All three sources of our readings this Shabbat speak of rebirth. First, the Torah reading:
You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread - eating unleavened bread for seven days, as I have commanded you - at the set time of the month of spring (Aviv), for in the month of spring (Aviv) you went forth from Egypt. Every first issue of the womb is Mine...(Exodus 34:18-19)
Then consider the Haftarah reading:
...The breath entered them [the dry bones], and they came to life and stood up on their feet, a vast multitude. And He said to me: "O mortal, these bones are the whole House of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone; we are doomed.'...I will put My breath into you, and you shall live again, and I will set you upon your own soil." (Ezekiel 37:10-11, 14).
Finally, consider these verses from the Song of Songs, which we read today as well:
For now the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The blossoms have appeared in the land, the time of pruning [or singing] has come; the song of the turtledove is heard in our land. The green figs form on the fig tree, the vines in blossom give off fragrance. Arise, my darling; my fair one, come away! (Song of Songs 2:11-13)
In some ways, of course, this is no coincidence. Unlike the Muslims, we Jews adjust the calendar to ensure that Passover is indeed "the festival of spring." This leads us to think about many kinds of rebirth, including those mentioned in these sources:
- The rebirth of nature, which comes to life all around us in a profusion of budding plants, colors, and scents at this time of year.
- The birth of the People Israel through the Exodus from Egypt - and the rebirth of that experience each and every year as we mark that event and celebrate it during Passover;
- The rebirth of a Jewish national homeland in Israel, promised by the prophet for those in exile after the destruction of the First Temple and made real again in our own time in the State of Israel;
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The rebirth of human love, thankfully possible for us humans - and hopefully a reality -- throughout the year but especially encouraged and enriched when in consonance with the mating season of most other animals.
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The birth of offspring of animals and humans.
What does the experience of rebirth - especially as manifested in all these ways that mark this season - teach us? Our sources spell out some of the lessons. /p>
First, as the Torah reading proclaims, rebirth should remind us of the original birth of the People Israel and the lessons it taught us. Every nation has a story about its origins, and the way a nation tells its story shapes its members' self-perceptions and values. Romulus and Remus told ancient Romans that they were as ferocious as the animals from which they miraculously came. Americans see themselves as the product of heroic fighting against tyranny. The Exodus story tells us that God took us out of Egypt "with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm." We had to be prepared to go, and we ultimately went reluctantly and even mourned "the fleshpots of Egypt" on the way, but God pushed us to leave the security and hardships of slavery to take on the responsibilities of a free people. Similarly, God is with us in our efforts to leave the straits of Egypt - the Hebrew word for Egypt literally means straits because the Nile empties into the Mediterranean not as one river but in straits - whether that means physical slavery, or, more midrashically, the straits of poverty, ignorance, prejudice, or illness. We are each born against our will, and similarly the People Israel was born against our ancestors' will. When we reexperience that birth each year during Pesah, we must remember the responsibilities that God has imposed on us to make this a better world through the freedom He has pushed us to take on as mature and responsible adults.
Ezekiel reminds us not to give up hope. All too often, tragedies in life, whether of individuals or of the Jewish People as a whole, leave us depressed and listless. We dare not stay in that dejected state, the Prophet tells us, because God is forever there to blow new life into our dry bones; we need only let God in by breathing in the hope that God provides for us. The State of Israel is the graphic indication of the need to retain hope for our national aspirations, but we as individuals can hope for such rebirth in our personal lives as well.
Song of Songs reminds us of the rebirth of love. In its plain meaning, that book is speaking of the love between human lovers, a love that the book unabashedly celebrates for all its pleasure. Rabbi Akiba interpreted the book to be a love song between God and the People Israel. Both forms of love - the covenantal love between humans and between the People Israel and God -- give us reassurance, pleasure, companionship, and responsibility.
The Torah reading for today goes immediately from the Exodus from Egypt to the birth of animals and humans. Here the Torah is literally talking about birth and the role of God in that miracle. For each new birth in our families and community, we must thank God. Given the demographic crisis now facing the Jewish people, the Torah's interest in children at this time of year calls on those couples who can have children to have three or four so that we can continue to exist as a Jewish people. For those couples having difficulty with infertility, these sources on rebirth commend continual effort and hope. We all wish them success in having and raising Jewish children, whether they be theirs biologically or through adoption.
These are only some of the meanings of birth and rebirth present in the biblical readings for today. In the spirit of Passover, think of others, and talk among yourselves!
Hag kasher v'same'ah.