At the Seder, we declare, “Next Year in Jerusalem!” Before then, we will celebrate the rest of Passover as well as Shavuot and Sukkot, each associated with a unique judgment. “At Pesach, [the world is judged] for grain.” How does this judgment take place?
Grain is associated with prosperity: “If there is no flour, there is no Torah.” (Think of the English use of ‘dough’ for money.) The special readings of the Passover season illustrate prosperity in one way or another. “The Israelites had done Moses’ bidding and borrowed from the Egyptians objects of silver and gold…” “I will surely open the floodgates of the sky for you and pour down blessings on you.” The Passover song, Dayyenu, thanks God for giving us the wealth of the Egyptians.
We might mistake prosperity for an essential good. Pesach challenges us to understand that ‘grain,’ wealth, whether we have it in plenty or not, is a means to more important ends and not an end in and of itself.
לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בִּירוּשָלָיִם.
Next year in Jerusalem!
(ב) בְּאַרְבָּעָה פְרָקִים הָעוֹלָם נִדּוֹן, בְּפֶסַח עַל הַתְּבוּאָה, בַּעֲצֶרֶת עַל פֵּרוֹת הָאִילָן, בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה כָּל בָּאֵי הָעוֹלָם עוֹבְרִין לְפָנָיו כִּבְנֵי מָרוֹן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים לג) הַיּוֹצֵר יַחַד לִבָּם, הַמֵּבִין אֶל כָּל מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם. וּבֶחָג נִדּוֹנִין עַל הַמָּיִם:
(2) At four times the world is judged: At Pesach, for grain. At Shavuot, for the fruits of the tree. At Rosh Hashnah, all the world passes before Him like sheep, as it says, "He that fashioneth the hearts of them all, that considereth all their doings." (Psalms 33:15) And at Sukkot, they are judged for the water.
(יז) רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲזַרְיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין תּוֹרָה, אֵין דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ. אִם אֵין דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, אֵין תּוֹרָה. אִם אֵין חָכְמָה, אֵין יִרְאָה. אִם אֵין יִרְאָה, אֵין חָכְמָה. אִם אֵין בִּינָה, אֵין דַּעַת. אִם אֵין דַּעַת, אֵין בִּינָה. אִם אֵין קֶמַח, אֵין תּוֹרָה. אִם אֵין תּוֹרָה, אֵין קֶמַח. ...
(17) Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah says: If there is no Torah, there is no worldly occupation; if there is no worldly occupation, there is no Torah. If there is no wisdom, there is no fear; if there is no fear, there is no wisdom. If there is no understanding, there is no knowledge; if there is no knowledge, there is no understanding. If there is no flour, there is no Torah; if there is no Torah, there is no flour. ...
(35) The Israelites had done Moses’ bidding and borrowed from the Egyptians objects of silver and gold, and clothing. (36) And the LORD had disposed the Egyptians favorably toward the people, and they let them have their request; thus they stripped the Egyptians.
The final chapter of the prophet Malachi is read on Shabbat HaGadol, the Shabbat just prior to Passover.
(י) הָבִ֨יאוּ אֶת־כָּל־הַֽמַּעֲשֵׂ֜ר אֶל־בֵּ֣ית הָאוֹצָ֗ר וִיהִ֥י טֶ֙רֶף֙ בְּבֵיתִ֔י וּבְחָנ֤וּנִי נָא֙ בָּזֹ֔את אָמַ֖ר ה' צְ-בָא֑וֹת אִם־לֹ֧א אֶפְתַּ֣ח לָכֶ֗ם אֵ֚ת אֲרֻבּ֣וֹת הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וַהֲרִיקֹתִ֥י לָכֶ֛ם בְּרָכָ֖ה עַד־בְּלִי־דָֽי׃ (יא) וְגָעַרְתִּ֤י לָכֶם֙ בָּֽאֹכֵ֔ל וְלֹֽא־יַשְׁחִ֥ת לָכֶ֖ם אֶת־פְּרִ֣י הָאֲדָמָ֑ה וְלֹא־תְשַׁכֵּ֨ל לָכֶ֤ם הַגֶּ֙פֶן֙ בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה אָמַ֖ר ה' צְבָאֽוֹת׃
(10) Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, and let there be food in My House, and thus put Me to the test—said the LORD of Hosts. I will surely open the floodgates of the sky for you and pour down blessings on you; (11) and I will banish the locusts from you, so that they will not destroy the yield of your soil; and your vines in the field shall no longer miscarry—said the LORD of Hosts.
