And here we are, once again, in the middle of our Torah cycle, right in the Book of Leviticus. A former rabbi of mine once noted that this third book in the Five Books of Moses was not her favorite part of the Bible. I heartily concur. Much of Leviticus, (Va Yikra) numbingly deals with the minutia of sacrifices the ancient Israelites, under the guidance of their priests, were supposed to offer. These rituals are completely removed from modern times when the Temple no longer stands and the synagogue with its prayers has replaced burnt offerings. Leviticus, sometimes called “Torat Kohanim,” or the book dealing with the laws that Aaron’s priestly class had to follow, also indicates that the priests had a central role in dealing with health. They were, in effect, the Jews’ earliest physicians. Two Sedrahs in Leviticus, Tazria and Metzora, speak of how the priests were to diagnose skin eruptions and infections, erroneously termed leprosy. According to these Sedrahs, the priests initiated an early system of quarantine, putting the afflicted persons outside the camp, when they came down with skin eruptions which could be communicable. When the illnesses had run their course, these individuals underwent ritual purification by immersion and offered up sacrifices before rejoining society (Lev. 12:1-15:33). Much of this “medicine” and disease “theory” are way off the mark. However, this was before the 19th and 20th Centuries when the germ theory of disease was finally established and effective drugs could help cure many illnesses. Most people viewing these chapters today would dismiss them as irrelevant.
Fortunately, this year, the Sedrah Metzora falls on “Shabbat HaGadol,” one of the most important Sabbaths, one that has always merited special attention in Jewish tradition. “Shabbat Ha Gadol,” the “Great Sabbath,” always precedes the spring holiday of Passover, considered by many rabbinical authorities to be the actual “birthday of the Jewish People.” On Passover, God, through Moses, delivered the Jews from Egyptian slavery and started them on their journey of becoming a people who would serve Him as a “Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation.” Traditionally, rabbis only gave sermons on “Shabbat Shuvah,” the Sabbath falling between Rosh Ha Shanah and Yom Kippur and on “Shabbat Ha Gadol.” The “Shabbat Ha Gadol” sermons often dealt with the meaning of Passover and how to ritually prepare one’s home for this upcoming holiday.
Probably, the main reason “Shabbat Ha Gadol” received that name was because the Haftorah portion, the section chanted after the Torah reading, comes from the Prophet Malachi, the last prophet in the Jewish Scriptures. Malachi lived around 450 B.C.E. after the Second Temple had been rebuilt. In this Haftorah, Malachi states, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord (Mal. 3:23).” In Hebrew, the phrase “great and terrible day” reads “Yom ‘Ha Gadol’ Ve Hanorah,” therefore the term, “Shabbat Ha Gadol (Klagsbrun, “Jewish Days”).” In Jewish tradition, Passover is tied to the Redemption in the Future (“Pesach Le Atid”), or the time when mankind will be delivered from all physical and spiritual oppression, the coming of the Messiah or the Messianic Age. According to Jewish tradition, Elijah the Prophet (“Eliyahu Ha Navi”) will herald the Messiah or Messianic Era.
In many Jewish congregations, it is customary to study the Haggadah on Shabbat Ha Gadol, another way to prepare oneself for Passover. What is the Haggadah? The Haggadah is the text read at the Passover Seder, the ritual meal observed on the first and second nights of Passover, this year occurring on April 19 and April 20 (Reform Jews have only one Seder on the first night of Passover). The Haggadah tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt in prayer, readings, and songs. The word “Haggadah,” comes from the Hebrew root “Le Haggid” or “to tell.” In Ex. 13:8, God says to Moses and the Jewish People, “And you shall explain to your son (daughters and all your fellow Jews) on that day (Passover), ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I went free from Egypt.’” In Hebrew, “And you shall explain,” (or “tell”), is translated as “Ve Higadditah,” hence, the term “Haggadah.”
