In Parshas Bo, after the final three plagues are brought upon the Egyptians - locust, darkness, and the Plague of the Firstborn - the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh transmitted, many mitzvos regarding the Korban Pesach and Chag Ha’Pesach delineated, and the question of three of the four sons (the wicked son, the simple son and the one who does not know how to ask), the Exodus from Egypt commences. After hundreds of years in Egypt, the Bnei Yisrael march to a hopeful future.

In regard to the Korban Pesach, the korban of freedom and redemption, the pasuk tells us: Speak to the entire assembly of Israel, saying: on the tenth of this month, let each one take שֶׂ֥ה לְבֵֽית־אָבֹ֖ת שֶׂ֥ה לַבָּֽיִת, a lamb for the father’s house, a lamb for each household (12:3). As soon as Korban Pesach is introduced, it is in the context of the Jewish home.

Later in the perek we are told: וַיִּקְרָ֥א משֶׁ֛ה לְכָל־זִקְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֑ם מִֽשְׁכ֗וּ וּקְח֨וּ לָכֶ֥ם צֹ֛אן לְמִשְׁפְּחֹֽתֵיכֶ֖ם וְשַֽׁחֲט֥וּ הַפָּֽסַח - And Moshe called all the elders of Israel and he said to them: draw forth and take for yourselves sheep for your families and slaughter the Passover sacrifice (12:21).

It is clear that intrinsic to the Korban pesach - the Passover Lamb - is the institution of the Jewish home and family ties. Hashem is teaching us a strong lesson in Jewish survival, continuity, and the transmission of our masorah through the doros (generations).

Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski z’l proposes that the greatest miracle of Yetzias Mitzrayim was not any of the Eser Makkos (Ten Plagues) or the splitting of the Reed Sea. “These pale before the miracle of a people, cruelly dehumanized for decades, becoming a nation of unprecedented spirituality, exclaiming at Sinai naash venishmah, we will do and we will listen. How could such a miraculous transformation occur?

“The Divine wisdom was that the first mitzvah after throwing off the shackles of slavery should be a family mitzvah. A strong family bond is the key to spirituality. When family members join and reinforce each other’s dedication to G-d by performing a mitzvah together, the path to spirituality is open” (Twerski on Chumash, p.131).

Rabbi Dr. Twerski notes that in western societies today, there has been fragmentation - and complete breakdown - of the family unit. Rarely is there contact with one’s extended family, and even nuclear family units have sustained damage, due to domestic strife and parent-child alienation. Ironically, he notes, the Pesach seder - a remnant of the Korban Pesach, a mitzvah specifically tied to family bonds and the family unit - is often the only time of year a family may come together!

“In the traditional Jewish family, the sense of mishpachah was primary. There was greater unity with the family and more consideration of other family members. The family was a unit that stood for something. Today, the divisive attitude of ‘do your own thing’ has pulled family members apart. Too often, the family cannot stand for anything, because every member has his/her own agenda” (Ibid.).

Rabbi Dr. Twerski notes that King David himself immortalized the beauty of the family unit - of brothers sitting together - when he said: הִנֵּ֣ה מַה־טּ֖וֹב וּמַה־נָּעִ֑ים שֶׁ֖בֶת אַחִ֣ים גַּם־יָֽחַד, how good and how pleasant when brothers sit (dwell) together (Tehillim 133:1). 

“Sibling rivalry is as old as the world. Yet, the sense of mishpachah was often able to overcome differences within the family. Today, where sibling rivalry exists, there is no glue that can bond brothers and sisters. The first mitzvah of Passover should serve as a beacon of what is necessary for us to be truly spiritual and to be a nation: mishpachah” (Twerski on Chumash, p.131).

As the Israelites stood on the cusp of freedom, prepared to leave Egypt after centuries, Hashem was instructing them - and us - regarding the element most crucial for the success of our nation: family bonds. Implicit in the Korban Pesach is to take a lamb for the household, a lamb for the father’s house. This ensures all members of the family come together to celebrate the miraculous event, not celebrating outside the home, but celebrating within the home.

No wonder, then, that on the night of Makkas Bechoros, the Israelites were commanded: וְאַתֶּ֗ם לֹ֥א תֵֽצְא֛וּ אִ֥ישׁ מִפֶּֽתַח־בֵּית֖וֹ עַד־בֹּֽקֶר - and you, no man shall leave from the entrance of his home until morning (Shemos 12:22). Instead of going through Egypt to witness the downfall of the Egyptians, celebrating redemption in the streets, outside the home, the people were commanded to stay inside their homes with their families, celebrating freedom, as they consumed the meat of the Paschal Lamb. 

Rabbi Shmuel Goldin writes that, “The first and foremost pillar of Jewish society is the family unit (emphasis in the original). G-d deliberately refrains from marking the birth of the Jewish nation with constitutional conventions, mass rallies or declarations of independence. Each Israelite is, instead, commanded to return to the privacy of his home where he is to participate in the family meal that is the Korban Pesach… (Thus) G-d delivers a simple yet powerful message: As you prepare to begin your historic journey, stop and mark this evening within the societal unit that will be most critical to your success. Remember always that your survival will depend upon the health of the family. If the family is strong, if the home fulfills its educational role, your people will be strong and your nation will endure” (Unlocking the Torah Text, Shmot, p.90-91).

May the miracles of the Exodus continue to inspire us and strengthen our faith in Hashem and His salvation. And may we learn the lessons of the Korban Pesach, first and foremost the foundational importance of the family unit. On Leil Ha’Seder, during the order of the seder we say: “Motzi matzah.” Rav Yisrael Meir Lau shlita explains that this literally means “remove strife”. May the lessons of the Exodus remind us to remove strife so that our family units will be healthy and whole, and our nation will endure forever.

בברכת בשורות טובות ושבת שלום