the landscape of Jewish communal life. We see institutions being built. We see a little sliver of hope, a little sliver the ability to discern between when those slivers are indications of waning influence, power, and success and when we can relate to them as an as an anticipation of something hopeful, something looking into the future. That's what he was trying to instill within Mosher Rabenu that Mosh Rabenu should show the Jewish people. THIS IS NOT THIS LITTLE LIGHT, THIS LITTLE BURST of hope you're experiencing at this moment. This is not something that's closing whatever opportunity you had before. This is opening a whole new world. The world of redemption. The world of Kahula.