Rabbi Mayer TwerskyEmunah and Masorah

The yom tov of Pesach has two foci: emunah and masorah. The belief and knowledge of Hakadosh Baruch Hu is predicated upon our experience of yetzias Mitzrayim. "I am Hashem, your God, who has taken you out of the land of Mitzrayim, from the house of slavery" (Shemos 20:2). "The basic principle of all principles and the pillar of all sciences is to realize that there is a First Being who brought every existing thing into being ... To know this truth is a mitzvas aseh, as it is said, 'I am Hashem your God,...'"(Rambam Yesodei HaTorah 1:1,6.) In Mitzrayim, we witnessed Hashem's providence over the world, and were taught about reward and punishment.

When we fulfill the daily mitzvah of zechiras yetzias Mitzrayim we remind ourselves of the lessons of faith, and re-affirm our faith (Vide Ramban, end of parshas Bo). And on Pesach when we re-experience yetzias Mitzrayim, we relive these vivid lessons of faith.

Thus we are privileged to have the mitzvah of achilas matzah, in the oft quoted words of the Zohar Hakadosh, bread of faith.

As such, the yom tov of Pesach is a time especially conducive to cultivating and deepening our emunah in Hashem.

The second focus of Pesach is masorah, transmitting and teaching our emunah. "And you shall tell your son on that day saying, 'it is because of this that Hashem acted on my behalf when I left Mitzrayim' "(Shemos 13:8). "The Torah speaks with reference to four sons..."

In truth, these two foci are inextricably linked; shteayim she'hein achas. The symbiotic relationship between emunah and masroah can and should be understood on different levels. The most basic level is this. Parents (and educators) want to give their children the absolute best. They want to equip their children for the future, for life. They want to give their children what is most important, most precious. Accordingly, a genuine ma'amin strives to transmit his emunah to his children/disciples. Emunah is the lens through which life should be viewed, understood and experienced. Emunah provides an unfailing guide to how life should be lived.

But the symbiotic relationship between emunah and masroah, anochi and v'higadeta l'bincha, reaches deeper. Emunah provides an all-encompassing vision of the past, present, and future. The world was created for Torah, for the Jewish people who accepted and live Torah. Life does not merely muddle along. Life - existence - is purposeful, and the ultimate purpose is "l'sakein olam b'malchus shakai".

For this reason masorah is a pivotal, indispensable component of emunah. In transmitting our faith to future generations, we sow the seeds of geulah, "l'sakein olam b'malchus shakai". One who experiences "anochi Hashem Elokecha" must translate and channel that experience into "v'higadeta l'bincha".

Ramban, in his hasagos to Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvos, emphasizes this link between emunah and masorah. It is, writes the Ramban, a mitzvas lo sa'aseh to never forget ma'amad Har Sinai which is the basis of our emunah in Torah. This mitzvah, according to Ramban, also entails transmitting that memory and concomitant belief to future generations. Emunah and masorah are inseparable.

Avraham Avinu was a paragon, and hence is a paradigm, of faith. He triumphed, Chazal teach us, over ten nisyonos. His life was an odyssey of emunah. And yet, the Torah chooses one particular moment to describe him as a ma'amin. The Torah records Avraham Avinu's reaction to Hashem's promise that he, despite being barren and already at an advanced age, will yet father a child who will inherit his legacy. Avraham Avinu's reaction: "v'he'emin b'Hashem - and he believed in Hashem". It is only at this juncture when Hashem promises him a child that Avraham Avinu is given the opportunity to manifest complete emunah - emunah with a vision for the future.

A Jew is called upon to live a life of emunah, anchored in the past of "asher hotzeitzicha mai'Eretz Mitzrayim" and confident of a future of "l'sakein olam b'malchus shakai".