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                                                                       Parashas Bo                                     

                                              The Chock and The Mitzvah: Join The Ger

                                                              Rabbi David Pesach Katz 

Oh Parashas Bo, oh how I love you…In 2000, I met my first Noahide friend online, and was told of four things by this Ruby Wings as she called herself: 1) You will make Aliyah 2) Shem is Malki Tzedek 3) Shir Hashirim is amazing by king Solomon 4) Parashas Bo is her favorite Parasha. Suffice it to say, that young kid did make Aliyah [despite not having a clue about its ramifications and implications back in 2000], my life work began with the Torah of Shem [to Noahides], before that [and still to this to some extent] my life work was/is Shir Hashirim, which as I ended my commentary it concluded as an example as the Love between the Jew and The Ger, and then Parashas Bo…which hit me like a ton of bricks – only this week. After nearly fifteen years of waiting for the missing piece to emerge in Bo, it has, and yes, it was through Gerim. I found nothing new to what this on-going project has become, only what I did find, was that all of "this" was sitting nicely at 12:43 – topics of the Ger and his Bris. 

I came to this verse – the missing piece, appropriately by today's Gerim, and as shocked as I was to realize that that I made it home so to speak [the entire Ger saga can literally be identified from this verse through its proper extensions, in association with the Midrash Rabba and the life story of Ketia Bar Shalom Avodah Zara 10b], even more shocking was the revelation that seemed tailor made for me in this verse – a [my] true "Soul Mazal" experience finally [ironically] boomeranged back. With the fourth piece now eternally secure, all I can say is, "Oh Parashas Bo, oh how I love you…In 2000, I met my first Noahide friend online, and was…"

***This article is based on the most impactful revelations that come from 12:43 in Bo; the possibilities are endless, as in my opinion, this verse is the Gan Eden of Ger Torah. There is no wrong, only not enough pen and ink to cover all ground. Therefore the gist of the article will cover only a taste of the World to Come on this and should be seen as an extensive work. For that, [the extensive work] – well, we are doing that too, it is called Soul Mazal – the Universal Torah through the Ger, and reaching your name/soul potential in the process. For me, it began and ends at 12:43, concerning the "Chukas of the Pesach" – the Bris, The Ger, and The Passover together in Jerusalem. Enjoy.

"Chock" – A law [i.e. The Torah of a topic, relative to Law] that is beyond the simple rational mind. The Passover [Offering] is called a Chock, and now we can begin to discover why.

Simply put, the Passover [Offering; notice the difference between the Passover vs. "The Holiday of Passover" for further connotation. The holiday of Passover is termed as such after the Offering. The biblical Holiday of Passover is called the Festival of Matzah's.] is an obligation incumbent upon every member of the House of Israel. In what seems like forever, that was a blanket perception of Kosher Jews, to the exclusion of any type of gentile, and the core issue of its linkage to the Brit [circumcision] [which is the main crux of the "Chock"] has been considered irrelevant in the grand scope of things, while seen as trivial fact. Only now, when we examine 12:43, with intent and focus of isolation of this "Chock" along with our Ger radar turned on in these matters in the Torah that call out our friends by name [strong hint], we can see with crystal clear clarity that the big picture has been largely ignored, and for no good reason. Simply put, those who are without circumcision, the Passover is not for you, and the circumcised Ger [among other inclusions as per the topic; likewise for the inverse case], well, Baruch Habah [welcome].

The Passover is a Chock [phonetically: Hhoakhe] and being as such it requires investigation to fathom the depths that a proper Chock is invested in, for by nature, it is not obvious or even rational. The basic premise of the Chock is to relate it to the Bris, and to unite the blood that comes from the Passover and the Bris [circumcision, lit. the covenant].

In the Exodus from Egypt Hashem wiped out the first born in Egypt in the 10^th and most powerful plague. Israel was spared this demise through the adherence of placing the Blood of the Passover Offering on their doorpost. Passover literally means to "pass over" [from the angel of death], thus Israel was saved, and the 10^th plague is represented with blood, and stands as perhaps [at least one of] Hashem's greatest miracle(s) – for even in the realm of rational thinking, this miracle stands with all of its appropriate Glory [to God]. Thus in the end of things, Passover is represented by blood, and this remains an integral part of the Chock for all times, even in the progressive sense.

This act of God stands without peer for many reasons; yet the biggest point of revelation is to be found in the fact that Israel just killed and ate the Egyptian Gods. Generally this would be the kiss of death to express a chutzpah such as this, yet Israel would go through this danger – AND LIVE. Thus we see the profound nature within this Chock [by definition this isn't rational and easy to understand]; such is the progressive precedent in all areas of this "Passover Mitzvah" which comes under the microscope eternally with the Gerim of each new generation who wish to permanently leave Egypt and her idolatry.

