A single moment is but a minute mark upon the great timeline of one’s life. It is no wonder, then, that so many instants are forgotten, ignored or inscribed within a volume of history never to be reviewed by the author during his lifetime. The insignificance of a moment, however, is only true within the realm of time, space, physicality. When compared to other instants, at least in duration, one moment is just that: a moment. A period of time so negligible that it deserves no second thoughts, no analysis, no attention. Within the realm of spirituality, however, “moments of insight, moments of decision, moments of prayer put life into focus.1” “The ultimate insight is the outcome of moments when we are stirred beyond words, of instants of wonder, awe, praise, fear, trembling and radical amazement; of awareness of grandeur, of perceptions we can grasp but are unable to convey, of discoveries of the unknown. It is at the climax of such moments that we attain the certainty that life has meaning, that time is more than evanescence, that beyond all being there is someone who cares.2” A single moment, then, cannot be measured, for its effects have the potential to mold one’s life and thus last an entire lifetime.
The Jewish religion harnesses the power of the moment in order to imbue meaning, spirituality and vitality into its seemingly dry set of laws. It refers back to events with the hope that one’s recollection of the moment will awaken within him all the emotions and thoughts present during that original occurrence. The necessity to have experienced the original event is not an imperative. Granted, it eases the recollection process, but through research, intense study, discussion and concentrated analysis one may adequately recall and subsequently relive the noted event. It is this reality that enables the Gemara3 to require of every Jew to “regard himself as if he personally has gone out of Egypt” on the night of the Seder4. By reciting the Haggadah and involving oneself in the telling of the entire story of the Jews’ exodus from Egypt, from Yaakov and his sons’ descent to Egypt until the Jews’ crossing of the Red Sea, one travels back in time to the instant at which even “a maidservant saw more than what was seen by the prophets.5” While crossing the sea, the manifestation of Godliness was so clear that even the humblest Jew could literally point with his finger and say “This is my God.”6
At this time of recollection it is not simply the actual exodus that we are to remember, but also, and possibly more importantly, to whom we may attribute this great occurrence: “I am Hashem, your God, who has taken you out from the Land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.7” The story of the Exodus thus climaxes at an ultimate level of clarity: of man experiencing Hashem’s presence.
In Judaism, “it is in events, not only in ideas, that ultimate reality comes to expression. The substance of Judaism is given both in history and in thought. We accept ideas and recall events. The Jew says, ‘I believe,’ and is told, ‘Remember!’8” For this reason the recollection of the leaving of Egypt is a central theme within Jewish prayer and liturgy. The first of the six Remembrances beckons us: “Forever remember the day you left Egypt all the days of your life.9” Additionally, every day we remember it at least twice in the recitation of the Shema. On Shabbat and Yom Tov, in the bracha of Kiddush, we say: “A remembrance to the leaving of Egypt.” These are but a few of the many mitzvot and prayers tied to the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt.
It is because the leaving of Egypt so forcefully indicates and proves Hashem’s dominance over nature, both at the time of the Exodus as well as today,10 that such a great number of mitzvot are devoted to its remembrance.
Through constant recollection of epiphany-yielding events a Jew can live, at every moment of every day, with true faith in Hashem. Jewish faith believes that spiritual events, even ones impossible to document within the physical realm, are real11. It is for this reason that the exodus from Egypt, which culminated at the Sea with the Jews’ experiencing of Hashem’s presence, is the most recalled events in the Torah12 and plays a most significant role in the Jewish religion. We remember, not simply to recall, but so that we might also re-experience.
Tzachi Rosman, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of issues related to addiction, trauma and self-esteem. Since 2008, Tzachi has worked at VA Hudson Valley HCS in Montrose, NY, serving as staff psychologist on the hospital’s residential Substance Abuse and PTSD units. Tzachi has a private practice in Teaneck, NJ, enjoys writing articles about mental health, and free-building Lego sculptures. He can be reached at [email protected] or 646-734-5252.
1 Who is Man, Abraham Joshua Heschel, pg. 43
2 God in Search of Man, Abraham Joshua Heschel, pg. 131
3 Talmud Bavli, Pesachim, 116b
4 Rabbi Eliyahu Touger, in his notes to his translation of Rambam (Hilchot Chametz U’Matzah, 7:6) comments: “Pesachim 116b explains that the mitzvah of relating the story of the Exodus cannot remain on the intellectual level alone. Rather, it must affect a person to the extent that he personally feels that he is leaving Egypt.”
5 Mechilta, Sh’mot 16:2
6 Commentary, Artscroll Tanach, Sh’mot 15:2
7 Sh’mot 20:2
8 God in Search of Man, Abraham Joshua Heschel, pg. 21
9 Devarim 16:3
10 Sefer HaChinuch, mitzvah 21
11 ibid pg. 143
12 Zohar 85b, as cited in Sipur Yetsi’at Mitsrayim, Shelomoh Rozner, page 1 [Rozner notes that the Yetsi’at Mitsrayim is mentioned 50 times throughout the Torah].