In 2019/5779, the Torah portion of Metzora, including the following passage about surface discolorations in houses (צרעת הבית), was read on Shabbat HaGadol.
(לד) כִּ֤י תָבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לָכֶ֖ם לַאֲחֻזָּ֑ה וְנָתַתִּי֙ נֶ֣גַע צָרַ֔עַת בְּבֵ֖ית אֶ֥רֶץ אֲחֻזַּתְכֶֽם׃ (לה) וּבָא֙ אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ הַבַּ֔יִת וְהִגִּ֥יד לַכֹּהֵ֖ן לֵאמֹ֑ר כְּנֶ֕גַע נִרְאָ֥ה לִ֖י בַּבָּֽיִת׃
(34) When you enter the land of Canaan that I give you as a possession, and I inflict an eruptive plague upon a house in the land you possess, (35) the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, “Something like a plague has appeared upon my house.”
(א) ונתתי נגע צרעת. בְּשׂוֹרָה הִיא לָהֶם שֶׁהַנְּגָעִים בָּאִים עֲלֵיהֶם; לְפִי שֶׁהִטְמִינוּ אֱמוֹרִיִּים מַטְמוֹנִיּוֹת שֶׁל זָהָב בְּקִירוֹת בָּתֵּיהֶם כָּל אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְֹרָאֵל בַּמִּדְבָּר, וְעַל יְדֵי הַנֶּגַע נוֹתֵץ הַבַּיִת וּמוֹצְאָן (ויקרא רבה י"ז):
(1) ונתתי נגע צרעת [WHEN YOU COME TO THE LAND …]I WILL PUT THE PLAGUE OF THE LEPROSY — This was an announcement of good tidings to them that these afflictions would come upon them (Sifra, Metzora, Section 5 4; Horayot 10a), because the Amorites concealed treasures of gold in the walls of their houses during the whole 40 years the Israelites were in the wilderness in order that these might not possess them when they conquered Palestine, and in consequence of the plague they would pull down the house and discover them (Leviticus Rabbah 17:6).
אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־מָמוֹנָם וְלֹא קָרַע לָנוּ אֶת־הַיָּם, דַּיֵּנוּ.
If He had given us their money and had not split the Sea for us; [it would have been] enough for us.
(ג) כִּי כָל רֶגֶל הוּא בְּחִינַת הִתְחַדְּשׁוּת הַמֹּחִין, שֶׁנִּמְשָׁךְ שֵׂכֶל חָדָשׁ לְתַקֵּן שָׁלֹשׁ מִדּוֹת אֵלּוּ, הַיְנוּ בְּכָל רֶגֶל מִשָּׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים נִתְתַּקֵּן מִדָּה אַחַת מִשָּׁלֹשׁ מִדּוֹת הַנַּ"ל. עַל־כֵּן צְרִיכִין לִזָּהֵר מְאֹד בִּכְבוֹד יוֹם טוֹב, וּלְקַבֵּל הַשָׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים כָּרָאוּי. כִּי עַל־יְדֵי מִצְווֹת הַשָּׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה זוֹכִין לְתַקֵּן הַשָּׁלֹשׁ מִדּוֹת הַנַּ"ל,
(ד) כִּי בְּפֶסַח נִתְתַּקֵּן תַּאֲוַת מָמוֹן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (שמות י״ב:ל״ו): וַה' נָתַן אֶת חֵן הָעָם בְּעֵינֵי מִצְרַיִם וַיַּשְׁאִילוּם – בְּעַל כָּרְחָם (ברכות ט), כִּי הֵם לֹא רָצוּ כְּלָל, כִּי אָז נִתְתַּקֵּן תַּאֲוַת מָמוֹן.
(3) Each festival signifies a renewal of the mentalities, as a new intellect is drawn to rectify these three traits. In other words, on each of the Three Festivals one of the three traits is rectified. We must therefore take great care to honor the Three Festivals and celebrate them fittingly, because it is through the mitzvot of the Three Festivals that we merit rectifying these three traits.
(4) On Pesach the craving for wealth is rectified, as it is written (Exodus 12:36), “God granted the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, who lent them”—against their will (Berakhot 9b). The [Jews] did not want to <receive> anything, because the craving for wealth had at that time been rectified.