The Bris Mila [circumcision act/ritual – look to Tzippora, the wife of Moses and her brave actions in the sanctity of a COMPLETE Bris Mila ceremony; she performed the "Mila" and the "metzitzah", as per her name Tzippora which means "rock" and "mouth" thus implies the severing and the sterilization – completing of the mitzvah such that the baby will live through its danger.] is another act of God [and a relative to type of Chutzpah; again, see Tzippora and her declaration upon completing the act in reference to the "blood that reached to 'his' feet"] that involves blood in the realm of the Chock, and all the while going against the rational point of view. The baby is seen to live through the danger and exposure of an infant's own blood shedding. The circumcision, as we saw with the danger surrounding Moses and his lack of haste in the performance of the Bris, has the same function as the Passover, in that they both push off the Angel of Death in the moment of Chutzpah; an open act of God even amidst the moment of danger.

Combine the Bris with Passover, and practically everything else that is represented in these concepts, along with the Ger's desire to be involved with everything Passover-ish [The uncircumcised Ger as well shall find his role here along with his soul root] the famous Chock begins to shed light – for this is the foundation of the Torah of The Ger, and more importantly the root of the Mitzvah of vitality between Jew and Ger. This mitzvah of vitality is set around the Tzeddaka of non-kosher meat that is delivered to the Ger; once in the context of Passover, this enigmatic ritual suddenly takes great shape in the context of the annual Jerusalem bash that ironically is centered on meat! When the peripheral of the Jerusalem experience is considered, one immediately realizes that the Ger is 100% part of this Mitzvah, and the experience thrives on his presence; with a bit of context and thinking that makes sense, the archaic command of delivering meat is transformed to a magical experience – annually within the walls of Jerusalem. It does not take much to consider from this point to realize the great importance and soft secrets of the need for Temple Offerings; in fact, it is quite logical and to imagine the bonding between Gerim and Jews vis a vis the Temple in this capacity.

Consider the millions of Jews who ascend to Jerusalem annually to eat the Passover Offering. To think of a "strangers keep out mentality" is absolutely antithetical to the depth of the holiday on every possible angle, even the practical and rational! For every kosher slaughter, one must imagine the amount of forbidden animals that must arise, purely from a statistical level. It should be obvious that at least 10% of all Passover Offerings are not permissible to consume due to the strict laws of Kashrut [Kosher laws]; these laws are strict and not without reason and compassion from God. If one were to calculate among the millions of Jews, their Offerings in numbers, and thus the amount of blemished animals – the Gerim who are not circumcised now are able to take part of the gifts [of meat] to perform one of the Torah's most sacred mitzvoth between the Jews and Gerim of "Love the Ger." This hasn't even touched upon all of those Gerim who wish to be circumcised and by law are included in the Mitzvah by the other view of the Chock! Most would never imagine a "gentile" eating the Passover Offering, but the Torah comes to reveal that not only do the circumcised Gerim eat of it, but that they are not in fact considered gentiles upon going under the knife! With these ingredients under Divine Command, Passover just erupted into the time of our lives when we ponder the Joy [Hedva] through the undertaking of the diversity with a circumcised heart as Hashem has willed within the Torah.

Every Jew loves Passover, even if for reasons unbeknownst to himself; the even bigger revelation is that among rituals like Shabbos and Torah study, the Gerim are historically [and presently] equally invigorated to partake in the [current] Passover assemblies. As "why" may not be the issue at hand, for the Torah proves that this is spiritual DNA of every Jew and Ger, and to be in the same capacity [in the Temple and Jerusalem] really should no longer be anything of a surprise; quite the opposite, it should be obvious from the verses and Torah documented history themselves! For further insight to the Ger [non convert] and his Bris along with the implications as a precedent in history, visit the story of Ketia Bar Shalom! [Avodah Zara 10b; the audio shiur will cover this story for context]

Baruch Hashem for Gerim; in the most blatant sense, if it weren't for Gerim, would we even understand the Chock and its relationship to something as "trivial" and essential as the observance of Passover? It is unfathomable how much of the Torah [1^st Temple awareness] we simply don't have due in part to the lack of Ger awareness in the World! The good news is, the Torah is lost or destroyed, and rather it is right in front of your eyes, as bold as the verses around 12:43 clearly explain the circumcised Ger eats while the uncircumcised Ger does not [yet still partakes of the Mitzvah to Love the Ger through the giving of meat]. This is but one example of the Torah coming back to life; imagine what will take place with the full redemption of the Ger – something prophesied to take place with the coming of the Messiah. 

The Messiah is a role taken by Pinchas the son of Elazar the son of Aaron the brother of Moses [given by his association with such matters as the secret of the Bris, Gerim, etc.], for he won the Bris Shalom [The Covenant of Peace], famously written with the "Broken vav" in the script…otherwise known as the "Vav Ketia" [broken vav], or a Ger would surmise, perhaps this is a hint at Ketia Bar Shalom, the circumcised Ger, who by the definition of law/Chock – would find great joy and Reshut [permission with favor]  to partake of the Holy Passover Offering, to celebrate a formal withdraw from his personal Egypt and her idolatrous ways….for now, he can bask in the Presence of God in His Holy Temple that rests on Zion.

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