My Weekly Drash (a mini D'var Torah) - Chol Hamoed Pesach
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel on April 8, 2009 | Tags: Pesach
For Chol Hamoed Pesach Shabbat we read of God permitting Moses to see His "back." A question the Midrash asks is what did Moses see when he saw God's back? And the answer given is, the back of His head tefillin. If you look at the An'im Z'mirot one verse reads, "The knot of God's tefillin shown in humble Moses' eyes; a vision of God's ways was his glimpse of paradise." Now if the notion of God's tefillin is something to ponder, the rabbis didn't stop there. They asked, "What would be written in the parchment of His head tefillin?" In ours it's the words of the Sh'ma, a reminder of God's unity and uniqueness. In God's, according to the Midrash, it's a verse from Chronicles: "And who is like Your people Israel, one nation on Earth?" (I Chron. 17:21). It's sort of the mirror image. We're to be reminded of the uniqueness of God. He's to be reminded of the uniqueness of us.
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Daniel M. KimmelJoined: October 2, 2007 Daniel M. Kimmel is a Boston area film critic, lecturer and author. He does these weekly mini-lessons for the Mishkan Tefila Brotherhood's newsletter. You are free to use them for similar purposes. Divrei Torah (117) |
