On the Shabbat before the Exodus--Nissan 10th on that year--the first-born of Egypt, who occupied the senior positions in the priesthood and government, fought a bloody battle with Pharaoh's troops, in an effort to secure the release of the Israelites and prevent the Plague of the Firstborn. This "great miracle" is commemorated each year on the Shabbat before Passover, which is therefore called Shabbat HaGadol, "The Great Shabbat." (This is one of the rare instances in which a commemorative date in the Jewish calendar is set by the day of the week rather than the day of the month.)

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For more on the war of the Firstborn, see Chabad.org.

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Kabbalah explains that the Hebrew word for Egypt, Mitzrayim, means limitations, boundaries, constraints. In breaking out of Egypt, we were freed from those constraints, changed forever. From the moment Pharaoh let us go, there was no longer any force in the world powerful enough to keep a Jew from connecting with G_d.

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Egypt remains alive inside the hearts of each one of us. It makes us feel small and unworthy. It makes us forget who we are and who we could become. It makes us believe that we have to blend in with those who seem bigger and more powerful than ourselves. This "slave mentality" is the cause of all the limiting beliefs, uncertainties and fears that are in our way. It cuts us off from the miracles of our past, the potential of our future and our own truly infinite power to change our world for good.

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It all comes down to this: Until we free ourselves from the inner Egypt we will never be truly free. But once we do, we will never be slaves again --to anything, or anyone. Not even ourselves. The generation that left Egypt ran up against the same basic problem again and again. They were conditioned to think like slaves. They feared the power of the nations who opposed them, and they could not fully internalize  - trust and rely upon  - their relationship with G_d.

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But Kabbalah tells us a fascinating thing. It says that the souls of the generation that left Egypt will be reincarnated in our times, in the generation of the final redemption. It is the task of this generation to finally transform the inner Egypt and set ourselves and all our descendents free.

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From an article by Shifra Hendrie

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How were we able to see miracles in Egypt? Because we were downtrodden and broken by forced labor and oppression, so our eyes and hearts were open to perceive the world as the façade it truly is and accept a light from far beyond all that we know.

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Our oppressors, on the other hand, saw only plagues.

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Rabbi Tzvi Freeman

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The eighth day of Pesach is traditionally associated with our hopes for the coming of Moshiach. For this reason, the haftorah read on that day contains many prophecies which refer to the era of the redemption. About 250 years ago, as the time for Moshiach drew closer, the Baal Shem Tov instituted a custom which underlines the connection between the redemption and the eighth day of Pesach: on that day he would partake of Moshiach’s Seudah, the festive meal of Moshiach.  Moshiach’s Seudah is intended to deepen our awareness of Moshiach and enable us to integrate it into our thinking processes. The twelfth article of Rambam’s thirteen principles of faith is: “I believe with perfect faith in the coming of Moshiach. Even if he delays, I will wait every day for him to come.” Though all believing Jews accept this principle intellectually, for many the concept of Moshiach remains an abstraction. Partaking of Moshiach’s Seudah reinforces our belief in this principle, translating our awareness of Moshiach into a meal, a physical experience which leads us to associate this concept with our flesh and blood.

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Chabad.org

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Among the wonderful stories associated with our liberation from Egypt is the Splitting of the Red Sea.  How did the splitting of the sea happen? According to the Midrash, it all came down to one man named Nachson, the prince of the tribe of Judah. The sages share the following account: When Israel stood facing the Red Sea, and the command was given to move forward, each of the tribes hesitated, saying, “We do not want to be the first to jump into the sea.”

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Nachshon saw what was happening—and jumped into the sea. At that moment Moses was standing and praying. G-d said to him, “My beloved ones are drowning in the stormy seas, and you are standing and praying?” Moses replied, “Master of the world, what am I to do?”

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Said G-d, “Lift your staff and spread your hand over the seas, which will split, and Israel will come into the sea upon dry land.”

And so it was. Following Nachshon’s lead, the Israelites entered the sea and were saved.

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Nachshon’s name has become synonymous with courage and the will to do the right thing, even when it’s not popular. Inspired by Nachshon, King David wrote in Psalms, “I have sunk in muddy depths, and there is no place to stand; I have come into the deep water, and the current has swept me away . . . Let not the current of water sweep me away, nor the deep swallow me, and let the well not close its mouth over me.”

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The Rebbe saw Nachshon’s deed as a call to action: “One fellow named Nachshon jumped into the sea, and caused the great miracle of the Splitting of the Sea. Technically, he was under no obligation to do so. But he knew that G-d wanted Israel to move onward toward Sinai. So he did what he needed to do. There was a sea in his way. So he jumped into the sea and plowed on toward his goal. The lesson for all of us is that we must stay focused on our life’s mission, disregarding all obstacles.”

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In these troubled times for Israel and all of the Jewish people, the story of Nachshon and the Splitting of the Sea inspires us to see the stormy ocean of life not as an obstacle but as a challenge to strengthen our faith. We are a nation of miracles.

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From articles by Rabbis Menachem Posner and Mendy Kaminker

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