Pesach 5784 – Shabbat Chol Hamoed

When Shabbat occurs on one of the intermediate days of a Festival, whether on Passover or on Sukkot, they read the Torah portion of “See, You say to me” (Exodus 33:12–34:26), as it includes the halakhot of the Festivals and the intermediate days. They read as the haftara, on Passover, from the portion of the dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1–14), which portrays redemption from servitude, and on Sukkot they read “And it shall come to pass on that day when Gog shall come” (Ezekiel 38:18–39:16), which speaks of the future redemption.

– Megillah 31a, sefaria.org

Moses led the Children of Israel through the bamidbar (wilderness); he was chosen to do so, for the sake of the redemption of Israel. He was HaShem’s spokesperson through whom the plagues were enacted upon Egypt. Safe passage for the Israelites was provided through the sea. It was Moses, through whom G-d’s favor rested, and that favor was a guarantee for Israel after the sin of Golden Calf. The nation of Israel became G-d’s people, thus securing a foundation for the continuance of G-d’s divine plan for the world.

In the haftorah, we read of the valley of dry bones, that are resurrected by the breath of G-d. On one level, these represent the rebirth of Israel as further prophesied in Isaiah, where it is written that a nation shall be born in one day (Isaiah 66:8). On another level, these bones that are reanimated and brought back to life are symbolic of the Tehillas haMeisim (the Resurrection of the Dead). According to the Talmud, this narrative is akin to freedom from servitude, a theme that designates the reading of this passage as apropos of the Exodus narrative.

Author: tzvifievel

I am Jewish. I write divrei Torah, poetry, and brief essays on modern culture. I am interested in exploring Judaism beyond a surface level of belief and practice; I try to emphasize kavanah in prayer, mitzvoth, and study.

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