The Haggadah is the most popular of all Jewish books. Its contents reflect the strength and richness of Jewish life encompassing much Jewish history. Unlike Torah scrolls which must be copied by scribes with no changes whatsoever, Haggadot (plural of Haggadah) can and are often amended. Thousands of different versions have been produced over the years in every region where Jews have lived. The oldest known Haggadah dates to the tenth century, C.E., when it was included in the prayer book of Saadia Gaon, one of the most famous leaders of the Jewish community in post-Talmudic Babylonia. Later Haggadot were produced as separate manuscripts and people vied to beautifully illustrate them with their own interpretations of the Exodus, something which continues today. The first known printed Haggadah was published in Guadalajara, Spain in 1482, ten years before the Jews were expelled from that country. There have been Reform, Conservative, Reconstruction, and Zionist Haggadot. Many Israeli kibbutzim made their own Haggadot. There have been Haggadot specifically designed for Jewish soldiers who fought in WWII. Holocaust survivors wrote their own Haggadot recounting their horrible slavery to their miraculous liberation. Haggadot emphasizing the plight of Jews in the former Soviet Union were published. American civil rights activists wrote their own Haggadot putting in words from the Rev. Martin Luther King’s speeches. Jewish women’s groups have also written their own Haggadot pushing the role of women in the Exodus, especially Miriam, Moses’ and Aarons’ sister. Many of the standard Conservative and Reform Haggadot have added prayers memorializing the Holocaust’s dead as well as the creation of the State of Israel. And, of course, in many grocery stores, come Passover time, you can pick up the Maxwell House Coffee standard Haggadah.
However, despite all these additions, Haggadot still have a core content. After all, they are used for the Passover Seder. The word “Seder” means “order” in Hebrew, just like the traditional Jewish prayer book, the “Siddur,” refers to “an order” for the prayers on the Sabbath and the holidays. Many of the ceremonies and basic order of the Seder found in the Haggadah are described in the Mishnah, the first commentary on Jewish law, redacted in about 200 C.E. The basic Haggadah has Biblical verses, tales from the Midrash, (rabbinic interpretation of Biblical stories), literature from the post- Babylonian Talmudic period, and songs from the Middle Ages.
One of the most popular songs in any Haggadah, known by most Jews the world over is “Dayenu.” The word “Dayenu” means “it would have been enough,” or “it would have been sufficient.” In 15 stanzas, the “Dayenu” song talks about being grateful to God for all the gifts He has given the Jewish People. It states that it would have been enough (“Dayenu”) for freeing the Jews from Egypt alone. However, God gave the Jews many gifts that would have been enough-- parting the Red Sea, the Torah, the Sabbath, etc. The earliest text of the up-beat “Dayenu” song was found in the 9th -Century “Seder Rav Amram” Haggadah. Amram was a famous Gaon in post-Talmudic Babylonia during the 9th Century. He headed the Talmudic Academy at Sura.
Over the years, many people have satirized or made up their own versions of “Dayenu.” In that spirit, I have created my own “Dayenu” satire with a strong bit of political spin. Please read it and sing along with it. I hope you enjoy it. May all of you have a Happy and Joyous Passover.
A “Dayenu” for Our Times
Since Day One Trump’s been a Liar,
Causing Women and Minorities to Catch Voting Fire,
Causing Women and Minorities to Catch Voting Fire, Dayenu
CHORUS: Day Day Enu, Day Day Enu, Day Day Enu, Day Enu, Day Enu, Day Enu
Day Day Enu, Day Day Enu, Day Day Enu, Day Enu, Day Enu
Since Trump Tried to Repeal Obama’s Health Care,
Many GOP Congressmen No Longer Are There,
Many GOP Congressmen No Longer Are There, Dayenu
CHORUS: Day Day Enu….
Since Donald Tried to Build a Wall,
His Polling Took One Huge Fall,
His Polling Took One Huge Fall, Dayenu
CHORUS: Day Day Enu….
Since Donald Acted Like Bela Lugosi,
We Went Out and Picked Pelosi,
We Went Out and Picked Pelosi, Dayenu
CHORUS: Day, Day, Enu….
Since Donald Keeps on Lying A Plenty,
It’s Time to Oust Him in 2020,
It’s Time to Oust Him in 2020, Dayenu
CHORUS: Day Day Enu, Day Day Enu,
Day Day Enu, Day Enu, Day Enu, Dayenu
Day Day Enu, Day Day Enu, Day Day, Enu,
Day Enu, Day Enu
